Do dreams really mean anything?

I have set out a number of principles for determining the credibility of dream reports and dream interpretations, which at first glance seems rather tedious, but I have to say it. If I say, without putting forward any principles, that I believe dreams to be meaningful, it is only an opinion of mine, or even a superstition.

But when I have laid out these principles and relied on them to test dream examples in ancient and modern literature, on my own dreams and their interpretations, and on the dreams I have interpreted that have been told to me, I can say with confidence that most dreams have meaning. As for meaningless dreams, I'm not sure yet.

On the basis of determining the reliability of dream reports, we also have principles to determine whether the interpretation of dreams is reliable or accurate. When a dream interpreter interprets a dream, don't we also ask him? 'On what grounds do you say that your interpretation is right?' There are several principles for determining the accuracy of an explanation.

The interpretation itself should have no inherent contradiction, at least to explain part of the content of the dream.

That is to say, the interpretation of the dream should at least be able to justify, to explain most of the content of the dream. If an interpretation can explain the meaning of all the details of the dream, so much the better.

Take for example the dreams of Freud's patients:

'I was walking down the street in the summer wearing a straw hat of a strange shape, with the middle part bent upward and the brim falling down, and one side hanging lower than the other. I was happy and confident, and as I walked past some of the young officers, I thought to myself: You can't do anything to me.'

Freud explained: 'The hat is actually the male reproductive organ, which is partly raised in the middle and partly drooped on the sides. Her hat in particular should perhaps be assumed of a man, and in the end a man would say: Get under the hat. ', (in German) that means to get married. ... So if her husband had such perfect genitals, she would not have to fear the officers.

That is to say, she does not expect anything from them.' Freud's interpretation of the dream makes perfect sense. And all the details are explained, and the interpretation of the individual details can be linked together into a whole. Hats are genitals, which explains why they bulge in the middle and droop down the sides. In the dream, 'None of you can do anything to me' meant that the officers could not tempt her. This ties in with the previous explanation of the hat. So this explanation has some credibility.

This is essentially the same principle that scientists use when they come up with their theories. If a physicist comes up with a theory that explains the vast majority of physical phenomena, we accept that theory and say it is correct. The interpretation of dreams is a miniature theory.

A good theory of physics explains as many phenomena as possible with as few theorems as possible. The same goes for good dream interpretations. Good physics theories strive for unity, and so do good dream interpretations. In the example above, Freud explained all the details of the dream with a sex symbol, which is a good explanation. However, the mere satisfaction of this principle does not mean that the explanation is necessarily correct. A good explanation must at least partially satisfy the second principle.

The interpretation of dreams should be able to explain the relationship between dreams and non-dream stimuli or life events, and to infer or predict these stimuli or life events. This principle is also similar to the principle used in physics to determine whether a theory is good or bad. A good theory of physics should be able to predict physical events that have not yet happened. Good dream interpretations can also infer or predict the unknown. Taking Freud's interpretation of the 'hat' dream as an example, Freud was convinced that his interpretation was correct for two other reasons:

1. The woman who had this dream had agoraphobia and was afraid that she would be tempted by men if she went out alone. The theme of the dream was: 'If my husband's genitals were intact, I wouldn't be afraid of temptation.' It was clear that the subject of the dream was closely related to the agoraphobia with which the woman was now troubled. 2. According to the explanation, the brim is supposed to represent the testicles. One side of the brim hangs lower than the other. The woman later confirmed that her husband's hajimoto was lower than the other.

This external evidence is very convincing, and in my experience, as long as one thing is inferred about the dreamer by interpreting the dream, the dreamer will accept the explanation very convincingly.

For example, once I was interpreting a dream. The other person said that she had had the same dream several times in a row a few years ago, dreaming that she was catching a train, and when she arrived at the station, the train had just left. I told her that maybe she was facing an opportunity, and she was worried that she wouldn't make it. I asked her if you were facing an opportunity or a turning point to change your destiny. She said, 'Yes, I'm going to work in Shenzhen. One of my classmates went to Shenzhen and told me it was great, but I was afraid I had missed my chance and there were not many job opportunities left in Shenzhen.'

At this point, she added: 'Now I know what this dream is all about. At that time, I thought this dream was unlucky and hated it so much that I didn't even want to wear the dress I wore in the dream...' . I interrupted her and said, 'What's so special about that dress in the dream? I'm telling you, every detail in a dream means something.

You noticed in your dream that you were wearing this dress, which means that this dress must have something to do with your intention to go to Shenzhen. Otherwise, you wouldn't dream of it.' She thought for a moment and suddenly said, 'Yes, that dress was given to me by my friend in Shenzhen, the classmate who advised me to go to Shenzhen gave it to me.' Then she said, 'How well you explained it!'

After listening to the explanation of the interpreter, the dreamer should feel that this explanation is reasonable, and even produce a feeling of enlightenment.

In my experience, although the dreamer cannot interpret his own dream, he can 'intuitively' determine whether a certain interpretation is correct. Therefore, if the interpretation of the dream is accurate, the dreamer will say, 'Yes, your explanation makes sense,' or 'I see.' There are times when the dreamer has an aha moment and says, 'I totally get it. That's right.' At such times, the dreamer will firmly believe in this interpretation.

Because the dreamer knows this answer subconsciously, but he himself cannot get this answer into his consciousness. The dreamer recognizes the correct interpretation as soon as it appears. And the right interpretation can 'connect' the conscious and subconscious mind.

There are times when the dreamer hears an explanation and firmly opposes it, resolutely refusing to accept that it is correct. This does not mean that the explanation is necessarily wrong. If the dreamer is calm when he objects, then perhaps this explanation is indeed wrong. But if the dreamer opposes it with too much emotion and too much vehemency, then this explanation may be correct. This shows that this explanation hits the dreamer to the core, uncovers his scars, and reveals the inner truth that dreams dare not face.

The Dreamer is vaguely aware that this interpretation is correct, but he is afraid to let others see his heart, and he is afraid to let himself face his heart. It was out of fear, out of self-preservation, that he vehemently denied this explanation.

(Editor in charge:Dream Interpretation Culture)