The Meaning of Dreams and Understanding Dreams

There are a lot of theories behind dreaming. Beyond the belief that we dream during the REM phase of sleep, very little scientific proof is available to answer this question.

Some believe dreaming is a way for our minds to release information no longer needed or a defense mechanism in dealing with the stresses of everyday life.

A popular theory stems from famous psychiatrist Sigmund Freud, who developed the concept of an unconcious mind and began working in dream symbolism.

Additional theories either expand on the belief that dreams are symbolic, while others go in depth on the spiritual side of dreams and the soul.

Regardless of your belief on why we dream, there are many things we can learn about ourselves, which is why understanding dreams and becoming your own interpretor can be greatly beneficial, if not entertaining at the very least.

While writing a dream down play by play might seem like a chore to a lot of people, it is the easiest and most effective way to truly understand every aspect of the dream.

It is important to try to record every dream you have. Often several different dreams can link to each other, even if they seem completely unrelated. Being able to reference previous dreams can further your understanding of yourself and your dreams.

Ideally, you want to make writing your dreams down a part of your daily routine.

To create your notebook, I reccommend using a basic college ruled spiral bound notebook, though really any type of paper will work. It is best to write down the dream soon after waking up, since you will be able to remember details more clearly.

To make it easier for interpreting, try to write on every other line so you have more space to add comments and ideas as I'll discuss in the next module.

Pay attention to writing even the smallest details to your dreams. Add colors, shapes, sizes. Instead of writing "I dreamed I saw a door", write "There was an old wooden door with blue paint chipping off. It had a window, the door knob was silver."

Be sure to also make a note of feelings during a dream - write down if you felt upset, or if someone seemed happy.

You may even wish to give your dream a title, such as "The frog dream". Dating your entry will help you keep track of dreams or see if you have any prophetic tendancies lurking while you sleep.

I bought my first dream dictionary when I was 12 years old, thinking I would find all the secret answers and meanings to my dreams. I soon realized however dream dictionaries are too generic to give accurate meanings of dreams alone.

Most dream dictionaries offer common symbol associations. For example, water may mean life or flowing of ideas and events. The color red might symbolize passion, love, embarrassment, or anger.

While these associations are useful and valuable, they do not hold true for everyone, and often context of the symbol is just as important or even more important than the symbol itself.

Dreaming of a red tablecloth is going to mean a different thing than dreaming of a red sports car or red apple. A red tablecloth at a picnic means something different than a red tablecloth in the packaging on a store shelf. Individual associations can also vary the meaning greatly. For example, someone who loves cats and is dreaming about a cat will have a far different meaning than someone who is allergic to cats or hates cats passionately.

This does not mean I think dream dictionaries are worthless. They can be valuable tools when used to cross reference with your own interpretations or if you need a little extra boost on coming up with your own associations for a symbol. Dream dictionaries are also great for beginners who are just learning how to interpret dreams for the first time.

I call this method the "colored pencil method" because I like to use colored pencils. As one of the first ways I learned to interpret dreams, I am unable to remember where I learned it to cite a source or origin.

Using 3 different colored pencils, circle or underline the 3 main parts of speech. For example, underline all nouns (people, places, things) with the color blue. Then all the verbs (action words, like "run" or "sing" with the color orange. Then underline adjectives and adverbs (descriptive words like "quickly" or "fluffy") with the color green. You can use whatever colors you like. If there is one part of the dream that really stands out to you, you can choose to underline or circle that with another different color.

Once you have identified these words in the description, you are ready to start making associations for the different colors/parts of speech.

Look at all of the associations you listed for verbs. Try to link these to something in your life you have done, are currently doing, would like to do, or possibly afraid of doing.

Next look at the associations you wrote for nouns. How do these relate to the verbs? Do they shed any insight on why you dreaming of the actions you listed?

The adjective associations will give you clues to your general feelings about the issue you were dreaming about.

Since this method is time consuming, I reccommend this method only for beginners or for dreams you have a very hard time finding a meaning for. It is an excellent way to learn how to link associations to symbols and to your waking life.

I'm always open to interpreting dreams for others, and occasionally if the mood will strike me I'll find a dream that needs a meaning online.
Here is one dream I helped clarify for someone on Yahoo Answers.

The Dream
I am trapped on an island at the end of the Earth, in an old farmhouse owned by a cranky, old fat guy that used to a teacher. Kobe Bryant is there, with a slew of other people that seem to disappear/reappear at random. They all seem to think I'm an ex-athlete. We are trapped because the "ocean" has turned thick like mucus. My parents somehow arrive later in the dream, as well as an old teacher of mine that I don't like, and I keep seeing her in a classroom doing some game I hate on the chalkboard. The dream ends with all of these people, minus Kobe, who keeps disappearing into some underground room, sitting in a very small room telling stories of their past. I tell mine, but that is pretty much where my memory goes blank. All I can recall after that is constantly complaining that I want to go home. Somehow I have my motorcycle there on the island but can't get it to work.
And, no I didn't have pizza before bed!

My Interpretation
Being trapped on an island suggests feeling stuck in a rut isolated from something you want.

The old farmhouse represents you are feeling worn out. I want to say the cranky old guy who owns it is kind of how you feel about your situation - you used to be able to help people - but owning a worn out farmhouse (your feelings) isn't helping anybody. The cranky guy could also symbolize someone who "owns" you - and you used to have some respect for them, but now they are just irritating to you.

Kobe Bryant can be different things - I tend to think when we dream of someone famous we do not know personally, our dreams use it as a way to get our attention like the media does with celebrities.
Only you are going to know why Kobe in particular, because it depends on how you feel about Kobe or basketball, etc. However - Kobe definately relates to the next part, where people think you are an "ex athlete".

It could be that you once felt as great as an athlete like Kobe should, but no longer feel that way. (This would tie into the "worn out" theme). Another possibility is that there is someone you were once on the same level as (both "athletes"), but now you're the "ex-athlete". This could range from job promotions to romantic endeavors, and like I said you are really going to just have to concentrate on what Kobe makes you think of in your life to get more clues.

Water generally represent emotional clarity/flowing - obviously with the ocean being thick it shows your emotions may feel blocked - you are not expressing how you feel worn out, or how you feel about someone that makes you feel worn out, or feeling like an "ex", or not like the better side of you. I know that's a lot of possibilities, but without knowing your actual life circumstances, it is hard for me to say for sure where it would all tie in.

Your teacher/school and parents signify something in your past. The game you hated, and tying it into the ex-athlete, makes me think you might be feeling like you were in competition with someone or something at some point, and didn't like it.

The underground room again emphasizes something in your past but it is buried, and depending on what you told about your past, it could be that you just aren't letting it come to surface, and maybe that's what's bothering you.

The motorcycle is the same as the island, though again driving does mean you are trying to gain some control, but since you can't get it to work, you are not sure what to do about not being able to change or express the feelings you have. Like the ocean and the island itself, you feel trapped, and you just want to go home - a place of security and comfort in most cases.

So to sum it up - you have two major themes here - one of things being old, or in "ex" status - or from the past. The second major theme is not being able to express it or get away from it.

Was I right? Here's the dreamer's response:
Once again, I can't thank you enough for helping me with this. This did give me a lot of insight into these dreams. I am impressed, you're very good at this!

Can dreams predict the future? A famous dream is the one Abraham Lincoln had of his own death right before he was assinated.

Are dreams like these coincidences? Or do dreams have a connection to the supernatural world?

This is one of the most interesting aspects of dreams, yet due to its nature, there is no "proof" to explain or understand why these things happen...interpretations are widely varied due to individual spiritual beliefs.

However, it is becoming more widely accepted there are 4 types of dreams:
Release dreams, such as in the example above where the dreamer is trying to work something out
Message Dreams, a dream trying to convey something of importance to the dreamer (often recurring dreams, but not always)
Precognitive Dreams, dreams which show events as or before they happen
Lucid Dreaming, the ability to control what is happening during a dream.

It is often common for dreamers to dream about a loved one who has passed away. This is often argued between being a release dream or actual communication with the deceased. I believe it can be either, depending largely on the rest of the context of the dream.