7 Fascinating Functions of Dreams and What They Can Tell You ...

By Lezlie

7 Fascinating Functions of Dreams and What They Can Tell You ...

Several years ago I had to write a thesis on the various functions of dreams while studying Metaphysics. I've always been interested in dreams because from a young age I frequently had vivid dreams. I've kept a dream journal most of my life to help me further understand the functions of dreams and if they had meaning for my life.

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1

Warning

One of the more helpful functions of dreams is that they can be warnings for your waking life. In case you aren't familiar with the term, your waking life is your life when you are awake, when you aren't dreaming. A friend of mine shared how she had an incredibly vivid dream where someone told her that the brakes in her car were out. She woke up with this on her mind and sure enough the brakes in her car needed to be replaced. She was so grateful that she took the dream seriously and listened to her conscience.

2

Guidance

Another fascinating function of dreams is that they can be a means of guidance in your life. Your dreams can give you clues to the direction you should take in life. This is why it's a great idea to write your dreams down and reflect on them when you can. One of my friends shared with me that for years I have been a guide in her dreams. For some reason I show up and show her and her sisters the direction they should go. What's interesting about this is that I have fulfilled this in her waking life when it comes to spirituality.

3

Processing

Sometimes our dreams really aren't that deep and we are simply processing all of the junk from our day that we tried to suppress or avoid. The truth is that our brains don't stop processing information just because we are sleeping. One reason that sleep is so important for our health is that our minds need to connect the dots and compartmentalize new information. So if you wake up with a really strange dream that seems to jump all over the place and doesn't make much sense, odds are you were simply processing and you don't need to take it to heart.

4

Inspiration

Have you ever woken up from a dream motivated to create? It doesn't happen often, but sometimes I'll wake up with a line in my head or a melody that I've never heard before. When this happens to you be sure to write it down or record it so you can use it in your waking life. Many creative people have done this throughout time and created brilliant works of art by literally following their dreams.

5

Communication

Most religions and spiritual people consider dreams a way to communicate with God. There are multiple examples of this in the Bible. Shamans have also used dreams to diagnose illness and enter into the spiritual world. If you believe in God or that there is someone or something greater than you, recording your dreams can be a fascinating way to further your spiritual journey.

Famous Quotes

To give oneself earnestly to the duties due to men, and, while respecting spiritual beings, to keep aloof from them, may be called wisdom.

Confucius
6

Development

Carl Jung is well known for his work committed to dreams. One of his theories is that the function of dreams is to compensate for those parts of the psyche (our total personality) that are underdeveloped in our waking life. He believed that our dreams are messages to us that we should pay attention to. He is my favorite dream doctor.

7

Wish Fulfillment

Sigmund Freud is the other well known psychotherapist known for his work in the field of dreams. He is best known for his theory that the content of dreams is driven by unconscious wish fulfillment. He believed that we had a good amount of control over our dreams and basically that our dreams are us playing out our fantasies and wishes.

What has your dream life been like? Have you ever kept a dream journal? I'd love to hear your thoughts on dreams and your experience with them.

Feedback Junction

Where Thoughts and Opinions Converge

just wanted to share a couple of my experiences from the age of 4-35 it reaccures quite often and theyre almost all the same to a tee until i had my children then THEY started being in them. at age 4-8 i dreamed every single night the same exact thing it starts with me bein in an open meadow about to climb this huge hill. it was beautiful and serene like i was in heaven when all a sudden i fall off the edge of the cliff falling INSIDE the hill. when i see myself in the hill i turn into this wild cave man crazy psyco type chic pullin on what was jail house bars on the side of this hill . it use to scare me to where i was afraid to go to sleep at night cause i knew i would have to see that AGAIN. another one is of me and my kids on this beach.. no ones around but us and as we looked at the water crash this tsunami crashes over me and my children. as were fighting to swim to the surface and keep ahold to my kids so i dont lose them we surface on this little island just big enough for us to stand on and nothing else around us but water and no way to get OFF this island but i saved them from the water tho. and one last dream that was so vivid i swore i wasnt asleep that it actually happened because it was THAT real. this woman is walking in this great big beautiful green pasture the pasture was covered in this thick myst and she turns around holding her hand out for mine trying to get me to go with her. i KNEW she was either a spirit or an angel so i wasnt afraid but later that day when i woke up i just kept hearing this womans voice EVERYWHERE. later that night i was sitting in my living room all alone and i hear my name as clear as day. it was a males voice and he whispered but i could feel his hot breath near my ear as if he was leaned over me. it scared me so bad i ran out of my own house histarical cause i wasnt sure if i was going crazy or if it actually happened . i wasnt too open about my beliefs at that time but it made me a believer thats for sure

Most time I dream and u dnt remember. The only 1 I could remember was the one with the tooth... Is was not funny to the extend of crying out helplessly... But wen I woke up I prayed..

I often dream about random places in our previous house, what does that mean?

I had a terrifying dream once that scared everyone in the house. I dreamed someone was trying to kill me, my friend and her son. Another friend tried to help but he killed her instead. I woke up screaming bloody murder! My throat hurt for two days and I was so afraid to go to sleep. If I start to have the dream again I wake myself up.

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