Common Themes in Dreams

Many of us have had a dream in which we show up for an exam but realize we have not studied for it, or that we are in a play but have forgotten our lines, or we show up naked for an event. These are common themes in which we feel unprepared, vulnerable or ashamed. Other common dream themes are cars, houses, falling, loosing teeth, flying, meeting an old friend, finding a treasure, death or sexuality etc. Car dreams could suggest your “drive” or how we are being driven in life. It could suggest our ego because just as the […]

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How Can I Begin to Understand my Dreams?

The Inner Stage Each night on the inner stage the psyche or soul creates an inner drama with a full cast of characters. Just as in a play, the scene is set, a plot begins to form in which the protagonist and antagonist take part, the action rises culminating in a crisis following which the action falls and there may or may not be a resolution. In dream work we learn that in most cases the plot, the landscape, the cast of characters, animals, buildings, objects etc. are aspects of ourselves. These images embody our feelings, aspirations, hopes, fears, secret […]

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The Function of Dreams: The Ego and The Self

As we continue with our exploration into dreams, imagine the psyche (soul) as the ocean, with the tip of the wave representing the individual ego.1 Using this analogy, further imagine that though each wave may perceive itself to be separate and individual, it is in reality part of the ocean or the great psychic depths which constitutes the collective unconscious. Extending this metaphor further imagine that when we dream it is as if a pipeline is put down into the psychic depths and the contents of the unconscious are experienced in pure form. The dreams arising from the shallow waters […]

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A Brief History of Dreams

How often do we say to a friend, “I had the strangest dream last night” and how often are we curious enough to really reflect on that dream and wonder what possible meaning it could hold for us? For most of us relating the dream to a friend is as far as our analysis goes and very quickly the dream fades and is soon forgotten.  Yet the often repeated advice to “sleep on your problem” is based on empirical evidence testifying to the natural problem solving nature of dreams. There are numerous instances of answers to scientific questions and mathematical […]

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