S
cientists have established that
everyone dreams every night – we
just don’t remember them all. Sleep
is a vital activity, refreshing and energising
the body, but why do we dream?
Types of Dreams
1. Some dreams sort out images and
information of a particularly busy day.
They can even remind us of something
important we missed.
The scientists have still not figured that
one out. We are encouraged by science to
disregard our dreams, because of the lack
of empirical proof. Let’s not dwell on this
minor detail here, however.
2. Dreams remind us of issues we are
skirting around or decisions we ought to
be making.
3. Predictive dreams can give us a headsup about the future.
We are the sole creators of our dreams.
Nothing and nobody else but ourselves
are responsible for the images and dreams
that we experience night after night. Isn’t
it logical to be just a little bit curious as
to why we dream? Especially when we
are considered not to be in control of our
minds, but unconscious.
4. Creative dreams guide artists and
scientists to look at a project from a
different angle.
5. There is a widely used method used to
bring forth personal knowledge during
sleep, helping one to solve a particular
problem.
The unconscious (which is where 6. Nightmares and repetitive dreams.
dreams are created) has a better frame Scientists have used dream interpretation
of reference because it is privy to in their quest to help their patients:
information repressed by the conscious.
Sigmund Freud called the interpretation
The unconscious is only valuable once of dreams “... the Royal Road to the
the conscious has done all that it can. discovery of the unconscious … it is the
Its use is in guiding and directing the King’s Highway along which everyone can
dreamer who is stuck. We lose out when travel to discover the truth of unconscious
we give the unconscious more value processes for themselves.”
than the conscious. Ask yourself, what
worth does the conscious have if only the Carl Jung said: “The general function of
unconscious is regarded as the source dreams is to try to restore our psychological
of wisdom. Dreams are never fatalistic; balance by producing dream material that
they guide, prod, reveal and alert us to re-establishes, in a subtle way, the total
possible consequences, solutions or new psychic equilibrium.”
approaches to situations.
Dreams & Dream
Interpretation
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