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- $Unique_ID{BRK00364}
- $Pretitle{}
- $Title{Do Dreams Mean Anything at All?}
- $Subject{dreams predictions Mental Emotional brain behavior behaviors Freud
- wishes feelings unconscious mind sexual Jung tensions stresses frustrations
- conscious dream interpretation nightmare symbolism REM rapid eye movement}
- $Volume{E-23,E-1}
- $Log{}
-
- Copyright (c) 1991-92,1993 Tribune Media Services, Inc.
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- Do Dreams Mean Anything at All?
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- QUESTION: I don't dream very frequently, but my girl friend does almost all
- the time. She claims that her dreams can predict the future, and takes them
- very seriously. Do dreams mean anything at all, and how can you tell?
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-
- ANSWER: Through the ages, the images seen in dreams have had almost a
- mystical attraction for many. Sigmund Freud, the Austrian psychoanalyst,
- thought that dreams expressed the wishes and feelings of the unconscious mind,
- and were frequently linked to sexual feelings. Carl Jung, a Swiss
- psychiatrist, and a disciple of Freud's, disagreed, and felt that dreams were
- the result of all the tensions, stresses and frustrations experienced by both
- the conscious and unconscious. No one is sure just what dreams do mean. I
- doubt that many scientists believe that they predict the future, and while
- most agree that there are some meanings hidden in our dreams, the exact
- significance and purpose of dreams is still unclear. Many dreams seem to be
- built of a day's activities and pressure, while others take us back into
- experiences of the past. Some students of dream interpretation feel that
- problems may be solved in the world of sleep, or that dreams may set the mood
- for the next day's activity and actions. Dreams will sometimes explain the
- cause of external noises and disturbances in a fanciful way, to help protect
- the sleeping mind from awakening. Some dreams, nightmares, are frightening
- and upsetting. Recurring, regular episodes of frightening dreams may affect
- our daytime activity to the point where professional help is indicated. There
- is much debate about the symbolism in dreams and whether certain objects have
- specific meanings. Dreams only occur during the REM or rapid eye movement
- stage of sleep, which has led to the initiation of research into the
- biological and physiological as well as the psychological aspects of dreaming.
- Therefore, it may be a while before I can answer your question as completely
- as we might both desire.
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- The material contained here is "FOR INFORMATION ONLY" and should not replace
- the counsel and advice of your personal physician. Promptly consulting your
- doctor is the best path to a quick and successful resolution of any medical
- problem.
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