Student
Mr. Maite
British Literature
9 April 2001
A Glimpse into the Mind of a Dreamer
A human's dream landscape is one of
the most individualistic and unique things they posses. When falling
asleep, a vulnerable and mystical world awaits exploration; it is the dream
world. Normally a person will have three to five dreams per sleeping
span. Even though most people do not recall all of their dreams, some
remember their dreams vividly and with great detail, other people recall vague
bits and pieces of information about their dreams. Ancient civilizations saw
them as prophesies from the gods, nowadays, dreams are thought to be messages from
our subconscious mind to our conscious mind; and can be interpreted by any
average person by using the Freudian or Jungian theories.
A series of thoughts, feelings, and
images created by the mind during sleep, a dream (Green and Sanford 8).
Over the centuries people have believed that during sleep, the body and mind
rest this is far from the truth, the body works rigorously through out the
night. Modern technology shows temperature changes and blood flow
increase to the brain. In 1952, a researcher noticed that at certain
times during a period of sleep the eyes of the subjects could be seen stirring
beneath their closed eyelids - as though they were watching moving figures
(Parker 17). During REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, irregularities in
heartbeat and breathing patterns appear. There is also a redirection in
electrical activity in certain muscles. Scientifically, dreams can be
investigated by observing the sleep cycle. The sleep cycle occurs several
times during the night and repeats itself each time. Scientists identify
four stages of sleep: the first stage is simply a transition from wakefulness
to real sleep; while stage two may be described as "normal"
sleep. During stage three there is another transition, or sinking into a
deeper sleep - that of stage four (Parker 17). The mind sinks very
quickly into stage four, NREM (non rapid eye movement) sleep, after about an
hour, the mind then slips into REM state for about ten minutes. After REM
sleep, the mind wonders back through the layers of NREM sleep. The entire
sleep cycle lasts eighty or ninety minutes and is perhaps repeated four times
throughout the night. Just before awakening, the duration of REM may increase
to one hour. So that during an eight-hour period of sleep we spend around
six hours in NREM sleep and the remaining two in REM “dream time" (Parker
18).
However, ancient civilizations took a
less scientific approach, they made a more spiritual and religious
journey. Some of the best examples of gods sending messages to
mortals occurred during the Greeks' classical mythology tales. The Greeks
had Zeus, father of the Gods who, aided by Hypnos the god of sleep and his son,
Morpheus, the god of dreams, sent warnings, inspirations and prophesies to
humanity via Hermes, their winged messenger (Dee 14). Also numerous
dreams are described in the Bible. Both Solomon and Moses were told to
listen for God's words of guidance in their dreams; and Joseph had the ability
to accurately interpret Pharaoh's dream. The Bible says that it is god
who gives Joseph the interpretations of Pharaoh's dream and thus provides
Joseph with the means to achieve success, because he is filled with the spirit
of God (Policoff 25). During the Middle Ages, the reputation of dreams
turned negative. In the past dreams were warnings or inspirations, but
since the rise of the Christian church, dreams were devil-inspired or the
devil's work. It is clear to see how this ignorant society generally, with
the very word 'dream' being changed to mean not vision in the night but a
forlorn hope. People were soon saying 'I would not dream of doing that,'
thus downgrading and reversing the whole concept and purpose of dreaming (Dee
25). Not only have people prophesized about the meanings of dreams, but
they have interpreted them too. The earliest dream interpreter was Amphictyon,
son of Durcalion (who in Greek mythology was the son of Prometheus).
However, the historian Herodotus (c. 484 - 424 BC) claimed that the people of
Telemessus, in Caria (southwest Asia Minor) specialized in dream
interpretation; indeed, King Croesus (the last king of Lydia) consulted them
about an important dream (Parker 10). Throughout the centuries, dreams
have given people hope and reason to believe in a cause.
The purpose of dreams is a wide
topic that is open for various interpretations. Dreams are about life and
life is about dreams (Dee 121). Dreams are often based on real life
situations. It's almost as if dreams try to convey one's mistakes so that
one may learn from them. Since 1900, two famous theories have surrounded
the purpose and interpretation of dreams. They are the theories of Dr.
Carl Gustav Jung and Dr. Sigmund Freud.
Jung saw dreaming as one of the
ways in which man tried to comfort and explain the mystery of his life and the
meaning of his existence, as well as, recapitulation of the unsolved problems
of his past (MacKenzie 181). When the dream occurred, he thought that the
meeting point between the future and the past collided. This view has
been described as Jung's "respectful" attitude toward dreams.
He himself wrote: "I have no theory about dreams; I do not know how dreams
arise. I am altogether in doubt as to whether my way of handling dreams
even deserves the name 'method.' I share all my readers' prejudices
against dream interpretation as being the quintessence of uncertainty and
arbitrariness. But, on the other hand, I know that if we meditate on a
dream sufficiently long and thoroughly - if we take it about with us and turn
it over and over - something almost always comes out of it. This
something is not a kind that means we can boast of its scientific nature of
rationalize it, but it is a practical and important hint which shows the
patient in what direction the unconscious is leading him." (qtd
in MacKenzie 81). Jung's belief of the unconscious mind was
explained by the fact that people from different cultures on the opposite sides
of Earth could have dreams in which specific symbols occur and appear to have
the same meaning. Jung also approached dream interpretation by having the
dreamer talk about and discuss the dream rather than them writing about the
dream. Talking with another person allows the dreamer to expand and
explore their dream without criticizing it, or thinking of it as silly or
objectionable.
Freud asserted that dreams were the
result of our repression of certain desires, but that these desires were
usually so foreign to our waking nature that our dreams could refer to them
only through symbolism (Parker 20). He believed that if these repressed
emotions/thoughts were openly expressed that they would appall the dreamer - in
fact the dreamer might not even be able to fathom the idea that such thoughts
lived within their mind. Freud was a man living in an era of time where
the discussion and expression of sexuality was strictly prohibited. Since
this topic was so restricted, he believed that dreams were mostly comprised of
sexual desires. Such dreams, he believed, fulfilled their purpose even if
the dreamer was unaware of their meaning - for the emotion represented in them
had been expressed, if only obliquely (Parker 20). When analyzing dreams,
Freud thought that two elements must be considered: the dream as it is
remembered and what the dream symbolizes. Unlike Jung, Freud advised his
patients to use a special style of writing to remember their dream, "free
association" writing. The object was to prevent patients from trying
to sort out or relate the dream to something that had happened recently or
earlier in their real conscious life. Patients were told to write down
their first initial thoughts about the dream. From there the collected
memories were each given a symbol to signify something. Freud thought
these images were very personal and could not symbolize the same thing for
other dreamers. Dreams are always open
for interpretation.
Any person is able to speculate an
opinion of their dreams or someone else's. Yes, the Freudian and Jungian theories
are there to guide the average person; but the dreamer must decide for themself
what method is best and makes the most sense to them. Most people have
found that keeping a dream journal is the most effective way to interpret their
dreams. Stephen Policoff, in his book The Dreamer's Companion gives seven
guidelines for properly and effectively using a dream journal: don't wait too
long to write down your thoughts; smooth out the edges of your dream and fill
in the gaps; don't skip any dreams, even the silly ones; don't editorialize;
record all of the important information; ask your unconscious; and don't be
hung up on words, use whatever words come to your mind first (151 - 155).
Using common sense and recall allows for success when interpreting dreams.
William Dedent once said "Dreams
permit each and everyone of us to be quietly and safely insane every night of
our lives" (qtd. in "Dream Quotes"1). Dreamers descend
into this unconscious realm of vulnerability every night. Dreamers are
made aware of their mistakes, deep thoughts and darkest desires. Whether
a dream is a nightmare, fairytale come true or a shocking glimpse of the
future, man and woman will forever dream. As an anonymous person once so
eloquently put it "Dreams are a place where you can find a world all your
own" (qtd. in "Dream Quotes" 1).
Works Cited
Dee,
Nerys. Your Dreams and What They Mean. New York, NY: Bell Publishing Company,
1986.
"Dream Quotes." 1. 8 April 2001. http://members.aol.com/azure108/dreamquotes.html.
"Dream Quotes." 1. 8 April 2001. http://members.tripod.com/~sashag/dream_quotes.html
Green, Carl L., and William R. Sanford. The Mystery of Dreams.
Hillside, NJ: Enslow Publishers Inc., 1993.
MacKenzie, Norman. Dreams and Dreaming. London, England: Aldus
Books Limited, 1965.
Parker, Derek and Julia. Parkers' Complete Book of Dreams. New
York, NY: D.K. Publishing Inc., 1995.
Policoff, Stephen Phillip. The Dreamer's Companion. Chicago, IL:
Chicago Review Press Inc., 1997.