Interpreting Dreams

(Dream FAQ Excerpt)

First, a disclaimer of sorts: Rev. Jeremy Taylor asserts that "All dreams come in the service of health and wholeness," even (especially?) the ones that may initially upset or confuse us. Even so, dreams can be powerful experiences, and dreams do have the potential to unleash some very deep and raw emotions. If you think it would probably be fun and spiritually uplifting to try your hand at dream analysis/interpretation, by all means go ahead. If, on the other hand, you actually suspect that you have a serious emotional disturbance and you are hoping that dream work would really be a form of do-it-yourself psychotherapy, please consider picking up the phone and calling in a professional person to guide you through the process. If you do decide to go it on your own, I think it is wise to follow Taylor's advice, and consciously seek to identify (and actualize) dream messages that facilitate a more positive, loving, and healthful life. Don't EVER allow your dreams to encourage you to do anything destructive to yourself or others. If you find that your dreams are interfering significantly with your waking life, it would certainly be a good idea to seek professional psychological counseling. Assuming you're still with me after that warning...There are a dizzying array of methods and techniques of dream analysis! Which one(s) you choose is(are) largely a matter of personal preference. A method that provides profound, earth-shaking revelations to one person may seem trite and hokey to another. Let your own feelings (and your own common sense!) be your guide. Here are a few of the more popular and/or time-honored methods (consult books for additional ones)  

1. FREE ASSOCIATION: FREUD   
Sigmund Freud suggested that the dreamer create a "chain" of associations to each important object or element of the dream, by saying the first word that popped into mind when prompted by a cue word. The dreamer's response to one cue became the next cue word. For example:   

Shoes => Clothes, Clothes => Closet, Closet => Hidden, Hidden => Secrets .... Etc.   

Freud believed that this technique of speaking-without-thinking might lead the dreamer to uncover some repressed material (latent, or hidden content; probably sexual) that might have been encoded into the dream.  

2. SYMBOL AMPLIFICATION: JUNG  
Carl Jung liked Freud's idea of associations, but disagreed with Freud's desire to lead the dreamer farther and farther away from the actual dream image. Instead, he advocated returning each time to the image itself as the cue word. For example:    

Shoes => Clothes, Shoes => Feet, Shoes => Pair, Shoes => Ground ..... Etc.   

Jung believed that this technique of "mining" each image to unearth all its possible associations might lead the dreamer to discover which associations were actually most important.   

3. DESCRIBE IT TO A MARTIAN: DELANEY  
Gayle Delaney (and others) advises the dreamer to amplify the dream images in a slightly different way. Instead of generating free-floating associations, she suggests describing each image in simple, powerful terms, as if explaining its purpose and outstanding features to a Martian who knows nothing about life on Earth. For example:  

Shoes => These protect our feet (from cold, damp, dirt, etc.) when we walk. We can walk farther wearing these than we could without them. Sometimes, they are more stylish than practical/comfortable.....   

4. EMPTY-CHAIR ROLE PLAY: GESTALT  
Frederick Perls, founder of the Gestalt psychology movement, popularized "encounter" groups. He recommended that the dreamer hold imaginary conversations with dream characters/objects, in order to give them a "voice" to communicate their meaning. He had the dreamer sit opposite an empty chair, imagining the dream character/object sitting across from them. The dreamer would ask questions of the character, and then would switch chairs to answer them, trying to express the attitude of the dream character as much as possible. For example:   

=> Dreamer: "Shoes, why did you rain down on me like that?"   

=> Shoes: [yelling] "You idiot! Can't you see that you aren't walking in the right direction?"   

He urged the dreamer to see each character, object, and action in the dream as some (possibly alienated) aspect of the dreamer's own personality.   

5. TTAQ (TITLE, THEME, AFFECT, QUESTION): SAVARY, BERNE, and KAPLAN-WILLIAMS (From DREAMS AND SPIRITUAL GROWTH, 1984)  
This is a four-step process. First, the dreamer gives the dream an appropriate TITLE. "Let it come to you spontaneously or ask yourself, 'What title does the dream want itself to have?'" Next, identify any THEME or THEMES. Next, identify the AFFECT (emotional aspects) of the dream. Last, the dreamer formulates an important QUESTION that the dream is addressing: "What is the dream asking of me? What is the dream trying to help me be conscious of?" For example:  

• TITLE: "Barrage of Shoes" 
• THEMES: spirituality/religion, self-image 
• AFFECT: fear, helplessness 
• QUESTION: "In what areas of my life do I feel pelted, attacked, beaten down?"

Philosophically, this technique asserts that dreams should be regarded as questions to spur thinking, rather than as puzzles to be successfully "solved".   

6. ACTION PLOT: REED/SPARROW   
Most dreams focus on the objects (nouns) in dreams. In his book, DREAM REALIZATIONS (1984), Henry Reed describes a method (which he attributes to Gregory Scott Sparrow) of paying particular attention to the action (verbs) in the dream. Reed writes, "An action plot is a short statement of what transpires during the course of the dream. In order to emphasize the structure of the action, all mention of specific symbols is avoided." For example,   

"Someone feels attacked by something, yet does nothing about it."  

7. LINGUISTIC ANALYSIS   
A majority of dream workers would doubtless agree that the "language" of dreams is (visual) metaphor. Often, the same metaphorical analysis techniques that are applied to works of literature may also be applied to dreams. Some people also find it useful to look for standard literary devices such as setting, dramatic structure, etc. in their dreams. It may also be helpful to look specifically for verbal or visual "puns." For example:  

• METAPHOR: Shoes as outer expression of "direction" and purpose? ... Or groundedness"? 
• SETTING: Old rustic church (ancient, earthy spirituality?) in stormy weather (turbulent motions?) 
• POSSIBLE PUNS: Rain => reign or rein? Sole => soul?

8. DUALITIES  
It may be instructive to try to identify glaring "opposites" in your dreams. These oppositional forces often underline important conflicts, imbalances, or concerns. For example:   

• Aggression vs. Passivity 
• Style vs. Function 
• Heaven vs. Earth

9. GROUP DREAM WORK: ULLMAN  
Jungian therapist Montague Ullman developed a highly-structured group method of exploring dreams. The basic premise is that each group member imagines the dream as their own dream, and then tries to "interpret" its message FOR THEM, rather than for the dreamer. This alleviates any suspicion of negative judgement against the dreamer, and has the additional advantage of leading to personal insights among ALL participants, even when their own dream is not the current topic of discussion. It is a 4-phase process: 1) A dreamer volunteers and tells a dream in detail. Others may only interrupt to ask clarifying (non-interpretive) questions. 2) Others take the dream as their own, speaking of it as if they had actually dreamed it. They suggest what the dream might mean for them. The dreamer listens without participating. 3) The dream is officially returned to its original creator. The dreamer may respond to everyone else's input, and may share her/his own insights. 4) The dreamer thinks further about the dream, and reports (at a later time) any additional insights. 

It may be possible to join a dream group in your area -- or you can start your own, if you can't locate a pre-existing one. These groups are often leaderless peer groups without professional participation.  

10. ARCHETYPES: JUNG   
One of the most popular techniques in dream analysis is searching for "archetypes", mythic figures which Carl Jung believed were present in everyone's dreams. Classic Jungian archetypes include The Hero, the Wise Old Man, the Shadow (darker side of our own personality), and Anima/Animus (aspects of the opposite sex present in our own personal psychology).   

11. DREAM RITUALS: JOHNSON  
Jungian analyst Robert A. Johnson advocates going beyond understanding dreams at an intellectual level, and "acting consciously to honor dreams." His idea is that by doing a physical act which actualizes he dream's message, you move toward truly integrating the dream's meaning in your waking life. In choosing an appropriate ritual, Johnson advises us that correct ritual is "symbolic behavior, consciously performed." He recommends choosing rituals that are small-scale, inexpensive, private, and safe. So if the shoe dream seemed to be emphasizing the need to be "grounded," to value function over style, and to consciously and assertively pursue a positive direction in life, the dreamer might for example:  

=>Solemnly (and privately) arrange several pairs of shoes on the floor, labeling them with signs that said "Style," "Function," etc. The dreamer could ceremoniously sweep the "unwanted" shoes aside and put on the "desirable/positive" shoes.