Savannah Rasband
February 21, 2011
Chapter 5 Assignment
Dream Interpretation
In anticipation of this assignment I kept waiting to remember a dream upon
waking. Needless to say it did not happen in the last week. So I chose a dream that I had
about three weeks ago, the only reason I still remember it is because I went to work the
next morning and talked about it. To understand the first environment of my dream it is
important for you, the reader, to understand that I am a Veterinary Technician and that I
work in a Veterinary clinic.
The first part of the dream that I remember is that I am walking through the halls
of the clinic. It’s dark but there are people everywhere. As I come to the treatment area I
am confronted by a big Rottweiler. He is aggressive. He is barking and growling at me. I
turn away and run, the Rottweiler chases me. I am running down this seemingly long never
ending hallway and every door that I try is locked. The dog keeps getting closer and close
and no one will help me. They don’t even seem to realize what is going on. At the end of the
hall I see a black curtain. I run through it. Suddenly I am not in the clinic anymore and the
dog is gone. I am alone. I am standing in the middle of a meadow, it is sunny and I am
happy. Then I wake up.
If I was to interpret my dream using Sigmund Freud’s wish fulfillment theory, I
would interpret my dream to mean that I secretly wish to just run away from my problems
or fears instead of confronting them head on. I would also think that I am longing for some
alone time away from others.
Carl Jung’s theory focuses on the big picture and having an archetype. The
archetype in my dream must be the big aggressive Rottweiler who chases me. The
Rottweiler must be a problem or something I am afraid of since I am not afraid of dogs in
real life. The big picture of this dream is probably my desire to get away from my problem
or fear.
If I was to interpret my dream using Rosalind Cartwright’s theory of problemsolving, I find myself confused. I don’t see a problem with an emerging solution. Unless my
dream means that I need to get away from my problems for awhile and spend some time
alone before I try solving them.
Fritz Perl’s gestalt therapy approach to dreams would mean that the Rottweiler was
some part of myself that I was ignoring or rejecting. In my dream I am trying to get away
from myself (the dog) and I end up happy and by myself.
All of the different approaches to analyzing my dream seem to have a central theme
of the Rottweiler being some kind of a problem or fear and I run away from it. I am being
chased down and everyone around me is doing nothing to help me, they don’t even seem to
notice me. Then I end up alone but happy in a meadow. Did I solve my problem or just run
away from it? Perhaps I interrupted my dream using all of the different theories as just a
means to confirm what I had originally thought my dream symbolized. Isn’t symbolism to
the dreamer perhaps the most important meaning or message that one gets from their own
dreams?