6 replies to this topic

[Kentilan]

Dreams are said to be the reflection of the unconscious, or something like that. There are several theories about dream interpretation (most notably by Freud and Jung). There are also a lot of Dream Dictionaries which tell you the meaning of each thing in your dream.

However I'm a bit skeptical about all of this (especially the dream dictionaries). Most of my dreams seem completely random, I find it hard to believe they actually mean something.

So, do you think dreams have a meaning, or that they are just random, or something else?

[Nemoide]

Dream dictionaries are pretty much entirely garbage. They are for people who would rather pay money to learn about themselves rather than actually LOOK at their self. Something as subjective as dreams cannot be so easily codified!

If you honestly can look at your dreams and say "these have absolutly no possible meaning/relevance to my waking life" than they could be considered random.

I know my dreams, and those of many of my friends, tend to have great meaning though. I think that for anyone who is serious about trying to study and explore their own consciousness, the study of dreams can be quite fruitful. Based on my experience, I think dreams have meaning and are most often wish-fulfillment fantasies. Until one learns how to dream in a more purposeful manner at least.

But this is not necessarily a universal truth, there are many very intelligent academic-types who disagree with that (including doctors who study sleep). IMO all that really matters is if they can provide meaning for you.

[Penelopi]

Dreams can seem pretty random, but that's mostly because they communicate information differently from our logical awake minds. After playing NiGHTS for a while, I had a dream where this boy with black hair dressed in a black cloak could fly. He had a powerful supernatural master who he didn't like, so he decided to oppose him by finding this blond girl that the master wanted (she had some inner undiscovered power) and keeping her from being captured. I could go on, but to make a long story short, the boy and the girl ran around trying to avoid the master's loyal lackeys but eventually the girl was taken by a minion in disguise (He had no body except for white Mickey Mouse style gloves, a cowboy hat, cowboy boots, and a wide grin with some missing teeth--an obvious reference to Jackle. BTW, he played a little portable keyboard XD. ). I woke up before I could see the end of the story.

But now to the point. At first it appeared to me to be a random product of my subconscious's take on NiGHTS. As time went on, though, I kept on seeing a recurring trait in many of the people in my dreams: a black-haired boy and a girl with long blond hair. I finally came to the realization that the boy was my animus and the girl was my conscious feminine personality. So that seemingly random dream did have some deeper meaning, after all. It signified, I think, the start of cooperation between my conscious and subconscious to take me on my journey of self-exploration.

So, yes, I believe dreams do have meaning even if it's not immediately apparent what the meaning is.

[The wise Kitsune]

I would say that some dreams are random, but others have a deeper meaning that you have to analyze. It happens to me a lot.

[ayamemaiden]

Yes, definately.
Dream dictionaries do no good in iterperating dreams. Dreams are a part of YOU and no one can unlock them meanings besides the one who holds them.

[Saifer Dracondrali]

This has been a highly debatable topic for years... But I am a strong believer that dreams have meaning... the random ones may not have much meaning but I still believe that they are all dependent on the dreamer

[Musashi_HUmar]

Then there are ones that may seem pretty different but share some of the same themes. For example, I've had a lot of dreams over the years where I die at the end. I've been trying to interpret the meaning lately.