Dream
(pronounced dreem)
(1) Mental activity, usually in the form of an
imagined series of events, occurring during certain phases of sleep.
(2) The sleeping state in which this occurs.
(3) To have a dream.
(4) A sequence of imaginative thoughts indulged
in while awake; daydream; fantasy.
(5) A vain hope; to suffer delusions; be
unrealistic you're dreaming if you think you can win
(6) A cherished hope; ambition; aspiration.
(7) A descriptor of a theoretically possible,
though improbable assembly or conjunction of people, things or events (dream
team etc).
1200–1250:
From the Middle English dreem
from the Old English drēam (joy,
pleasure, gladness, delight, mirth, rejoicing, rapture, ecstasy, frenzy, music,
musical instrument, harmony, melody, song, singing, jubilation, sound of music). Cognate with Scots dreme (dream), the North Frisian drom (dream), the West Frisian dream
(dream), the Low German and Dutch droom
(dream), the German traum (dream), the
Danish & Norwegian Bokmål drøm, the
Norwegian Nynorsk draum, the Swedish dröm (dream), the Icelandic draumur (dream), the Old Saxon drōm (mirth, dream) the Old Norse draumr (dream) and the Old High German troum (dream), the Old English drēag (spectre, apparition), the Dutch bedrog (deception, deceit), the German trug (deception, illusion) and even the
Ancient Greek thrulos. The Old English was derived from the Proto-Germanic
draumaz and draugmaz, the ultimate root being the primitive Indo-European dhrowgh from dhrewgh (to
deceive, injure, damage). The modern
sense was first recorded in Middle English but most etymologists assume it must
have been current in both in Old English and Old Saxon; the
sense of "dream", though not attested in Old English, may still have
been present (compare Old Saxon drōm
(bustle, revelry, jubilation), and was reinforced later in Middle English by
Old Norse draumr (dream) from same
Proto-Germanic root.
However, among scholars there are pedants who
insist the link is not established. In Old
English, dream meant only "joy, mirth, noisy merriment" and also
"music" and much study has failed to prove the Old English dream is
the root of the modern word for "sleeping vision," despite being
identical in spelling. Either the
meaning of the word changed dramatically or "vision" was an
unrecorded secondary Old English meaning of dream, or there really were two
separate words. The words for "sleeping vision" in Old
English were mæting and swefn, the latter originally meant
"sleep," as did a great many Indo-European "dream" nouns
such as the Lithuanian sapnas, the Old
Church Slavonic sunu, and the Romanic
words: the French songe, the Spanish sueño and the Italian sogno all from the Classical Latin somnium, derived from the primitive
Proto-European swepno, cognate with
Greek hypnos from which Modern
English ultimately picked up somnolence.
Dream in the sense of "ideal or aspiration" dates only from 1931,
derived from the earlier sense of "something of dream-like beauty or
charm", noted first in 1888.
From Aristotle to Freud
Philosophers and physicians have long discussed
the nature of dreams and Aristotle (384–322 BC), a bit of both, included as one of three chapters discussing sleep, the essay De Insomniis (On Dreams) in his Parva Naturalia (short treatises on nature). Aristotle pondered (1) whether dreams are the
product of thought or of sensations, (2) the nature of sleep, the effect upon
the body and its senses and (3) how dreams are caused, concluding it’s the
residual movements of the sensory organs that create their existence. A practical Greek, he also noted some dreams
appear to be cause by indigestion or too much strong drink.
Dream analysis: Lindsay Lohan on Sigmund Freud’s
couch.
In western thought, not much was
added for two thousand-odd years, the more cheerful of the philosophers happy
to speak of dreams being the minds of men free to explore their imaginings
while gloomier types like Thomas Hobbes (1588–1679) thought them but things “caused by the
distemper of some inward parts of the body.”
It wasn’t until Sigmund Freud’s (1856-1939) book The
Interpretation of Dreams (1899), that a systematised attempt was made to include
dreams as part of psychiatry within the discipline of modern medicine. Freud acknowledged Aristotle's definition of
dreams as "…the mental activity of the sleeper in so far as he is asleep..."
was empirically superior to any suggestion of them being something supernatural or
mystic, a view that advances in modern neurobiology haven’t challenged although
Freud’s views have been much criticised.
Freud’s early thinking was that dreams were
manifestations of the sleeper’s unconscious wish fulfilment, what he called the
"royal road to the unconscious", made possible by the absence of the
repressions of consciousness. In order
to conform to his other psychoanalytic theories, he argued our unconscious
desires often relate to early childhood memories and experiences, dreams having
both a manifest and latent content, the latter relating to deep unconscious
wishes or fantasies while the former he dismissed as superficial and without meaning
although he did add the manifest often disguises or obscures the latent. What was never disguised was that Freud regarded
most of the latent, regardless of the form it assumed, as inherently sexual but
he later retreated from this, just as he did from his early emphasis on the
primacy of unconscious wish fulfilment, noting in his 1920 essay Beyond the Pleasure Principle that trauma other experiences could influence
both the existence and content of dreams.
Freud’s technique of free association
Freud classified five separate processes that
facilitate dream analysis.
(1) Displacement occurs when the desire for one
thing or person is symbolized by something or someone else.
(2) Projection happens when the dreamer places
their own personal desires and wants onto another person.
(3) Symbolization is illustrated through a
dreamer’s unconscious allowing of repressed urges and desires to be
metaphorically acted out.
(4) Condensation illustrates the process by which
the dreamer hides their feelings and/or urges through either contraction or
minimizing its representation into a brief dream image or event.
(5) Rationalization (also referred to as
secondary revision) can be identified as the final stage of dream-work in which
the dreaming mind intently organizes an incoherent dream into something much
more comprehensible and logical for the dreamer.
Freud also held there was a universality of
symbols in dreams and his list highlights socially undesirable behaviour in euphemistic
forms, a subset of which is.
(1) Vagina - circular objects; jewelry.
(2) Penis and testicles - oblong objects; the
number three.
(3) Castration - an action that separates a part
from the whole (losing a tooth).
(4) Coitus - an action that resembles sexual
behaviour (riding a horse).
(5) Urine - anything yellow in colour.
(6) Faeces - anything brown in colour; chocolate
Although, like much of his work, Freud theories
on dreams have become less fashionable within the profession, in popular
culture, dream interpretation services based on Freudian systems remain widely
read and are a staple of self-help books, web pages and the dozens of dream
interpretation apps.
After Freud: Not everything is about sex
Animals often
represent the part of your psyche that feels connected to nature and survival.
Being chased by a predator suggests you're holding back repressed emotions like
fear or aggression.
Babies can
symbolize a literal desire to produce offspring, or your own vulnerability or
need to feel loved. They can also signify a new start.
Being chased
is one of the most common dream symbols in all cultures. It means you're
feeling threatened, so reflect on who's chasing you (they may be symbolic) and
why they're a possible threat in real life.
Clothes make a
statement about how we want people to perceive us. If your dream symbol is
shabby clothing, you may feel unattractive or worn out. Changing what you wear
may reflect a lifestyle change.
Crosses are
interpreted subjectively depending on your religious beliefs. Some see it as
symbolizing balance, death, or an end to a particular phase of life. The
specific circumstances will help define them.
Exams can
signify self-evaluation, with the content of the exam reflecting the part of
your personality or life under inspection.
Death of a
friend or loved one represents change (endings and new beginnings) and is not a
psychic prediction of any kind. If you are recently bereaved, it may be an
attempt to come to terms with the event.
Falling is a
common dream symbol that relates to our anxieties about letting go, losing
control, or somehow failing after a success.
Faulty
machinery in dreams is caused by the language center being shut down while
asleep, making it difficult to dial a phone, read the time, or search the
internet. It can also represent performance anxiety.
Food is
said to symbolize knowledge, because it nourishes the body just as information
nourishes the brain. However, it could just be food.
Demons are
sneaky evil entities which signify repressed emotions. You may secretly feel
the need to change your behaviors for the better.
Hair has
significant ties with sexuality, according to Freud. Abundant hair may
symbolize virility, while cutting hair off in a dream shows a loss of libido.
Hair loss may also express a literal fear of going bald.
Hands are
always present in dreams but when they are tied up it may represent feelings of
futility. Washing your hands may express guilt. Looking closely at your hands
in a dream is a good way to become lucid.
Houses can
host many common dream symbols, but the building as a whole represents your
inner psyche. Each room or floor can symbolize different emotions, memories and
interpretations of meaningful events.
Killing in
your dreams does not make you a closet murderer; it represents your desire to
"kill" part of your own personality. It can also symbolize hostility
towards a particular person.
Marriage may be
a literal desire to wed or a merging of the feminine and masculine parts of
your psyche.
Missing
a flight or any other kind of transport is another common dream, revealing
frustration over missing important opportunities in life. It's most common when
you're struggling to make a big decision.
Money can
symbolize self worth. If you dream of exchanging money, it may show that you're
anticipating some changes in your life.
Mountains
are obstacles, so to dream of successfully climbing a mountain can
reveal a true feeling of achievement. Viewing a landscape from atop a mountain
can symbolize a life under review without conscious prejudice.
Nudity is one
of the most common dream symbols, revealing your true self to others. You may
feel vulnerable and exposed to others. Showing off your nudity may suggest
sexual urges or a desire for recognition.
People (other
dream characters) are reflections of your own psyche, and may demonstrate
specific aspects of your own personality.
Radios
and TVs can symbolize communication channels between the conscious and
unconscious minds. When lucid, ask them a question.
Roads, aside
from being literal manifestations, convey your direction in life. This may be
time to question your current "life path".
Schools are
common dream symbols in children and teenagers but what about dreaming of
school in adulthood? It may display a need to know and understand yourself,
fueled by life's own lessons.
Sex dreams
can symbolize intimacy and a literal desire for sex. Or they may demonstrate
the unification of unconscious emotions with conscious recognition, showing a
new awareness and personal growth.
Teachers, aside
from being literal manifestations of people, can represent authority figures
with the power to enlighten you.
Teeth are
common dream symbols. Dreaming of losing your teeth may mark a fear of getting
old and being unattractive to others.
Being trapped
(physically) is a common nightmare theme, reflecting your real life inability
to escape or make the right choice.
Vehicles may
reflect how much control you feel you have over your life - for instance is the
car out of control, or is someone else driving you?
Water comes
in many forms, symbolizing the unconscious mind. Calm pools of water reflect
inner peace while a choppy ocean can suggest unease.