Dream Interpretation


Theories Of Dreams

The Theories of Dreams: Hidden in the Mind

Are dreams the result of an overactive imagination or is your mind telling you something about yourself that you're not aware of?

Many have attempted to find the real meaning of dreams. Some look them up on a dream dictionary and others keep a journal, describing the dreams they had the previous night. Only a select few came so far as to form theories of dreams.

Sigmund Freud, the father of Psychology, was the first to discover the significance of dreams for this is often the subject matter of his patients during therapy. Through free association, he discovered that dreams do have distinct meanings and effects on his patients though their importance is often hidden or disguised. According to Freud, dreams symbolize a person's unconscious desire to fulfill a wish that was formed in early childhood. Through his own theories of dreams, he wrote a book titled, "The Interpretation of Dreams" which led to his famous theory of the mind - the id, ego and superego.

While Freud postulated dreams as fantasies of the unconscious mind, modern researchers have posted new theories of dreams. They view dreams as the emergence of a person's constant concerns in his waking life. Researchers argue that dreams are purely physiological, jumpstarted by random electrical impulses in the brain.

Rosalinda Cartwright discovered that in times of crises, people who make a rapid recovery have longer dreams in their sleep cycle. Those who dream less have trouble resolving their inner conflicts. With her colleagues, Cartwright studied the effects of emotionally-rich dreams on recently divorced people. Data revealed that resolving emotional issues is done during dreaming. When dreams of an ex-spouse are viewed casually, the divorced person would start dealing with changes in his/her life.

Activation Synthesis Theory states that during REM, the brain activates itself and generates dreams from the information it gathered. This theory banks on the data drawn by Dement in the 1960's that the brain sends messages to the visual center or the eyes during sleep as it usually does during consciousness. Since the person cannot react normally for he's asleep, the end result is a dream.

There are some biological researchers who have theories of dreams that differ from others that have noteworthy psychological implications though. Francis Crick and Graeme Mitchison believe that dreams are nonsensical garbage, just a hodgepodge of new memories and have no significant meaning.

Despite drastic differences in the researchers' views and theories of dreams since the time of Freud, the brain has been exposed as a workaholic, remaining active during sleep. Many questions are still unanswered. But we are not far from uncovering the meaning of our dreams for we are already dealing with their impact in our lives.

 

 

Search This Site

Dream Interpretation

 

 

 

Dream Interpretation


Dream Interpretation - Understanding Dream Archetypes

... An archetype can also be used to mean the ideal example of a type. Carl Jung used the word archetype to mean an instinct pattern of thought or imagery that was derived from collective experience. Jung believed in the existence of the collective unconscious that is that people are born knowing things learned ... 

Read Full Article  


Meaning Of Dreams

... awareness. Aside from just interpreting the meaning of dreams, the book also helps readers know if a dream is worth giving attention to or not. All in all, Holloway's Complete Dream Books provides answers to the meaning of dreams, enhancing one's self awareness, emotions and sentiments towards the "waking ... 

Read Full Article  


American Dream

... going to America to make their fortune and many of them, indeed, succeeded. America held out a great promise of a better life for those immigrants and up to this day, the idea of the American Dream is strong in many third-world countries. Critics of the American Dream say that it is a myth and that only ... 

Read Full Article  


How To Get A Better Night Sleep

... you a false impression that you have recovered. However, if you are very tired during daytime and you really need to nap - try to make it short for about 15-20 minutes. ? Avoid smoking near bedtime. Nicotine is a stimulant; it has the same effect when you take caffeine. When you smoke, you have placed ... 

Read Full Article  


Dream Interpretation - Dreams Of Falling

... is out of control, and that he or she is unable to remain on top of the situation. This kind of generalized anxiety can easily manifest itself in a dream where he or she is out of control, such as a falling dream. Falling often represents a loss of control, or feelings of helplessness on the part of the ... 

Read Full Article