Why you should pay attention to your dreams

[Still Waters]

Paying attention to dreams can provide insights into mental health problems and may help with their treatment, according to forthcoming study in the International Journal of Jungian Studies.

As the name of that journal suggests, the theory goes back to the work of psychologist and psychiatrist Carl Jung. In the early 1900s, he proposed that many images in dreams stem from the human collective unconscious. He believed that dream symbols carried meaning about a patient's emotional state that could improve understanding of the individual and also aid in their treatment.

http://news.discover...#mkcpgn=rssnws1

[_Only]

Not many find something that they don't agree with in Jung's work.

The collective consciousness is a provocative idea. It could almost lead to the idea that we are all the same 'me', just acting out different roles, but deep down, sharing the same core being.

[Coffey]

I thought this was a common sense that you dream about things that are on your mind?

Edited November 9, 2012 by Coffey

[Bendy Demon]

I thought this was a common sense that you dream about things that are on your mind?

It is, to a point but that doesn't mean it is necessarily meaningful.

[Professor T]

I think dreams can show much more than the state of ones own mental health..

They can provide Eureka moments that can change the world.

They can teach you about others.

They can show you the past/present/future..

They can be precognitive..

[constantine_337]

I think dreams can show much more than the state of ones own mental health..

They can provide Eureka moments that can change the world.

They can teach you about others.

They can show you the past/present/future..

They can be precognitive..

Very true indeed.

I have a hard time remembering detailed information about my childhood. I forgot over the years specific details of the house me and my brothers grew up in until a couple of months. I had a dream involving that house. So just a few days ago, me and my brother where discussing the house and he confirmed the details of the house that I had in my dream.

[Bendy Demon]

I think the operative term is "can be", it is not an absolute.

The problem is deciphering what ones are actually worth recalling and what ones are just gibberish (which is 99.99% of them)

Sadly with all of our information, the concept of dreams is still a "mystery".

[Orcseeker]

Hmm this sounds similar to the things I was reading about on DMT. The chemical released in our brains every time we sleep. I think it is the reason we dream. During analysis of this chemical on those who took it externally while conscious also has the same apparent affect (finding mental barriers/effects and overcoming them or learning of the problem). With some stories of heroin addicts becoming clean after one session. This, if true, shows the massive beneficial power this chemical has.

I mean, we produce it in our minds for a reason.

[Professor T]

I think the operative term is "can be", it is not an absolute.

The problem is deciphering what ones are actually worth recalling and what ones are just gibberish (which is 99.99% of them)

Sadly with all of our information, the concept of dreams is still a "mystery".

This isn't the case with me.

Every dream tends to have some hidden meaning or memory worth deciphering with me. Even nonsense or gibberish.. These I find so much more interesting and thought provoking because your left there in wft world wondering what that meant.. granted, there are some that I would class as a brain dump or just caused by memories or thoughts during the previous day, but even they are worth paying attention to as reminders of thoughts and events that make you who you are.

[bLu3 de 3n3rgy]

This isn't the case with me.

Every dream tends to have some hidden meaning or memory worth deciphering with me. Even nonsense or gibberish.. These I find so much more interesting and thought provoking because your left there in wft world wondering what that meant.. granted, there are some that I would class as a brain dump or just caused by memories or thoughts during the previous day, but even they are worth paying attention to as reminders of thoughts and events that make you who you are.

I have to agree with this. At least for me, my dream time does not fall into the 99% gibberish mark. As for every day woken life, ROFL much of that is gibberish and dealing with peoples brain dumps (injoke for the empaths)

[Bendy Demon]

This isn't the case with me.

Every dream tends to have some hidden meaning or memory worth deciphering with me. Even nonsense or gibberish.. These I find so much more interesting and thought provoking because your left there in wft world wondering what that meant.. granted, there are some that I would class as a brain dump or just caused by memories or thoughts during the previous day, but even they are worth paying attention to as reminders of thoughts and events that make you who you are.

I am curious, if we put our own meaning into a dream then wouldn't that indicate right there that meaning is rather arbitrary?

[Professor T]

I am curious, if we put our own meaning into a dream then wouldn't that indicate right there that meaning is rather arbitrary?

I don't think so.

Sometimes the meanings are kind of click instantanious, sometimes a googling & research is needed to find or connect with the meaning that makes sense to you in your life.. either way I've been finding dreams quite insightful since recently learning to remember them.. Any meaning, especially ones about yourself can be quite a revelation..

[_Only]

I am curious, if we put our own meaning into a dream then wouldn't that indicate right there that meaning is rather arbitrary?

That's up to you to decide personally when translating your dreams. It is an art more than a science.

[Bendy Demon]

That's up to you to decide personally when translating your dreams. It is an art more than a science.

Well..assuming that dreams have any meaning, the symbology can be rather difficult because the items in a dream will have different connotations depending on the person.

Dreaming of water, for example, may mean money matters to one while to another it may even mean pregnancy to another.

Furthermore it seems that the supposed meaning may not be evident or even accurate on the first interpretation and may become clearer a few days later.

But then again one could easily attach any meaning they want to their dreams just as people imagine seeing all manners of images in otherwise chaotic patterns which leads me right back to square one, is dream meanings simply a matter of imagination and wishful thinking?

[_Only]

Well..assuming that dreams have any meaning, the symbology can be rather difficult because the items in a dream will have different connotations depending on the person.

Dreaming of water, for example, may mean money matters to one while to another it may even mean pregnancy to another.

Furthermore it seems that the supposed meaning may not be evident or even accurate on the first interpretation and may become clearer a few days later.

Well that's where some people are playing off of the 'collective consciousness' idea. A consciousness that is collective will have certain traits and symbols that it would use a whole, in theory.

But then again one could easily attach any meaning they want to their dreams just as people imagine seeing all manners of images in otherwise chaotic patterns which leads me right back to square one, is dream meanings simply a matter of imagination and wishful thinking?

Again, that's a question only you can answer for yourself, given your own personal experiences involving your own personal dreams and inner feeling/thoughts. I don't think anyone can answer that question that would satisfy you in the way you will need, besides yourself. I don't believe any scientist or academy will be able to know you better than yourself, despite some people's adamant opinion otherwise.

[Bendy Demon]

Again, that's a question only you can answer for yourself, given your own personal experiences involving your own personal dreams and inner feeling/thoughts.

Well then, my own "experiences" have shown me that my dreams are irrelevant and meaningless.

To prove the point I abstained from tv, games and books and after a certain length of time I noticed my dreams became more and more mundane and disjointed. All that supposed meaning I made myself think it had just went "poof".

But then again herein lies another little tidbit, all the stuff we expose ourselves to affect our dreams to a massive degree. Perhaps if one was to discern any actual meaning from a dream then maybe one needs to attain a great degree of detachment, observe the dream without judging and without expectations or assumptions.

[_Only]

Again, you're trying to prove points using subjective experience that we can't relate to extremely personally, as we relate to our own, so it is pretty moot. As your post relates to me, as I have also given up TV, playing games, and reading (up until recently, picking up a book I enjoy), and my story goes completely different from yours, as I am gaining more of a grasp on figuring out some of the scenes and emotions played out in these often mundane dreams. But my experience shouldn't matter to you either, as it's mine, and yours was yours. It sounds like you feel your mind is influenced by outside sources, while I feel my mind influences the outside. Who is right? Who can know? I can. And you can, too. But maybe we know different things, and are both right in our play called life. But whatever the case, I'm starting to move away from the idea that there is one right answer to everything that I need to find and agree with; and that I should just make the right answer. This is the exact opposite state of philosophy that others hold on to, and I know alot will look at what I said and think it's absolute malarkey. I hope they don't; because I don't think their views are. We're just different. Maybe if we bridged the difference some by understanding and accepting each others ideas, thoughts and feelings, we would all become closer.

Edited November 10, 2012 by _Only

[Tr14n913]

how about fights? i didnt had one in a long time, why suddenly a dream about it?

[White Crane Feather]

For me dreams have become an intense training ground. A place of learning, stress relief, wonderment. I act out training scenarios like protecting my children, or battling monsters. Internal conflicts are delt with, new solutions are thought up, and consciously hidden details analyzed.

Our dreams are the white board of our minds. The messy place that keeps the rest of our conciousness structured. people go insane and die if they don't reach REM for a long enough periods of time. We need dreaming.

The study is no surprise to me. Shaman have been working like this for thousands and thousands of years. An active interaction with the subconscious part of yourself makes you ....well.. More concious.

Edited November 10, 2012 by Seeker79

[sarah_444]

This isn't the case with me.

Every dream tends to have some hidden meaning or memory worth deciphering with me. Even nonsense or gibberish.. These I find so much more interesting and thought provoking because your left there in wft world wondering what that meant.. granted, there are some that I would class as a brain dump or just caused by memories or thoughts during the previous day, but even they are worth paying attention to as reminders of thoughts and events that make you who you are.

I agree with this too. It's rare these days for me to remember a dream that I can attribute solely to memories or thoughts from from the previous day or "brain dump" (nice term! lol). It's so rare or unusual for me to dream that way that when I did have one a couple of months ago and it caught me off guard.

So every dream is worth looking deeper into for me, and even when the meanings of them are not obvious, it's very interesting when I read about certain symbology that I dream about and it works (connects) for me. I guess that's partially why I've been so intrigued by them for so long.

[gentai]

i love dreams! heres my opinion. body living is hard for a spirit so i gotta take a break and be normal for a while tho still connected to sleeping body. my dreams are glimpses of what im doing while im sleeping. usually having fun and/or learning something and/or working. they can take place anywhere and at any time past, present or future. if i hear doorbell or phone or doorknock while sleeping i sometimes get up to answer it only to realize that im still sleeping and dreaming but i have to get up to answer it. so i see no special symbolism in the telephone or door in my dream but the dream as a whole has meaning. id better wake the hell up! in dreams i can hang out with the awake, the sleeping, the dead. anybody. and if i have strong willpower in my dreams then i could do anything in them. thats what i think. edit to add words.

Edited November 10, 2012 by gentai