Some people would surely jump at any conclusion upon waking up with the ideas formed through what they have dreamed of. However, there are some dream symbols that seem to be irrational or incomplete due to the possibility of these being forgotten when one has already awakened. To avoid these concerns, people should be able to follow some very easy techniques in order to analyze their dreams even as beginners in the field of dream psychology. In the studies of Freud and Jung, the dream meanings have been found to come from the unconscious mind telling the person of certain warnings and fulfillment of goals. These can be done through these simple steps upon waking up, either in the morning or in the middle of the night.

1. Before going to sleep, keep a notepad and pen ready at the bedside. This will keep the person ready to write down thoughts as soon as possible at any time. It would also be helpful to put a date on top of the sheet to ensure that all details are available, in case there is a chronological or repetitive dream.

2. Upon awaking, recall or replay the events in the dream. Jot down the dream symbols and events that hold most of one’s interest or those that created emotions. Determining these feelings may also be relayed by matching the emotion with the event or dream symbol.

3. During a quiet time, it would be good to go through the notes that were made on the dream notebook to recall the events and feelings. Add some thoughts and additional information that might have been forgotten.

4. Clear the mind of any concerns and worries by doing some stretching, relaxation, and breathing exercises.

5. With this collection, the person can now try to relate these thoughts to the events encountered in reality. Most of these would surely relate to daily responsibilities such as family concerns, work, or school. There are also instances when the strongest feelings and concerns that a person experiences, especially those that are repressed or kept in much secrecy, arises in relation to the dream.

6. If there is a feeling of uncertainty, it would be best to revisit the dream collection later on after a few days. The time for this will allow a person to reflect more on the experience and clarify one’s mind.

In having an understanding of one’s dream, a person is able to have a clear picture of how the mind works. It is also a way that the mind and body relay the information and its beliefs to the person which is through dream symbols. There is no harm in finding out about one’s dreams because it is usually something that would aid the decision making responsibilities of a person like that of what Jungian dream psychology has been explaining for several years now.

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Dream meanings have been continuously interpreted through the years. Many have developed false beliefs and distorted the truth behind our dream interpretations. You might even think dream meanings are complete hoax, but dream psychology proposes the most accurately way to explain how and why dreams occur.

Since dream symbols are difficult to dissect because of the hidden dream meanings, some people might think that there would be no way we can finally interpret our dreams. In contrary to this, dream psychology reveals ways to discover the true meanings of dream symbols. Carl Jung’s study of dream psychology reveals that the unconscious messages hidden in our dreams are protective of our well-being.

A simpler method of dream interpretations is by putting it into our own words. Sigmund Freud used a similar method of free association in dream interpretations of his patients. Jotting down specific entities in a dream will help a person discover the dream meanings and signals. There are dreams that might show repetitiveness, consistency, and sometimes, continuity. All of these pieces work together in defining our life choices and experiences.

Let us try to look into common dream symbols and possible dream interpretations that can possibly apply to it.

• People: As Carl Jung explained the Anima or Animus, our unconscious portrays people who we characterize ourselves with. We project our character using other people to represent our weaknesses or strengths. People in our dreams may mean specific traits that we have or want to have that other people have attained.

• Animals: In reality, we describe animal to have instinctive nature. Similar to this, animals used as dream symbols uncover our instinctual emotions and actions. The characteristics of animals represented in dreams are interpreted as repressed emotions we encounter in reality.

• Falling: Dream psychology has observed that falling had been a usual theme of nightmares. Falling is often described as a dream symbol that poses warnings that people or events may deceive us.

• Blood: Other common symbols seen in dreams are blood and accidents. These represent pain, whether emotional, physical, or psychological.

• Train: Vehicles, such as trains and buses are defined by Sigmund Freud as a phallic symbol, implying a sexual desire. Missing a ride may also mean an opportunity a person has overlooked or neglected.

• Work or School: Since a person has to spend most of his or her waking hours at work or in school, the unconscious mind continues to remind us of the responsibilities we have at work.

Some people may wish to keep track of the dream symbols they experience and be intrigued with the themes that recur or continue. Dream interpretations differ from person to person. Each dream allocates to specific life experiences that a person can apply to his or her life experiences. Being aware of our dream meanings will help develop a person’s maturity and decision-making skills.

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The unconscious mind contains the two distinctions, namely the personal and collective. The personal distinction holds the individual experiences of a person, while the collective distinction grasps the dream symbols that appear, having the same sequences in all human beings.

Dream symbols appear in similar formats based on the theories of Carl Jung.

• The Persona signifies the images and dream symbols that is directly associated with the real world. These are mostly disguised and have dream meanings that pertain to one’s social status and distinction. The Persona is also labeled as the mask used by a person to present one’s self to the others. In dream interpretations, the Persona shows the relationship that a person would want the world to accept and a character that could protect one from rejection.

• The Shadow is the underdeveloped part of the human psyche, containing characteristics of a person that evolves based on the life experiences one encounters. This presents the unconscious dream meanings that imply a person’s instincts and weaknesses. In Jungian dream psychology, the Shadow contains the unconscious desires and experiences that the mind keeps which is basically rooted in childhood. The irrational instincts involve a projection of one’s flaws to the incapacities of others, forming an illusion with reality and symbolisms encountered in dream interpretations.

• The Animus or Anima is the idealistic image of man or a woman. Carl Jung’s dream psychology notes the Animus or Anima as the unconscious expression of one’s inner feminine or masculine personality. In dream symbols, it may present itself in a form of an existing human person as the ideal man or woman that a person idolizes. Because society has established gender roles, these distinct images are repressed and manifested as it is hidden in dream meanings.

Carl Jung’s dream psychology proposes that dream symbols cultivate creativity. He believed that all dreams come in a sequence to help a person develop and evolve as one delves into the dream interpretations presented by the psyche. The acceptance what dream meanings imply would help people in accepting and realizing the Self and the characteristics that a person possesses.

The theories of the studies of Carl Jung in dream psychology concentrates on the negative aspects of a person’s characteristics as it is masked and kept in dream symbols to avoid reality. As dream meanings are discovered, translated, and accepted people are able to transform and apply these negative characteristics to more positive means.

Jung suggests that individuals have the responsibility for their lives, regardless of the most painful and difficult circumstances. Responsibility in one’s actions and decisions should be achieved and avoid projecting one’s weaknesses to that of others. The patterns of dream symbols encountered by a person coordinate with one’s life experiences.

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During the ancient times, people perceive dreams as portals for receiving wisdom from the gods. Shamans depend on dreams to diagnose illness. In 1900’s, western people rely on dreams to forecast weather and predict the future. But a brand new idea of dream interpretation has come out when Sigmund Freud created his theory about dreams as a representation of unconscious desires, thoughts and motivations.

Sigmund Freud is recognized for his theories of the unconscious mind. According to his book, The Interpretation of Dreams, dreams are disguised fulfillments of repressed wishes. However, his limited research about REM and NREM sleep cycles makes his research unable to support the real psychological significance of a dream. Carl Jung, Freud’s great follower also has his own interpretation of dreams. According to him, dreams fill up for the personalities that are not properly developed in real life. His theory however disagrees with the reality that our wake times and our dreams explain consistent thoughts and behaviors.

Some researchers suggest that dreams don’t have actual purpose, while others see that dreams are important to mental, emotional, and physical well-being. Dreaming is highly involved in learning and memory. More often than not, they relate to events and thoughts when we are awake. The structure of the brain is shaped by the stimuli it takes in while we are awake and conscious. For instance, thoughts and experiences are known to strengthen the connections between certain neurons. With these, dreams can be possibly be resonance of the changes during the times when we are awake.

There are different modern theories that may explain why we dream. One of them tells that we dream to practice responses to threatening situations. In REM sleep, the brain functions similarly when it is threatened for survival. In this dream, we may be dreaming of being chased, fighting an enemy, or falling from a cliff. The brain also exercises our motor activity even though our limbs are not moving. In this theory, we dream to rehearse behaviors of self-defense in sleep in order to get better and be prepared in the real world.

Another theory is that dreams create wisdom. Remembering every image of our waking lives would clog our brains. This is where dreams come in to sort through our brains to determine which ones should retain and which ones should lose. Sleep is concluded as a process which separates the long term memories to short term ones.

It has also been said that dreaming organizes our brains, like a hard drive being defragmented. The brain works like a computer that connects its data in some ways. Dreams shuffle the old connections that allow us to keep important connections and delete inefficient links. This suggests that dreams are reordering connections to streamline the system.

Dreams can be like psychotherapy. When we dream, we are dealing with emotions which we put into pictures. This is where we think less rationally and less defensive where we are able to accept truths we might otherwise repress.

Others say that dreams don’t mean anything at all. They are just random functions of a brain that is not conscious at that time. It may be just consciousness that finds deep meaning in our brains.

Dream research may have been found to have many theories but still there is no answer to the question: why do we dream? Dream has always been a mysterious topic to the human mind, and with that, researchers will go on exploring and new theories may be possible to emerge.

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Dream interpretation has been an important factor in getting to know ourselves better. In psychology, patients who seek help are encouraged to slip in a sleep-like state to bring out what the subconscious mind holds. Dreams, as well as the subconscious mind, have always been the “keepers” of one’s uninhibited desires and emotions that are best kept hidden.

Archetypes are formed by our own, individual subconscious mind therefore it’s only normal to have hundreds, if not thousands, of archetypes known in the history of dream psychology. In truth, only our minds know how and when these archetypes will be used and how they can affect our daily living. They are what our subconscious mind perceives however, there also lies the dangers of having too many archetypes influencing your personality as they are bound to contradict each other and eventually cause stress to the person.

Although there are many different archetypes representing characters or personalities there are only five main archetypes according to Carl Jung:

The shadow, the anima, the animus, the self and lastly, the persona.

·    The Shadow. The shadow archetype is always a negative one, representing the things that we would rather not show. This is one’s darker side, hidden to everybody else. We may or may not acknowledge it but we know deep within that it exists. Those who prefer to deny them are almost always haunted by the shadow in their dreams and fighting them is a futile battle as they always win—at least in your dreams.
·    The Anima/Animus. These archetypes are associated with sexuality—or rather, contrasexuality. While a man and a woman both have their own set of rules to live by, it was said that deep within them, there exists a balancing nature in which both genders act as one. The Anima or Animus archetypes control that part.
·    The Self. Self is considered as God or the spirit within us that connects us to the Universal spirit. It unifies your conscious and unconscious life. The self archetype is our core being.
·    The Persona. Contrary to the Self archetype, this type of archetype is how we would like the world to see us. This is our self-imagery, an image we want to emulate. It can also be considered as your mask to protect your true being.

The way your subconscious mind forms archetypes is based on your experiences, people you have met, things you associate, and just about anything which concerns you. They may be hereditary—or even by instinct, deeply embedded within us since birth. Culture and tradition also play a very important role in forming archetypes. Taking note of these things will help you identify your own archetypes when they manifest in your dreams. Keeping a dream journal will help you recognize your archetypes and the role they are playing within your subconscious.

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Modern science believes that there is something behind dreaming and that it will greatly benefit mankind if it can be figured. Freud, Jung and Adler, due to the extensiveness of their research, studies and tests made in the name of dream psychology stay, up to this day, as champions in the field. Their influence can still be felt and their studies are most sought after. Freud and Jung both believed that dreams have meaning. Freud strongly stood behind his findings that dreams are the road to one’s unconscious mind while Jung used symbols and archetypes which he later termed as collective unconscious. On the other hand, Adler raised the greatest contradiction for both Freud and Jung’s theories. Adler stated that dreams are generated by both the conscious and unconscious mind. Adler’s theory concluded that dreams are mere manifestations of our waking lives and can be used as a tool to detect problems, existing and potential ones, and ultimately arrive to a beneficial solution.

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According to Carl Jung, mythology has been the perfect model on how people react and behave when faced in uncertain situations. It reflects clearly what kind of people we are and every story in Greek mythology harbors truth and justification albeit hidden in words. Dreams, on the other hand, are our gateways to the collective unconscious part of our minds since dreaming knows no boundaries and possibilities are limitless. In dreams, the collective unconscious can be heard without being judged unlike when in reality.

Collective unconscious is a general term and it has its own ranges. It can be passive repository in which the mind chronicles the events that had taken place during the entire history of man or it can be an active one which makes reality emerge. Also, collective unconscious is believed to be culture-influenced which affects all its members and can vary from one culture to another.

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1.    Everybody dreams!  Even if you do not remember the dream when you wake up.  A lack of dreams can be a problem since it may signal a protein deficiency or a personality disorder.
2.    Statistics show that 1/3 of your life is spent sleeping and in an average lifetime, your dreams will total to 6 years when added together!  This means that you will spend 2100 days in another dimension or realm.
3.    In a night, we dream for an average of up to 2 hours with 4-7 different dreams.
4.    Even blind people dream.  Whether or not they actually see something in their dreams are determined whether thy were born blind or became blind later in life.  However, blind people can dream about sensation, sounds and even smell as dreams constitutes not only the vision.
5.    Studies have shown that our brain waves are more active during REM sleep than when we are awake.  People who wake up suddenly during a REM sleep tend to recall their dreams more vividly than those who sleep through the night.
6.    50% of dreams are lost after 5 minutes of waking up and 90% after 10 minutes, which is probably why most of us forget our dreams right away.
7.    Men tend to dream about other men most of the time while women dream about other women and men equally.
8.    Research has shown that most men experience erections during their sleep while women also show an increase in blood flow to the vagina, whether dreams are erotic or not.  This means that “wet dreams” may not be directly related to overly sexual content.
9.    Toddlers do not dream about themselves.  They start appearing in their dreams at about 3-4 years old.  Nightmares also occur more frequently during childhood, usually at around 3 years old till 8.
10.    Smokers who are quitting tend to have more intense and vivid dreams.  And people do not dream while they snore.

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In Greek mythology, demons are used and applied referring to a God or Goddess but generally, it was referred to as a force or spirit that comes between gods and human. Overtime, it gathered negative connotations and therefore settled to becoming associated with devils and the likes. Both demons and devils are considered as evil spirits and fallen angels of God and they are usually mistaken for one another although they are quite different in meaning and definition.

In Christianity where demons are fixed characters as well as key role players, demons are not just malevolent spirits but they are sent from hell to enforce evil missions and convert human beings from believing God to non-believers. They are deceptive beings and they can switch into undetectable forms, often creating scenarios that will compel a human being to doing evil things.

It was said that demons have their own limitations therefore they are not invincible. They can be defeated with faith and according to the Christian bible, demons like Satan himself cannot read a person’s mind but they have mastered the predictability of the human nature which they use to play games with humans. Apparently, they are free to roam the world and they are not confined to four corners of hell.

According to Carl Jung, demons belong to the Jungian archetype the trickster which is an important archetype in the history of man.

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The trickster breaks the rules, sometimes unconsciously but with ultimately positive effects.  When they break the rules it is usually in the form of tricks or thievery.  They are cunning or foolish and sometimes both.

One of the more famous tricksters in literature is Reynard the Fox.  He was summoned to the court of King Leo the lion to answer for various crimes which he allegedly committed.  Other animals like Bruin the Bear, Baldwin the Bear, Tybalt the Cat and Hirsent the she-Wolf gave testimony against him which Reynard always proves false by using different strategies and explanations that outwit the evidence of the accusers.  In the end Reynard became a hero.

In modern media, Reynard has evolved into various trickster types like Bugs Bunny who always seem to outwit Elmer Fudge and Daffy Duck.  Aladdin from the Disney movie is another hero-trickster type of character who used his “street rat” knowledge to win the hand of the princess Jasmine.  We also have Wile E. Coyote who always plays tricks Roadrunner and was patterned after the Native American trickster figure Old Man Coyote.

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