Carl Gustav Jung On Dreams

Dreams are specific expressions of the unconscous which have a definite, purposeful
structure indicating an underlying idea or intention. The general function of dreams is to
restore one's total psychic equlilibrium. They tend to play a complementary or
compensatory role in our psychic makeup.
The page references in our text are to the book Dreams by C. . !ung. "t was translated
by #. $. C. %ull. &lso www.dreamloverinc.com'anatomy.htm.
From Dreams to Self Understanding
By Silvana Ivin-Amar
&s " get deeper into the study of dreams, into C. !ung and into my own thoughts, " am
beginning to develop a better understanding of who " am as a total human being. The
point of it all is really self identity and self understanding. $or a long time now, people
have been talking and writing about the ego, the conscious and the unconscious. The
spirit and the soul. "n order for any of this to make sense, all of these concepts must
somehow fit together. "t is like having pieces of a pu((le in both hands and now needing
to put it together. "f the )putting together) is successful you can see the beautiful picture
that is created from all the smaller parts.
The soul is the big picture. *e are soul. The soul has the ability to travel in the realm of
the collective unconscious and it does so in our dreams. %owever, not in all dreams. The
soul it is also accessible through other means ++ such as prayer, meditation and
contemplation. Thus, we are soul and we come from the realm of the collective
unconscious, we return to it when we can and we ultimately return to it at the end ,our
own physical end-.
*e also have the ego. The ego is our personality and some manifestations of the soul in
this life time and in this body. The ego is responsible for our daily functioning. it is our
psychology and rationality. The ego has its own unconscious component. *e call this
our private unconscious. These are things outside of our conscious awareness but from
the realm of this physical reality and of this life.
The ego rules the day and this conscious life. /ut our lives are directed or effected by
unseen forces within ourselves. "n order for a person to be very well developed,
integrated and in balance ++ there needs to be an understanding of the various elements
that create the total person. *e need to acknowledge and recogni(e the ego ++ its
conscious and unconscious components. *e also need to give, at the minimum, equal
time and respect to our soul. $irst to recogni(e the fact that we are more than a body and
more than our egos. Then, try to develop our understanding of soul ++ or try to become
intimate with it.
0o many of us are completely out of balance. The world is a mess and individually we
are a mess too. *e attempt to address our problems by taking care of the ego. *e go to
therapy and we analy(e and attempt to heal only the ego. This is helpful for only a short
period of time and many of the symptoms and problems return to us full force. "n order
to achieve any permanent, or long lasting contentment and peacefulness we need to look
at ourselves in our beautiful and very complex totality.
*e need to heal not only our egos, which take care of our concrete problems, but also
our souls, which are the source of any permanent feelings of love and health.
"n our dreams we have the wonderful ability to transcend the physical world and to
function as soul. *e have the opportunity to tap into the collective unconscious and to
have experiences which are enlightening. &t times we remember these experiences and
we attempt to understand them through dream analysis. *hen dreams are from the
collective unconscious we say that they are archetypal in nature and decoding them may
not be all that difficult. This is time consuming but not impossible to do.
1nfortunately, those of us that are firmly stuck in the ego during the day remember
dreams that are from the ego during the night. The personal unconscious materials are
remembered and analy(ed and the individual may be satisfied by a simplistic dream
interpretation. To develop a model of the human psyche in its totality is very, very
difficult. To somehow diagram the four unequal components is something that " am
thinking about and may have some insight about it in the future. "t may be spherical in
design and hopefully the diagram would be able to show interrelationship between all
the parts.
"t is possible to come to a greater level of understanding without dreams. %owever, it is
not wise. Dreams are an irreplaceable source of information, inspiration and
enlightenment. "t is each persons responsibility to become familiar with their dreams. To
think about them, to write them down, and to regularly attempt to understand the
messages from their dreams. &s you do this, your lives will become fuller and you will
gain insight, not only into your daily life, but also into your soul2
)The olletive unonsious is ommon to all! it is the foundation of
"hat the anients alled the #sym$athy of all things%# -- CG Jung
Carl ustav !ung lived from 3456 to 3783 and was a 0wiss psychiatrist. "n the early
years, he worked in an asylum and was motivated by a desire to understand the human
psyche. $reud and !ung were contemporaries. !ung was fascinated by $reud's ideas
about the unconscious and by his theories on dreams. !ung did not agree with $reud on
many accounts and he independently research and developed an extensive theoretical
framework regarding the structure of the human psyche and the nature of dreams. The
foundation of &nalytical psychology is the life's work of Carl !ung. %e was a prolific
writer and was tenacious in his pursuit to understand the human condition. !ung's work
includes conventional and unconventional areas of study such as religion, alchemy and
astrology.
"n order to appreciate the theories and thoughts of C. . !ung an individual must first
have a general understanding, appreciation, and belief in the unconscious. "t is difficult
to explain the unconscious because it is not a concrete ob9ect. :ne can not hold it, look
at it or examine it directly. "t is something like wind. *e can see its effects and can feel
it, but we can not grab it in our hands and examine it. 0cience can not study the
unconscious directly. The only proof of its existence can be found in the complex
workings of the human mind and spirit.
To give the unonsious validity and $o"er is a lea$ of faith% To &elieve in its e'istene is something
li(e &elieving in a )igher *o"er% I don+t mean to suggest that the unonsious is li(e
God% In my understanding, it is not% The unonsious is a very $rivate and individual
thing% Our dream material may ome from this "onderful $lae that "e have no aess
to during the day% The unonsious mind may have the $o"er to onnet us to other
levels, or dimensions, of ourselves and eventually to everyone and everything else,
inluding Divinity% C% G% Jung said that the unonsious is not neessarily smarter, &ut
that it holds different information than our onsious mind% It ena&les us to see things
that are at times diffiult to understand and admit% The unonsious e'$erienes that
are revealed to us in dreams also allo" freedom and mo&ility that "ould &e im$ossi&le
to o&tain through the onsious mind% In a dream "e an fly and there are virtually no
limits to the $ossi&ilities in our dream e'$erienes-
In the dream state "e have an o$$ortunity to aess the *.I/AT0 and the CO110CTI/0
unonsious% Aording to Carl Jung, the $rimary funtions of dreams are2
3% Dreams are a om$ensation for "hat is going on in daily life% They an serve as a $ositive
or negative om$ensation% In this "ay, they attem$t to &alane the $syhe% For e'am$le2 If
you e'$eriene unha$$iness in daily life, you may have a &lissful dream% If you are very
suessful in a s$eifi area of life, you may have a dream a&out failure or disaster%
4% Dreams $rovide a reation to a traumati e'$eriene% For e'am$le2 If you "ere in a ar
aident, you may dream of it and the dream may &e a re$eat of this negative e'$eriene%
*eo$le "ho suffered great trauma, suh as ra$e vitims or "ar veterans, may have
nightmares that are e'atly li(e or very similar to atual life events% As the individual
assimilates these traumati e'$erienes, suh dreams should &eome less and less fre5uent
and may ta(e another form%
6% Dreams may &e $ro$heti% Some dreams may $rovide the dreamer "ith glim$ses into the
future a&out small matters, "hile other dreams may reveal im$ortant events% )o"ever,
(ee$ in mind that most dreams are sym&oli and not literal% *ro$heti dreams may have an
emotional or $syhi harge that is different from other ty$es of dreams%
7% Dreams may &e tele$athi% In the Amerian )eritage Ditionary, tele$athy is defined as
#ommuniation through means other than the senses%# Tele$athi dreams may &e a means
of ommuniating "ith others, as "ell as a $ath for one $art of the dreamer+s $syhe to
ommuniate "ith another%
8% Dreams may &e mimeti of events ourring in the $hysial system or &ody% Thus, dreams
may attem$t to &ring to onsiousness an un(no"n illness or &e a refletion of a urrent
$hysial hallenge%
Inter$reting dreams an and should &e $ratied "ithout muh dogmati ertainty
- Disturbances are due to lack of harmony between conscious and unconscious ;5<=.
&s regards the maturation of personality, therefore, the analytical approach is of a
higher order than suggestion, which is a species of magic that works in the dark and
makes no ethical demands upon the personality. >ethods of treatment based on
suggestion are deceptive makeshifts. they are incompatible with the principles of
analytical therapy and should be avoided if at all possible ;76=.
The dream begins with a 0T&T?>?@T :$ AB&C? . . . ;4C=.
@ext comes a statement about the A#:T&:@"0T0 . . . 0tatements of time are rarer. "
call this phase of the dream the ?DA:0"T":@. "t indicates the scene of action, the
people involved, and often the initial situation of the dreamer. . . . ;4C=.
"n the second phase comes the D?E?B:A>?@T of the plot . . . The situation is
somehow becoming complicated and a definite tension develops because one does not
know what will happen ;4C+43=.
The third phase brings the C1B>"@&T":@ or peripeteia. %ere something decisive
happens or something changes completely ;43=.
The fourth and last phase is the lysis, the 0:B1T":@ or #?01BT produced by the
dream+work. ,There are certain dreams in which the fourth phase is lacking, and this can
present a special problem, not to be discussed here- ;43=.
$or dream contents to be assimilated, it is of overriding importance that no real values
of the conscious personality should be damaged, much less destroyed, otherwise there is
no one left to do the assimilating ;3CF+<=.
%ere we come upon something of the utmost importance for the applicability of dream+
analysisG the dream describes the inner situation of the dreamer, but the conscious mind
denies its truth and reality, or admits it only grudgingly ;7C=.
?very dream is an organ of information and control, and . . . dreams are our most
effective aid in building up the personality ;3C3=.
@obody doubts the importance of conscious experience. why then should we doubt the
significance of unconscious happeningsH ;77=.
"f the practitioner operates too much with fixed symbols, there is a danger of his falling
into mere routine and pernicious dogmatism, and thus failing his patient ;3C6=.
The charge has recently been laid at my door that my teaching about the assimilation of
the unconscious would undermine civili(ation and deliver up our highest values to sheer
primitivity. 0uch an opinion can only be based on the totally erroneous supposition that
the unconscious is a monster . . . The unconscious is not a demoniacal monster, but a
natural entity . . . "t only becomes dangerous when our conscious attitude to it is
hopelessly wrong. To the degree that we repress it, its danger increases ;3CC=.
"t is imperative that we should not pare down the meaning of the dream to fit some
narrow doctrine ;78=.
"nitial dreams are often ama(ingly lucid and clear+cut. /ut as the work of analysis
progresses, the dreams tend to lose their clarity . . . &s a rule, dreams get more and more
opaque and blurred soon after the beginning of the treatment, and this makes the
interpretation increasingly difficult. & further difficulty is that a point may soon be
reached where . . . the doctor no longer understands the situation as a whole ;7F=.
*e are dealing with something like a text that is unintelligible not because it has a
facade+a text has no facade+but simply because we cannot read it. *e do not have to get
behind such a text, but must first learn to read it.= The best way to do this . . . is to
establish the context ;75+74=.
;0ound dream interpretation= requires the patient to face his problems and that taxes his
powers of conscious 9udgment and decision. "t is nothing less than a direct challenge to
his ethical sense, a call to arms that must be answered by the whole personality ;7<+76=.
These symbols are relatively fixed, but in no single case can we have the a priori
certainty that in practice the symbol must be interpreted in that way ;3C6=.
" make it an heuristic rule, in interpreting a dream, to ask myselfG *hat conscious
attitude does it compensateH /y so doing, " relate the dream as closely as possible to the
conscious situation. indeed, " would even assert that without knowledge of the
conscious situation the dream can never be interpreted with any degree of certainty
;3CI=.
The manifestations of the sub9ective psyche, or consciousness, can be predicted to only
the smallest degree ;335=.
*ith )unconscious) manifestations there is . . . only the loosest connections with
conscious contents ;335=.
)#ecently " dreamt " was coming home at night. ?verything is as quiet as death. The
door into the living+room is half open, and " see my mother hanging from the
chandelier, swinging to and fro in the cold wind that blows in through the open
windows. &nother time " dreamt that a terrible noise broke out in the house at night. "
get up and discover that a frightened horse is tearing through the rooms. &t last it finds
the door into the hall, and 9umps through the hall window from the fourth floor into the
street below. " was terrified when " saw it lying there, all mangled.)=
The gruesome character of the dreams is alone sufficient to make one pause . . . the two
main symbols, )mother) and )horse) . . . both do the same thing + they commit suicide. .
. . The underlying, primary psychic reality is so inconceivably complex that it can be
grasped only at the farthest reach of intuition.
)%orse) is an equivalent of )mother) with a slight shift of meaning. . . . the horse
;stands= for the merely animal life of the body. . . . , its interpretation will beG The
animal life is destroying itself. . . . /oth dreams point to a grave organic disease with a
fatal outcome. This prognosis was soon confirmed ;3C5+7=.
;>any= begin by associating in accordance with a theory, that is, they try to understand
and interpret, and they nearly always get stuck. . . . they want to get behind the dream at
once in the false belief that the dream is a mere facade concealing the true meaning. /ut
the so+called facade of most houses is by no means a fake or a deceptive distortion. on
the contrary, it follows the plan of the building . . . The )manifest) dream+picture is the
dream itself and contains the whole meaning of the dream ;75=.
The )big) or )meaningful) dreams come from this deeper level. They reveal their
significance+quite apart from the sub9ective impression they make+by their plastic form,
which often has a poetic force and beauty. 0uch dreams occur mostly during the critical
phases of life, in early youth, puberty, at the onset of middle age ,thirty+six to forty-, and
within sight of death . . ;55=.
&rchetypal products are no longer concerned with personal experiences ;55=.
)" am a celibate like the Aope, but " would like to have many wives like the >oslem.) "
kept silent about these con9ectures ;3C=.
Aersecution mania comes from a relationship poisoned by mistrust ;3IF=.
One should reali9e that dreams often have many meanings and an ontain
signifiant hints%
;Certain= reflections are unavoidable if one wants to understand the meaning of )big)
dreams. They employ numerous mythological motifs that characteri(e the life of the
hero, of that greater man who is semi+divine by nature. %ere we find the dangerous
adventures and ordeals such as occur in initiations. *e meet dragons, helpful animals,
and demons. also the *ise old >an, the animal+man, the wishing tree, the hidden
treasure, the well, the cave, the walled garden, the transformative processes and
substances of alchemy, and so forth+all things which in no way touch the banalities of
everyday. . . . they have to do with the reali(ation of a part of the personality which . . .
is still in the process of becoming ;57=. "t frequently happens at the very beginning of
the treatment that a dream will reveal to the doctor, in broad perspective, the whole
program of the unconscious. /ut for practical reasons it may be quite impossible to
make clear to the patient the deeper meaning of the dream. "n this respect, too, we are
limited by practical considerations ;3C8=.
1nderstanding is clearly a very sub9ective process. "t can be extremely one+sided, in that
the doctor understands but not the patient. "n such a case the doctor conceives it to be
his duty to convince the patient, and if the latter will not allow himself to be convinced,
the doctor accuses him of resistance. . . . it makes very little difference whether the
doctor understands or not, but it makes all the difference whether the patient
understands. 1nderstanding should therefore be understanding in the sense of an
agreement which is the fruit of 9oint reflection ;7<=.
&ll other hypotheses, however, about the function and the structure of dreams are
merely rules of thumb and must be sub9ected to constant modification. "n dream+
analysis we must never forget, even for a moment, that we move on treacherous ground
where nothing is certain but uncertainty ;78=.
%orses in folklore sometimes see visions, hear voices, and speak . . ;3C5=.
&mong the many pu((les of medical psychology there is one problem+child, the dream.
"t would be an interesting, as well as difficult, task to examine the dream exclusively in
its medical aspects, that is, with regard to the diagnosis and prognosis of pathological
conditions. The dream does in fact concern itself with both health and sickness, and
since, by virtue of its source in the unconscious, it draws upon a wealth of subliminal
perceptions, it can sometimes produce things that are very well worth knowing. This has
often proved helpful to me ;85+84=.
Dream+interpretation requires, among other things, speciali(ed knowledge. . . . " am
quite ready to believe that an intelligent layman with some psychological knowledge
and experience of life could, with practice, diagnose dream+compensation correctly
;58=.
/y the sea shore. . . . The sea is the symbol of the collective unconscious ;too= ;3II=.
?ven if we know the conscious situation we know nothing of the attitude of the
unconscious ;5<=.
" . . . urge my patients to keep a careful record of their dreams and of the interpretations
given. " also show them how to work out their dreams . . . they can bring the dream and
its context with them in writing to the consultation. &t a later stage " get them to work
out the interpretation as well. "n this way the patient learns how to deal correctly with
his unconscious ;74=.
;Carl ustav= Carus ;3547+3487= formulated the concept of the unconscious ;in the
34CCs= ;45=.
"f . . . someone dreams of a table, we are still far from knowing what the )table) of the
dreamer signifies, although the word )table) sounds unambiguous enough. $or the thing
we do not know is that this )table) is the very one at which his father sat when he
refused the dreamer all further financial help and threw him out of the house as a good+
for+nothing. The polished surface of this table stares at him as a symbol of his
lamentable worthlessness in his daytime consciousness as well as in his dreams at night.
This is what our dreamer understands by )table.) Therefore we need the dreamer's help
in order to limit the multiple meanings of words to those that are essential and
convincing. That the )table) stands as a mortifying landmark in the dreamer's life may
be doubted by anyone who was not present. /ut the dreamer does not doubt it, nor do
". . . . "f, therefore, we establish that the )table) in the dream means 9ust that fatal table,
with all that this implies, then, although we have not explained the dream, we have at
least interpreted one important motif of it. that is, we have recogni(ed the sub9ective
context in which the word )table) is embedded. *e arrived at this conclusion by a
methodical questioning of the dreamer's own associations. The further procedures to
which $reud sub9ects the dream+contents " have had to re9ect, for they are too much
influenced by the preconceived opinion that dreams are the fulfillment of )repressed
wishes.) ;5C+53=.
There are three possibilities. "f the conscious attitude to the life situation is in large
degree one+sided, then the dream takes the opposite side. "f the conscious has a position
fairly near the )middle,) the dream is satisfied with variations. "f the conscious attitude
is )correct) ,adequate-, then the dream coincides with and emphasi(es this tendency,
though without forfeiting its peculiar autonomy ;5<=.
The prospective function ;of the dream=, on the other hand, is an anticipation in the
unconscious of future conscious achievements, some thing like a preliminary exercise or
sketch, or a plan roughed out in advance. "ts symbolic content sometimes outlines the
solution of a conflict ;<3=.
"f dreams produce . . . essential compensations, why are they not understandableH ;4C=.
"n the particular psychological situation of the dreamer the allusion to the raising up of
the dead man acquires a pretty significance as the curing of her husband's impotence
;IC=.
" therefore proceed in the same way as " would in deciphering a difficult text. This
method does not always produce an immediately understandable result. often the only
thing that emerges, at first, is a hint that looks significant ;5I=.
"t is $reud's great achievement to have put dream+interpretation on the right track.
&bove all, he recogni(ed that no interpretation can be undertaken without the dreamer.
The words composing a dream+narrative have not 9ust one meaning, but many meanings
;5C=.
"t is not for psychology, as a science, to demand a hypostati(ation of the od+image.
/ut, the facts being what they are, it does have to reckon with the existence of a od+
image. "n the same way it reckons with instinct but does not deem itself competent to
say what )instinct) really is ;8<=.
"t may seem strange that " should attribute an as it were indefinite content to these
relatively fixed symbols. Jet if their content were not indefinite, they would not be
symbols at all, but signs or symptoms. *e all know how the $reudian school operates
with hard+and+fast sexual )symbols)+which in this case " would call )signs)+and endows
them with an apparently definitive content, namely sexuality. 1nfortunately $reud's idea
of sexuality is incredibly elastic and so vague that it can be made to include almost
anything ;3C<=.
Bater in the analysis he had the following dreamG %e received a bill from the analyst
charging him interest of 3 franc on a sum of FI6 francs for delay in payment from the
Frd to the I4th 0eptember. This reproach of meanness and avariciousness leveled at the
analyst covered, as analysis proved, a strong unconscious envy ;36=.
The )tail+eater) ,1roboros- as the prima materia of the alchemical process, with the red+
and+white rose, the flos sapientum ;3I5=.
"t seldom happens that anyone who has taken the trouble to work over his dreams with
qualified assistance for a longer period of time remains without enrichment and a
broadening of his mental hori(on ;56=.
The doctor should not be too ready to accuse the dreams of confusion or the patient of
deliberate resistance, he would do better to take these findings as a sign of his own
growing inability to understand ;7F=.
The dream is a natural occurrence, and . . . nature shows no inclination to offer her fruits
gratis or according to human expectations ;4C=.
The purposive nature of the dream+content is not immediately discernible from outside
without further investigation ;F7=.
*e manage to establish almost the whole context of the dream+image. *hen we have
done this for all the images in the dream we are ready for the venture of interpretation.
?very interpretation is a hypothesis, an attempt to read an unknown text ;74=.
The avowed aim of dream+analysis is not only to exercise our wits, but to uncover and
reali(e those hitherto unconscious contents which are considered to be of importance in
the elucidation or treatment of a neurosis ;45+44=.
*e say that the dream has a false front only because we fail to see into it ;75=.
*ith the ordinary pro9ection of traits of character or momentary attitudes . . . it
frequently happens that the ob9ect offers a hook to the pro9ection ;67=.
In Jungian mind analysis, some dreams are studied% The ritualisti and odd
thera$y - shun it- Dreams contain something more than practical helps for the doctor,
dream+analysis deserves very special attention. 0ometimes, indeed, it is a matter of life
and death ;74=. Through the assimilation of unconscious contents, the momentary life of
consciousness can once more be brought into harmony with the law of nature from
which it all too easily departs, and the patient can be led back to the natural law of his
own being ;3C7=.
The correct dream interpretation can strike home ;cf. 3CF=.
&s is the way of all dreams, my little dream example gives us rather more than we
expected ;73=.
The patient has falsified the situation. "t suits his fancy to come to me in the guise of a
philosopher and psychologist . . . /ut the dream reminds him of it . . . and forces him to
tell the truth. . . . %is recollection of the fortune+teller shows us very clearly 9ust how he
had imagined my activities . . . The dream rectifies the situation. "t contributes the
material that was lacking and thereby improves the patient's attitude. That is ;a= reason
we need dream+analysis in our therapy ;F8=.
?very process that goes too far immediately and inevitably calls forth compensations,
and without these there would be neither a normal metabolism nor a normal psyche
;3C3=.
" leave theory aside as much as possible when analy(ing dreams+not entirely, of course,
for we always need some theory to make things intelligible. "t is on the basis of theory,
for instance, that " expect dreams to have a meaning. " cannot prove in every case that
this is so, for there are dreams which the doctor and the patient simply do not
understand ;78=.
The patient, that is to say, does not need to have a truth inculcated into him+if we do
that, we only reach his head. he needs far more to grow up to this truth, and in that way
we reach his heart, and the appeal goes deeper and works more powerfully ;7<=.
*hy must the dream manufacture such an improbable story ;3CF=.
Eery much more could be said about the aims of dream+analysis, but since dream+
analysis is instrumental to analytical treatment in general, this could only be done if "
were to embark on the whole question of therapy ;86=.
*e all know how the $reudian school operates with hard+and+fast sexual )symbols) . . .
Arimitive people, who, like the ancients, make the freest use of phallic symbols, would
never dream of confusing the phallus, as a ritualistic symbol, with the penis ;3C<, 3C6=.
The ouro&oros sna(e ould need to &e mastered too, and some dreams are
essentially visions The :uroboros is an ancient symbol + that is understood as )snake)
or )serpent) + that is an ancient @ear ?astern and &egean and reek emblem of wisdom,
a symbol of unity of things. The symbolic snake of wisdom which circularly eats its
own tail, is traced back to ?gyptian mythology. ,C.*. Eol. 3< para.<4F-. )The symbol of
the uroboros, the snake that eats its own tail'. "n the age+old image of the uroboros lies
the thought of devouring oneself and turning oneself into . . . the :ne, who proceeds
from the ;outrK= 9oining opposites, ,from C.*. Eol. 3< para.63F- =. )*hat nature leaves
imperfect is perfected by the art,) says an alchemical dictum ;4C=.
"n the case of a neurosis . . . the unconscious is quite capable of bringing about all kinds
of unwelcome disturbances )by mistake,) often with serious consequences, or of
provoking neurotic symptoms ;5<=.
"n spite of his sincere efforts to remember, it was at first impossible for him to recall
what this was. %ere we have a very common instance of forgetfulness caused by
inhibition ;3C=.
&s far back as 37C5 " pointed out the compensatory relation between consciousness and
the split+off complexes and also emphasi(ed their purposive character ;F4=.
>any . . . resemble the doctor in their insuperable desire to understand and interpret . . .
especially when they have been primed by ill+digested reading . . ;78+75=.
The doctor should regard every such dream as something new, as a source of
information about conditions whose nature is unknown to him, concerning which he has
as much to learn as the patient. "t goes without saying that he should give up all his
theoretical assumptions and should in every single case be ready to construct a totally
new theory of dreams. There are still boundless opportunities ;76=.
There are, it is true, dreams which manifestly represent wishes or fears, but what about
all the other thingsH Dreams may contain ineluctable truths, philosophical
pronouncements, illusions, wild fantasies, memories, plans, anticipations, irrational
experiences, even telepathic visions, and heaven knows what besides. :ne thing we
ought never to forgetG almost half our life is passed in a more or less unconscious state.
The dream is specifically the utterance of the unconscious ;76=.
The combination of ideas in dreams is essentially fantastic. they are linked together in a
sequence which is as a rule quite foreign to our )reality thinking,) and in striking
contrast to the logical sequence of ideas which we consider to be a special characteristic
of conscious mental processes . . . the dream and its context is something that we do not
understand. . . . /ut that would not prevent dreams from having an inherent meaning of
their own ;I<=.
The dream uses collective figures because it has to express an eternal human problem
that repeats itself ;54=.
0ince the meaning of most dreams is not in accord with the tendencies of the conscious
mind but shows peculiar deviations, we must assume that the unconscious, the matrix of
dreams, has an independent function. This is what " call the autonomy of the
unconscious. The dream not only fails to obey our will but very often stands in flagrant
opposition to our conscious intentions ;5F=. the $reudian school presents the
unconscious in a thoroughly negative light, much as it regards primitive man as little
better than a monster. "ts nursery+tales about the terrible old man of the tribe and its
teachings about the )infantile+perverse+criminal) unconscious have led people to make a
dangerous ogre out of something perfectly natural. &s if all that is good, reasonable,
worth while, and beautiful had taken up its abode in the conscious mind2 ;3CC=.
This division into four ;dream= phases can be applied without much difficulty to the
ma9ority of dreams met with in practice+an indication that dreams generally have a
)dramatic) structure ;43=.
Dreams are the very fabric of the analytical process, whether it is called psychoanalysis
in $reud's system or analytical psychology in !ung's, and the writings of both of the
great pioneers are thronged with accounts and analyses of dreams and expositions of
dream theory ;v=.
*e should have a less confused idea of the processes mediated to the conscious mind by
dreams and a clearer recognition of what the symbols point to ;3C7=.
In a hanging "orld, the unonsious too stands in need of sound eduative
measures% $ree association will bring out all my complexes, but hardly ever the
meaning of a dream ;74=. "n the treatment of neurosis, the task before us is to reestablish
an approximate harmony between conscious and unconscious ;56=.
:ur mentality is distinguished by the shameless naivetK with which we 9udge our
enemy, and in the 9udgment we pronounce upon him we unwittingly reveal our own
defectsG we simply accuse our enemy of our own unadmitted faults. *e see everything
in the other, we critici(e and condemn the other, we even want to improve and educate
the other ;68=.
$or prognosis, . . . certain dreams are important ;84=
A slight (no"ledge is a &eginning, moderation in life omes in handy! dreams seem
to suggest that fre5uently% "f one believes that the unconscious always knows best, one
can easily be betrayed into leaving the dreams to take the necessary decisions, and is
then disappointed when the dreams be come more and more trivial and meaningless.
?xperience has shown me that a slight knowledge of dream psychology is apt to lead to
an overrating of the unconscious which impairs the power of conscious decision. The
unconscious functions satisfactorily only when the conscious mind fulfils its tasks to the
very limit ;4I=.
Summary
3. 0ignificant dream themes develop and culminate, and in some cases solutions are
strongly suggested in them. "nterpreting dreams can and should be practiced with
scrutiny and candour, without much dogmatic certainty. &nd we should reali(e that
dreams often have many meanings and can contain significant hints.
I. ood interpretations seem to be more readily accepted. "n !ungian mind analysis,
some dreams are studied. &s for the ritualistic, odd therapy + shun it2 The ouroboros
snake could need to be mastered too, and some dreams are essentially visions.
F. :ne task before us is harmony and another is self+help through dreams. 0trife is a
part of life too, and dreams tend to offer suggestions on solving that sort of stuff +
maybe not full well. "n a changing world, the unconscious too stands in need of sound
educative measures. 0light knowledge marks the beginning of any study + there is no
need to play down a fair beginner, therefore, as moderation is a cue.
Dream themes tend to require tactful interpretations, or dreams may become elusive to
understand. 0elf+help dream interpretations can work well. & little study to go along
with it is called for. >any dreams strive for organismic balancing, and thereby hint at
moderation ways or countermeasures.
Searh Carl Jung+s Colleted :or(s
Carl Gustav Jung Biogra$hy
Carl ustav !ung was born !uly I8, 3456, in the small 0wiss village of Lessewil. %is
father was Aaul !ung, a country parson, and his mother was ?milie Areiswerk !ung. %e
was surrounded by a fairly well educated extended family, including quite a few
clergymen and some eccentrics as well.
The elder !ung started Carl on Batin when he was six years old, beginning a long
interest in language and literature ++ especially ancient literature. /esides most modern
western ?uropean languages, !ung could read several ancient ones, including 0anskrit,
the language of the original %indu holy books.
Carl was a rather solitary adolescent, who didn't care much for school, and especially
couldn't take competition. %e went to boarding school in /asel, 0wit(erland, where he
found himself the ob9ect of a lot of 9ealous harassment. %e began to use sickness as an
excuse, developing an embarrassing tendency to faint under pressure.
&lthough his first career choice was archeology, he went on to study medicine at the
1niversity of /asel. *hile working under the famous neurologist Lrafft+?bing, he
settled on psychiatry as his career.
&fter graduating, he took a position at the /urghoelt(li >ental %ospital in Murich under
?ugene /leuler, an expert on ,and the namer of- schi(ophrenia. "n 37CF, he married
?mma #auschenbach. %e also taught classes at the 1niversity of Murich, had a private
practice, and invented word association at this time2
Bong an admirer of $reud, he met him in Eienna in 37C5. The story goes that after they
met, $reud canceled all his appointments for the day, and they talked for 3F hours
straight, such was the impact of the meeting of these two great minds2 $reud eventually
came to see !ung as the crown prince of psychoanalysis and his heir apparent.
/ut !ung had never been entirely sold on $reud's theory. Their relationship began to
cool in 37C7, during a trip to &merica. They were entertaining themselves by analy(ing
each others' dreams ,more fun, apparently, than shuffleboard-, when $reud seemed to
show an excess of resistance to !ung's efforts at analysis. $reud finally said that they'd
have to stop because he was afraid he would lose his authority2 !ung felt rather insulted.
*orld *ar " was a painful period of self+examination for !ung. "t was, however, also the
beginning of one of the most interesting theories of personality the world has ever seen.
&fter the war, !ung traveled widely, visiting, for example, tribal people in &frica,
&merica, and "ndia. %e retired in 37<8, and began to retreat from public attention after
his wife died in 3766. %e died on !une 8, 3783, in Murich.
Carl Jung+s Theories
Carl !ung believed a dreams content uses symbolic language. %e proposed that a dream
expresses collective racial unconscious memories and instincts shared by all people.
These are basic ideas that are themselves symbols. These include the hero, monster,
mother, father, mandala, sacrifice and the mask.
Dreams also indicate the way to self actuali(ation. !ungian therapy in fact deals
extensively with dreams and fantasies.
"@D"E"D1&T":@. !ung believed that a human being is inwardly whole, but that most
of us have lost touch with important parts of our selves. Through listening to the
messages of our dreams and waking imagination, we can contact and reintegrate our
different parts. The goal of life is individuation, the process of coming to know, giving
expression to, and harmoni(ing the various components of the psyche. "f we reali(e our
uniqueness, we can undertake a process of individuation and tap into our true self. ?ach
human being has a specific nature and calling which is uniquely his or her own, and
unless these are fulfilled through a union of conscious and unconscious, the person can
become sick.
0T:#J. !ung concluded that every person has a story, and when derangement occurs, it
is because the personal story has been denied or re9ected. %ealing and integration comes
when the person discovers or rediscovers his or her own personal story.
@?1#:0"0. !ung had a hunch that what passed for normality often was the very force
which shattered the personality of the patient. That trying to be )normal), when this
violates our inner nature, is itself a form of pathology. "n the psychiatric hospital, he
wondered why psychiatrists were not interested in what their patients had to say.
>J0T?#J. $or !ung life was a great mystery. *e know and understand very little of it.
%e never hesitated to say, )" don't know.) &lways admitted when he came to the end of
his understanding.
T%? 1@C:@0C":10. & basic tenetG &ll products of the unconscious are symbolic and
can be taken as guiding messages. *hat is the dream or fantasy leading the person
towardH The unconscious will live, and will move us, whether we like it or not.
Aersonal unconscious. That aspect of the psyche which does not usually inter the
individual's awareness and which appears in overt behavior or in dreams. "t is the source
of new thoughts and creative ideals, and produces meaningful symbols.
Collective unconsciousG That aspect of the unconscious which manifests inherited,
universal themes which run through all human life. "nwardly, the whole history of the
human race, back to the most primitive times, lives on in us.
0J>/:B. & name, term, picture which is familiar in daily life, yet has other
connotations besides its conventional and obvious meaning. "mplies something vague
and partially unknown or hidden, and is never precisely defined. Dream symbols carry
messages from the unconscious to the rational mind.
&#C%?TJA?0. These primordial images reflect basic patterns or universal themes
common to us all which are present in the unconscious. These symbolic images exist
outside space and time. ?xamplesG 0hadow, animus, anima, the old wise person, the
innocent child. There also seem to be nature archetypes, like fire, ocean, river,
mountain.
A?#0:@&. The )mask) or image we present to the world. Designed to make a
particular impression on others, while concealing our true nature.
0%&D:*. The side of our personality which we do not conscousnly display in public.
>ay have positive or negative qualities. "f it remains unconscious, the shadow is often
pro9ected onto other individuals or groups.
&@">&. &rchetype symboli(ing the unconscious female component of the male
psyche. Tendencies or qualities often thought of as )feminine.)
&@">10. &rchetype symboli(ing the unconscious male component of the female
psyche. Tendencies or qualities often thought of as )masculine.)
D#?&>0. 0pecific expressions of the unconscous which have a definite, purposeful
structure indicating an underlying idea or intention. The general function of dreams is to
restore one's total psychic equlilibrium. They tend to play a complementary or
compensatory role in our psychic makeup.
C:>AB?D?0G 1sually unconscious and repressed emotionally+toned symbolic
material that is incompatible with consciousness. )0tuck+together) agglomerations of
thoughts, feelings, behavior patterns, and somatic forms of expression. Can cause
constant psychological disturbances and symptoms of neurosis. *ith intervention, can
become conscious and greatly reduced in their impact.
*:#D &00:C"&T":@ T?0T. & research technique !ung used to explore the
complexes in the personal unconscious. Consisted of reading 3CC words one at a time
and having the person respond quickly with a word of his or her own. Delays in
responding can indicate a complex.
0J@C%#:@"C"TJ. The meaningful coincidence of a psychic and a physical state or
event which have no causal relationship to each other.
0?B$. &rchetype symboli(ing the totality of the personality. "t represents the striving for
unity, wholeness, and integration.
>&@D&B&. The 0anskrit word for circle. $or !ung, the mandala was a symbol of
wholeness, completness, and perfection. 0ymboli(ed the self.
&>AB"$"C&T":@. To get a larger sense of a dream, a kind of spreading+out of
associations by referring to mythology, art, literature, music. ,)*here have we heard
this before.)
&CT"E? ">&"@&T":@. & concept embracing a variety of techniques for activating
our imaginal processes in waking life in order to tap into the unconscious meanings of
our symbols.
A0JC%:B:"C&B TJA?0. Aeople differ in certain basic ways, even though the
instincts which drive us are the same. %e distinguished two general attitudes++
introversion and extraversion. and four functions++thinking, feeling, sensing, and
intuiting.
?xtravertG :uter+directed, need for sociability, chooses people as a source of
energy, often action+oriented.
"ntrovertG "nner+directed, need for privacy and space. chooses solitude to recover
energy, often reflective.
Thinking functionG Bogical, sees cause N effect relations, cool, distant, frank,
questioning.
$eeling functionG Creative, warm, intimate, a sense of valuing positively or
negatively. ,@ote that this is not the same as emotion-
0ensing functionG 0ensory, oriented toward the body and senses, detailed,
concrete, present.
"ntuitive. 0ees many possibilities in situations, goes with hunches, impatient
with earthy details, impractical, sometimes not present.
&lso 0ee "ntroduction to Dream "nterpretation by #obert *iner, >.D.