Dream Interpretations: a load of rubbish

After flipping threw one too many dream interpretation descriptions, I have come to a conclusion:
They’re all inconsequential (a.k.a rubbish).

I have always been found of the idea of a collective unconsciousness, that on some level there is a mental connection between beings of similar origins (and maybe then some), but still each individual does have their own unique make-up of perspectives. Thus, while several symbols have similar meaning to many groups, there are things that someone can look at which can hold a different meaning for them then it would for another.

For example, say I have a snake in my dream which can be interpreted to represent something. To someone else that can mean betrayal or passive aggressiveness according to one source, but when any of these are compared to the nature of my dream, they all fall short since I typically preserve snakes rather differently. And so, in the context of my dream, that would make it even more nonsensical then my dreams typically are in the first place.

So has this held true to you? Are dream interpretation write-ups helpful or overall a complete waste of time?

I find that dream interpretation write up's are, as you say, a waste of time. I have NEVER understood where people come up with some of the comparisons that they do for symbols in dreams and their meanings.

I find that for myself, it makes more sense that I can often (but not always) tie what I see in my dream to something that happened that day. The tie isn't always direct; I don't see a snake and thus dream of one. Maybe I overheard someone talking about a snake, or saw something that looked like one, or whatever. But I can often pull, like I said, something from my day to match up with something from my dream.

I did mention that this isn't always the case, and honestly? I think this is because, to me, dreams are just the mind having fun while I'm asleep. I don't think there's meaning in most dreams (aside from one or two memories, and other exceptions) aside from sleepy-time movies.

If I'm not mistaken, even psychologists are not sure what the actual true function of dreaming is.

My dreams, when I remember them, are very much like my life but more so. Namely, continuous oddity in a drab situation. I've never thought of them as meaning anything, because, like I said, they basically were my life.

I believe that you should interpret your own dreams. Due to the fact that no one really knows what is going on in your head but you, there is no sane reason to think that random person XYZ (assuming they have not walked through your mind) can perfectly explain your dream. We are better off jotting down our dreams and later going back and reviewing them.

I have never found a single 'Dream Dictionary' that wasn't full of fluff and B.S. Now there are some dream guides/workbooks written by actual psychologists that are helpful for learning how to interpret you own dreams. However it seems to me that most dreams are just your brains way of breaking down what went on during that day. Me, myself, I'm hugely a lucid dreamer so my dreams can go in all directions.

chaitea Wrote:So has this held true to you? Are dream interpretation write-ups helpful or overall a complete waste of time?

Depends on who is doing the interpretation. IMO a dream is generally nothing more than a metaphor from the subconcious. If you can work out what the symbols mean to the dreamer, an interpretation is as relevant as interpreting anything metaphorical.

But what if the particular metaphorical is only rhetorical?

I tend to disregard all of my dreams, but the ones that embed themselves in my memory I try to look into some. I figure if a dreams going to embed itself in my conscious mind so deeply it's still there, unaltered, 10 years later, there's something more to it than a random metaphor.

Dream interpritation write-ups are an insight into the cultural norm of the person who wrote them. If that person's cultural norms line up with yours, the insight might prove useful.
Other than that... They might help you start thinking.. get the proverbial ball rolling.. teach you to look at things as symbols rather than what they are.

Freetha Wrote:Dream interpritation write-ups are an insight into the cultural norm of the person who wrote them. If that person's cultural norms line up with yours, the insight might prove useful.

Thats where i feel a lot of the discrepancy come in when interpreting another's dreams.

For example:
person1 has a dream where they realize they are naked in a crowd of people. This can be interpreted as they feel exposed and/or embarrassed (person1 is a never-nude so being naked to them can be a horrid experience, let alone when they are in plain view of others).

Person 2 has the same dream, but instead of experiencing the above they feel comfortable and unashamed (person2 happens to be a nudist, thus nakedness in a more natural state for them).

different things mean different things to different th- I mean people.