What is Dream Interpretation?
Around 1 in 250 people claim to not remember a single dream they've ever had. This might seem strange for the rest of us who vividly recall our nighttime adventures, or at the very least remember how they made us feel.
And if you do remember your dreams, odds are, you've often thought about what they represent. Is it just your imagination running wild? Or does it give you insight into your repressed desires?
These very questions lay the foundation for dream interpretation or the study of dreams. So let's take a look at how far dream interpretation has come, and how we can use it to better understand our dreams.
Dream Interpretation Through the Ages
As a species, we've always been dreaming. The Babylonians and many other ancient civilizations viewed dreams as divine intervention or prophecies. In some ancient cultures, some people would also pay special attention to their dreams by sleeping in places they considered sacred, and keeping detailed records of their dreams.
In more recent times, psychologists like Freud saw them as representative of the desires of our unconscious mind. Jung, while stating that dreams were, in fact, worthy of interpretation, offered a different perspective that favored a wider interpretation of dreams, not necessarily indicative of our unconscious desires.
Symbolism in Dreams
Based on the various interpretations, we find a few major themes associated with dreaming. One is prophetic or precognitive dreams, another is unconscious desires, and the third is a wider, personalized interpretation of dreams.
While you may not be able to tell what kind of dreams you're having, or the purpose behind them, you can learn to recognize the symbols within your dreams. And it is these symbols that form the basis for most interpretations of dreams.
These symbols can appear in the form of male or female characters, young children, babies, animals, numbers, and even colors. Additionally, the storylines within your dreams could also represent metaphors.
For example, being chased, losing something of importance, falling, flying, nakedness, and losing your teeth are some of the most common dreams people have.
The Basics of Dream Interpretation
If you're looking to get a deeper insight into your dreams and what they represent, here are a few simple things you can do.
- Keep a dream journal and regularly record your dreams in as much detail as possible
- Pay special attention to the way you felt while dreaming, or after you woke up from your dream
- Try to spot symbols and situations within your dreams
- Identify recurring dreams, colors, and thoughts
- Consider the dream as a whole and think about the ways it reflects your current state of mind or situation
Once you have everything in one place, it'll be much easier for you to spot patterns, and draw up an analysis.
Not Just Another Dream
Our dreams have a lot to teach us about ourselves and the world around us too. The way to understand these lessons is through dream interpretation.
Want to learn more about your dreams, and what they represent? Explore the meanings, feelings, and insight your dreams have to offer with a qualified psychic here!
