People have always been fascinated with dreams. The first chapter of
Freud's "Interpretation of Dreams" is devoted to a historical survey
about how different cultures and civilizations have dealt with dreams.
Freud was interested in developing a scientific theory of dream
interpretation. While Freud's theory never gained universal acceptance,
it did help to point out how psychological and physiological factors
play a role in dreams. One of the points in Freud's theory is that
dreams have causes and understanding the cause helps to resolves the
issues involved with the dream.
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One of the characteristics of dreams is their elusive
character. The specific details of the dream easily slip away after
people awaken. Understanding the particular details helps to make sense
of a dream which is one of the first steps in understanding the reasons
or causes of the dream. A recurring nightmare or bad dream may leave a
person with a sense of fear and anxiety but with an inability to
pinpoint the exact nature of the fear. Keep a pen and a pad of paper on a
bedside table. Jot down the general impression of the nightmare, the
context and persons involved in as much specific detail as you can.
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Interpreting and analyzing the contents of a dream helps to
identify the issues that may be responsible for the dream. The content
of a dream may be inspired by a contemporary event, occurrence or
concern or it may be related to a childhood event or memory. Read over
the description of dream that you wrote on the pad of paper and try to
pinpoint topics and issues related to the dream. Freud's theory on dream
interpretation suggests that the technique of free association is the
best way to get at the dream. According to Freud, there are two levels
of dream content, the manifest content and the latent content. Freud
thought that the unconscious is expressing desires and wishes during the
dream but consciousness works as a censoring mechanism that seeks to
divert the true content of the dream. Free associating simply involves
allowing your mind to make connections that come to your mind about the
dream without prejudging if they are pertinent or not. Discovering the
meanings at work in a dream is a way to stop the dream from recurring.
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Although Freud thought that dreams have a specific meaning
or content that is embedded in the unconscious, other dream researchers
think that dreams and nightmares are simply related to brain activity
and the actual dream itself doesn't have any significant psychological
relevance. In other words, a recurring bad dream or nightmare may have a
physiological rather than a psychological cause or determinant.
Changing your eating habits, winding down and relaxing before you go to
sleep, and thinking about pleasant things that you would like to dream
about, may help prevent a recurring bad dream or nightmare. Make an
appointment for a physical checkup with your family doctor. Tell the
doctor about the recurring nightmares.
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Sharing a dream with a family member or friend allows you to
articulate the dream and express your fears and concerns. A friend or a
family member that knows you well can serve as a good sounding board.
Their external vantage point and critical ear may help them to pinpoint
the connections between specific details of the dream and your personal
life. Talking through the dream with another person can help you deal
with the content of the dream and resolve the issues that may be causing
it.
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