Why do we dream? By the end of this article, you will have a better idea of why we dream.
There are many factors that go into understanding why we dream, but most agree that the main reason why we dream is that we may have something that is bothering us and this is causing us to have sleepless unrest.
Another reason of why we dream is we have things that have happened in our past that were never resolved properly or dealt with and this will cause us to bring those issues up while we are dreaming. Why sometimes we dream about people and places that do not match? This can happen because there are multiple issues that need attention.
It is a good idea to learn what your dreams mean so that you can have a better understanding of why we dream and how your mind works. It is also great for your sleep if you can work on those unresolved issues that you have so that they will not creep up on you in the middle of your sleep.
Tags: Why do we dream?
Sigmund Freud is an expertise of why we dream. Born in 1865, Sigmund Freud revolutionized the world of psychiatry and dream interpretation with his seminal work “The Dreams Interpretation”. Sigmund Freud actually called dreams the “royal road to the unconscious,” That statement will probably remain true in psychology forever. Freud’s classic text, The Interpretation of Dreams, contains some of his finest work.
Sigmund Freud believed every dream is a wish fulfillment, and he kept this theory to the end, even though he gave up his initial idea that all dreams have a sexual content.
Sigmund Freud said, “Dreams are not comparable to the spontaneous sounds made by a musical instrument struck rather by some external force than by the hand of a performer; they are not meaningless, not absurd, they do not imply that one portion of our stockpile of ideas sleeps while another begins to awaken. They are a completely valid psychological phenomenon, specifically the fulfillment of wishes; they can be classified in the continuity of comprehensible waking mental states; they are constructed through highly complicated intellectual activity.”
Sigmund Freud began to take note of his own dreams and explore the associations they aroused. In doing so Freud was the first person to consciously and consistently explore a dream into its depths through uncovering and following obvious and hidden associations and emotions connected with the dream imagery and drama.
Using dreams for his self analysis, Freud discovered that previously unremembered details from his childhood were recaptured along with feelings and states of mind which he had never met before.
Sigmund Freud wrote of this period, “Some sad secrets of life are being traced back to their first roots; the humble origins of much pride and precedence are being laid bare. I am now experiencing myself all the things that, as a third party, I have witnessed going on in my patients, days when I slink about depressed because I have understood nothing of the day’s dreams, fantasies, or mood.”
Without this powerful and personal experience of working with his dreams, meeting emotions and fantasies welling up from the unconscious, Sigmund Freud would not have so passionately believed in his theories regarding dreams and the unconscious.
But, why do we dream? We dream because the brain receives stimuli from many different sources all day long. There are far too many stimuli for it to process. The mind prioritizes the stimuli and makes you aware of those that need immediate attention (the crying baby, the out-of-control car, your boss’ request) so that you may act accordingly. The stimuli that you are not consciously aware of are nevertheless noted by the brain, but on a subconscious level.
We dream because you feel emotions all day. Some you acknowledge and act on (you say thank you and smile when you are complimented.) Some you repress or do not allow yourself to act on (you don’t punch your boss in the nose when he tells you the report you worked on for a week is no longer needed.)
We dream because of traumatic experiences occur, so you deny them happening and send them deep into your subconscious (repression.)
In addition to all these emotions and stimuli the brain must process daily, it performs numerous activities that you take for granted. You must admit — that’s a lot to do. At night, when your body must rest, the mind continues working, concentrates on processing all of those subconscious stimuli and emotions, that’s why we dream.
This is why we dream. Only you are not awake to receive the signals at a conscious level — you can not hear or see or touch (at a conscious level) while you are sleeping. The brain must resort to other means to get the signals through to your conscious mind. This is why we dream the way we do.
The mind uses everything at its disposal (which is everything it has ever been exposed to) to get the message across. Simply put, the reason why we dream is the minds way of processing all of the stimuli and emotions it has received during the day or repressed over time, so that you may act on them.
All in all, it’s a pretty neat system. But unless you are remembering and making interpretation of your dreams, you are missing out on countless opportunities to learn about yourself and experience life to its fullest.
Dream interpretation as an actual profession goes back at least as far as ancient Greek and Roman society, but informal dream interpretation is likely as old as dreaming itself. We know that dreams and their interpretation date back at least as far as 3000 – 4000 B.C. We know that because the interpretations of various dreams were recorded on stone tablets and found later by archeologists.
When analyzing or interpreting a dream, it is always important to pay attention to the details of the dreams, your feelings within the dream world, and of course, what is going on in you own life.
If you do wish to interpret your dreams, either purely for fun or to pursue personal and spiritual growth, there are a few pointers that will help you get the most from your dream world:
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As you awaken, immediately replay the dream scenario in your head. It is important to do this immediately, preferably before you even open your eyes. The dream world slips away quickly, and as much as 50% of it can be gone in a mere five minutes.
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Immediately write down a description of the dream, focusing on key objects, symbols or feelings. Write a few words about each key element in the dream quickly, then go back later and fill in the gaps.
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Choose a quiet place in your home to begin your dream interpretation process. Cutting yourself of from sources of distraction will be very important.
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To make the dream interpretation meaningful, use your intuition as you review your dream notes and try to make sense of your dream. A short meditation session can often be a big help. Connection with your inner self is always a huge help when it comes to interpreting dreams.
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As you review your dreams notes, pay close attention to the emotions they stir in you, both at this moment and during the dream. It can help you to interpret your dreams better.
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To interpret your dream more accurately, think very carefully about any vivid details, situations, locations, sensations or symbols that make the dream memorable. Open your heart as well as your mind and carefully explore the possible meaning of each symbol, situation and event. It may be helpful to jot down the impressions in your dream journal or notebook.
As you search for meaning, don’t limit yourself to obvious interpretations. Running an inner dialog with the people or objects you dreamed about is often helpful as well. This inner dialog is especially useful when trying to determine why you dreamed about certain people.
If you are stuck in doing your dreams interpretation, it is a good idea to leave your dream notebook and come back to it later. It may also be helpful to discuss the dream with others, or to consult an expert on dream interpretation.
Tags: dream interpretation