Understanding

of
Dreams.
According to
Freud, dreams
were disguised,
hallucinatory
fulfilment of
repressed
wishes.
He also asserted that dreams
not only represented current
wishes,
but were also invariably
expressions of wish-
fulfilments dating from early
childhood.
Dreams, he
believed, gave
indirect
expressions to
infantile sexual
wishes which had
been repressed and
which,…
if expressed in
undisguised
form, would so
disturb the
dreamer that he
would wake up.
Because these wishes are
unacceptable and potentially
disturbing, they are
censored and disguised.
Freud described the mental
processes, or “dream-
work”, by which the dream
was modified and rendered
less disturbing.
These processes
included;
Condensation, the fusing
together of different ideas
and images into a single
image;
Displacement, in
which a potentially
disturbing image or
idea is replaced by
something
connected but less
disturbing;
Representation, the
process by which
thoughts are converted
into visual
images;
Symbolization, in
which some neutral
object stands for some
aspect of sexual life or
those persons
connected with it
which the dreamer
would prefer not to
recognize.
Freud introduced the
term “manifest
content” to describe
what the dreamer
recalled.
In contrast, the “latent
content” was the
hidden, true meaning
of the dream.
This latent content could be
ascertained only when the
dreamer’s associations to the
images in the dream had been
subjected to psychoanalytical
scrutiny and interpretation.
There were many
other forms of
dreams e.g. traumatic
dreams, anxiety
dreams etc.
They did not seem to fit
into Freud’s theory of
dreams which was
primarily concerned with
infantile sexuality.
There are many reasons for
thinking that what is unconscious
is not exclusively the
consequence of repression,
including the fact that some
dreams are clearly creative or
provide answers to problems.
Although everything
which was repressed
was unconscious, not
everything unconscious
was repressed.
Jung does not
distinguish
between manifest
and latent dream
content in the
same manner that
Freud does.
According to Jung, dream
is spontaneous self
portrayal in symbolic form
of the actual situation in
the unconscious.
According to the Talmud,
the dream is its own
interpretation. Any dream
which is not interpreted,
is like a book which is not
opened.
It shows the inner truth and
reality of the patient as it
really is; not as the
interpretation of the analyst
and not as the patient would
like it to be, but as it is.
The dream does not censor or
distort, although there are dreams
which on the surface do look like
disguised wish-fulfillment, a more
profound understanding will
invariably be gained if these dreams
are approached with the hypothesis
that dreams do not hide but reveal.
They invariably point to
something as yet unknown
which they express in the
vocabulary of the known, rather
than merely disguising or
censoring what one already
presumes to know.
Dreams are not
symptomatic, but symbolic.
The deeper layers speak in
images.
These images are to be
viewed as if they presented
us with description of
ourselves, or our
unconscious situations.
We must translate the
dream statements by
putting the dreamer’s
association and explanation
into the context of the
images.
Associations are the
contents which happen to
come to mind when the
dream image is considered,
whether they be rational or
irrational.
If I have dreamed of a
particular object, I might
recall that I always become
angry when a certain person
uses this object: this is an
association.
An explanation is a
more rational
description of what
the dream image
means to me.
The first step in understanding
a dream is to establish its
context. This means unravelling
its network of relationships with
the dreamer and his or her life,
and discovering the
significance of various images
it presents;
e.g., one’s mother might
appear in a dream:
Now, everyone has a
concept of what mother
means, but for each person
the image of the mother is
different, and the
significance of this image
will even vary from time to
time.
As far as possible, each
image or symbol must be
taken in turn till its meaning
for the dreamer is
established as nearly as
possible.
And not until this has
been carefully done is
one in a position to
understand what the
dream may mean.
So Jung does not have a
fixed method of dream
interpretation, for each
dream is taken as a direct
expression of the dreamer’s
unconscious, and only to be
understood in this light.
When the dreamer’s
personal association do
not seem to suffice, when
mythological motifs occur,
the analyst’s amplification
maybe added –
namely what the analyst
happens to know about the
historical
context and
meaning of the
symbolism.
Every dream
interpretation may
pertain either to what we
call the object level or
the subject level.
Dreams on an objective level are
related to what is going on in the
environment; the people
appearing in it are taken as real,
and their relationship to, and
possible influence on the
dreamer are analysed.
In dreams on a subjective
level the dream-figures are
taken as representing
aspects of the dreamer’s
personality.
It depends on the
circumstances of the
moment which side
the emphasis shall be
placed,
e.g. a woman dreaming of her
father…
..may need to face a problem
connected with him or some
aspect of her relationship to
him, or she may need to
recognize the male principle
(personified by the father) in
herself.
Generally speaking, the
subjective aspect of dreams
become more important in the
later stages of analysis when
the personal problems have
been seen and understood.
Some dreams make use of
incomprehensible symbols,
and their relationship to the
dreamer is difficult to trace.
These Jung classes as collective
dreams, and to understand them
use must often be made of
historical, mythological, cultural
and fairy tales analogies to find
what the symbols meant to other
men in other times.
A fairly common belief
is that dreams
reproduce the events
of the day before,
especially if these were
significant or striking.
Careful recording, however,
shows that dreams rarely
repeat events in an exact
manner; they add or subtract
something, round off the
experience, or can be shown
it to be compensatory in
character.
This tendency to compensate
a conscious attitude is an
important characteristic of the
dream, and must always be
taken into account when
attempting to understand it.
As an example
of a dream of
compensatory
character, Jung
quotes a young man who
dreamt his father was
behaving in a drunken and
disorderly manner.
The real father did no such
thing and the young man had
an excellent relationship with
him. In fact the admiration for
his father prevented him from
developing his own different
personality.
It was almost as if the dream
was saying, “he is not so
marvellous after all and he can
behave in a quite irresponsible
manner. There is no need for
you to feel so inferior.”
Dreams also work the other
way round; if we habitually
undervalue somebody, we
are likely to have a dream
which flatters or elevates
him, for instance,….
…in a much higher position than
the one he would normally
occupy.
Dreams also bring
hidden conflicts to
light by showing an
unknown side of the
character,
as when a mild, inoffensive
person dreams of violence,
or an ascetic or sexual orgies,
but more frequently the dream
language is less direct than this.
Dreams sometimes
express hidden
wishes. The wish
fulfilment dream is
usually easy to spot;
when, for instance, the
hungry man dreams he is
eating a wonderful meal,
or the thirsty that
they see
sparkling
water.
Forward-looking or prospective
dreams e.g. a woman who was
shortly going to move to a new and
unknown district, dreamt correctly
all about the house she would live
in, down to the smallest detail, even
including the reason why its
present owners were leaving it.
Warning dreams
as for example
that of the
mountain climber
who dreamt he
was climbing
higher and higher
and gaily stepping
off into space…
…but the man in question
simply laughed. Not so very
long after he was killed in
the mountains, a friend
actually seeing him step off
into the air.
To dream of death, however,
does not necessarily
indicate a fatal accident.
There is symbolic
as well as actual
physical death.
A series of dreams makes a more
satisfactory basis for interpretation
than a single dream, for the theme
which the unconscious is presenting
becomes clearer, the important
images underlined by repetition, and
mistakes in interpretation art
corrected by the next dream.
Approach
to
Dreams
Dreams reveal
uncompensated feelings.
They are the most direct
and the most obvious path
to the patient's true nature.
They therefore have
immense value as
symptoms and often
are the key to many
cases.
Dreams cannot be ignored,
an understanding of them
reveals the deepest and the
pure feelings of the patient.
Two things never to be done
with dreams:

• Ignore
• Interpret
If we 'ignore' dreams, especially
those that are vivid and repetitive,
we are ignoring the most important
clue to the patient's subconscious
state, in other words we are
neglecting the most direct and the
most obvious path to the delusion.
If we 'interpret' dreams we are
falling into the trap of
theorizing. This is a very risky
thing to do because it involves
the physician's feelings rather
than those of the patient.
WHAT TO LOOK
FOR IN
DREAMS?
The exact description
of each ingredient of
the dream.
The exact feeling in the
dream - the feelings in the
dream are so individual
that they never cease to
amaze.
The depth of the
feelings and the
degree of desperation
felt in the dreams.
Examples:
If the patient has dreams of
falling then the height from
which he sees himself
falling is significant…
(A patient needing Sulphur will
have dreams of falling off a high
place. But a woman requiring
Platinum will have dream of
falling off a very great height, the
tallest building in the world.)
Similarly, if a patient has
dream of dirty toilets, his
description of how dirty they
are and what is happening to
him over there will indicate the
depth of his feelings.
If the dream is of
danger, it is to be
seen whether there is
an escape route.
If he feels alone in the dream,
what is the depth of the feeling?
How alone does he feel? Does
being alone mean for him being
separated from his family, or
does it mean that he feels all
alone in the world?
If he has dreams of being
naked, what is the situation in
which he is naked? Does he
have dreams of being naked
and trying to hide, so that no
one sees him?
One can appreciate the
depth of the feeling by
asking the patient what the
outcome would be if the
dream were to reach a
conclusion.
One should also try
and access how
serious the situation
is for the patient.
Where is the feeling in
the dream or its
opposite found in the
patient's life?
Examples:
If the patient has dreams of
being tortured, then one
has to see where else in his
life he has had a similar
feeling…
Let him take you to that
situation and describe it in
its full detail, along with the
physical sensations
experienced.
If the patient has dreams
of being in heaven, it
would be worth
examining where he has
felt the opposite, i.e.,
being in hell.
What does the patient
associate with the
feeling in the dream
spontaneously? -
The patient is questioned in
depth about his feeling,
encouraged to describe it
more and more clearly and
precisely till he cites an
incident where he had felt
similarly.
ACTUAL DREAMS:

“Actual dreams” are

those seen in the state of
sleep.
These are usually seen in
cases where the feelings are
heavily compensated in the
waking or conscious state. In
the state of sleep, however,
this compensation is lost
and the dreams surface.
Some kinds of actual
dreams are:

• Pleasant.

• Unpleasant.
• Dreams without emotions.

• Projected.

• Feelings in the dreams.

• Associations with the
dreams.

• Incidental or situational
dreams.
• Deep, vivid, repetitive, connected
dreams.

• Dreams during pregnancy.

• Delirium in cases of fever.

VIRTUAL DREAMS:

"Virtual dreams' include other forms

of uncompensated behaviour, but in
the waking state. Such behaviour is
representative of the person's real
inner feelings and so it is like a dream.
So if a patient is unable to
recall any of his dreams,
looking into these virtual
dreams one can understand
the pure uncompensated
feelings.
Some kinds of virtual
dreams are:

• Fears.

• Fantasies.
• Sensations as if.

• Metaphors.

• Interests and hobbies – active

and passive.
• Hobbies avoided.

• Aims, ambitions, goals.

• Hopes.

• Religion and philosophy.

ACTUAL DREAMS:

Dreams occur when a person

does not allow himself to feel
in the conscious state.
The more the dreams and
the more intense the
feelings in the dreams, the
stronger is the delusion, the
more intense is the state.
Absence of dreams can
either be a sign of
health or when
accompanied by gross
pathology, a sign of
very severe disease.
In case of health, the
person is aware of his
feelings and they remain
at a conscious level,
hence the absence of
dreams.
But in case of advanced
pathology, the disease
must have traveled from the
subconscious to the
organic level for dreams to
be present.
Pleasant - Pleasant
dreams give an idea
of the way the patient
would want things to
be.
The opposite dream or
feeling can be looked for in
the case; for that is the way
the patient perceives his
present situation.
Unpleasant - Often,
the pleasant and
unpleasant dreams
are opposites of each
other.
When you discover what is
common between the two, you
understand an important
aspect of the patient. This
connection may not be
obvious, but since it is there,
one should try to find it.
Dreams without emotions
(symbolic) - If they occur
again and again, they are
looked up directly in the
Repertory in the ‘Dreams’
chapter.
The absence of any
associated feeling
along with the symbol
shows that the dream
itself is significant.
Examples:

• Dreams of being pursued by wild

animals. Though there may be fear
experienced in the dream, the whole
dream is a symbol.

• Dreams of falling into water.

• Dreams of unsuccessful
efforts to dress for a
party.

• Dreams of eating.
Projected –
These involve a third
person rather than the
patient himself. The feelings
in these dreams are often
blunted.
Here one can ask what the patient
would feel in that circumstance.
When a dream has associated
with it a certain feeling, that is the
feeling of the patient, whether the
dream involves him or someone
else.
Example:

• Dreams of the neighbour's

house being on fire.
Feelings in the dreams –
Dreams that are complicated
can be broken down into their
components and, viewed as
well in overall terms, and
connections with the case can
be traced.
Associations with the dreams –
This has hardly been explained
above. Here is another example. A
patient who had the dream of a
horse being reined in too tightly,
almost immediately after narrating
the dream, gave incidents of always
being under performance pressure
from her father.
Incidental or situational
dreams - These are dreams
that follow a particular incident
that happened on the previous
day or a particular situation at
that time.
They are of lesser
significance, unless there
is something very
individual or peculiar in
them.
Examples:
Dreams of examinations are common
amongst students. But if a student has
the dream that he has failed an exam and
as a result is being laughed at by
everyone, and he feels very embarrassed,
this feeling of embarrassment is peculiar
to him and attains the significance of a
symptom.
If a person's house has been
robbed in the recent past and he
dreams of robbers for sometime
after the incident, these should
not be considered very
significant.
Deep, vivid, repetitive,
connected dreams - Vivid
dreams unconnected with
external reality.
Dreams during pregnancy -
Especially important in the cases
of children, where one is unable to
obtain dreams directly from the
patients. These are important in
understanding the state of the
mother during pregnancy.
VIRTUAL DREAMS:

• Fears.

• Fantasies.

• Sensation as if- These can be described

by the patient even as he describes his
physical symptoms.
Example:

• When breathless, she had the feeling as if

someone sat on her chest.

• Pains as if a sharp knife was driven through her

stomach. These sensations in isolation will not
be as relevant as when one is able to connect
them with the rest of the case.
Metaphors –
Metaphorical expressions
give images in certain
situations that represent
more the inner feeling than
reality.
Examples:
• I am so tied down with work.
• It was a huge jump for me from one
business to another.
• I felt the relationship was so brittle.
• The heat was killing.
Interests and hobbies – We choose
hobbies that allow us to express our
state. Unlike jobs and professions in
the choice of which there may be an
element of compulsion, hobbies are
pure indications of what a person
likes. In this they are like pleasant
dreams and fantasies.
Active interests and hobbies:
These involve an active
participation by the patient,
which allows him to live his
inner state.
Passive interests and hobbies:
Where the patient is a mere
spectator, rather than a participant.
These include – music (information
of the type of music and favorite
songs can be very helpful in
understanding the state of the
patient);…
reading (the type of literature and
stories the person chooses); movies
(even if the physician has watched
the movie, it is better to ask the
patient to describe it as if he has not
seen it, and note the individual
reaction of the patient);…
humor (humor is the other side
of horror. When we are unable
to face the horror in a situation
we make light of it. A person
jokes, if they have a common
theme, reveal his nightmare)
Hobbies avoided -

Example: Calcarea persons

usually avoid “violent
movies”.
Aims, ambitions, goals -

Example: Cuprum
metallicum children often
say that they would like to
be “fighter pilots”.
As one gets older, one
might modify one's
ambition according to
practical reality, but here
the question is what you
would rather be.
Hopes –
These are exactly
diametrically opposite to
the elements of the
delusion. They are also
opposite to the fears.
Example: If the patient
was to say “I hope that
my father will live long”,
his fear (delusion) is
that his father will die.
Religion and philosophy -

What these mean to the

patient is sometimes
important to understand
rather than merely his
interest in these.
Dreams are indeed most
important at arriving at the
patient's innermost feeling.
But they are only part of an
entire system of case-taking,
analysis, and follow-up.
 Understanding of
Homoeopathic remedies
with the help of the
dreams produced by the
proving of respective
remedies
SEPIA:
It is especially suited to women who
have over vigorous husbands. These
patients develop many symptoms as a
result of traumatic coition. They
develop an aversion to husband. They
have a dread of men as these patients
are forced into coition.
• Dreams, pursued, being

• Dreams, rape, threats of rape

• Dreams, amorous, coition with

She takes everything from her
husband without any revolt
because of the deep-seated
insecurity of her husband
leaving her. This insecurity is
further reinforced by her false
idea of appearing ugly.
• Dreams, old gentleman ran
away from wife, suspected of
having married another.

• Dreams, body parts of, face

disfigured.
She toils for her
family and is full of
cares and worries
about domestic
affairs.
• Dreams, business, of day, of the

• Dreams, busy, being; hurry

• Dreams, exhausting
D/D:
Kreosote also has a similar
dream:

Dreams, rape, pursued for the

purpose of.
Kreosote seems to have a lot
of relation to sexual feelings,
consciously and
subconsciously. The women
are known to have a lot of
anxiety about sex as is seen
in the following rubric:
• Anxiety, coition, during.

• Anxiety, coition, thought

of, in a woman.
Kreosote also has dreams of dirty linen
which indicates sexual attitudes that one
is not proud of, and difficult feelings
about ones biological side.

• Dreams, dirt, linen dirty.

Dreams, coition of; urinating during

coition, and
D/D:
Cenchris:

Like all snake remedies,

Cenchris has a sense of
persecution, which in this drug,
is more marked for sex.
• Dreams, rape, threats of

• Dreams, indecent behavior of

men and women

• Dreams, animals of, copulating

• Dreams, nakedness about

Cenchris also has a dream which
indicates a feeling that others
seek to mutilate, humiliate or
reject them. It represents an
unconscious fear of being weaker
than others.

Dreams, body, body parts,

teeth, pulled being.
Natrum muriaticum:

They are extremely sensitive

and introvert. They cannot
tolerate injustice, and any
type of deception cause grief
and mortification.
They develop hatred toward
people who have offended them.
Due to the past experiences of
deception they develop a fear of
people especially robbers which
makes them search beneath the
bed and recheck the locks.
They do not confide in
others and brood over the
same thing over and over
again. The suppressed
emotions take the form of
dreams:
• Dreams, anger

• Dreams, fights

• Dreams, vexations

• Dreams, robbers
They cut off their relations
with the person who has
offended them. They are
not able to express their
hatred completely.
This hatred is expressed
indirectly in the dreams,
which are full of cruel acts
and death. A dream of
death can also signify the
death of the relationship.
• Dreams, cruelty

• Dreams, death
D/D:
Staphysagria:

Staphysagria has dreams of

fights, quarrels and
vexations like Natrum
muriaticum.
The main difference is that
Staphysagria individuals are
very sensitive to what others
think about them. So the feeling
of humiliation and mortification
is expressed very strongly in
the dreams of Staphysagria.
• Dreams, humiliation

• Dreams, shameful

The shameful dreams reflect their

feelings towards their excessive
sexual preoccupations and
indulgence.
Lachesis:

The Lachesis individuals always fear

some kind of injury from their
environment. This fear creates a lot
of suspicion in their minds to such
an extent that they cannot trust even
their near and dear ones.
They have a fear of death
and feel that the
preparations for their
funeral are under way. This
intense paranoia is
reflected in their dreams.
• Dreams, danger
• Dreams, death
• Dreams, murdered, being
• Dreams, knives
• Dreams, stabbed, fear of being
• Dreams, snakes
Dreams of snakes also signifies
the sexuality of lachesis
individuals. There is an
increased sexual desire in these
individuals which is either
suppressed or they over indulge
in sexual activities.
There is also an element of
the sexual desire deviating
from the normal heterosexual
relationship which is
expressed as homosexual
behavior.
Lac can:

The dreams of snakes

is a strong
manifestation of
unconscious in Lac
can.
 Symbolism of snake
in Lac can

Frustrated sexual
impulses or instincts
which are out of control
(A/F – Sexual abuse)
 Our emotions turned
against ourselves…

as introjected aggression
(Antagonism with oneself)
Unconscious worries
about health:

Delusion disease, incurable has

Delusion heart, disease, will

have, and die, is
Hura:

Hura is one of the main

drugs for a feeling of being
unfortunate and forsaken. It
is a feeling of loss of one’s
place and identity in society.
There is a feeling that no one
cares for him. This kind of feeling
emotionally kills a part of
oneself. This destruction of the
identity manifests itself
symbolically in the dreams of
death, murder and mutilation.
Dreams, dead bodies
Dreams, death, of
Dreams, funerals
Dreams, murder
Dreams, mutilation
Dreams of dead bodies
signify a set of
personality traits and
attributes which have
been denied expression.
We see this in Hura where
the repudiation from the
people he associates with,
hinders the expression of
his emotions.
Hura also has dreams of,

Dreams, body parts, head cut off

Dreams, guns, shots

Dreaming of being shot depicts a

traumatic injury to feelings, often
arising out of a close relationship.
Alumina:

The Alumina individual is always

confused about his personal identity.
They can be extremely irresolute and
most of the time they give an impression
as if they cannot express their deep
emotions. It is very difficult to detect
Alumina as a remedy for these
individuals during the first case taking.
The confusion is
most of the time
associated with a lack
of self confidence.
Even though they are very
ambitious, their lack of
confidence causes a lot of anxiety
and a marked fear of failure. The
anxiety and fear are accentuated
by high expectations of other
people.
This whole situation is
symbolically expressed
by their unconscious in
the following dreams:
 Dreams, falling height
from, a

Dreams, drowning, boat

on a foundering

Dreams, stars falling

The anxieties and fear are
expressed in dreams as:

Dreams, foundering boat

Dreams, difficulties

Dreams, misfortunes
When they are not able to fulfill
their ambitions they feel ashamed
of themselves which is expressed
in the following dream:

Dreams, embarrassment
Dreams, humiliation
Dreams, shameful
 One of the most peculiar
dreams of Alumina is

• Dreams, water, wading in,

serpents, in which are, of which
he is afraid
Water signifies the unconscious and
serpents signify the impulses and
instincts, which if not controlled can
intrude the conscious activities of the
person. Sometimes the eruption of
unconscious elements into the
conscious mind leads to chaotic and
a psychotic state.
Alumina has a fear of
losing self control and fear
of insanity. Both these
fears are thus very well
represented in the above
dream.
…Thanks