When I Dream

I constantly dream these past few days and this reminds me of the Psychology subject I had with Mr. Henzel. Why do we dream and what do they mean? I got to read a brief information on it, just to refresh my memory, and yours too. ;)

The act of dream is physiological (physical), whereas the content of the dream is psychological. The images, emotions and activities of the dream are a product of the individual's unconscious mind, having to do with the total make-up of one's human condition (conscious and unconscious). Most images (symbols) in dreams are personal representations of the individual (dealing with events and emotions in our waking lives), but also found within the dream are representations (symbols) that have nothing to do with the individual's personal knowledge. These are what Carl Jung called the archetypal images, images that are from the collective knowledge of all mankind (actually predate mankind itself), and their images are tendencies of the human mind that form representations of mythological motifs - representations that can vary a great deal without losing their basic patterns. An archetype is not a specific image or motif but variations of the images and motifs that are found in mythology. The archetype is a predisposition (previous inclinations) to an image, a common psychic structure that parallels the common human structure (patterns in life). The archetype itself cannot be experienced; all we can know of it is its effect on dreams, emotions, actions and other mental contents.

Perhaps the best word for the archetype is emotions, or more acturately emotional complexes. Dreams are stating the present condition (psychological, physical and metaphysical) of the dreamer, at the time of a particular dream. The total condition of the dreamer is being played out within the dream and the images and motifs are a reference to those particular conditions. What is lacking in the unconscious state of mind (the dream) is the bias and prejudgices found in the waking state of consciousness. It is like another person, one without preconceived ideas or prejudgices about the dreamer, watching the dreamer and then giving a true account of what is happening in the dreamer's conscious life. This can be a physical event (with the emotional influences), a psychological condition, a metaphysical reference or, perhaps a combination of two or more of the dreamer's conditions. The dream is about the total human experience and most of the images and themes (motifs)are taken from the vast vault of experiences from the dreamer's life, but also has a reference to the archetypal motifs (universal themes). It is the emotions at play, seeking to inform the dreamer of what is really taking place in the dreamer's life. And even though it is the emotions that carry the greatest weight within the dream, it is also referencing to the physical and metaphysical (spiritual, creative) condition of the dreamer's life.

Please read What Are Dreams? for more details.