Every night when you go to sleep, you dream. You leave the world of every day consciousness and enter the dream realm – a mysterious place filled with magic, trickery, and impossibilities.
But have you ever wondered if those mystical dreamscapes are more than mere fantasy?
Dream research shows that dreams are not random at all. In fact, they are deeply connected to your everyday experience. Your dreams can guide and assist you in your daily life. But not all dreams are the same. There are different types of dreams, each with a different purpose. Here’s a look at five types of dreams and how to use them.
1. Symbolic Dreams
Symbolic dreams are dreams where one thing stands for something else. In these dreams a rabbit represents fertility and an apple equals knowledge.
Symbolic dreams create a bridge between what you currently know {the symbol} and what you are unaware of {the meaning behind the symbol}. They provide a link to your unconscious and help you see your life in new ways.
How to use Symbolic Dreams: First you need to understand the symbolism behind the dream. An easy way to do this is to play a game called “I am an Alien.”
Here’s how to play: Pretend you are talking to a space alien. Describe the dream symbol {object, animal, person, etc…} as if you were talking to someone who has just arrived on the planet and doesn’t know anything about Earth.
Answer questions like: What is it? What does it do? How do you feel about it? What do you associate with this object? What memories do you have regarding this object? Where do you use it?
After you’ve made some associations, relate it back to your daily life.
2. Healing Dreams
Some dreams can be healing in and of themselves – no interpretation required. In these dreams, the experience of the dream teaches you a lesson or heals some part of your life.
A few years ago, I dreamed I hugged a woman who I’d held a grudge against since I was a child. I woke up with an overwhelming feeling of unconditional love. I felt like a weight had lifted off my chest, and all resentment was gone. The dream taught me invaluable lessons about love and forgiveness.
How to use Healing Dreams: To work with these dreams, bring the energy and feelings of the dream into your waking life. Live the lessons and the healing your dream reveals.
3. Growth Dreams
Some of my favorite dreams are ones that reveal my next opportunity for growth. These dreams often reveal a gift or talent. They may also show you what you need to bring into your life or what you need to remove from your life.
How to use Growth Dreams: If the dream is symbolic, you need to understand the symbolism first {see #1}. Since these dreams are showing you what will lead to your next level of growth, it’s important to act.
For example, an aspiring singer who is afraid of what her friends might say about her aspirations, dreams about singing in front of a large audience. The dream is reflecting her desire and asking her to move past her own fears and express her truth by singing.
4. Pre-cognitive Dreams
One aspect of dreaming that is often ignored in Western culture is precognitive dreams. Yes, dreams can show you the future. Often these dreams will be about your everyday experiences like going to the office. They may seem ordinary and are often ignored.
How to use Precognitive Dreams: I always screen my dreams for future events. I ask myself if there is any possibility that this dream could come true in the future either literally or symbolically.
If you think there is a possibility that your dream may come true and you don’t like the outcome, take action to prevent it from happening. If you do like the outcome, take steps to ensure that it does happen.
5. Wish-Fulfillment Dreams
Wish-fulfillment dreams are a way of experiencing something you probably won’t get to experience in your waking life. These dreams allow you to experience your life in bigger and different ways.
One of my favorite dreams is one in which I spent the entire evening with my favorite singer. She sang to me, we went out on the town, I met her family, and then we had sushi. It was a magical evening that I’ll never forget. And one I’m not likely to experience in my waking life.
How to use Wish-Fulfillment Dreams: Wish-fulfillment dreams don’t require interpretation. You had a wish, and now you’ve fulfilled it. However, if there is something in the dream that you would like to experience in your waking life and it would be beneficial, take steps to make it happen.
Wrapping it up…
Your dreams are important and can help you in many ways. Different types of dreams help you in different ways. And although it’s not necessary to identify which type of dream you had, it does help.
If you’re new to dreams and don’t know where to start, simply write them down. As you build your collection of dreams, you’ll see different types of dreams emerge. And once you have a few dreams recorded, come back and reread this article.
