Dreams are illusive, easily lost on waking. Or else, when recalled they make little or no sense. It is not enough to understand a dream as a sequence of disconnected symbols.
Dream work requires one to delve and make connections.
Here are four useful steps to help make sense of a dream:
- Making associations
- Connecting dream images to inner dynamics
- Interpreting the dream
- Doing rituals to make the dream concrete
Making Associations When Interpreting a Dream
According to dream analyst, Robert Johnson, the unconscious holds within itself all the information needed to “decode” the dream. The language of a dream is highly symbolic, but the code to understanding these symbols is within the dreamer.
Begin by making some free associations. If a brother appears in the dream who happens to be good at mechanical things, ask what aspect of yourself either wishes for this talent or has a problem with this quality. Or, if a barking dog appears, freely associate with all the things a barking dog reminds you of.
For example, it might remind you of being out of control, warning of danger, being needy and wanting something but unable to say what. Let yourself freely associate here with whatever comes to mind.
Connecting with the Symbol
It is not enough to make free associations with each symbol; one needs to take the entire dream back into one’s inner life. This is the aspect of yourself that is being addressed, after all. Therefore, look at one symbol at a time. Treat each one (person, thing or animal) as some aspect of yourself. Ask yourself, what aspect of myself can act this way? It may be in a very watered down version, but it will bear looking at. Do this for each person or thing in the dream and write down what comes to mind.
Interpreting the Dream
Only after these first two steps are done, can one begin the fine art of interpreting. Do not short change these initial steps for this will connect the interpretation back to what is going on inside. Write down all the thoughts you have about possible interpretations, no matter how outlandish. You will find that there is usually more than one or even more than two. How does one decide which is the correct interpretation?
Remember, the dream is here to bring to you what you do not know, not what you know already. Let yourself be surprised.
After writing it all down, ask yourself which has the most intensity. Each dream is comprised of energy systems, according to Johnson. Therefore, the interpretation must have a certain charge of feeling behind it. It will bring an insight that feels fresh and true while being charged with an intensity.
When you try on another interpretation for size, you will not feel the same intense energy or connection. This is a clue that you are on the right track.
What to Look For, What to Avoid in Dream Interpretation
- The interpretation brings a fresh insight. It shows you what you did not know before.
- Avoid the interpretation which merely inflates your ego or gives you a feeling of self-congratulation.
- Avoid interpretation which shift the responsibility away from yourself and onto another.
Bringing in Ritual
A dream is useful when it is acknowledged, understood, and then acted out physically. Take what one has gleaned and make changes in one’s very practical life that honor the dream’s message. For example, cleaning out one’s desk or making that phone call you’ve been putting off might be appropriate. Or devise some sort of ritual that brings to life what has been understood in the dreams. This can solidify the dream's message.
For more about dreams read Tips on How to Recall Dreams.
Source:
- Johnson, Robert. Inner Work, Using Dreams and Active Imagination for Personal Growth. San Francisco: Harper, 1986.
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