To this day, it is not completely understood why it is that we dream. There is consensus, however, that without dreams we suffer both physically and psychologically. Many mental illnesses are considered to go along with with sleep irregularities, because poor sleep compromises the dream state. The brain is wired to dream, and the correlation between lack of dreaming, disturbed dreaming, and mental illness is very high. “Insomnia and depression are so strongly linked, some experts believe they are flips sides of the same disorder” (Naiman, 2011, para. 2).
There is also no consensus on what to do with dreams, if are they are to be interpreted, and if so how to go about it. There are many theories, from Freud’s (1914/2010) wish fulfillment of repressed desires, to Jung’s (1974) compensation theory and the notion that dreams are a symbolic portal, to God providing guidance towards individuation (Whitmont & Perera, 1985). There are even theorists, such as Aizenstat (2011), who do not focus on the why, or the meaning of dreams, but feel it is more valuable to engage an imaginative dialogue with “who” is visiting in the dream.
Dreams are images that appear real, and over which one does not have conscious control. “The imagined scene is uncritically accepted and the dreamer mistakes it for a real perception” (Solms, 1999, p. 7). Jung (1974) said: “The dream is a fragment of psychic activity, just conscious enough to be reproducible in the waking state (Jung, 1974, p.68). According to neuroscientists, dreams appear real because they are “a ‘delusional hallucinatory state’ driven by activation of the brain’s basic motivational system . . . stoked by an abundance of the neurotransmitter dopamine” (Marano, 2005, para. 6).
Since dopamine is primarily related to the “behaviours designed to obtain reward” (Dubac, 2002a, para. 3), it is also connected to the libidinal drives that bring pleasure, relieve anxiety, or as Freud (2010) said: wish fulfillment and remains of the day. Neuroscience research seems to be backing up Freud’s theories of wish fulfillment, as supported by the role of dopamine in dreaming.
It is my belief that all the theories on why we dream are partly right. The problems begin when we try to interpret our dreams and decide what to make of them. Since dream interpretation can reveal more about the interpreters and the theories to which they subscribe than the dreamers, it seems that dream interpretation must be done with the dreamer.
So why not keep a dream journal? It has been said if you ask yourself before you go to sleep to remember your dreams, you are more likely to do so. Upon awakening, try not to move, just to focus on what you remember. It gets easier with practice. All you have to do is to write it down.
After that you may be ready for the next step which is to get in dialogue with your dream. Ask the dream what is it you want me to know or understand by having this dream. Write it all down in your dream journal. You will be amazed how helpful it is. Some of the dreams may seem bizarre or weird. That’s okay, just write down what it is, as best you remember.
References:
Aizenstat, S. (2011) Dream tending. New Orleans: LA: Spring.
Dubac, B. (2002b). The brain from top to bottom: Seeking pleasure and avoiding pain (A. Daigen, Trans.). Retrieved from http://thebrain.mcgill.ca/flash/i/i_03/i_03_p/ i_03_p_que/i_03_p_que.html.
Freud, S. (2010). On dreams (CosimoClassics, Trans.). New York, NY: Cosimo. (Original work published 1914).
Jung, (1974). Dreams (R. F. C. Hull, Trans.). Princeton. NJ: Princeton University Press.
Marano, H. E. (2005, March 01). Why we dream. Psychology Today. Retrieved from http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200504/ why-we-dream
Naiman, R. (2011, March 02). Circadian rhythm and blues: The interface of depression with sleep and dreams. Psychology Today. Retrieved from http://www .psychologytoday.com/blog/mindful-sleep-mindful-dreams/201103/circadian-rhythm-and-blues-the-interface-depression-sleep.
Solms, M. (1999). The interpretation of dreams and the neurosciences. Retrieved from http://www.psychoanalysis.org.uk/solms4.htm
Whitmont, E. C., & Perera, S. B. (1989). Dreams, a portal to the source. London, UK: Routledge.
Leave a Reply