Symbolic

[Mercedes]

Do you think dreams are mostly symbolic? Totally symbolic? How much of dreams really stand for themselves and nothing else? How likely is it for a person to dream he's sick, then get sick in a matter of days?

I've read through various dream dictionaries, and it seems that almost everything has some type of meaning behind it other than/in addition to what it already is. I've read that losing one's teeth in a dream means the fear of growing old, though I don't find this the case in dreams I've had before.

[Windsmith]

I believe that much of what we dream is symbolic, but certainly not all. If I dream I'm a pro athelete, or a sportscaster, or that I'm sitting in a bar with Felicity Huffman and Josh Malina, I think not that I should be pursuing a career in sports, or even getting out and exercisizing more - I think I've been watching too much "Sports Night"! ;)

Your example of dreaming about getting sick and then actually getting sick? Absolutely. The body is a sensitive instrument; if there's something in it that's going to make it sick, it's often aware of that long before you become conscious of a single symptom.

But, yes, I do think a lot of what happens in dreams is symbolic, although I don't believe (and my fiancee the Jungian would pass out if she knew I was saying this!) the symbolism is always universal. Certain things do seem pretty archetypal - like giving birth symbolizing not just phsyical childbirth but to the "birthing" of any new idea, project, or phase - but others don't seem to me like they could be that clear-cut for everyone. Usually, when I interpret a dream, I give only passing consideration what the images are "supposed" to symbolize and much more to what they symbolize to me.

Let me use your teeth example. I'm not particularly afraid of growing old, so if I dream that my teeth fall out, I wouldn't think of that. But teeth to me are tied to power and defense. So if I dream my teeth fall out, I ask myself, "Is there a situation where I've been feeling ineffectual, stripped of power, maybe even defenseless?" And maybe I wouldn't find that in any dream symbology dictionary, but that's what it means to me, so that's what I'm going to run with!

[Evendusk]

Some dreams are symbolic but some are just a response to external stimuli. Some of my goofiest dreams were right before I woke up and the phone would be ringing or the alarm would be going off and my dream would change to make sense of that sound in a totally bizarre way.

[Flar's Freyja]

Some dreams are symbolic but some are just a response to external stimuli. Some of my goofiest dreams were right before I woke up and the phone would be ringing or the alarm would be going off and my dream would change to make sense of that sound in a totally bizarre way.


Yes, but don't make a habit of totally writing off all of your goofy dreams. They sometimes do have some symbolism.

Dreams are messages from the unconscious mind and speak to us in symbols. This is partially due to the way the brain and the mind work, and Freud believed that the symbols are representative of things that our conscious minds find too painful or embarrassing to deal with.

I'm the Dreams editor at BellaOnline and I'm proud of our site. We have comprehensive articles rather than brief, generalized definitions in our

Symbols Dictionary (http://www.bellaonline.com/subjects/355.asp)

I also designed some free

Dream Journal Pages (http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art2166.asp)

you can use to interpret your own dreams. Enjoy!