You are entering a mysterious and fascinating world of dreams where the rules of reality do not apply. We hope that Dreams Dictionary will help you make sense of your dreams and achieve a better understanding of them. We're dedicated to helping you find the key to unlocking and interpreting the meanings to your dreams. By understanding your dreams, you will gain a better perspective on your life.
We realize that your dreams are unique. No other individual can have your background, your emotions, or your experiences. Every dream is connected with your own "reality". Thus, in interpreting your dreams, it is important to draw experiences.
Remember that a dream unifies the body, mind, and spirit. It provides you with insight into ourselves and a means for self-exploration. In understanding your dreams, you will have a better understanding and discovery of your true self. So stay awhile -- explore, discover, have fun, and find out what's in YOUR dream?!
Most of the interpretations on the site are from a psychological perspective or Freudian view. We also offer a mythological interpretation of some symbols to serve as alternate viewpoints.
"Dream" is defined in Webster's Dictionary as a "sequence of sensations, images, thoughts, etc., passing through a sleeping person's mind" . Dreams have been a topic of study dating back to 4000 B.C. One may say that dreams have been around as long as the first civilization came to be and are just a normal part of human existence.
In our dreams, we can go anywhere, we can be anybody, and we can do anything. When we dream, we are like passengers on a moving train, unable to control our actions and choose surroundings. We let our mind take over. Sometimes, dreams can be understood in the the context of repressed thoughts. Dreaming serves as an outlet for those thoughts and impulses we repress during the day. When we go to sleep at night and slip into our dream state, we feel liberated and behave and act in a manner that we do not allow ourselves in our waking life.
Visions and ideas can come from your dreams. Authors, screenwriters and poets turn to their dreams for stories. Artists and musicians explore dreams for their inspiration. Dreams can help us find solutions to our daily problems and see things from a different perspective.
Remembering your dreams will require some effort on your part. But what your dreams can offer and tell you about yourself will be well worth it. Here are some tips in helping your dream recall:
1. Before going to bed, keep a clear mind. Having too many thoughts on your mind can distract you from remembering your dream in the morning. Tell yourself that "I will remember my dream when I wake up". This is actually a proven and effective technique to help dream recall. Simply by suggesting to yourself or motivating yourself to remember your dreams will actually help you to better remember your dreams.
2. Have a regular bedtime and wake up time. Make this your routine. Going to bed and waking up at a regular time every day aids in dream recollection.
3. Avoid alcohol consumption and taking medication before going to bed. These things may hinder you from remembering your dream. Eating fatty foods too close to bedtime can also divert bodily resources away from the brain and hinder dream recollection.
4. Keep a pencil/notebook or tape recorder next to your bed so that it will be within reach as soon as you wake up. You want to make recording your dreams as easy a task as possible. Having a small lamp by your bedside is also a good idea should you wake up in the middle of the night and want to record your dream immediately.
5. Do not get out of bed immediately. Upon waking from a dream, lay still in your bed, keeping your eyes closed and moving as little as possible. Wake up slowly and stay relax. Hold on to the feelings you have and let your mind wander to the images of what you have just dreamt. Were you frustrated, terrified, or happy?
6. Write down as many details in your dream as you can, no matter how minute or seemingly unimportant it may be. Do not judge the content or worry if it makes sense. The idea is to get it down on paper so you can evaluate it later. Make it a habit that this is the first thing you do. Talking about your dreams to friends or participating in forums and chats also help you remember.
7. Sometimes it may help to draw pictures. A picture is worth a thousand words, as the saying goes. Even if you are not an artist a simple drawing can help to jolt details of your dream.
8. Learn to share your dreams and talk about them with others, no matter who seemingly insignificant.. The more often you acknowledge your dreams and bring them into "reality", the easier it will be to remember them.
9. Don't get discouraged! At first, you may only remember a fragment of the dream. With practice and the more you work with your dream, the more easier it will be to recall you dreams. You will remember larger and larger chunks of your dream. Eventually dream recall will come automatically.
The Sleep Cycle
One sleep cycle comprises of four stages and last for about 90-120 minutes. There are some texts that list five stages in the sleep cycle. Some consider the first five-ten minutes when you are falling asleep as a stage in the sleep cycle. We feel this is more of a transitional phase and not really part of the cycle. While the other stages of sleep repeat themselves throughout the night, this phase of sleep does not. For this reason, we have excluded it as part of the sleep cycle.
Dreams can occur in any of the four stages of sleep but the most vivid and memorable dreams occur in the last stage of sleep (also commonly referred to as REM sleep). The sleep cycle repeats itself about an average of four to five times per night, but may repeat as many as seven times. Thus, you can see how a person has several different dreams in one night. Most people, however, only remember dreams that occur closer toward the morning when they are about to wake up. But just because you can't remember those dreams does not mean that they never happened. Some people believe that they simply do not dream when in reality, they just don't remember their dreams.
The Stages Of Sleep
The stages in the sleep cycle are organized by the changes in specific brain activity.
Stage 1: You are entering into light sleep. This stage is characterized by Non-rapid eye movements (NREM), muscle relaxation, lowered body temperature and slowed heart rate. The body is preparing to enter into deep sleep.
Stage 2: Also characterized by NREM, this stage is characterized by a further drop in body temperature and relaxation of the muscles. The body's immune system goes to work on repairing the day's damage. The endocrine glands secrete growth hormones, while blood is sent to the muscles to be reconditioned. In this stage, you are completely asleep.
Stage 3: Still in the NREM stage, this is a deeper sleep still. Your metabolic levels are extremely slow.
Stage 4: In this stage of sleep, your eyes move back and forth erratically as if watching something from underneath your eyelids. Referred to as REM sleep or delta sleep, this stage occurs at about 90-100 minutes after the onset of sleep. Your blood pressure rises, heart rate speeds up, respiration becomes erratic and brain activity increases. Your involuntary muscles also become paralyzed or immobilized. This stage is the most restorative part of sleep. Your mind is being revitalized and emotions is being fine tuned. The majority of your dreaming occurs in this stage. If you are awakened during this stage of sleep, you are more likely to remember your dreams.
These stages repeat themselves throughout the night as you sleep. As the cycle repeats, you will spend less time in stages 1 to 3 and more time in stage 4 dreaming. In other words, it will quicker and quicker for you to get to stage 4 each time.
Considered the father of psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) revolutionized the study of dreams with his work "The Interpretation Of Dreams". Freud began to analyze dreams in order to understand aspects of personality as they relate to pathology. He believed that nothing we did occurred by chance; every action and thought is motivated by our unconscious at some level. In order to live in a civilized society, we tend to hold back or urges and repress our urges and impulses. However, these urges and impulses must be released in some way and have a way of coming to the surface in disguised forms.
Stage 2: Also characterized by NREM, this stage is characterized by a further drop in body temperature and relaxation of the muscles. The body's immune system goes to work on repairing the day's damage. The endocrine glands secrete growth hormones, while blood is sent to the muscles to be reconditioned. In this stage, you are completely asleep.
Stage 3: Still in the NREM stage, this is a deeper sleep still. Your metabolic levels are extremely slow.
Stage 4: In this stage of sleep, your eyes move back and forth erratically as if watching something from underneath your eyelids. Referred to as REM sleep or delta sleep, this stage occurs at about 90-100 minutes after the onset of sleep. Your blood pressure rises, heart rate speeds up, respiration becomes erratic and brain activity increases. Your involuntary muscles also become paralyzed or immobilized. This stage is the most restorative part of sleep. Your mind is being revitalized and emotions is being fine tuned. The majority of your dreaming occurs in this stage. If you are awakened during this stage of sleep, you are more likely to remember your dreams.
These stages repeat themselves throughout the night as you sleep. As the cycle repeats, you will spend less time in stages 1 to 3 and more time in stage 4 dreaming. In other words, it will quicker and quicker for you to get to stage 4 each time.
Sigmund Freud
Considered the father of psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) revolutionized the study of dreams with his work "The Interpretation Of Dreams". Freud began to analyze dreams in order to understand aspects of personality as they relate to pathology. He believed that nothing we did occurred by chance; every action and thought is motivated by our unconscious at some level. In order to live in a civilized society, we tend to hold back or urges and repress our urges and impulses. However, these urges and impulses must be released in some way and have a way of coming to the surface in disguised forms.
One way these urges and impulses are released is through our dreams. Because the content of the unconscious may be extremely disturbing or harmful, Freud thus believed that the unconscious expressed itself in a symbolic language.
Freud categorized aspects of the mind into three parts:
Id - centered around primal, pleasure, desire, unchecked urges and wish fulfillment.
Ego - the conscious and the rational, the moral and self-aware aspect of the mind.
Superego - the censor for the id. also responsible for enforcing the moral codes of the ego.
When we are awake, the impulses and desires of the id are suppressed by the superego.
Through dreams, we are able to get a look into our unconscious or the id.
Because your guard is down during the dream state, your unconscious has the opportunity to act out and express the hidden desires of the id.
However, the desires of the id can at times be so disturbing and even psychologically harmful that a "censor" comes into play to translates the id's disturbing content into a symbolic form.
This helps to preserve sleep and prevent you from waking up shocked at the images. This is where you get all sorts of confusing dreams.
Through dreams, we are able to get a look into our unconscious or the id.
Because your guard is down during the dream state, your unconscious has the opportunity to act out and express the hidden desires of the id.
However, the desires of the id can at times be so disturbing and even psychologically harmful that a "censor" comes into play to translates the id's disturbing content into a symbolic form.
This helps to preserve sleep and prevent you from waking up shocked at the images. This is where you get all sorts of confusing dreams.
When we have trouble remembering our dreams, Freud believe it was the superego at work and its goal to protect the conscious mind from the disturbing images and desires of the unconscious.
