Interpreting Your Dreams

Interpreting Your Dreams

According to Carl Jung, the dream as it is remembered,
contains the actual meaning or message that the unconscious is trying to convey. This belief is contrary to
Freud’s contention that the symbols and metaphors are disguised in a way that makes the analysis difficult to accomplish.

While there are several “dream dictionaries” on the market, Jung believed that there are no set definitions
on the symbols one finds in dreams. Rather, they are personal to each individual’s culture, experiences and
the emotions that are evoked.

For instance, a dictionary might say that dreaming of a fountain indicates upcoming good luck. In reality, one
would have to explore what a fountain means to the dreamer, how the fountain is used in the context of the dream
and what the dreamer’s emotional state was.

Jung also placed strong emphasis on the dreamer’s conscious state of mind. He believed that dreams are not isolated
events but usually reflect attitudes that are appearing in one’s everyday life.

The dream sometimes tells you something that you don’t want to face, such as in the case of one client who dreamt
that she was living in a very tiny house that was over stuffed with furniture and she could barely move about.
In her daily life she was involved with two different men and couldn’t bring herself to make a choice. She was
emotionally crowded and needed to make a choice no matter how painful, to get her life in order and create space.

In other cases the dream is trying to compensate for a lack in your conscious life. Often people who are
continuously dieting will dream of elaborate banquets offering a variety of rich foods. The Jungian theory is very
individualized using a custom analysis for each client.

I feel that the insight that is communicated by our unconscious is one of the most valuable assets in understanding
and guiding us in the fulfillment of our most important life goals.

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