Jasmine Lemay

Mrs. Reaves
English 3 Honors
8 January 2014
Interpretations of a Dream
Dreams are interpreted in many different ways. Dreams are defined as succession of
images, thoughts, or emotions passing through the mind during sleep, the act or process of
interpretation or explaining, elucidation (Dreams). This is a subject many people are very
intrigued with and want more information about, what dreams really mean? What is purpose of
having them?. And why for have centuries so many people have placed such high value on them
and their meanings and their purpose? The interpretations of dreams are influenced by
scientific and religious beliefs (Dream Moods).
Many people interpret dreams, and have developed their own opinions on what they
mean to them. And which interpritation is right. Starting back from 3000-4000 B.C., people
documented their dreams on clay tablets; as time progressed they began to build shrines. Which
they believe that by sleeping in them, would help them receive messages on how to cure
themselves. In their sleep from the gods through dreams. One of the most famous men from that
time was Greek philosopher Aristotle. he thought the shrines would help and believed that
dreams helped people to predict onset of illnesses and onset diseases (Dream Moods).
During the Hellenistic period, dreams were believed to be able to help heal people. As
long as they slept in the temple called Asclepieions, they believed that if they were sick and
slept in the temple they would receive a dream on how to cure themselves. And they could go

The temple the gods would send dreams to people on how they could cure
themselves. They could go and tell the doctor ways on how to cure them.
Those who had the power to interpret dreams were looked upon very highly
in the community, and were treated like gods. The gods were believed to
have spoken through the interpreters, and that if the people did not respect
them, they would be cursed. The ones that had the dreams and visions were
treated just as well as the dreamers because they were believed to be Gods
chosen one, they were believed to be the ones God has spoken through to
get his message out to the world (Dream Moods).
The 19th century was when the understanding of dreams began to
revolutionize, all the myths, visions and mysteries were put to rest by a new
discovery. Psychologist Sigmund Freud was believed to have found more
logical and scientific ways to find out what dreams really mean (Dreams
Moods). Freud wrote a book titled The Interpretation of Dreams. This was
later revised and re-written by Lauren M .Porter, but still written with all the
same ideas and views of Sigmund Freud. He starts off by talking about REMSleep (Rapid Eye Movement). There are five stages to Rem-sleep, and
dreaming only happens in stage four which is the strongest of all the stages.
During stage one light sleep occurs and lasts up to five minutes and during
that stage activities such as hallucination or alarming visions which can
awaken the body/individual. Your body will begin to jerk and wake you. Then
20 minutes later into sleep stage two begins, and that is when you begin to
start arrhythmic brain activity also slurred speech, but you can still be easily

awaken. Stage three and four quickly follow after that, but stage four is the
deepest sleep where most dreams acre. This is also the most difficult stage
to wake up in. In this stage wetting the bed or sleepwalking is most common
(Myers 273).
The most remarkable part about the brain is that it processes certain
protective stimuli of the brain that are at work even when people are asleep.
For example when some people sleep with an infant and do not role over on
them which has the potential to kill or severely harm the infant. Another
example is when you move around in the bed when you are asleep and dont
fall out of the bed. EEG recordings which determine your dream patterns and
your body movement when youre asleep, confirmation of certain body
movements is what wakes people up. Thats why every other movement is
irrelevant when it comes to wakening people up from stage 4 sleep (Myers
273).
But instead of staying in deep sleep all night, the body after about an
hour goes back to stage 2 and 3 and the eyes begin to dart around behind
closed eyelids (Myers 273). Which is how dreams become easily interrupted
by the light and a process called SCN-Suprachiasmatic nucleus. Which
develops a pattern in the body telling it when to get up and when to go to
sleep? But that all depend on how much light is receive on those time
periods of awakening and going to sleep (Sleep 25).

This chart shows the difference between being awake compered

to REM sleep. Through an Electroencephalogram, which is used to evaluate
several types of brain disorders, also detects the electrical impulse of the
brain.
EEG Recording Chart

(Sleep 26).
Sigmund Freud believed that dreams are clues to thoughts and
ambitious desires that people have (Porter 30). When in this state of
sleep the brain is missing the main rational function of the brain, which
becomes disfunctioning during that time of sleep. This means people
can imagine anything and everything. But mainly it is what people
would love to really do but only in their wildest dreams can they

actually imagine accomplish it and seeing themselves doing it. This is

why Freud believes that this is a clue to what most people really would
love to do or are having serious thoughts about. Granted some stuff is
still far out of comprehension, but when people break it down and get
to the core of their dreams, people will find out that there is more to
the dream than most individuals believe (Dreams).
When people are asleep, it is impossible to control their own
thoughts. So all of their innermost thoughts tend to come into their
imagination without the main rational function of their brain to control
what we think about and what they choose not to think (Dreams and
the Brain). For example when people hear or see something from
earlier in the day, they may not have given much thought about it at
the time , yet once they are asleep their thoughts and concerns
manifest through their dreams. Dreams may give more insight to an
individual subconscious thoughts (Dreams). If there were any real
concerns or desires they had about that topic, and what their true
opinion or fears really are about (The Truth).
People interpret dreams differently. For example, people
who believe in a higher power such as gods or supernatural beings,
believe from that interpretation only is Christianity. Which receives all
their beliefs from one source, the Bible. Christians believe that every
dream is a gift from god, which gives people insight into their lives or

others lives concerning their future. For example in Daniel 2:19 Then
was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a night vision (Bible). Then
Daniel blessed the gods of heaven. This is just one of many examples
in the Bible where it is stated how God speaks to people through
dreams and visions (Does God).
The Bible also talks about how the enemy will send false
information deceiving people that it is a word from God. For example
which is Ecclesiastes 5:3 for a dream cometh through the multitudes of
business, and a fools voice (is known) by multitudes of words (Bible).
There are certain 3 certain types of dream characteristics that the
Christian faith consist of. One of these are Prophetic dreams. Prophetic
dreams are considered dreams with deep revelation, which is given to
the dreamer from God to receive great revelation on (Does God).
In the book of Daniel in the old testaments (12:6) head my words if
there be a prophet among you, I the lord will make myself known unto him in
a vision, and make myself known to you in a dream (Does God). The second
characteristic of dreams are warning dreams. Warning dreams warn the
dreamer and tells them what is to happen in the near future. For example in
King James Arise, and take the young children and his mother and go into
the land of Israel for they are dead which sought the young childrens life).
This was told to Joseph the father of Jesus by an Angel. Which spoke to him in
in a dream. When joseph awoke, he shared with Mary the dream and decided

they should leave at once. Amazingly all the Angel spoke to Joseph
concerning them, came to pass. Imagine had they not complied with the
Angels instructions, their baby Jesus may have been killed (Bible).
The third and last characteristics that dreams in the Bible,
consist of are symbols (Bible). Dreams can have many meanings
according to how some people interpret them. For example studies
show that vehicles represent the current path of ones life due to
decisions made. Snakes, represent the enemy or devil in ones life.
Nakedness, can mean spiritual intimacy with god. A House may
represent ones spiritual state with the lord. There are many symbols
which have hidden meanings or have more than one meaning. There is
an interpretation for almost all symbols that are often and not so often
found in dreams (Stacy 30).
In conclusion dreams have been interpreted in so many
different ways. The way we have interpreted dreams as a society over
many centuries have many different theories. There are scientific
theories and also religious theories. Which progress and every day
revealing new information. One thing is certain that we all have many
dreams. Which leave us with many questions. Thoughts mediations
about our dream experiences. Some dreams make us wonder and think
about their true meanings. Also why where they give to us? What is the
true meaning? And why was it given to us to understand if meant for

us at all. That is what makes dreams so special and unique, the

constant mystery of it all and the search for a perfect interpretation of
a dream (Stacy 40).