Well, this is a treat! Today I bring you the first ever guest post on Catharsis of the Bogue! This post was inspired by a dream that I had and chose to write about. I thought it would be funny but it turned into a really interesting discussion of dreams.
Jayne Sherwood was kind enough to comment and give me some very interesting insight into the dream so now, I bring you a guest post by Jayne. Take it away Jayne!
Dreaming, what’s it all about?
Do you dream? How often?
As humans we dream as a natural process, although some research suggests that dreaming has no absolute purpose. However, other research suggests that dreaming is essential to mental, emotional and physical well being. So where does it all fit into your understanding of what dreams give us?
Many of us only remember vague, indistinct dreams where as others of us constantly have vivid experiences and wake feeling un-rested in the morning. Maybe your experiences fall between these two extremes but whatever yours is there are many schools of thought as far as Dreamwork or Dream Interpretation goes. Firstly let’s clear this up, as Dreamwork differs from Dream Interpretation.
When using dreamwork the aim is to investigate the images and emotions that the dream has brought forward by keeping a dream diary, but does not attempt to produce a single or unique meaning this means we are keeping it “alive”
Dreamworkers suggest a dream can have a variety of meanings; this depends on the levels of subjectivity and objectivity that are being investigated. The dreamworker will have their own belief that the individual dreamer will have their own ‘dream language’. The dreamworker also works on the basis that any given place, person, object or symbol may differ in its meaning from dreamer to dreamer and also at times will differ within a dreamer’s ongoing life situation. This means that a dreamworker helping a dreamer move closer to their dreams adopts the thought of “not knowing” as long as possible.
The dreamer will keep a dream diary to which they will ask questions and listen to their answers over a period of time, before a dreamworker will offer an actual meaning to the dreamer’s dream history. However, the dreamer does not have any obligation to agree with the meaning and can use their own judgement in deciding which meanings are valid or not.
With Dream interpretation, symbolism is used to assign a specific meaning allowing it to be “finished”
This process of giving meaning to the dream has descended from many ancient societies, where dreaming was considered a supernatural and spiritual source of communication or divine intervention. They were thought to be messages that were unravelled by those who were thought to have the power to interpret.
In the 19th centaury dream interpretation was used within Psychoanalysis, suggesting the manifestation of the content of a dream could be analysed to expose a hidden meaning to the psyche of the dreamer. Much work was done on this matter by Sigmund Freud in his work, ‘The Interpretation of Dreams’
Whatever your idea of why we dream and what they mean are is something that is a path of personal choice. It is a fascinating world where reality does not apply. I hope that this short piece will help you to have a greater understanding of the different ways you can unlock the meanings or interpretations of your dreams. I hope that by beginning to understand your dreams you can have a clearer view on your feelings and a greater outlook on life’s challenges.
Thank you for reading I hope you this has inspired you to read investigate further into this mysterious subject.
Jayne Sherwood
Jayne lives in the North West of England, Lancashire to be more precise. Her knowledge is simply passion and reading for her own spiritual path. She is a qualified Teacher and Personal Performance Coach. Her interest in Dream interpretation and Spiritual mediumship leads her to the belief that personal development and self-help is a crucial part of our life’s journey.
Follow her on Twitter @jayneesherwood or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/jayne.sherwood. She Does not have a blog currently but that may change soon!
Please feel free to fill my server with your accolades and comments! If there is interest, there may be a series coming or maybe just her own blog!
Thanks for reading, tomorrow is Fiction Saturday!
-Justin
