Basic dream interpretation

Dreams can tell us something about ourselves. They are not
necessarily coherent at first as they tend to resemble a jig saw puzzle
that needs to be fitted together before it makes any sense. The eminent
Psychiatrists Doctors Freud and Jung believed in universal symbols
inherent in humankind, which present themselves in dreams. Dr. Freud
postulated that much of our dream world revolves around repressed
sexuality and conflicts with the Id and Superego. His student Dr. Jung,
believed the subconscious not only contains information about
ourselves, but gives us the tools for healing ourselves as well. Both
psychiatrists were fundamental in the introduction of dream work as a
psychological tool.

Some dreams are indeed universal, or at least very common. Many of us
have experienced flying dreams as children yet not many adults still
do. Flying dreams in children tend to be a pleasing experience because
flying is an expression of freedom. Except for unusual situations,
children commonly are well cared for. They have no bills to pay, no job
to worry about and are provided with free meals and a place to sleep.
As children grow, more and more responsibility is thrust upon them.
Homework, chores and after school activities start putting a damper on
freedom, thus flying dreams diminish as we begin to morph into
adulthood.

Dreams represent our deepest emotions and our responses to them. In
waking life, we are inundated with a massive amount of information our
brains cannot process immediately. We unconsciously prioritize
information reserving the rest for consideration at a later time, or
they can be previewed through our nightly theater.

Dreams help us understand what it is we are truly feeling, uncensored
and non-judgmental. We all hold our tongues from time to time for
decorum sake and everyone has felt the urge to strangle someone we felt
desperately needed it. We repress our anger and attempt to censure our
thoughts. We our slaves to our conscience, our sense of morality and
societal laws. Dreams allow us to let off steam and allow us a peek
underneath the mask we show to the public at large. A protection
mechanism built up over the years as we gain experience with betrayals,
disappointments, trauma and other incidents that causes pain. In other
words, life.

Emotions felt in the distant past could be triggered by a seemingly
trivial incident in waking life, which can be revisited in our dreams.
A gentle reminder that the issue is still there and still needs to be
resolved. Like it our not, we are emotional creatures and we are
governed by our emotions more often than our logic. Our emotional
responses do not just disappear, no matter how well hidden. They
germinate and simmer and if not effectively addressed, boil over into
depression, ulcers, headaches and phobias.

An affective way of experimenting with your own dream interpretation is
to start paying attention to them. Try this for a month or so. Because
dreams fade upon waking, it is a good idea to keep a dream journal.
Keep a notepad or tape recorder at your bedside.

When you awaken from a dream, immediately write it down or record it.
Write or record in the first person and in the present tense. Instead
of "I was walking down a lane," use "I am walking down a lane." This
will get you into the habit of remembering that your dream is about
you. Do not try to interpret your dreams as you write, you could lose a
few possibly important details. The most important aspect of any dream
is how you felt so make sure this is recorded as well. Note if the
dream is in color or black &; white, if you were a participant,
observer or both, and any smells you may have noticed. Bear in mind
that many dreams reflect waking incidents and are usually straight
forward with no abstractions or symbolism. The difference is that
straight forward dreams are easily recognized as such. Don't make
yourself crazy searching for symbols that are not there.

Dreams can also form patterns. Often times after writing a few dreams
down, you may very well see a certain pattern or theme coming into
play. Recurring dreams have certain patterns, and details are often
added to recurring dreams each time it's dreamt. A pattern of
frustration for example, is if you find yourself constantly looking for
something and never finding it or trying to get somewhere and are
always prevented somehow. What you need to find out is what is causing
your frustration and how to stop it. These, at least in my experience,
are the easiest to interpret because you probably already know what you
are frustrated or anxious about. The trick is to find out how to
overcome it.

I would suggest you purchase or borrow a dictionary of dream symbols.
Use this as a guide only, it may strike a mental chord within you.
Dictionaries, like news paper horoscopes are designed for common
symbolism. As individuals, symbols are unique to your specific
experience and one cannot apply common dictionary symbols to every
individual. Use it as a guide to help you understand symbols
generally.

Dreams can be an important to self understanding and is an important
aspect of your life since we spend over a third of our lives asleep.
Get acquainted with yourself by becoming attentive to your dreams.