What is a Dream, Why Do We Dream? The Real Connection with the Subconscious
Dreams are like quiet stories the mind tells us during sleep. Sometimes surreal, sometimes deeply familiar, these experiences often carry traces of the emotions, thoughts, and life events stored in our subconscious. In psychology, dreams are not viewed merely as products of imagination, but as meaningful windows into an individual’s emotional and mental processes. Understanding what dreams are and why we experience them can play an important role in supporting mental well-being and increasing personal self-awareness.
Definition of Dreams
Dreams are generally mental experiences that occur during REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep. This period is a stage of sleep where brain waves are active, and the body is relaxed. Dreams can consist of images, emotions, thoughts, and sometimes illogical events.
There are many cultural beliefs and research related to dream interpretation. According to psychoanalytic theory, Sigmund Freud argued that dreams are a reflection of hidden desires and thoughts in the subconscious. Jung noted that dreams are a reflection of personal and collective subconscious.
Why Dreams Occur
There are many theories about why people dream. Among these theories are:
Processing Daily Experiences: Dreams help process the events and emotions experienced throughout the day. Our mind tries to make sense of these experiences through dreams.
Emotional Balance: Dreams can be seen as an analytical process related to our emotional state. Emotions such as fear, anxiety, or stress may manifest themselves in dream content.
Creativity: Many artists and scientists believe that dreams enhance creativity. Dreams can provide a ground for unusual thoughts and concepts to emerge.
Subconscious Messages: Our subconscious can convey important messages to us through dreams. It is possible for our inner issues and suppressed emotions to surface through dreams.
The Connection between the Subconscious and Dreams
The relationship between dreams and the subconscious is an important area of study in psychology and neuroscience. The subconscious is defined as a space where individuals store emotions, thoughts, and memories they experience without being aware of them. In this way, dreams appear as a type of external manifestation of this stored material.
Those who adopt psychoanalytic theory emphasize that dreams relate to the individual's suppressed desires and fears. For example, a dream of an anxious individual may contain images symbolizing those anxieties. In this context, dreams can be an important tool for personal development. They provide a process that can help resolve the complex thoughts and emotions in our minds.
Decoding the Meaning of Dreams
Decoding the meaning of dreams is an interesting process for many people. To understand what your dreams mean, you can follow these steps:
Keeping a Dream Journal: Writing down your dreams can help you remember and analyze them. After each dream, note the emotions you felt when thinking about that dream.
Reflecting on Emotions: Consider what emotions the events and characters in your dream are related to. These emotions can reveal messages from your subconscious.
Utilizing Articles and Books: By using the information available in the literature on dream interpretation, you can interpret your dreams. However, it is important to remember that these interpretations are subject to personal experiences.
Expert Support: If you have difficulty understanding your dreams, you can seek help from a psychologist or therapist. Experts can help you understand your subconscious processes through dreams.
Tracking and Importance of Dreams
Tracking dreams can be beneficial for mental health. The dreams experienced during sleep can reflect a person's emotional state, stress level, and overall mood. Thoughts before sleeping and dreams can be interrelated components.
Through dream tracking, individuals may gain more information about their emotional states. Additionally, discovering the positive aspects of dreams can contribute to an individual's spiritual development. It can support creative thinking, emotional balance, and inner exploration.
Conclusion
Dreams can help individuals understand themselves by opening the doors to a complex subconscious world. Questioning the symbols and emotions in dreams is important for strengthening psychological health and self-awareness as an individual. Therefore, dreams are not just a sleeping event; rather, they provide an opportunity for individuals to understand their inner world.
