Philosophy Now Forum

A subject that has always fascinated me is dreams. What are they, and do they have any meaning? I should add, though, that I don't subscribe to the sort of dream interpretation systems that are so common online, which seem completely arbitrary.

The most significant thing about dreams, I think, is their emotional signature. Many, perhaps most of my dreams, are set in places I've dreamt about before, but I usually only know this because of having had a similar emotional reaction in previous dreams. A few are based on places in the real world, but most aren't. I also, incidentally, tend to dream in cycles. I might go for a few days or weeks with no dreams at all that I remember, followed by a few days of intense ones.

Have you tried reading Freud?

I like exploring the emotional signatures of my dreams. Our dreams often reflect our innermost thoughts, fears, and desires, providing a window into our psyche. By paying attention to the emotional resonance of our dreams, we can gain insight into our subconscious workings and possibly uncover underlying issues or unresolved conflicts.
I usually look up the meaning of my dreams on Dreams Demystified as a starting point. It provides frameworks for deciphering dream symbolism, offering potential avenues for self-reflection and understanding. But I approach dream analysis with a critical eye. The meaning of a dream is deeply personal and may not always fit neatly into predefined categories. So, I then analyze my dreams from a personal perspective. Because each person has their own problems and thoughts, each different from another.