Do you believe in dream meanings?

[jsrnash12]

I know they have many books, websites, and programs on dream interpretation. Do you believe that these are at all accurate or true? I have a few dream meaning books but never really know weather to believe what they say or not.

[ninja9578]

I believe that there are some signs, but mostly it's just day residue.

[Mes Tarrant]

I agree with ninja. I really think the popularity of dream interpretation has gone way overboard. These days, people think that every little thing has to mean something.

[Yosemine]

I think that dream interpretation is true to some extent, but it is sort of something you have to assess yourself. I do not think that a book full of "dream meanings" can be the same for everybody. Your experiences will obviously shape the true "meaning" of a dream and most likely that pen you twirled in your dream was simply a distraction that meant nothing. For dreams that do mean something at all, I think the dreamer should be able to find a good explanation for them. For instance, I dream about failing tests a lot. I also dream a lot about my friends turning on me. These dreams, interpreted by myself, tell me that I have a lack of self confidence and I'm sort of insecure. To someone else it could mean that the person is worried about their current grades or does not trust his/her friends. I think that people tend to overanalyze things. I for one have overanalyzed quite a few things people have said, running them over and over again in my head until I thought I reached a reasonable conclusion which actually was far off from the truth. In a similar manner dreams can be overanalyzed so that small and generally unimportant details can be expanded so that they would go far beyond the actual meaning. So, in a nutshell, I think that dreams can mean something but they must be interpreted by the dreamer, connecting what the dreamer knows about his/herself in order to reach a conclusion that actually makes sense and that most things in dreams don't actually mean anything. That's my thoughts on it. Oh, a little add on now that I think about it on the subject of nightmares. I think that most nightmares have some sort of meaning since they can cause so much distress. I think that if a dream stirs an intense emotion, the dream has a much higher chance of actually having any sort of meaning.

[CJSommie]

The way I see it, dreams are just something that happens in our minds, so if your asking if I believe that dreams can somehow be precognitive then the answers no. But as for Freud's theory on Die Traumdeutung (Dream Reading) then I'm not sure. The theory seems reasonable, but I wouldn't say that our dreams can somehow tell us who we really are. Maybe if read right, our dreams could make it a little more clear to us how we perceive something, but I don't really think that we're gonna learn something that we didn't already know. My personal view, and I could be way off, but I think dreams are just kinda fun, and trying to interpret them sucks all the joy out of having them in the first place.

[jsrnash12]

Oh, a little add on now that I think about it on the subject of nightmares. I think that most nightmares have some sort of meaning since they can cause so much distress. I think that if a dream stirs an intense emotion, the dream has a much higher chance of actually having any sort of meaning. Yea i fully agree with that. Has seemed to be true for me.

[jenovanomusuko]

Along with Ninja, I think they're just residue from the day. I find myself dreaming about the most random things - things that I generally thought about during the day, or things that I've noticed in myself. Whatever's on my mind is usually a part of my dreams. About the nightmares - I've had some nightmares that were positively horrifying, but seemed to signify nothing to me. I think a nightmare is a reaction to intense stress in general. However, dream reading, I think, doesn't get you in touch with who you really are. I think it tells you what's on your mind, what you're processing, etc...

[MidnightQueen]

I think that there used to be truth behind it. But not anymore on a mass scale. At the same extent, I believe that some signs are significant, but the majority are not.

[Pk.sage]

In my opinion, there is no difference of people hundreds of years ago believeing in witches and mystical beasts, and people thinkings dreams mean something. Same mantality. I think that dreams kinda go in order of your feelings but kinda in a chain which affect what you are doing in the dream along with your imagination in the dream. Like when the dream starts and your in say a forest, you might fear that there may be a bear or something because it's a forest, then your imagination will cause a bear to appear because your imagination is all that your mind has to make of anything because all your senses are off. But if you were in the forest and generally like forests you might feel comfortable and a fire might be/appear there. Then you might think that that fire COULD spread, then it does. This is really more complex but it's what i think. It's late lol.

[Barns]

Only you can interpret your own dream. All those books and stuff are complete rubbish.

[unclesirbob]

I do believ that dreams can be deciphered. I can understand my own dreams very well./ Yet deciphering other peoples dreams is horrendously difficult. I think that dreams translate into conceptual feelings. Eg things that are ideas... eg something that could fit a quote like this "yesterday my sister was acting oddly. I wonder if something is wrong" Yet trying tio understand the symbols is not easy. I interpret them backwards. I lookn for big issues that trigger dreams and hen try to understand their symbolism. I worjk on the belief that we are bound to dream about certain things. If for instance you felt very streesed the day before then you are bound to dream about it. Then if you do get a dream which includes a huge tornado then we can assume that the tornado symbolises the stress. ------------------ In dreams anything is possible. Thats because dreams link to our own real life thoughts. In life we can fantasize about anything and our thoughts can get carried away. In dreams we kill people when in real life we just wish we could. The dreams then are often linked to our deep down wishes and feelings. The average p[erson will not follow through with there own deep down urges because they are aware of the consquences. But some such as serial killers live in an almost dream like state where they do not know when to stop. Try this page as it features a dream dictionary which will help you understand dreams http://www.unclesirbobby.org.uk/dreamessay.php

[Burned up]

I do believ that dreams can be deciphered. I can understand my own dreams very well./ Yet deciphering other peoples dreams is horrendously difficult. Yes, this is where it becomes hard. And understaning other people's dreams from an online posting is harder still. I think that dreams translate into conceptual feelings. Eg things that are ideas... eg something that could fit a quote like this "yesterday my sister was acting oddly. I wonder if something is wrong" Well, yes, but feelings are there in dreams too. But I do think thoughts and feelings cause dreams to conjour up objects (rather than the other wasy round). Yet trying tio understand the symbols is not easy. I interpret them backwards. I lookn for big issues that trigger dreams and hen try to understand their symbolism. I worjk on the belief that we are bound to dream about certain things. If for instance you felt very streesed the day before then you are bound to dream about it. Then if you do get a dream which includes a huge tornado then we can assume that the tornado symbolises the stress. I think day-before stuff does influence dreams but my interest in not in the whether but the why. Yes, a tornado may symbolise stress but what is actually happening in the dream that has the dreamer feeling stressful? The dream may now (and in my opinion is almost certain to) refer to issues from the past, repressed in the unconscious. I think dream analysis only becomes useful when we use it to discover more about our unconscious. Limiting our vision to the previous day only doesn't tell us much we don't already know.

[Burned up]

In my opinion, there is no difference of people hundreds of years ago believeing in witches and mystical beasts, and people thinkings dreams mean something. Same mantality. I think that dreams kinda go in order of your feelings but kinda in a chain which affect what you are doing in the dream along with your imagination in the dream. Like when the dream starts and your in say a forest, you might fear that there may be a bear or something because it's a forest, then your imagination will cause a bear to appear because your imagination is all that your mind has to make of anything because all your senses are off. But if you were in the forest and generally like forests you might feel comfortable and a fire might be/appear there. Then you might think that that fire COULD spread, then it does. This is really more complex but it's what i think. It's late lol. Yes, I like that. But I'll add that the imagination that causes a bear to appear only does so because of an existing feeling of being afraid of bears (or something we could visualise as a bear but can't actually remember what it was when we were first afraid like that). As for the fire, yes if you're feeling insecure I'd imagine a fire appearing in the dream. But if I was feeling happy I'd expect a squrrel to come bounding up to me, smiling, with a flower in its mouth! Where dream symbolsm breaks down is when we're not afraid of a bear (which is culturally logical) but we're afraid of the colour blue, a square or a flower or something not culturally logical. No dream dictionary wil help there.

[Burned up]

I know they have many books, websites, and programs on dream interpretation. Do you believe that these are at all accurate or true? I have a few dream meaning books but never really know weather to believe what they say or not. I'm wondering why 6 people are bothering this forum if they don't believe in dream interpretation.

[Artixknight]

Dream meanings are sort of like horoscopes. Once you read about it, you relate the passage to something that happened to you, even if your feelings and thought on the prediction are different than the context. You just find clues that would make the horoscope prediction true as related to something that happens to you everyday (eg., "You're going to have a good day today, but some bad things will happen. Stay focused on your work and social life.") Dream meanings are similar. Only you can make up what a dream means, but once you read about the dream's meaning on a dream meaning site/book you assume that that was what the dream was about. I'll admit, dream meanings and interpretations are fun, but I don't honestly believe that all dreams about (insert dream here) all have the same meanings!

[LucidDreamGod]

Dreams mean almost nothing except for the things you think about alot, or the things you fear if you have a nightmare. I mean if someone is at a very low conscious level about themselves like a few people I know then maybe they will find something about their desires and fears but chances are they won't pay attention.

[~Erin~]

I do believe that dreams do have hidden meanings and can be interpreted. Though, I agree that some dreams on the other hand can be simply a bunch of images pilled up throughout the day and spread out within the dream, concluding in not much meaning at all. But again, I think the dreamer is the only one who can figure out their own dreams. The websites, dream dictionaries, I believe are there to help guide you.

[unclesirbob]

BURNEDUP Hi well yes we should not restrict dreams to linking to the day before. I often bleat on about this because I think its the most common of dreams types. They are easier to spot. Other dream causes are more trickier. Premonitions and telepathy for instance which I a not certain you would beleive in. The ore meduium term past is also important. Say for instance if you are going through major changes. Such changes can easily cause dreams. Another interesting areas would link to the following. The need to spot a pattern developing. For instance if you hgad a neighbour who youi regularly saw gardeing. Then if you did not spot him gardening on eday then it would not be a surprise. Missing him two dfays running would not cause a surprise. But after a week you mnay spot a pattern developing. You ay go and see him and see if he is OK.. esepcially if he is elderly. But when exactly does your dream mind spot this and actively pursue the issue. Its not actually an event. Its an event that continually not happening. Eveently you would pick up on it. It would trigger a dream. Personally I have probably got a different attitude towardsdreamns than you. Many peoplke often consider the message that a dream holds. To me dreams are just a coded representation of the very same thoughts that we are already aware of. I do not think that we learn from dreams. Dreams to me deal with the mind. The mind does not always think in terms of forming a message. Its more busier trying to clarify and recognise what is happening. To me a dream is less likely to give clear advice. Its more likely to just assess and compare and contrast... read signals ... understand and analyse. ------------------------ Dreams are not so much a record of events they are more a record of our feelings. The rational waking mind may describe an event that happened the day before in this way "I was talking with my friend yesterday and he was talking a lot about work". The dream mind is less interested in events and more about feelings. The intuitive mind looks at the same incident and thinks "I was with my friend yesterday and he was acting strangely. Normally he talks about our friendship but he seemed to be talking a lot more about work". A dream does not really record reality in any systematic fashion. It is merely describing events by pointing to emotions. A dream may simply be a collection of feelings. Such as "I was doing housework and felt tired", "I was talking to my brother who always confuses me" and "I was in a tornament aiming a crossbow at a target". So when a dream contains a series of unrelated events and feelings it maybe refering to something that you have recently felt. Together these symbols build up a conceptual set of feelings about something happening in your life. So this dreamn was maybe refering to the previous day when "I felt tired and became steadily more confused trying to figure out how to complete my task. I decided to set myself little targets. It helped me conquer my own brain fatique". These pages are especially helpful in showing you how to interpret dreams http://www.unclesirbobby.org.uk/dreamessayhowtopost.php Interpreting dreams http://www.unclesirbobby.org.uk/dreamessayhowto.php Triggers for dreams http://www.unclesirbobby.org.uk/dreamessay.php Dream dictionary

[Burned up]

BURNEDUP Hi well yes we should not restrict dreams to linking to the day before. I often bleat on about this because I think its the most common of dreams types. They are easier to spot. Other dream causes are more trickier. Premonitions and telepathy for instance which I a not certain you would beleive in. The ore meduium term past is also important. Say for instance if you are going through major changes. Such changes can easily cause dreams. Another interesting areas would link to the following. The need to spot a pattern developing. For instance if you hgad a neighbour who youi regularly saw gardeing. Then if you did not spot him gardening on eday then it would not be a surprise. Missing him two dfays running would not cause a surprise. But after a week you mnay spot a pattern developing. You ay go and see him and see if he is OK.. esepcially if he is elderly. But when exactly does your dream mind spot this and actively pursue the issue. Its not actually an event. Its an event that continually not happening. Eveently you would pick up on it. It would trigger a dream. Personally I have probably got a different attitude towardsdreamns than you. Many peoplke often consider the message that a dream holds. To me dreams are just a coded representation of the very same thoughts that we are already aware of. I do not think that we learn from dreams. Dreams to me deal with the mind. The mind does not always think in terms of forming a message. Its more busier trying to clarify and recognise what is happening. To me a dream is less likely to give clear advice. Its more likely to just assess and compare and contrast... read signals ... understand and analyse. Interesting reply, USBR. You're right, I don't believe in the clairvoyant aspects of dreaming. But funnily enough I'm with you on much of what you say. Yes, we would spot patterns like you suggest. But I would go further and suggest that some people will spot those patterns more than others. Why? Because some people like or loathe order in their lives (for example). And that's the level I like to think at. I don't think that dreams are deliberate messages from the mind (the unconscious part) either. But compare and contrast - yes, I think so. But I would then look for evidence of conflicts, yearnings etc.

[DuB]

I believe that trying to meaningfully interpret dreams is an exercise in futility. Dreams are the result of your forebrain frantically trying to make sense of essentially random electrical signals being generated by your brain stem. The semi-coherent product is part day residue, part schemas, a lot of randomness, and zero symbolism. They're still pretty cool though.

[neptunian]

Do you believe books your read have meaning? how about movies? paintings? life? how about yourself, does your existence have meaning? Great pieces of art were inspired by dreams for example, the same for inventions...everything is so intertwined...so there must be meaning. The mere fact that we can interpret (or at least try ) each others dream on the interent even people we do not know at all, well it has meaning...a great one at least to me....we are so connected thru dream imagery and this universal language. Why do we tend to take this for granted!?

[unclesirbob]

DuB: I do think that there is an awful lot of symbolism in dreams. They are difficult to decode. they do link to things not not obviously mentioned in the dream. The symbolism is often extreme. But thats because drteams link to exact feelings and we often think in terms which are rather extreme..eg "tomorrow is going to be a total nightmare" "If I fail this exam It will be the end of my life " Try waiting until something big happens in your life. Then the next time you sleep try linking your dream to this precise event. If somnething big happens then surely this will causee you to dream ------------------------ Many dreams seem magical and totally divorced from reality. Yet remember that dreams are about your mind. They symbolise how you see the real life challenges in your life. Dreams contain bizarre images such as mad dogs,vampires and dragons. Yet in reality we see our own struggles in rich and fantastical ways. So when you pick up a sword try to see that as an expression of your own assertiveness. Then compare that to the real life struggles in life where you have shown that self same wish to take on the demons and dragons in your own life. See how the dream represents your own fantasies and paranoia's. What thoughts were keeping you awake before the dream? What challenges were you thinking about concerning the day to come? Just try to interpret a dream in simple terms. A huge long dream may simple be reduced to one simple quote such as "In the dream I saw a monster and fought with it". Then compare this to real life. Simply ask what the monster is and how does the battle represent your own thoughts and motivations. These pages are especially helpful in showing you how to interpret dreams http://www.unclesirbobby.org.uk/dreamessayhowtopost.php Interpreting dreams http://www.unclesirbobby.org.uk/dreamessayhowto.php Triggers for dreams http://www.unclesirbobby.org.uk/dreamessay.php Dream dictionary

[DuB]

Well I respect your opinion and I hope you can respect my choice to disagree with those views.

[Lucidbulbs]

I believe that there is, but not all of it can be found in books, since there are personal symbols and meanings attached to actions and objects in dreams.

[unclesirbob]

DOB: I totally respect your right to disagree. I have tried disasgreeing with others with different views. You can take them on. you can try to persuade them. Ultimately a lot of my views invoilve a big pinch of faith. Its very difficult to prove a dream means one thing rather than another. In fact almost impossible. ------------------------ It is true that many dream symbols can have very personal meanings that only the dreamer could possibly connect to. For instance your sister may appear in a dream as an example of someone who interferes constantly in everything that you do. Yet a symbol may easily appear in a very standard sense. In a general and standard sense sisters link to a willingness to share opinions and to talk openly. Your dream may use a sister in that sense. It is equally true that a sister may appear just as themselves. The dream may then connect with some issue that involves them either directly or indirectly. The trick is then to keep an open mind and explore every possibility. These pages are especially helpful in showing you how to interpret dreams http://www.unclesirbobby.org.uk/dreamessayhowtopost.php Interpreting dreams http://www.unclesirbobby.org.uk/dreamessayhowto.php Triggers for dreams http://www.unclesirbobby.org.uk/dreamessay.php Dream dictionary