Why do you think we dream?
The Interpretation of Dreams
Freud and Jung
Freud and dreams:
• FREUD was fully aware of the importance
of dreams and described them as the
"ROYAL ROAD" to understanding the
unconscious.
• His big idea is that dreams have
MANIFEST (what we actually dream) and
LATENT (the unfulfilled wish that the dream
represents) meanings.
Freud’s main thoughts about dreams:
• our conscious mind actively tries to reject
the messages of our dreams
• we "repress" this knowledge and so
dreams are often an expression of a
repressed wish that we would rather not
admit to
• dreams require analysis to discover their
true meaning
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• Freud's main technique for analysing the
dream was free association. Here the
dreamer is encouraged to look not at the
direct content of the dream but at the
thoughts and emotions it generates.
These will then lead to other thoughts and
emotions and so on. At its simplest free
association is simply saying whatever
comes into your head.
Example of free association
• Freud would look at each individual
component of a dream and use each as a
starting point for free association then
attempt to pull all the threads together
into an overall analysis.
• In this way the dreamer can "sneak up"
on repressed emotions.
The Collective Unconscious &
Jungian Archetypes
Like Freud, Jung believed that
dreams are important gateways to
unknown parts of ourselves.
• Whereas Freud believed that dreams were
frequently distorted in a subconscious
attempt at repression,
• Jung believed that any such distortion was
usually unintentional.
• The dream was a direct message from the
personal unconscious.
• Jung was especially interested in studying
the archetypes related to mythology and
old religions. For example, the Dragon (or
serpent) was an archetype representing
the unconscious mind that had to be slain
by the Hero. (archetypes could be literal
or figurative)
Common archetypes:
• Hero (quest)
• Mentor
• Villain
• Innocent
• Healer
• Wise woman
• Jung preferred to stay with the dream symbols
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themselves and analyse each one in detail - a
process of amplification.
The dreamer was encouraged to "brainstorm" all
the different symbolic associations for each
aspect of the dream.
These would include personal, cultural and
archetypal associations. As an example, say a
dream included birds. Possible associations with
this symbol would be flight, freedom, cage, etc.
Current theories on dreams:
• Dreams as rehearsal (teach us what to do if
bad things happen)
• Dreams as practice and learning (we learn
better if we can sleep on it)
• Dreams are our brains chance to make sense
of what we experienced during the day
• Dreams may work to protect and prepare us.
Lucid Dreaming:
• Lucid dreaming means dreaming while knowing that
you are dreaming.
• Lucidity usually begins in the midst of a dream
when the dreamer realizes that the experience is
not occurring in physical reality, but is a dream.
• Often this realization is triggered by the dreamer
noticing some impossible or unlikely occurrence in
the dream, such as flying or meeting the deceased.
Most Common Reason People
want to lucid dream:
• Wish fulfillment
• Overcoming nightmares
• Creative problem solving
Great site to learn more:
• http://www.lucidity.com/
Old Hag Syndrome
Old Hag Syndrome= Sleep Paralysis
Disorder
• research suggests that sleep paralysis is correlated with REM
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(rapid eye movement) sleep.
Our brain is fully active but our body is totally paralyzed.
Neuro-scientists posit that sleep paralysis (and consequently
old hag syndrome) is the result of our mind waking up while
still in a REM cycle, and our body remaining immobilized
because of this safety mechanism which causes the often
terrifying sensation of being fully awake and aware, and at the
same time paralyzed.
Equivalent to a lucid Nightmare.
• Not everyone believes that this fully explains the experience….
Vsauce- why do we dream?
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GGzc
3x9WJU