Have you ever dreamed of falling off a cliff, falling in free flight, or losing a tooth? Then discover three methods to better understand your dreams.
You can see the hidden meaning of your dreams without needing knowledge of the theories of Carl Jung or Sigmund Freud. Most of the time, dreams are nothing more than a reflection of your feelings and experiences. If you understand them, you can positively influence your quality of life.
It is interesting to know that neuroscientists do not yet agree on this issue. For many experts, dreams and nightmares are nothing more than byproducts of neural processes. However, the dream world is worth exploring and analyzing. Today we'll show you three ways to help you understand their meaning.
"All that we see or appear to see is only a fantasy inside a fantasy."
Edgar Allan Poe
The hidden meaning of your dreams
Dreams are often surreal, disjointed, and confused. An article published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology suggests that we cannot expect to understand them. Most of the time they are just short, fragmented sensations that mix with images. It is a neurological product that is partly related to our conscious experiences.
However, dreams are not only a biological mechanism, they also contain psychological elements, the analysis of which is extremely interesting. Even if you interpret your dreams just to pass the time and the results have no scientific validity, you can still benefit from them.
1. Emotional Exploration
The scientific literature agrees that dreams play an important role in emotional processes. A study by the University of La Sapienza in Rome describes that the dream experience is often shaped by real emotions.
Daily frustrations, sadness, or disappointments often appear in dreams, presenting a canvas full of symbols and messages. Matthew Walker, author of The Big Book of Sleep¹, explains that REM sleep serves, among other things, to release painful emotional stress. This is not always easy and the dreams are often disturbing. The following steps will help you understand them better:
- Record your fantasy when you awaken.
- Draw a picture of your dream.
- Analyze what emotions you experienced during the dream.
- Find out whether certain dream images are connected to possible trauma.
- Think about what is happening in your life, and why you feel certain feelings.
- Scenes such as running, escaping, or being locked up often have to do with fear.
2. Analysis of dream metaphors
Nanjing Normal University in China reports that dreams play an important role in consolidating memory, regulating emotions, and absorbing external stimuli. However, we must not forget the universal metaphors that Carl Jung wrote about in his book Archetypes: Archetypes and Effective Forces of the Collective Unconscious². There are certain dream images that repeat themselves over time. This suggests that there are narratives with a certain meaning in our unconscious universe. Be that as it may, there is no logical proof for this.
Key to metaphorical analysis
Dream metaphors are symbolic elements that visually represent ideas, experiences, or concepts. By understanding them, you can better understand challenges and problems in everyday life. Here are some examples:
- Flying can be a metaphor for the desire for relief from a stressful situation or emotional problem.
- Tooth loss is a classic metaphor that usually occurs when concerns about appearance or self-esteem arise. This dream image could mean that you should work on your self-confidence.
- Water is often associated with worry. If you feel like you're drowning or sinking into deep water, underlying fear may be playing a role.
- Dreaming about a road can be a metaphor for life and the direction you are taking. When you encounter obstacles, it is a symbolic representation of challenges you must overcome.
- Feeling like you are falling into a dream can indicate severe stress and anxiety. You should definitely analyze your situation in the real world.
- Animals have various symbolic meanings. Analyze how you feel after the dream experience. Dreaming of a wolf or a big cat sometimes indicates fear in everyday life.
3. Cognitive exploration
Neuroscientists Anthony Zadra and Robert Stickgold propose another mechanism for finding hidden meanings in dreams. They call their strategy “NEXT UP” in their book When Brains Dream³. These experts view dream products as existing memories and sensations that you need to analyze to make decisions.
Keys to Cognitive Exploration
According to this cognitive approach, dreams promote creativity and are a source of personal knowledge. The most important thing is to explore the ideas, thoughts, and messages inherent in these images. This may seem complicated, but it is nothing more than an exercise in self-reflection.
Note the following steps:
- Once you wake up, describe the dream in a notebook.
- Divide the dream into several sections.
- Ask yourself if the dream has to do with a past experience.
- Also, analyze whether it has anything to do with something that is happening to you now.
- Try to figure out what the dream might be telling you: changes, decisions, etc.
- Write down the ideas or thoughts that this dream evokes.
- The goal is to recognize in this dream a message for changes to your well-being.
The Interpretation of Dreams
Dream interpretation is not an exact or valid science. There are no conclusive studies that allow us to fathom the meaning of every image, story, and symbol. Furthermore, it is impossible to extrapolate them because every dream has to do exclusively with its dreamer.
Nevertheless, the meaning of dreams is important for psychology. They can be taken into account in therapy because they provide information about how a patient is feeling. Childhood nightmares, for example, are a variable that should always be taken into account. Jungian therapy specializes in working with the dream world.
The human need to understand the meaning of dreams is as old as the wind. We long to find meaning in these strange images. But instead of looking for hidden messages, you should view this dimension as a mirror of your state of mind. In fact, trauma often finds its escape route in this nocturnal scenario.
If you are interested in this topic, we recommend that you keep your own dream diary and keep it on your bedside table. You can record and analyze your dreams when you wake up. Dreams are sometimes part of the emotional healing process.
Note: All Free Copyright Photos Cridet goes to the pexels.com website
