Dream Interpretation

heathcliff

Sigmund Freud, who is considered to be the father of psychoanalysis, believed that every action is motivated by our unconscious and that dreams are a way of wish fulfillment in civilised society where people have to repress their urges.

According to Freud, some of these urges could be quite shocking and hence the mind releases them in the symbolic languages of dreams. Freud divided the mind into three sections : the Id{the unconscious, centred on primal desires and urges}, the Ego{concerned with the conscious and rational aspect of the self. It negotiates with the id while keeping a reality check on urges}, and the Superego{which includes our conscience and moral aspects of the self that we pick up from around us}. Thus he said that dreams are a way in which the Id speaks out when our conscious mind is asleep.

10 Common Dreams

#1 BEING CHASED

Dreams of being chased could be a way by which mind tries to deal with anxiety over something that a person may be trying to hide. These dreams can also suggest an attempt to run away from certain circumstances or fears.

#2 MISSING A TRAIN

Such dreams are usually symbolic of a fear of losing out on an oppurtunity. Our subconscious mind may be aware of oppurtunities that we may not notice in our conscious state; dreams like this could be telling us to look out for them.

#3 THE EXAM DREAM

A lot of people have dreams in which they are sitting for an exam but don't know the answers, or they are sitting for the wrong exam or they have arrived late for it. "This kind of dream signifies that the dreamer is feeling tired and tested about something" - Madhu Tandon,author of Dreams and beyond: Finding your way in the Dark. But though the person feels anxious in the dream, the dream itself could be reassuring.

#4 FALLING

Dreams about falling, either from a height or endlessly through the sky, suggest insecurities, instability, anxiety or a feeling of inferiority or failure. Madhu Tandon elaborates, "These dreams are expressive of the dreamer's perception that he or she has fallen in the estimation of themselves or others."

#5 WATER

Water is generally the symbol for emotions, so the nature of water in the dream could stand for the nature of one’s emotions. For example, draming of tsunamis or turbulent oceans could be a symbol of overwhelming and powerful emotions, while placid lakes and slow rivers could mean calmer emotions.

#6 SNAKES

Snakes in dreams are commonly regarded as phallic symbols, and hence most people connect such dreams to hidden sexual urges.

#7 NAKED IN PUBLIC

Sudhir Kakar feels that this dream can express a buried feeling of being an imposter, or of being found out that one is less desirable, intelligent etc than one’s self-image or public persona.

#8 LOSS OF TEETH

Dreams about losing one’s teeth often stands for fears of impotence in men or general anxiety about being weak or losing power, feels Kakar. Teeth are also often connected to biting or tearing of food, which indirectly signifies power.

#9 FLYING

These suggest good opportunities. But more can be read from the dreamer’s feelings while flying, that is, whether they feel exhilarated or scared. Some people also believe that the landscape over hich one flies and the height of the person from the ground also give an insight into the dreamer’s subconscious thoughts.

#10 DEATH

Many people feel that seeing someone die in their dreams could foretell a similar event in actual life. But such fears are needless. Dr. Sharma says, “Death in dreams need not be taken literally. It can also signify anxiety over the breaking of a relationship.”

SOURCE : BRUNCH.