Dream Interpretation, Right or Wrong?

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I usually get vivid dreams and can remember them. Although I am not conscious during they seem very real. I like it. But when I have a weird dream and I don’t know why I Google it. Sometimes the meaning is right sometimes I think the meaning is wrong. Is it bad to be interpreting my dreams? Should I just leave them as they are? Thanks.
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There is no doubt that God has spoken to people throughout history with dreams (See: St. Joseph 😉 ).

That said, if you believe your dreams have some sort of spiritual significance, a Priest would probably be your best bet for interpreting them, not google.

If you don’t believe they are of spiritual significance and you still want to interpret them, be wary of pseudoscience (especially on the internet). Dream interpretation is far from a precise field of scientific study.
 
IbnFiktur said:
There is no doubt that God has spoken to people throughout history with dreams (See: St. Joseph 😉 ).

That said, if you believe your dreams have some sort of spiritual significance, a Priest would probably be your best bet for interpreting them.

If you don’t believe they are of spiritual significance and you still want to interpret them, be wary of pseudoscience. Dream interpretation is far from a precise field of scientific study.
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Thanks! They usually aren’t spiritual… but will ask a priest next time one comes up! Thank you, again.
 
I don’t see anything wrong with pondering on the significance of a dream for fun. I often wonder what kind of lesson or prophetic meaning it might have when I do have one, but not in a serious manner that alters my choices or leanings. As long as you aren’t doing it as a serious means to “determine your future” or other similar things, then I don’t believe it would constitute any sort of sin.

Of course, if there is some reason to believe there is something prophetic about a dream, definitely consult a priest or another religious.
 
I don’t know how it could be wrong, unless you were using your dreams to somehow justify some sort of sinful activity.

Otherwise, I think our dreams although most often full of random things, can help us work through problems and such.

I know I’ve remembered in dreams things I’m been looking for. Or I come up with solutions to problems. Or creative ideas. I think our brain is utilized more in the dream state. Kind of wish I could control it.
 
Freud was the pioneer of dream work when he published The Interpretations of Dreams in 1900. His contribution to psychological thought cannot be minimalized, but in the area of dream work, we have come a long way. Pay attention to what actually is happening in the dream (the content) and look also for latent meanings. For example, I’m dreaming of running down the sidewalks, trying to find my childhood home, searching searching searching…I finally arrive home and I open the door and the house is empty… I have this dream, oh, several times a week for the last four years or so. The content is what I just described. But the latent meaning is that I am searching to find a way to replicate the feelings I had when I was home, safe with my Daddy. See, my Dad died four years ago–we were very close–and I lost all connection with the childhood safety and love that came with my father and his home that I grew up in. I’m feeling vulnerable and am seeking the safety and security I had under my father. I believe the dream recurs so often because with Dad’s death, I can never again find what I’m looking for; at least, find it where I am looking.

If you are able, you can try to create a lucid dream experience, by having some control over dictating how the dream proceeds. Lucid dreams take practice, if you can even break in to the dream world. Freud’s conclusions that dreams tap our unconscious is spot on, but I would not put too much stock in all of the dream dictionaries that dogs symbolize this and trees symbolize that. Our dreams also serve us by helping us to integrate what occurred during our waking hours and giving our minds a chance to ferret out what to store, how to reconcile conflicting cognitions or emotions, how to solve problems, etc. Dreaming is so powerful and it can impact our daytime moods and states if the dreams (or nightmares) are highly emotive. It is facinating work to analyze your dreams. I keep thinking I should keep a dream journal and study the themes and track lucidity when it occurs, but alas…

Have a good night and sweet dreams!
 
faithfully said:
I don’t know how it could be wrong, unless you were using your dreams to somehow justify some sort of sinful activity.

Otherwise, I think our dreams although most often full of random things, can help us work through problems and such.

I know I’ve remembered in dreams things I’m been looking for. Or I come up with solutions to problems. Or creative ideas. I think our brain is utilized more in the dream state. Kind of wish I could control it.
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You need to watch Inception!
 
IbnFiktur said:
There is no doubt that God has spoken to people throughout history with dreams (See: St. Joseph 😉 ).

That said, if you believe your dreams have some sort of spiritual significance, a Priest would probably be your best bet for interpreting them, not google.

If you don’t believe they are of spiritual significance and you still want to interpret them, be wary of pseudoscience (especially on the internet). Dream interpretation is far from a precise field of scientific study.
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We are not trained in that area, except those who are trained in religious psychology. You may end up in more trouble asking a priest. If he’s not trained in that area, he may try to be kind and attempt an interpretation. If he gets it wrong and the person walks out with the belief that Father knows what he’s doing, the outcome may not be helpful.

It is better to see a person trained in psychoanalysis. They deal a lot in dreams. There are priests, brothers, sisters and good Catholic psychotherapists out there. Check through your Catholic Charities. They’re always a wealth of information.

I do agree that God speaks through dreams. Dreams are just our mind’s way of coping with life. God can use any means he wants to teach us to cope with life. I have found answers to some important questions in dreams. I’ve also come up with questions that I never thought about before. It works both ways. I use a spiritual director who has a strong background in analysis and theology.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, FFV 🙂
 
lifeandhope said:
Freud was the pioneer of dream work when he published The Interpretations of Dreams in 1900. His contribution to psychological thought cannot be minimalized, but in the area of dream work, we have come a long way. Pay attention to what actually is happening in the dream (the content) and look also for latent meanings. For example, I’m dreaming of running down the sidewalks, trying to find my childhood home, searching searching searching…I finally arrive home and I open the door and the house is empty… I have this dream, oh, several times a week for the last four years or so. The content is what I just described. But the latent meaning is that I am searching to find a way to replicate the feelings I had when I was home, safe with my Daddy. See, my Dad died four years ago–we were very close–and I lost all connection with the childhood safety and love that came with my father and his home that I grew up in. I’m feeling vulnerable and am seeking the safety and security I had under my father. I believe the dream recurs so often because with Dad’s death, I can never again find what I’m looking for; at least, find it where I am looking.

If you are able, you can try to create a lucid dream experience, by having some control over dictating how the dream proceeds. Lucid dreams take practice, if you can even break in to the dream world. Freud’s conclusions that dreams tap our unconscious is spot on, but I would not put too much stock in all of the dream dictionaries that dogs symbolize this and trees symbolize that. Our dreams also serve us by helping us to integrate what occurred during our waking hours and giving our minds a chance to ferret out what to store, how to reconcile conflicting cognitions or emotions, how to solve problems, etc. Dreaming is so powerful and it can impact our daytime moods and states if the dreams (or nightmares) are highly emotive. It is facinating work to analyze your dreams. I keep thinking I should keep a dream journal and study the themes and track lucidity when it occurs, but alas…

Have a good night and sweet dreams!
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That’s cool. I’ve always been fascinated by lucid dreaming and sleep paralysis and OBEs (out of body experiences).
 
thistle said:
None of these are faith related or supernatural in any way.
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None are supernatural in any way except being truly out of body, unless being out of one’s body is a normal event, and then it would be natural I guess.
 
Stylites said:
None are supernatural in any way except being truly out of body, unless being out of one’s body is a normal event, and then it would be natural I guess.
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There is no such thing as an out of body experience. Its people either faking claims or hallucinating. Its not real.
 
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