Sigmund Freud once wrote the following: \u201cThe interpretation of dreams is the royal road to a knowledge of the unconscious activities of the mind.\u201d For scientists like Freud, Carl Jung and Fritz Perls, dream interpretation was an important part of psychotherapy. In fact, all three believed that dreams could reveal unconscious desires and issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For a therapist, dream interpretation can have many benefits during a session. If a patient is new to therapy \u2013 or a particular therapist \u2013 the person may be less likely to immediately open up and talk about what\u2019s going on. But if a therapist asks patients about their dreams, they\u2019re more likely to talk about one. This avenue not only establishes rapport. It can also draw out what the unconscious issues might be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dreams have had a role in the human story throughout history. Some of the first stories ever written were about dreams. Dreams have played a part in Christianity, Islam, and Judaism, among others. In the Talmud, there are over 200 references to dreams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In Christianity, the beginning and the ending of Jesus\u2019 story involved dreams. According to the New Testament, the Archangel Gabriel appeared to Joseph in a dream, telling him that the child Mary was carrying was the son of God. And the end of Jesus\u2019 life, Pontius Pilate washed his hands when he gave Jesus to the crowd, indicating that he was \u201cwashing his hands\u201d of the situation. He did this because his wife had a \u2018troubled\u2019 dream about Jesus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDreams have been historically interesting to people,\u201d said Frederick L. Coolidge, professor of psychology. \u201cThey have their place in religion, and they are part of our earliest stories.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yet, over the years, dream interpretation has been taught far less frequently, if at all, in master\u2019s and PhD programs. Coolidge attributes this to the many specious and unscientific \u201cdream interpretation\u201d books on the market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere have been so many ridiculous, silly dream books,\u201d he said. He\u2019s referring to the books that tell you what different elements in your dream mean \u2013 as if all meanings of a particular thing in a dream can mean the same thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere is no glossary of meaning, but dreams have meaning,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In his book, “The Science of Dream Interpretation,” Coolidge talks about the importance of dream interpretation in psychotherapy and how it may be used to draw out hidden issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s a shame that we no longer teach the art and science of dream interpretations,\u201d said Coolidge. \u201cWhat\u2019s really made it unpopular and made it flaky are these ridiculous books. They\u2019ve made it so unscientific that programs shy away from it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yet, going back to the roots of psychology with dream interpretation \u2013 and training future therapists to interpret dreams – has its benefits. They can develop rapport with their patients by asking about their dreams, and they can also freely associate to figure out what issues might be pushing their way out of the unconscious and into dreams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBecause in general, people spend a lot of time being unhappy,\u201d said Coolidge. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
And this is where therapy can help \u2013 in both chronic and acute situations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSince people spend a portion of their lives unhappy, dream therapy is, maybe, a useful way to get to the roots of their unhappiness,” he said. “Psychotherapy generally operates on the premise that awareness, per se, is curative. Dreams are a way to make us aware of our problems.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Professor Frederick L. Coolidge has received three teaching awards, including the lifetime designation, the University of Colorado Presidential Teaching Scholar and the UCCS Letters, Arts and Sciences Annual Outstanding Research and Creative Words Award. He is also a three-time Fulbright Fellowship Award recipient. He is the author of 14 books and his latest, “The Science of Dream Interpretation,” can be found wherever books are sold.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"