Universal Dreams Provide Personal Meaning

Dearest Dreamers,

I caution you to resist the notion that there exists a set definition of symbols to which you can refer and learn the meaning of your dreams!  If you find dream book that says, “When you dream ‘A,’ it means ‘B,’ beware!  Such “dictionaries” are at best starting points for your thinking.  At worst, they trivialize the vital content of dreams and comprise only parlor games.

Your dreams are yours alone.  The meaning of your dreams lies within you.  For example, if I were to dream of a tractor, it likely will be indicative of something quite different from a tractor appearing in the dream of a life-long farmer! 

Dreamwork is the process of recognizing how a particular metaphor can illustrate a complex circumstance or state of mind that you are experiencing and grappling with.  It is a customized and personal missive made for you alone!

Having said that, I commend to you an extremely helpful tool for understanding your dreams, written by one of the pioneers in dream research, Patricia Garfield, Ph.D. – The Universal Dream Key: The 12 Most Common Dream Themes Around the World.

Dr. Garfield gathered material for this study from her reviews of the extensive literature on dreams; from her own 50 years of dream journaling (more than 29 volumes!); from 35 years of collecting personal descriptions of dreams provided to her by dreamers; and from dreams contributed to her website by more than 500 dreamers from 36 countries around the world.

In her clear and easily accessible work, Dr. Garfield explains a fascinating observation she has made after her extensive research:  “Certain dream plots recur so often that [she has] termed them ‘Universal Dreams.’”  But even so, Dr. Garfield goes on to say that these themes form the basic building blocks for dreams, and that any given dream is likely to have more than one scene, be more elaborate and more complex than the universal themes she has identified.  In short, her themes provide a starting point for going deeper into a dream and understanding it in a personal context as well as a cultural context. 

Here in the interest of space, I have abbreviated the titles of the universal themes Dr. Garfield identifies and discusses in detail (you’ll notice she offers both sides of a coin): 

1)    Being chased v. embraced

2)   Being injured v. healed

3)   Vehicle problems v. pleasure

4)   Property loss v. improvement

5)   Poor test performance v. fine performance

6)   Falling v. flying

7)   Being naked v. well-dressed

8)   Missing the boat v. pleasant travel

9)   Machine malfunction v. smooth operation

10) Natural disaster v. natural beauty

11)  Being lost v. discovering new spaces

12) Menacing spirit v. guiding spirit

You most certainly recognize some of these themes as recurring in your own dreams over time.  Dr. Garfield offers multiple approaches to understanding these dreams in your world, bringing the universal to the personal.

A most practical and satisfying tool.

Sweet Dreams to You, Dear Dreamers!

SMYD

sendmeyourdreams@mail.com