Meanings and Interpretations of Dreams

Sigmund Freud interpreted dreams as the basis of fulfillment of desires. Calvin S. Hall proposed a theory of dreams in 1954, according to which, dreaming is considered to be a cognitive process. Hall stated that the images were simply visual symbols of personal views.

According to Hobson and Solm, imagination is a type of psychosis. They are either a delirium or schizophrenia. For interpreting them, the use of any dictionary is not recommended. Instead, one may focus on the mentioned areas and so, when all such information is collected and arranged, it is quite possible to interpret it correctly.

Aspects one should consider are:

• The actions
• The prominent symbols and relation between them
• The issues, combats, and situations
• The connection with past dreams

• How the dreamer acts
• The opponents and supporters in the fantasy
• Part of the imagination the dreamer would like to avoid
• Why did the dreamer have that particular dream

Common dreams and the possible interpretations are as follows:

• Test dreams signify anxious and perturbed feelings, lack of confidence, others are judging, etc.

• Flying dreams signify a strong mind and will, being afraid of challenges and success, being on top of a situation, etc.
• Chase dreams signify fear of vulnerability, presence of self-destructive actions, method of handling stress and fears, etc.

• Naked dreams signify the inability to conceal something, fear of being disgraced, being caught unaware, desire to get noticed, etc.
• Teeth dreams signify anxiety regarding appearance, fear of being abashed, sense of powerlessness, lack of self-confidence, etc.

• Falling dreams signify the presence of insecurity and instability, feeling of failure or inferiority, yielding to a sexual urge, etc.
• Different types of food in one's dreams might signify the new beliefs and ideas that one imbibes and digests mentally.

The meaning of such dreams can be deduced by considering the wild and uncivilized side of the personality of an individual. Flying or chirping birds symbolize happiness, love, balance, and a sunny perspective towards life.

Presence of body parts while dreaming, depend upon the ego and the conscious identity. When ants are seen, the meaning is that there is a feeling of being neglected and a gross discontent in the daily routine.

The first step to analysis is to write down about what you dreamt. Then, disregard the petty details and recognize its main theme. This can be done by common sense. The names, places, things are to be neglected and the emphasis should be only on the action in the imagination. Now that you know the theme, the part of the life it applies to must be thought of.

If many parts of the life fit in the theme, the emotions assist in detecting the correct part of the life. Further, more details can be taken into consideration. Here, it is worthwhile to consider the symbols as well.

Symbols must be taken personally. Every dreamer associates symbols with different things. So, generalized definitions would not help as they furnish a common meaning and not a personal one.

In a nutshell, understanding dreams is a very complex topic and requires considerable application and experience to deal with it successfully.