Unconcious Dreaming

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Unconcious Dreaming There are many facts that are unknown about the mind. For centuries, philosophers and scientists have tried to understand how it works. We have learned that the mind has a number of different levels of processing. Before Sigmund Freud “nearly all the previous research and theorizing of psychologists had dealt with conscious, such as perception, memory, judgment, and learning“ (Hunt185). Freud brought forth a number of theories that dealt with “the unconscious and its crucial role in human behavior”(Hunt 185). The unconscious is a storage area for information that is not being used. It is also the home of “powerful primitive drives and forbidden wishes that constantly generated pressure on the conscious mind”(Hunt 185). As this area of the mind can only be understood through speculation, I will look to dream interpretation and psychoanalysis as keys to unlocking this area of psychology What are dreams? Are they simply random brain activity, or are they our mind trying to tell us something? Dreams represent many different areas of one’s life in physical, emotional, and mental ways. “When we sleep we do much more than just rest our weary bones; we tap into our subconscious mind (Ullman and Zimmerman 1979). The subconscious has much to offer about oneself. “The average human being spends one third of their life in sleep and during each sleep approximately two hours is spent dreaming“(Ullman and Zimmerman 1979). These dreams are important because they are the voice of our subconscious. Dreams can relay to people facts about their lives that they are not even aware of. There are also many ways that dreams can help cure different physical, emotional, and mental problems in one’s life. I will look at dreams, their meanings, and possible ways of interpreting them using such methods as hypnotherapy and psychoanalysis. Dreams can be defined as “a conscious series of images that occur during sleep” (Collier’s, 1984). Dreams are usually very vivid in color and imagery. They are said to reveal to the dreamer different wishes, concerns, and worries that he or she has. Dreams may reflect every part of who the dreamer is. The content of dreams depends on “how old the dreamer is and how educated the he or she is” (Collier’s, 1984). We have no control over that which we dream about, but we do know that they are influenced by situations ... ... middle of paper ... ...eams. New York: Random House. (c1950 Random House Trans by A.A. Brill) Garfield, P. The Healing Power of Dreams. Simon & Schuster: New York, 1981. Hunt, M. The Story of Psychology, Anchor Books: New York, 2000. Jackson, D. Hypnotism: You Will Feel No Pain. Smithsonian Mar. 1999: 126-140. Jung, C. On the Nature of Dreams. Jungian Psychology Articles Web Site. Retrieved January 30, 2000 from the World Wide Web: http://www.cgjung.com/articles/cgjdream.html Kalb, C. “What Dreams Are Made of.” Newsweek Nov. 8, 1999. 77 Loftus, E.F. “Reconstructing memory. The incredible eyewitness“ Psychology Today, 1974,8 116-199. Loftus, E.F., & Zanni, G. “Eyewitness testimony: The influence of the wording of a question“. Bulletin of the Psychonomic Society, 1975, 5, 86-88 .Lukeman, A. What Your Dreams Can Teach You. St. Paul, Minnesota: Llewellyn Publications, 1990. Pettijohn, F.P. Notable Selections in Psychology, Dushkin/McGraw-Hill: Guilford, 2000. Ullman, M. and Zimmerman, N. Working With Dreams. New York: Delacrote Press, 1979 Williams, Gurney. “What do your dreams mean?” McCall’s Aug. 1998: 98-101.

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