dream symbol

Biological Dream Theory Dream Meaning

J.A. Hadfield, in his book Dreams and Nightmares (Pelican 1954), puts forward what he calls a biological theory of dreams. He says the function of dreams is that, by reproducing difficult or unsolved situations or experi­ences, the dream aids a solving or resolution of the problems. He gives the example of a man climbing a cliff who slips fractionally. He then may dream of actually falling and waking terrified. Subsequently the dream recurs, but in each he tries out a different behaviour, such as clasping for a branch, until he manages to act appropriately to avert the disaster. He sums up by saying dreams stand in the place of experience. They make us relive areas of anxious or difficult experience. They thus help problem solving. But they not only look back at past behaviour, they act just like thinking in considering future plans and needs. [1]

What Do You Think About This Dream?

What does BIOLOGICAL DREAM THEORY mean in a dream?


J.A. Hadfield, in his book Dreams and Nightmares (Pelican 1954), puts forward what he calls a biological theory of dreams. He says the function of dreams is that, by reproducing...

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Adaptive theory speculates that species-wide sleep patterns developed as a way of adapting to the environment. Grazing animals, for example, sleep relatively few hours a day in short bursts. According...

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Fundamental nourishment; our basic emotional and biological needs. In a spiritual sense it represents our univer­sal experience of physical or bodily life.

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The activation-synthesis model of dreaming was proposed in 1977 by Robert McCarley and J. Allan Hobson of Harvard Medical School. Examining the purely physiological correlates of dreaming, Hobson and McCarley...

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Similar to car but, because drawn by an animal, more suggestive of a direction brought about by biological drives such as sex and ageing. Can depict how you are dealing...

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Deeply unconscious drives and processes, such as the biological activities to do with intestines and cells, so what we might feel squeamish about—might therefore connect with abortion; the power of...

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Intimate sexual feel­ings.If black: restraint or unconscious sex drives. Dirty or grubby: sex attitudes we are not proud of; difficult feelings about biological side of self.

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Manual dexterity. According to conventional psychoanalytical theory, a phallic symbol.Folklore: Suggests that looking at your own fingers, in a dream, means you want to fight.

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Clocks as symbols often reflect the dreamer’s anxiety about not being on top of things, and thus behind schedule.A clock may also symbolize the biological clock that ticks away for...

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It is imperative that the mu’abbir or interpreter understands fully and properly every details of a dream seen by any person. He should be able to weigh it on the...

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To dream of walking in a pleasant valley denotes sickness (Raphael). An interpretation in conformity with the modern theory of physical stimuli, and attributing hills, valleys, mountains, etc., to sensations...

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To meet with an accident or injury to any part of the body augurs suffering in that part (Raphael). Obviously a dream attributable to physical stimuli, and in accord with...

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String theory is a scientific attempt to explain a spiritual anomaly. Anything that binds suggests a direct relationship with our inner self. This is traditionally seen as the silver cord...

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Psychological / emotional perspective: War is ultimately a way of dealing with distress and discomfort. In theory, the outcome should be the re-establishing of order, but this can often only...

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The body is a physical manifestation of an inner spirituality, so in theory should be almost perfect. Sometimes, rather than looking to heal the body, it is easier to heal...

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Material aspects: To be taking a holiday in a dream indicates a sense of relaxation and of taking a break from responsibilities. In theory we do not have to be...

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Holding the breath: expression of will. We hold the breath when repressing emotions and anxiety. Fast breathing: excitement; emotional release; experience of fear. Under wa­ter and not breathing : womblike...

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The most important archetype of all is the self—the higher, more spiritual aspect of the personality. In dreams it can appear in many forms; most typically as a child or...

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Mud is a product of soil (i.e., the concrete and solid) mixed with water (feelings). Hence, it relates to all things biological and nascent. Therefore, mud is linked to physical...

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To dream of having any of these afflictions foretells good fortune and good health, preceded by a temporary sickness (Raphael) « Dreams probably caused by irritation of the parts of...

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The Profound Nature of Dreams: Freud and Jung's Perspectives ‘Dreams are often most profound when they seem the most crazy.’- Sigmund Freud Austrian psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud (1858-1939) opened the door...

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Material aspects: The idea of fighting for a common cause suggests developing qualities which we would not necessarily foster in isolation. As organizations that accept all types of people and...

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If your life is particularly difficult, you may have a dream in which you feel blissfully carefree and happy.If you are feeling lonely and unloved, you may have a dream...

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Clearing evil or decay, or taking in good, is symbolized as devouring it – that is, eating it greedily. Kali, the hindu mother goddess, as the keeper of the graveyard,...

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Fundamental nourishment; our basic emotional and biological needs. In a spiritual sense it represents our univer­sal experience of physical or bodily life. To dream of eating chapati, denotes that you...

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Alfred Adler (1870–1937) was an Austrian psychiatrist who developed a personality theory referred to as individual psychology. He was at one time closely associated with Sigmund Freud, but broke with...

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One’s energy and sense of existence. Being hurt—such as hurtful remarks, being told we are not loved—can sap our motive to live and may be depicted as blood, injury, often...

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If a timepiece appeared in your dream, it is important to remember how you felt during and after the dream as it will suggest the way in which you allocate...

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Vision: Searching for Easter eggs: the beginning of a new love relationship. Eating the eggs: you have very passionate feeling for another person, which can have biological consequences. Hiding Easter...

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A dream of sickness, poverty, affront, fatigue. Invariably ominous according to older interpreters. Modern students, however, attribute to it a-totally different significance; holding it in some instances as a wish...

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In theory, perfect health of mind and body would be possible provided we understood the workings of the physical body – how the organs inter-relate. Spiritually, if through dreams we...

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Universal Landscape: A new idea, relationship, or event.Dreaming Lens: Were you in physical proximity to the baby? Was your relationship to the baby intimate or estranged? Was the baby vibrant...

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[DREAM IMAGES: HALF MAN-HALF WOMAN; HERMAPHRODITE; TRANSVESTITE]The symbol of a person who has attained the perfect balance of male and female characteristics, an androgynous being represents the union of opposites,...

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Material aspects: Largely in dreams a newspaper will suggest knowledge that is in the public domain. It might be information that we require in order to make sense of the...

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It represents hearing and therefore, communication. The presence of one ear in a dream means that you must pay more attention to the instructions of your inner voice. This image...

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(or lower body)(1) The abdomen may represent sexual feelings.(2) It may also represent die unconscious. Naturally, (2) may include (1), and a dream in which the abdomen or lower part...

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Gold is the most precious element on the planet.The theory goes that it arrived here from space in the early formation of the solar system. As a symbol, gold represents...

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Dreaming about getting married or being in a wedding is relatively common.If your biological time clock is ticking away and you are anxious to get married, this dream may be...

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[DREAM IMAGES: MATRIARCH, MOTHER NATURE]The mother archetype appears in many forms—mother, princess and witch— and is symbolized by the primordial mother, or ‘earth mother’, of mythology, by Eve and Mary...

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1- There arc several aspects to dreaming about the future. We may be aware within the dream itself that the events will take place in the future of our dream,...

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As you age, your sleep patterns change; so too will the time you spend dreaming and the subjects of your dreams. By their mid-forties, many people begin to go to...

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Dreams are a fascinating and unique experience that occur during sleep. They are characterized by vivid and often surreal imagery, as well as a range of emotions and thoughts. Although...

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Example: ‘An old woman with a very pink, lined face, and wearing a clashing red hat, knelt close to my face.The woman leaned forward to poke my hand, and I...

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In these extremely common dreams, you are lost and feeling desperate. You may be buried alive or locked in a cage. Or you dream of not being able to move;...

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Freudian psychoanalysis identifies thorns with painful events of sexual life; Jungian, with sentimental disappointments. Thorns also represent the pain always linked to pleasure, “there is no rose without a thorns.”...

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Time element. Allotted time.Check conditions surrounding the clock and the appearance of the clock.It is talking to you about time, a cycle, age or duration of something. Carl Jung called...

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Jung, Hadfield and several other dream researchers believe the dream process is linked with homoeostasis or self regulation (see Man and His Sym­bols, Jung; Dreams and Nightmares, Hadfield; Mind and...

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Understanding Dream Interpretation: Jungian Theory and Symbolic Meaning The Way Station In this dream, I find myself in a rest area, like a way station, possibly along a highway or...

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Said to be the cup from which Jesus drank at the Last Supper and which caught his blood at the Crucifixion, the Holy Grail is a symbol of spiritual perfection....

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The stone is a symbol of being, of cohesion and consistency with yourself. Its hardness has always been seen as the opposite of the biological, subject to the laws of...

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Symbol: The moon is a symbol of dependence, femininity, change and growth, biological rhythms, and the passing of time. In a man’s dream, the moon always represents female buttocks.Vision: Dreaming...

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Example: ‘I know I have killed somebody and their body is walled up in the cellar.The strange thing is I haven’t a clue who this person is. Various people visit...

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Falling, and the accompanying sense of vertigo, is, along with flying, one of the most often reported dream topics. Falling dreams typically occur during the first stage of sleep. Dreams...

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The earth has ancient associations with the human body and personality.According to astrological theory, people born under the earth signs of Taurus, Capricorn and Virgo are thought to have predominantly...

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To dream that you are in the clutches of adversity, denotes that you will have failures and continued bad prospects.To see others in adversity, portends gloomy surroundings, and the illness...

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In his book Landscapes of the Night, Dr Evans puts forward a new theory of dreaming. He states that our brain has programs’ for dealing with survival. We have basic...

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One of the things most of us fear is losing control of our faculties. Dreams in which you are blind or you see blind people may represent your refusal to...

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Universal Landscape: Rebirth, resurrection.Dreaming Lens: Were you reborn in the dream? Was someone else? Was it a literal birth, or more figurative? Did your dream include images of resurrection? Was...

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Family relationships have been studied and written about for centuries, from the brothers Cain and Abel, through Joseph the favored son, to evil stepmothers in fairy stories and Mrs Robinson...

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Certain key figures in human history have had such an impact on world history that your unconscious may have stored the information—perhaps from school or college days, or even from...

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Nightmares often depict issues that threaten your emotional safety and wellbeing and you may find yourself dreaming of the same event, person, situation or setting over and over and over...

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Night terrors are not nightmares. In fact they are not even dreams. Also known as sleep terrors, night terrors occur during non-REM sleep, not during REM sleep when the majority...

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Throughout his life, Jung admitted his strong fascination with the theory of reincarnation but never declared himself for or against the idea. We simply don’t know whether he believed in...

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To dream of books can symbolize knowledge, wisdom, intelligence, the search for knowledge and the ability to learn from the opinions of other people.If you are surrounded by books in...

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Over the years many theories to ex­plain the ‘why’ of dreams have been put forward. These range from dreams being messages from spirits; being results of food eaten prior to...

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The Perspectives of Freud, Jung, Hall, and Domhoff on Dreams Our website, "Symbols, Signs, and Meanings," delves into the enigmatic messages that the unconscious mind conveys during slumber. It also...

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Your dreaming mind may from time to time inflict punishment on you for thoughts and actions of which your waking self disapproves. In most cases, the dream symbols will be...

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The following dreams tend to be common during times of change or transition. A dream of waking and getting up, when in fact you are still asleep, may signal reluctance...

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Giving and receiving gifts in dreams indicates a need to give and take within a relationship, perhaps to share with others what we have and to create an environment that...

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Fierce and fire-breathing, the dragon is a potent animal of dream-lore that is neither good nor evil, male nor female, light nor dark, but a symbol of the primal energy...

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Privacy, our need for time where we are not always considering what others need or want of us, but can do what we want.If it is a bathroom and toilet:...

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Our Approach to Interpreting Dreams We start our dream interpretation process with some principles of Jungian theory that describe how the human psyche operates. We then consider the dream and...

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The Fascinating and Mysterious Phenomenon of Precognitive Dreams Precognitive dreams are a fascinating and mysterious phenomenon that has captivated people throughout history. These dreams are characterized by experiencing events or...

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Son of a pastor, his paternal grandfather and great grandfather were physicians. He took a degree in medicine at the University of Basle, then specialised in psychiatry. In early papers...

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Jung studied under the tutelage of Sigmund Freud. Their differing views on dreams and dream interpretations led to a permanent rift that led them to go their separate ways. Like...

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As a species, humans have cer­tain norms of behaviour, many of which we share with other animals. We tend to find a partner of the opposite sex and produce children....

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While the notion of archetypes is at least as old as Plato, it is most familiar to the modern world through the work of Carl Jung, the prominent Swiss psychotherapist....

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Universal Landscape: Productivity; emotionless activity.Dreaming Lens: Was there a robot in your dream? What was it capable of doing? How human-like was it? Was it effective at what it did?...

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While Dr. LaBerge studied lucid dreams as a means of personal transformation, other researchers have delved into the fundamental question of why people dream. Some argue that dreaming is a...

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The Oedipus complex is one of Freud’s best-known and most influential theories in the realm of dream interpretation. The term refers to a group of largely unconscious ideas and feelings...

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Universal Landscape: Emotion. The unconscious.Dreaming Lens: What was the body of water? How large, small, manageable, or fearsome was it? Were you in the water, or did you consider jumping...

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Many experiments have been done using hypnosis in connection with dreams. In the early pan of this century Carl Schroetter hypnotised Miss E, a pharmacist, in an attempt to test...

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Universal Landscape: The steps toward mastery.Dreaming Lens: Who was the teacher in your dream? Was this a real teacher from your life, or an unknown character? How did you feel...

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Each one of us can learn the art of remembering dreams. This ability is a fundamental requirement for working with dream symbols and harnessing the power of your dreams for...

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Understanding the Cultural, Psychological, and Spiritual Significance of Dreams and Visions The idea of a dream as a "vision" is a fascinating topic that warrants further exploration. One approach to...

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To have a sense of personal existence distinct from others may be unique to human beings, and in large measure due to the learning of language. Jung and Neumann’s studies...

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The brain is not a computer, but it has the power to compute.The word computare is Latin, and comes from putare, to think. Neither is a computer any­thing like a...

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Like any other animal, human beings have devel­oped certain physical and behavioural traits. Some of these traits, such as a newborn baby attempting to suckle the breast, are rooted in...

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Whilst pregnant women often dream about giving birth in anticipation of the upcoming event, dreams of giving birth typically have very little connection with the biological process of reproduction and...

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Universal Landscape: Sudden awareness or enlightenment born of divergent, confronting ideas.Dreaming Lens: Where was the flash of lightning in your dream? Were you witnessing from a safe distance, or were...

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Dreams often reflect personal experiences, emotions, and subconscious thoughts. For women, certain themes and symbols appear more frequently due to societal, emotional, and biological influences. This guide explores the most...

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Dreams and their meanings might remain an ambiguous domain for many individuals. The notion that dreams carry significant, even profound meanings might be unfamiliar to some. However, the understanding of...

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Adrian Morrison at the University of Pennsylvania, investigating narcolepsy, a condition producing sleep in the middle of activity, found that a small area of the brain, the pons, suppresses full...

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Buddhism and dreams The principle aim of Buddhism is to achieve liberation from the things that bind consciousness to what Buddhists see as the illusory concepts of the self and...

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Recurrent dream themes often start at a young age, but can begin at any time, and persist for the rest of one’s life.The theme of missing an exam, to take...

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A to Z Dream Interpretation