Kristina Cooper
Everyone dreams, but it is what we dream that raises so many questions. What does it mean? Is this really going to happen? Dream interpretation can be very complex. Since Freud’s “Interpretation of Dreams,” the idea has been common that dreams reflect underlying thoughts and feelings. The ordinary belief today is that the people, actions, settings and emotions in dreams are personal. There is a connection between these personal dream elements and what role they play in our sleeping state of mind.
Some common dreams are those that take place in a frightening atmosphere, where you believe that you are falling, someone is chasing you or a death occurs.
Dreams can be interpreted in many ways.
According to psychology professor Dr. Anthony Tomasco, “The brain tries to make some sense out of what we dreamed.” Even though Tomasco is not a big believer in dream interpretation he does believe in the current theory about dreams. “The most common theory is the activation synthesis model, Tomasco said.”
“This model suggests that there is some psychological purpose for certain areas of the brain to be activated during sleep. Such areas are the sensory area where vision in the occipital lobe and hearing in the temporal lobe can be found. Then there is the interpretative part, the part that does the reasoning and the logic in the frontal lobes of the brain and then there is a part of us that is connected to our memories.” Tomasco believes that our brain has to try and connect all of those parts together. “When the brain does that this is when you say I had a dream about.,” Tomasco said.
Students frequently try to find meaning in their dreams. For instance the falling dream could mean that you will undergo some great struggle. Marcel Bassett, a sophomore interprets it as “an escape from the pressures of life.” A dream containing running, either from someone chasing you or you chasing after someone or something, can illustrate that your goals are out of reach. It could also mean “you are trying to break away from the struggles that are going on in your life,” senior Sandra Prokop said.
Flying is another extremely common dream. These types of dreams usually represent frustration or sadness. It can also represent a lack of control. Death in a dream usually coincides with major changes in life. It can illustrate the end of something as well as the beginning of something new. First-year student Krista Eshelman said, “I heard that when one dreams of a death it means that a baby is being born and when one dreams of a baby being born it means that someone is going to die.” This could very well be considering that it represents the circle of life.
Dreams also contain symbols. These symbols represent a plethora of meanings. If a dream includes kisses, they usually represent acceptance and release. Money in dreams indicates good luck. Dreams that consist of color represent the future. Blue indicates that a new friend will come into your life. Black means solitude or loneliness. White represents authority and absolutes. Red means devotion, green means travel, yellow indicates illness and brown symbolizes safety and security.
Is there logic behind these dreams and symbols?
Whether you believe that dreams have a hidden meaning or that they are psychological, it is always interesting to hear others’ interpretations. What is your next dream going to mean?
