What Is Dream Analysis In Psychology?

Dream analysis is a therapeutic practice that is most often associated with psychoanalysis. Dreams were seen by Sigmund Freud as “the royal path” to the unconscious, and he created dream analysis, or dream interpretation, as a method of accessing this information.(1) Now, we will try answering “What is dream analysis in psychology”?

The essential concepts of dream analysis psychology are used in most theoretical models in the same way: A person in therapy tells their therapist about a dream, which is then discussed and processed, and fresh knowledge is gathered from the dream. At the end of the procedure, the therapist may assist the individual in putting the new knowledge to good use. Despite the commonalities, each therapeutic approach employs dream analysis in a unique manner. 

The Psychology of Dream Analysis

Dream analysis, or in other words dream interpretation psychology, is a method in which the content of dreams is analyzed to reveal underlying motives or symbolic meanings and representations. It was first employed in psychoanalysis but is now utilized in a variety of different psychotherapies. It’s also referred to as dream interpretation. 

The goal of dream analysis is to figure out what the dreams imply. They may depict the dreamer’s self-image, as well as his or her perceptions of other people, the world, urges, restrictions, and conflicts. Those ideas come together to build a belief system that has an impact on behavior. 

Freudian Dream Analysis

External inputs, subjective experiences, biological stimulation inside the body, and mental processes during sleep, according to Freud, are all origins of dreams. Some of these claims have been backed up by empirical data (2). Dream content may include crucial information about the dreamer, according to the self-organization hypothesis of dreaming, which claims that memory consolidation, emotion management, and receipt of external stimuli all contribute to dream content. 

Jungian Dream Analysis

Dreams are examined for unconscious content, and dream symbols are studied for hidden meaning in Jungian analysis, which is comparable to Freud’s psychoanalysis. In Jungian dream interpretation, however, the dreamer is more important in deciphering the dream’s meaning. Furthermore, unlike Freud’s dream interpretation, dreams are understood as attempts to express and create rather than suppress and mask. 

If you want to start your dream journaling journey, you may want to look at the Dreambook App today! In a dreambook, you can start analysing and recording your dreams immediately.

References:

1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychoanalytic_dream_interpretation

2: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychoanalytic_dream_interpretation