FAQs on Dream Technique
This page is devoted exclusively to answering your questions on the Self-Help Technique, namely, 'How To Interpret Your Dreams'. If any of your questions are not included here, please don't hesitate to send me a query by e-mail so I can incorporate them. So, let's be interactive.
- What is dreaming really?
- Dreaming is a subconscious activity which is carried over from the conscious, waking state when the latter fails to adequately deal with problems. The subconscious sleeping state continues to deal with these problems, symbolically, in an effort to find solutions.
- Can I dream about someone else's problems?
- Sure you can, but the dream will be about YOU. Your life situation is always the central subject matter of your dream. Each dreamer's situation is unique. Each dreamer attaches his/her own symbolic meaning to the objects, persons and circumstances in the dream.
- What is the significance of 'qualifying' objects?
- We have to be precise when identifying 'objects'. If they are qualified, this must be part of their identification. For examole, the 'shore' in our dream is a 'sandy' one, not merely a shore. Description is vital because it sharpens the symbolic meaning.
- What about the precision in identifying 'persons' and 'circumctances'?
- The same goes for them. Persons can be individuals or groups. As long as they speak with one voice a group is considered a person. 'Circumstances' are always descriptive. They provide the link between persons and objects, holding the dream together.
- How are symbols derived?
- First of all, remember that no two dreamers will agree exactly on the meaning of a symbol because of their different life experiences. In the text I defined 'symbols' as personal feelings and emotional reactions. If you saw a lion at the zoo for the first time, how would you react? You would probably be excited, but not as terrified as meeting one in the jungle! So, how you interpret the object 'lion' is preconditioned by your experience of it. The zoo experience might symbolize the lion as awesome, whereas, the jungle experience could symbolize it as dangerous.
- Can the same dream have different interpretations for the dreamer?
- Not likely. I say this because the dreamer is the one aware of his/her life situation. After reflection he/she will know what is most pressing and requiring of attention in his/her life situation.
- What's the point of interpreting dreams, anyway?
- Have you ever had a dream that worried you for some time? Did you wonder about its significance? Have you ever had the experience of waking one morning with the solution to a problem you had been grappling with during the day? If so, you'll appreciate the usefulness of dreams. Our mind never ceases to operate. It goes from conscious awareness to subconscious dreaming always trying to bring clarity and balance in our life situations. Dream interpretation helps us understand what is going on subconsciously in our efforts at improving our life situations.
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