The Complete Yoga Community

In Your Dreams
Is there any point to the stories we weave during sleep?

By Beth Cooper

Dreams are a hot potato. There is no universally accepted definition of what – or why – they are, and theories range from strictly scientific to deeply spiritual. What we do know for sure, is that they are real.

Much scientific research has been done on sleep and yoga and related practices of relaxation, as well as meditation methods. A neglected area in this research is yoga nidra or, simply, yogic sleep. In yoga we tend to bypass dreaming with respect to meditation practice, however dreaming offers us a way to confront our emotions and offers us another route to unlocking the subconscious mind. It follows then that sleep and dreaming are an integral part of yoga tradition and should be explored more fully.

To sleep, perchance to dream?
Experts agree that dreaming is an identifiable phase of sleep. Sleep researchers, psychologists and other academics conclude that when people don’t have enough dream time, their emotions are negatively affected.

We dream for about six years in total – that amounts to an average of two hours nightly. While some scientists believe that dreams are nothing more than a biological process, others are not so sure.

Yoga nidra, for example, is a method of “conscious sleep” and a practice which acknowledges the state of dreaming. Swami Veda Bharati says that while many teachers are guiding students through several yoga nidra practices – some true to ancient methods and others quite “innovative and contemporary” – the term itself requires  definition.

He defines yoga nidra as the “experience of a state of conscious sleep in which the subject is showing all the symptoms of deep non-REM sleep, producing delta (1-4 hertz) brain waves, and is at the same time fully conscious of the events in his surroundings.”

In yoga nidra, Bharati explains that one leaves the waking state, moves past the dreaming state and goes into deep sleep – yet remains awake.

To psychologists however, it’s not about the world beyond dreams – but why dreaming exists and what this imaginative world offers us. While surpassing the dream state is a part of meditation practice, dreams also have valuable messages to offer us from the unconscious. They are a further source of getting in touch with our emotional states.

The events of every day evoke “unconscious associations, conflicts, needs and anxieties,” says psychologist Belinda Farre. “The dream often combines elements of these experiences of the day in the dream. So yes, they are thoughts from the day – but the meaning lies in why these particular thoughts and images have occurred.”

This suggests, she says, that dreams have some purpose in terms of processing our emotions.

The Dream Schools
Psychologist Sigmund Freud postulated that dreams were predominantly a form of wish fulfilment, says dream analyst Mathew Mather. In analysing dreams, he would typically dredge up a lot of one’s past, especially childhood.

The psychologist Carl Jung differed, in that he saw dreams as more purposeful and forward looking.

“Instead of endless associations upon associations, he advised keeping to the dream images themselves,” explains Mather, a doctoral student of analytical psychology, who has practiced dream interpretation for two decades.

“For Jung, the dream was something of a ‘magic mirror’ in which we see a larger perspective on our life. This can often have powerful insights into the meaning of our lives in a practical way, but also in terms of reconnecting us to our primordial source – our souls.”

In his worldview, Jung saw dreams as a ‘golden thread’ leading humans back to themselves and their spiritual natures.

Mather says that while there are many physiological reasons for dreaming – such as digestion of the day’s impressions and experiences and release of less useful information – we are still “far off” in terms of a definitive understanding of the actual physiology of dreams.

Lost in translation – the hidden meaning of dreaming
Dreams are not a motley collection of meaningless words and images, says Farre. They can operate on two different levels – as a symbolic expression of the unconscious and based on cultural and personal meanings.

“Many people have beliefs about their dreams, be it that they are prophetic, visionary, a message from ancestors or the divine,” she explains. “This cultural or personal meaningis what the dreamer thinks the dream means. These meanings become important to the dreamer.”

The idea of the “unconscious” has become a well-worn phrase of popular culture. Basically, says Farre, there is a huge reservoir of feelings, drives, fears, needs, thoughts and memories to which we do not have conscious access – and these could all be expressed in dreams instead.

“Freud saw dreams as the royal road to the unconscious. They are a symbolic expression of significant unconscious material. This means that they cannot be interpreted literally – each symbol has a meaning. “If the dreamer remembers the dream and is willing to share their associations to the dream, it becomes possible to understand things about themselves of which they are not fully conscious. This can be freeing.”

The problem with pinning labels on your dream symbols, of course, is that your particular perception of that symbol may be wildly different from your cousin’s or best mate’s. Water, for example, may symbolise emotion for me, but drowning for you. Yet another dreamer may view water as life-affirming – or reminiscent of comfort and security in the mother’s womb.

“Each symbol has personal associations and meanings,” says Farre. “This is why the dreamer needs to give their (own) associations to the dream.”

Scientists have identified several common dream themes during content-analysis studies. These include running slowly or on the spot, sexual encounters, arriving late, school-related situations, being chased, falling, flying, failing an exam, being in a car accident and seeing a dead person alive again.

Clinical psychologist and author Patricia Garfield, co-founder of The Association for the Study of Dreams, believes that there are 12 basic dreams which she regards as “universal”. We’ve all had them, she says – the terrifying scenario of being chased by a horrid monster, a loved one dying or being hurt or suddenly finding oneself naked in public.

These types of dreams have existed since before recorded literature and will likely occur in many households across the world, every night. She details the dreams in her groundbreaking book, The Universal Dream Key: The 12 Most Common Dream Themes Around the World.

Working with dream analysts to compare an individual dream with variations of a worldwide theme could help people understand the likely meaning of their particular dream, explains Garfield.

The benefit s of bedtime – how dreams improve your life
“The symbolism in dreams, just like those in art, can be enormously powerful and capture the complexity of people’s emotional experience and dilemmas,” says Farre.

It is therefore beneficial to begin taking notes on your nightly narratives.

“Sometimes clients will have a dream of this kind and it is something that really deepens their understanding of themselves. The symbols become a language for expressing these things and, more important, clues for emotionally healing.”

We benefit from dreams simply by dreaming them, she says. If nothing else, dreaming fulfils desires that would otherwise remain frustrated in real life, because they conflict with reality or our conscience. Dreams may reveal fears that stand in the way of us growing or doing what we want to do.

They may also have a “brutal honesty”, says Mather. They can portray our lives in a real and direct way, without niceties.

A woman dreaming of being alone in a car, driving up a mountain and knowing that she would fall off into the sea once she reached the summit is a suitable example of the “no frills” imagery of a dream message.

“This portrays a lonely person (alone in car), with lots of ambition (going up the mountain), but also someone headed for disaster if she continues her life without reflection,” explains Mather.

Recurrent dreams – or those related to traumatic events – are also powerful ways in which our minds cotton on to an important life theme and urge us to act on it.

Playing with your dreams should be fun. Although some people consider dreams to be hocus pocus nonsense, there’s little doubt that they have an impact on our waking lives. Mather encourages us to remember that there is “no such thing as a Dream Guru who always understands a dream”. Your dreams will often be enigmatic, and even deep contemplation may never reveal their secrets.

Keeping a dream journal

• Use paper or a tape recorder to keep track of your dreams. It’s important to record every bit of detail possible – including emotions and any “trigger” symbols that seem to stand out.
• Upon waking, scribble down as many details as possible, or record them on your tape recorder.
• Detail even the most insignificant facts, such as shoe colour.
• Describe emotions and attitudes of people in the dream (including yourself).
• Ask questions. These might be : “Does this dream seem to link to anything that’s happened to me this week?” or “Do I know the people in this dream? Do I like them?” and “How did this dream make me feel? Is it trying to tell me something?”
• Review your notes each week or month. Are there common themes? Can you pick up recurring patterns?
  If necessary, contact a psychologist or talk over your dream with a perceptive friend or partner.

Dream expert Patricia Garfield says that keeping a dream journal takes practice. If necessary, she suggests, you could even include drawings to better help you capture the dream imagery.

“My Dream Saved Our Lives”
A thorny category of dreams is the predictive type. Hollywood has glamourised the idea of being able to see the future in your sleep, with the result that many people are suspicious of this type of dream state.

But there are people for whom predictive dreaming is very real.

“I had my first one when I was six years old,” says Marie Beytell, 41, owner of an interactive communication campaigns company.

“It was the evening before we had a major accident. What I dreamt that night stopped my mother from allowing my baby sister and I to sit, as we always did, at the back of the luggage compartment of our camper van.

“While driving the next day, we were hit from the back by a truck at the exact spot I had seen in my dream – where I had also seen a fire and a skeleton.”

Mather says predictive dreaming tends to push our rational understanding – people find it very difficult to accept that such a phenomenon exists. This doesn’t, however, mean that it doesn’t.

“Jung had two opinions on such dreams. One is that we ‘scenario plan’ – possible life situations are anticipated in the dream as a way of preparing us for more adapted survival.

“He writes of the prospective function of dreams, indicating the forward and future-oriented nature of them. The example of the woman and her car would probably fall into this category.”

The other Jungian theory involves “absolute knowledge” – the idea that the deeper layers of our unconscious psyche, or “collective unconscious” – has a knowledge of future and past events.

Beytell says she views her ability as both a blessing and a curse. One nightmarish dream involved seeing an acquaintance in a coma and dying. A week later, he committed suicide.

Remember, remember
You may wish to uncover mystical messages at night – but what if you can’t recall them? Experts explain that modern culture doesn’t place enough importance on dreaming and so, we’ve lost our ability to integrate dreams into rushed lifestyles ruled by bleeping alarm clocks.

To reclaim your “Dream Power”, you must train your mind to remember.
• A relaxing bedtime routine prepares you for the transition between waking and sleeping.
• Ensure that you’re warm, hydrated and comfortable before you turn off the light.
• Eyes closed, think about the day’s events.
• Suggest to yourself that you plan on remembering your dreams tonight.
• When you wake up, keep your eyes closed! Dream details evaporate if you leap out of bed into a wideawake state.
• Keep practising – your dreams will become more vivid and detailed.

Dream catchers are an ideal way to activate dreaming in your life. Originally created by Native Americans, they are said to protect you from bad dreams and allow positive dreams through. Nightmares or negative stories are caught in the web, while happy and good dreams slip through the central hole, glide down a string of feathers and onto the sleeping person below.

Mather says we shouldn’t worry if we don’t recall dreams. Important or significant dreams will emerge when necessary.

“On the other hand, if you’re dreaming excessively, then this could be a problem in that it can be exhausting!”

Restoring a barrier of “forgetfulness” or seeing a therapist to discuss your dreams will re-frame your life in a positive way.