Thread: scientific reasoning for dreams

I think the most modern neuro physiological hypotheses about why we dream revolve around long term memory consolidation. During the day we intake millions of tiny bits of information, dreams synthesise all of this information, picks what is and isn't important enough for long term storage.

Here is another theory I found.

"Thus we consider a possible (though certainly not proven) function of a dream to be weaving new material into the memory system in a way that both reduces emotional arousal and is adaptive in helping us cope with further trauma or stressful events."- Why do we dream? - Scientific American

While we sleep we build up the necessary neurotransmitters for waking life, we become tired in part because these chemicals become depleted over the course of the day. It is not known if dreams in themselves are involved in this process, but they could be.

Two psychological theories.

Freud thought that dreams were manifestations of the i.d. bubbling up, the fantastic and strange images in dreams to him were the result of the 'super-ego' translating
the disturbing impulses into images and scenes palatable to the ego. Thus allowing the i.d. to release pent up pressure (wish fulfilment) in order to avoid mental illness, without totally freaking out the ego about those horrible and sick impulses which make up a large portion of the unconscious.

Jung thought that a important function of dreams was to compensate for deficiencies in waking life, in his views dreams were a integral part in the 'egos' path toward maturity, self-sufficiency, and autonomy. He called this process individualisation.

There are many theories for why we dream and we are still figuring it out. Valis1 did a great job of outlining many of the prominent theories and more can be found on wikipedia.. What I have to add is that the reason we dream is most likely caused by a combination of multiple of these theories.

It is also important to remember that evolution doesn't have an end goal in mind. Dreams may just be a happy accident of how our minds developed or a vestigial form of something that played a different role in our distant ancestors. Our brains are extremely good at taking sensory input and turning it into a seamless reality. What ever proceses are happening at deeper levels while we dream, our consciousness likes to take that activity and interpret it as real experiences. It is for the same reason we see optical illusions. Our brain continuously tries to give meaning to our experience s even if it is not there.

I like to keep that in mind when I do dream interpretation. I don't think our subconscious is trying to tell us something. We can learn more about ourselves from the meaning we give to our dreams consciously after we wake up. I don't think there are any mystical explinations for why we dream either. The fact that we dream at all is magical enough for me.

Over the years, I’ve found that Carl Jung’s approach is the best one for interpreting dreams because he believed that their correct analysis involves both science and art.

An accredited Jungian analyst must learn a huge amount of scientifically researched material but also must have life experience and a certain intuitive and emotional contact with products of the psyche.

Anyway, here are a few quotes from professional Jungian analysts regarding dreams which you might find of interest:

“Since dream images make no sense in ordinary terms, people dismiss them as ‘weird’ or meaningless, but actually, dreams are completely coherent. If we take the time to learn their language, we discover that every dream is a masterpiece of symbolic communication…

We may compare a dream to a screen on which the unconscious projects its inner drama. We see there the various inner personalities that make up much of our total character, the dynamics among the forces that make up the unconscious…They take the form of images, and the interplay of the dream images gives us an exact representation of those inner dynamics that go on inside us.”

Robert Johnson, “Inner Work”.


“Dreams are a major thoroughfare to the unconscious psyche which…is vastly larger than consciousness. If we don’t pay attention to them, we limit our knowledge of the psyche to the relatively small segment that is conscious.

Do all dreams have meaning? We cannot prove that they do, but many people spontaneously record or tell their dreams; to them it seems self-evident that dreams have meaning. Moreover, psychotherapists and other workers with dreams have found meaning in nearly all of those studied. Failure to find a dream’s meaning is probably the dreamer’s failure, not the dream’s.”

Mary Ann Mattoon, “Jung and the Human Psyche: An Understandable Introduction”


“What excited me most when I first began to listen to my dreams was this sense that I was in touch with a great mystery. Something powerful seemed to be at work in my dreams, something that seemed to possess a wisdom and purpose beyond my conscious mind.

To be sure…special expertise is necessary for in-depth analysis of dreams, and, in cases of emotional or mental disturbance, the guidance of a trained analyst is required. But most normal people, who are able to cope realistically with everyday life, can gain fresh insight into themselves through a laymen’s approach to dream interpretations.”

George R. Slater Ph.D., “Bringing Dreams to Life”


“In interpreting dreams, it is important never to feel that the dream has been exhausted. At best one can find a useful, current meaning to the dream, but even this may be modified in the light of subsequent dreams, for dream interpretation involves a continuing dialogue between the ego and the unconscious…

In the Jungian view, dreams are continually functioning to compensate and complement (a milder form of compensation) the ego’s waking view of reality.”

James A. Hall M.D., “Jungian Dream Interpretation”

“Why should we look at dreams at all? ... Dreams help reveal to ourselves the hidden parts of our personalities of which we are usually unaware. This revelation – for that is how is usually feels – has in turn, a profound effect on our characters, so much so that it could almost be said that we know only half the truth about ourselves, and our dreams help us to meet the other half.”

Donald Broadribb, “The Dream Story”


To get an idea of the rigorous and in-depth training required in order to become a Jungian analyst (and therefore to also get an idea of how seriously dreams and their analysis are taken), you might like to check out this link which describes what’s involved to become an accredited analyst:

Analyst Training | Ontario Association of Jungian Analysts

I hope these brief ideas have been helpful in encouraging your interest in looking more fully into how to interpret dreams in a meaningful way.

The books mentioned above also show that the Jungian approach encourages the “average person” to see if they have the knack for interpreting their own dreams and most of these books contain a lot of practical information on how to sort through one’s dreams in a reliable way.