Would you like to unravel the meaning behind your dreams? Well, not only will you uncover the significance of your dreams this time, but I’ll also teach you how to interpret them.
Once you’ve discovered the meaning behind your dreams, you can use it as a guide not only in your everyday life but also towards achieving what is known as “inner self-integration,” leading to a more successful and fulfilling life.
Let’s dive in…
Sigmund Freud and the Unconscious Self
As the psychologist Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) famously said, “Dreams are the royal road to the unconscious.”
But what did Freud mean by this statement, and what exactly is the “unconscious”?
Before we delve further, let’s have a brief lesson in psychology and get to know the psychologist Sigmund Freud.
Sigmund Freud was an Austrian psychologist recognized as the founding father of psychoanalysis.
Psychoanalysis is a branch or school of thought in psychology. It’s a method of treating individuals with mental health issues or psychological disturbances.
When discussing psychoanalysis, one often encounters the term “unconscious self.”
The “unconscious self” is typically active during sleep when a person is dreaming. Thus, the “unconscious self” is held responsible for what a person dreams about.
According to Freud, by interpreting dreams, one can uncover the contents of their “unconscious self.”
Where do Dreams Come From?
Often, the contents of the “unconscious self” that emerge in dreams include:
- Unfulfilled conscious wishes
- Repressed drives
- Repressed feelings
- Fears
- Guilt
- Anxieties and worries
- And more
All of these, when not expressed by an individual during their waking life, may be bottled up within their psyche or emotions. They manifest in dreams or may lead to mental illness.
However, when these emotions are expressed or released through the proper outlet, such as discussing them, the individual’s burdens and resentments can naturally dissipate. If someone is excessively troubled or experiences mild mental illness, expressing these negative emotions through the right outlet can relieve their worries, leading them back to a normal, enjoyable life.
For Freud, he believed that many of these repressed feelings were related to “sex or sexual fantasies.”
Since these desires cannot be expressed when one is awake, they often surface in dreams disguised through symbolism.
These symbolic representations in dreams will be interpreted one by one in the following days.
Phallic Symbols: Lingam and Yoni
However, as a teaser or example, according to Sigmund Freud, all things shaped like a cylinder in dreams, such as sticks, pencils, pens, knives, eggplants, tall towers, and the tops of buildings, are called “phallic symbols” or can also be referred to as “lingam or linga” – meaning the male penis.
While all things shaped like a circle with a hollow center, such as blooming flowers, wide plates, chamber pots, toilets, caves, and other openings, are called yoni – meaning the female vagina or genitalia.