You and Your Dreams: some basic information

1. Dreaming normally occupies about a quarter of each night’s sleep.

• Therefore, on average, you spend one-twelfth of your life-time dreaming.
• Everybody dreams every night, during 4-5 periods of Rapid Eye Movement sleep.
• Your big muscles are inhibited from movement during REM periods, to prevent action.
• You can improve your recall by recording your dream as soon as you wake up.

 
2. You dream mainly about your current emotional concerns.

• Dream feelings are real; your body feels them; you may laugh, cry or scream.
• They often express under-lying daytime feelings more intensely.
• They often present different perspectives on your current problems.

 
3. The sense of identity, “I”, in your dreams is called the Dream Ego.

• It is a reflected image of your Waking Ego, the centre of consciousness.
• It usually shows how you feel in some aspect of your life at the time.
• Other figures in the dream may signify people close to you, or aspects of yourself.

 
4. The dream-stories about You come from a different source than your Ego.

• This source seems to be a creative observer in touch with all aspects of your life.
• Carl Jung called it the Self, the central point of balance in the psyche.
• He also called it “the archetype of the Divine;” your “spark of God within.”
• Many dreams convey a strong sense of guidance, warning or affirmation.

 
5. Imagery in dreams comes mostly from your memory, creatively collated.

• Interpretation therefore depends mainly on your own associations.
• Some imagery comes more from your sub-conscious cultural background.
• Most of your dreams are metaphor-stories, like parables or cartoons.
• They often show you unconscious patterns in your own behaviour, eg running away.

 
6. Nightmares express strong feelings anticipating or following traumatic events

• They indicate a need for healing, protection, comfort – or courage to act assertively.
• Recurring dreams usually indicate unresolved grief, trauma or emotional conflict.
• Persistent nightmares may indicate a need for psychotherapy, parallel to recurring pain.
• The hallucinations of mental illness, fever, drugs or sleep-deprivation seem to be extreme forms of dreaming, due to chemical conditions in the brain.

7.  Archetypal visions come from the Collective Unconscious of the human race.

• Nearly all the world’s major religions have begun with powerful visions.
• The Bible is full of dreams and visions, from Genesis to Acts to Revelations.
• Some dreams have major political impact, eg in India, Palestine, Afghanistan, etc.

 
8. Dreams have inspired artists, scientists, authors, musicians, inventors, films...

• They are a major source of creative inspiration and problem-solving.
• When you have a big problem on your mind, “sleep on it” for help.

 
 9. Around one third of us have telepathic, clairvoyant or precognitive dreams. 

• Some dreams seem to carry detailed memories from past lives, or forthcoming events.

 
10. Around the time of death

• many people report visions of the beyond, or seeing the spirit depart; and the dying in all cultures report glimpses of departed ones coming to greet them.

Your dreams can be a continual source of warning, inspiration and guidance all your life, if you train yourself to listen to your inner Spirit.