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Importance of dream
Strengths and weaknesses of psychodynamic explanation of dreams
The interpretation of dreams
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An important procedure for gaining data on the unconscious and subconscious mind is through the analysis of dreams (Butcher, 2013). While sleeping, a person’s mental defensive filters are lowered. Therefore, forbidden desires such as sex and emotional feelings of repression may find themselves into a clients dream. The mind interprets this unconscious cognition and disguises these feelings into symbolism. (2013) This is why dream interpretation is a valid form of information gathering on an individual’s subconscious and emotional stressors. Dreams contain two types of content, manifest content which is the dream as it appears and latent content which contains the actual motives of the dreamer that are repressed into symbols because they are unacceptable or painful rumination (2013). The psychologist must associate these symbols with meanings by using client and the correlation between the client and the meanings. For example a client may have a reoccurring dream of dying, this could possibly mean he is afraid of death. Dreams in many cases are believed to be mental disturbances. Dream analysis is a highly under looked method of information gathering that has yet to be utilized to its full potential. Vivid and violent dreams can predict brain disorders by half a century. (Sanders, 2010) REM sleep behavior disorder, or RBD could be comorbid with neurodegenerative diseases that include Parkinson’s and Lewy Body Dementia (Sanders, 2010) People with RBD dreams tend to have increased reports of violence and frequently includes fighting of an attack or experiencing death. Symptoms of RBD include restlessness and often the dream with scream and punch as though they are really experiencing the dream. These symptoms can be detected at a ... ... middle of paper ... ...resses but also repressed desires and possible predetermination of some psychological disorders. Using dream material is also a good way of changing how we look at and define ourselves; and thus of helping patients find new understanding of themselves, new ways of behaving, new aspects of personality (Calmar, 1987) Dreams about drugs might represent some data in addiction, and the relation to cravings and withdrawals. Dreams that include a patients drug of choice during sobriety is the biological manifestation of addiction and can be used in therapy to allow a patient to realize the addiction and urge to relapse. Nightmares are even more common among recovering alcoholics and are reported to be traumatic and severe. Nightmares are common in the addicted population because of an increased incidence of childhood abuse and posttraumatic stress disorder (Johnson, 2012).
My ideas resemble a mixture of Rosalind Cartwright and Sigmund Freud’s theories on dreams. Freud believed that the purpose of our dreams is to attain a
...heory, reverse learning theory, and activation synthesis model, others focus on the mental exercise and simulations that dreams bring to us in the evolutionary theory of sleep. While many of the theories agree that dreams are a representation of ideas and thoughts from the unconscious mind, no single theory has been formed as the single primary authority on the matter of dreams despite more support for some of the theories. The fact of the matter is that despite the rampant research and discourse on the concept behind dreaming, these theories are merely speculations. But these speculations feed the curiosity on dreams and will hopefully lead to the expansion of dream analysis to not only better develop the current understanding of dreams, but also to help people around the world by possibly expanding dream analysis to become an early identifier of mental illness.
Freud argued that dreams are a disguised expression of the inner repressed self that is manifesting itself in a visual context (Summers 2006) A good understanding of dreams how dreams work would be to think of a photograph. Hebbrecht (2013) suggests that dreams are like a photo of the inner workings of a patient in that it does not give the entire story, but rather a snapshot of the turmoil inside at one particular point. In the case of dramatic trauma, a dream often can give therapists a look at what happened in the past, which may be causing negative effects on the patient. Habbrecht (2013) suggests that in working through trauma, dreams can be a vital tool in therapy. Habbrecht (2013) however, does not articulate that dreams are fully truthful; instead arguing rather that the difference between Freud and Meltzer leaves room for debate. Perara (2013) disagrees with Hebbrecht suggesting that dreams not be necessarily truthful, rather Perara (2013) argues that dreams should be treated similarly to one conscious experience. The articles also argue that dreams themselves are interwoven through our memories and experiences.(Perera 2013) Dreams also give therapists the opportunity to cause positive change in our unconscious mind. Hebbrect
It is universally known that dreams are full of meanings and emotions. In Freud’s theory, all dreams are wish fulfillments or at least attempts at wish fulfillment. The dreams are usually presented in an unrecognizable form because the wishes are repressed. Freud proposes there are two levels in the structure of dreams, the manifest contents and the latent dream-thoughts. The manifest dream, a dream with understandable contents, is a substitute-formation that hides latent dream-thoughts, which are the abstract ideas in dreams. This translation of latent dream-thoughts to the manifest dream-content is defined by Freud as “dream-work”. Dream-work consists of certain types of transformation.
Based on On Dreams, written by Sigmund Freud, and Spellbound, directed by Alfred Hitchcock, provide the most psychological significant aspect of dreams through the theory of dreams made by Freud. I partially agree with Freud’s theory on dreams and the dreaming process. Dreams have the ability to form a bridge from reality to transfer over to the unconscious mindset. Throughout his article, On Dreams, he gives explanations behind his theory. The human psyche has a vital role in psychology, including the way humans interpret dreams and their sequence.
During prescientific days, dreams were interpreted as ‘manifestations’ of a ‘higher power’. Since the introduction of psychology, dreams have had 4 distinct interpretations. The first interprets dreams as a “liberation of the spirit from the pressure of external nature”. The second interprets dreams as “accidental disturbances from ‘internal organs’. The third interprets dreams as a foretelling of the future. The last interpretation is Freud’s. He interprets dream as an expression of subconscious desires.
In this paper I hope to open a window to the vast and mysterious world of dreaming. To most people, information about dreams isn’t common knowledge. In researching this subject though, I found that everybody has and reacts to dreams, which are vital to your mental health. You will also find how you can affect your dreams and how they affect you.
In dream analysis, therapists aim to reveal the latent content of dreams. They seek to explore the hidden symbolic meaning by taking the manifest contest or parts of the dream that are remembered and convert it into symbolic meaning. This was based on the idea that people feel unconsciously and dreams and one of the ways to express the forbidden thoughts and desires. The manifest content that may appear can be in a form of dream symbols that may have a meaning. For instance, a person who is running towards the sun in the dream may mean that that person is moving towards a brighter future.
Anxiety dreams help reveal a person’s worries or fears in ways that they may need to examine to fully understand. While Freud’s theories cannot be taken as true in total, and dreams may serve more practical, evolutionary purposes, it is still useful to analyze dreams so that unconscious worries, fears, wishes, do not hold back people from getting what they consciously want or from becoming who they can.
During Freud’s time, society typically viewed dreams as an intervention of a higher being or entity (Freud, 1900, p.4). However, Freud made the claim that dreams are the product of the dreamer and also that it serves two purposes. First, dreams form to keep a person asleep at night by blocking out external stimuli, much in the same way a person consciously does when turning off the light and minimizing noise before going to bed (“Freud’s Approach,” 2000). Next, Freud (1900) viewed humans as having grotesque sexual urges that “are suppressed before they are perceived” (p.37) in order to protect the person and allow him or her to get along in society; however, dreams serve the purpose of releasing these repressed desires as wishes which are disguised in the dream. Because a person cannot readily be aware of the unconscious wish, the dream is divided into two ...
Dreams have been thought to contain significant messages throughout many cultures. A dream is an unfolding sequence of perceptions, thoughts, and emotions that is experienced as a series of real-life events during sleep. The definitions of dreams are different among studies, which can also lead to quite different results. Perhaps, the dream interpretation has becoming increasingly popular. In this paper, I will talk about what I have learned about three different views of dream interpretations. One theory made by Sigmund Freud who believed that dreams are triggered by unacceptable repressed wishes, often of a sexual nature. He argued that because dreams we experience are merely disguised versions of people real dreams. The other theory called activation–synthesis theory, made by Allan Hobson and Robert McCarley, based on the observation that during REM sleep, many brain-stem circuits become active and bombard the cerebral cortex with neural signals. The last theory, proposed by William Domhoff, is called the neurocognitive theory of dreaming, which demonstrates that dream content in general is continuous with waking conceptions and emotional preoccupations. Thus, dreaming is best understood as a developmental cognitive achievement that depends upon the maintenance of a specific network of forebrain structures. While each theory has different belief system and approach method, it is a great opportunity to know how former psychologists contributed to the field of dream interpretation.
Freud uses an objective perspective as he explains the validity of his belief that all dreams are significant and has a specific place in an individual's psychic activities. Through the use of his interpretation technique the meaning of dreams can be disclosed. The significance of each dream may be studied. Freud states that every dream is consequential and that the meanings of these dreams will be brought to light, lending information into the understanding of an individual's make up. Freud's work with free association has helped him to make a link between the symbols of the wake mind and the subconscious mind to give credence to his belief of successful dream interpretation.
Porter, Laurence M. The Interpretation of Dreams: Freud's Theories Revisited. Boston, Mass.: Twayne, 1987. Print.
Psychology, neuroscience try to explain them, 2012). He studied dreams to better understand aspects of personality as they relate to pathology. Freud believed that every action is motivated by the unconscious at a certain level. In order to be successful in a civilized society, the urges and desires of the unconscious mind must be repressed. Freud believed that dreams are manifestations of urges and desires that are suppressed in the unconscious. Freud categorized the mind into three parts: the id, the ego, and the superego. When one is awake, the impulses if the id are suppressed by the superego, but during dreams, one may get a glimpse into the unconscious mind, or the id. The unconscious has the opportunity to express hidden desires of the id during dreaming. Freud believed that the id can be so disturbing at times that the id’s content can be translated into a more acceptable form. This censor leads to a sometimes confusing and strange dream image. According to Freud, the reason one may struggle to remember a dream is because the superego protects the conscious mind from the disturbance of the unconscious mind (Dream Theories,
“Nightmares are the most common form of disturbed dreaming” (Levin and Nielsen, “Disturbed Dreaming…” 482). Even though each person is made up of unique experiences, DNA, and come from different backgrounds, research shows that people’s dreams tend to share much of the same subject content (Osmun). Nightmares are unpleasant dreams with disturbing content, usually going hand in hand with negative emotional responses (How Sleep Works). These dreams can affect people in ways that make them feel uncomfortable, uneasy, and trapped. These are dreams that can be thought of as bizarre and an event that would not commonly occur. Many people regularly struggle with nightmares. They can occur due to many different reasons. Nightmares are disturbances in a person’s sleep