Dreams are very important in Jungian psychology and entire books have been written on how to interpret them. A biologist might say dreams help us process emotions and consolidate memories, but a depth psychologist, especially one working with Jungian theories, will tell you that, according to Jung, dreams are natural symbols that emerge from the unconscious, the instinctual part of our psyche that we are not conscious of.
The idea is to look for common themes. One possibility is the fear of missing out. I wonder if at some point in your life actually missed out on something you felt was very important? What other theme can you find?
John, as it turned out, that was definitely a theme. it felt as though the dreams were not only telling me this had happened, but that I was in danger of doing it again. It was both elaborate and incisive at once. Thank you! Do you work with dreams?
I was taught by a professor who learned Jungian dream analysis at the Jung Institute in Switzerland. He helped me interpret my own dreams. The one principle that stands out most in my mind is that only the dreamer can rightly interpret their dream because the core of dreams are based on the dreamer’s actual lived experience.
That's fantastic! Yes, the idea of what 'clicks' for the dreamer is one I've heard repeatedly and at times, you do viscerally experience that when some meaning suddenly makes sense. Kind of like a missing puzzle piece all of a sudden slotting into place. Of course, there are also times when we may be resistant to what the dream is pointing at. It's a fascinating and complex subject, and it's very helpful to work with an analyst. Thank you!
The idea is to look for common themes. One possibility is the fear of missing out. I wonder if at some point in your life actually missed out on something you felt was very important? What other theme can you find?
John, as it turned out, that was definitely a theme. it felt as though the dreams were not only telling me this had happened, but that I was in danger of doing it again. It was both elaborate and incisive at once. Thank you! Do you work with dreams?
I was taught by a professor who learned Jungian dream analysis at the Jung Institute in Switzerland. He helped me interpret my own dreams. The one principle that stands out most in my mind is that only the dreamer can rightly interpret their dream because the core of dreams are based on the dreamer’s actual lived experience.
That's fantastic! Yes, the idea of what 'clicks' for the dreamer is one I've heard repeatedly and at times, you do viscerally experience that when some meaning suddenly makes sense. Kind of like a missing puzzle piece all of a sudden slotting into place. Of course, there are also times when we may be resistant to what the dream is pointing at. It's a fascinating and complex subject, and it's very helpful to work with an analyst. Thank you!
Congratulations on rising so high in philosophy Priya! That’s awesome.
Also this piece was really interesting. Jung’s quotes about dreams really had me thinking. :)
Michael, thank you! The quotes really get you thinking about dreams and what they are telling you!
Yes, totally! :)