Dreams can be powerful. Though almost every human who has ever lived has experienced them, there is still a ton of mystery surrounding the process. The images, sounds and sensations encountered while asleep can often feel as real and tangible as anything encountered during one’s waking hours. If you’re someone who is interested in discovering what your dreams mean, there are some easy ways to get started. Here are some different ways you can interpret your dreams.
Consider Your Recent Life
Before you can interpret your dreams, you need to add some context to the situation. After an incredibly stressful week in which you’ve juggled a million responsibilities between work, family, and social obligations, it makes sense that you would have a dream that is unusual or intense. Similarly, ruminating on a specific problem in your life might cause many of your dreams to center on this issue. Understanding what’s happening in your head can be a useful way to begin your interpretation.
Explore What Symbols Mean
Next, it is time to get into theory. There are plenty of famous psychologists, biologists, and spiritualists who have tried to add their two cents about what dreams are supposed to do or mean. More often than not, symbols will come into play in these theories. For example, it has been said that a dream of falling is meant to symbolize a person’s uncertainty about his or her current place in life. Naturally, the exact interpretation of a symbol will vary depending on the specific theory being used.
Instead of framing your entire interpretation around one person’s input on what a particular symbol means, try to mix it up so that it gives you more to work with. Should you simply accept that your dream means what it does because you read it in a book, you are giving yourself an easy answer rather than a critical analysis of the situation. Interpretation is work, not flipping to the back of a textbook for the answers.
Put It Together
Once you’ve read a few theories and feel like you understand what various symbols mean, you can start to interpret your dreams. Consider the context that you have established already. How do the symbols you were presented with fit with the current state of your mind? You may discover something deeply personal or rather general.
For example, plenty of people these days have dreams about the end of the world. Whether it is visions of nuclear war or a meteor hitting the planet, these are very normal in the modern world. Scientists theorize this is a modern defense mechanism of the brain. Essentially, facing these images in your sleep allows you to run a “disaster simulation” and prepare for the worst in the chance that it happens when you’re awake. Once upon a time, the brain would likely offer similar dreams about saber-tooth tigers and enemy tribes.
Get Some Input
Figuring out how to interpret your dreams is a lot like figuring out what a book means. Your own interpretation is really the only one that matters because it is the one that will stick with you. Still, input can be valuable. Not everyone is going to want to hear about your dreams, but there are bound to be friends and associates who love this type of conversation. Find these people and see what they think about your interpretations. You’ll likely find new ways to approach what you have already discovered.
Dreaming might be a universal trait of the human race, but every persons’ dreams are incredibly specific to his or her experiences. By delving into the meaning behind various symbols and becoming familiar with the more popular theories on interpretation, you can start to make sense of all the seemingly random images presented to you in the middle of the night.