Dreams are the gateway to unconscious
If we are able to identify what resides in the unconscious and recognize contents not present in consciousness, dreams become fundamental for unlocking or accessing the content of the unconscious. Through them, we can identify the main problem, as dreams provide us with the necessary keys.
Our common perception of what we are consciously aware of tends to be biased when it comes to the psyche, as it is often seen as something intangible or limited only to conscious intellectual concepts. This leads to the undervaluation of unconscious content, such as dreams. Although the content of dreams may often seem absurd, in reality, they reflect internal conflicts that are an essential part of a neurosis. According to Carl Jung, dreams can corroborate psychic processes, and their analysis is fundamental to understanding and addressing neurosis at its root. A person suffering from a neurosis disorder, even with a brilliant intellect, can see their morale and daily life affected.
The unconscious has the ability to reflect deep and unknown themes, providing access to a broad dimension of the psyche that is not consciously available. Even someone who does not practice religion or spirituality may experience the emergence of religious or spiritual content in their dreams, depending on how they were raised. “Now my patient experiences an acute curiosity to know how I will seize those contents that constitute the root of his dominant idea. Then at the risk of disconcerting him I tell him that his dreams will supply us with all the necessary data. We will consider them as if they came from an intelligent source, directed to specific ends and, so to speak, personal.”
“In dreams, we find even before a thorough analysis the same conflicts and complexes whose existence can also be deduced through the association experiment. Furthermore, these complexes are an integral part of the existing neurosis.”
“We also assume, with sufficient reason, that dreams faithfully reflect the subterranean processes of the psyche.”
In the book Psychology and Religion by Carl Jung, these examples of dreams as access points to the unconscious are mentioned:
“Although the content of our dreams often seems absurd, they reflect internal conflicts that are an essential part of a neurosis.”
“The symptom resembles a sprout found above the ground, while the main plant is an extensive underground rhizome (a root system). This rhizome is the content of the neurosis: it is the mother soil of complexes, symptoms, and dreams.”
“For this reason, we reasonably assume that dreams, at the very least, can provide as much insight into the content of a neurosis as the association experiment. Strictly speaking, their information goes much further.”
He discusses the content of dreams as a reflection of internal conflicts.
Neurosis in people with high intellect: “The man whose dreams I refer to is an intellectual of remarkable intelligence. He was neurotic and sought my help because he felt that his neurosis had come to dominate him and was slowly but surely undermining his morale.”
“A person suffering from a neurosis disorder, even with a brilliant intellect, can see their morale and daily life affected.”
The emergence of religious or spiritual themes in dreams: “The series consists of four hundred dreams; consequently, it is impossible for me to give an idea of the entire material. However, I have published a selection of forty-seven of these dreams, which contain themes of unusual religious interest.”
“I must add that the man whose dreams we are discussing was raised Catholic but neither practiced nor showed interest in religion.” Dreams can become a profound psychological focus, and according to Jung, they can reflect internal conflicts and processes of psychic adaptation.
- Jung, C. G. (1960). Psychology and religion. Yale University Press.
If we are able to identify what resides in the unconscious and recognize contents not present in consciousness, dreams become fundamental for unlocking or accessing the content of the unconscious. Through them, we can identify the main problem, as dreams provide us with the necessary keys.
Our common perception of what we are consciously aware of tends to be biased when it comes to the psyche, as it is often seen as something intangible or limited only to conscious intellectual concepts. This leads to the undervaluation of unconscious content, such as dreams. Although the content of dreams may often seem absurd, in reality, they reflect internal conflicts that are an essential part of a neurosis. According to Carl Jung, dreams can corroborate psychic processes, and their analysis is fundamental to understanding and addressing neurosis at its root. A person suffering from a neurosis disorder, even with a brilliant intellect, can see their morale and daily life affected.
The unconscious has the ability to reflect deep and unknown themes, providing access to a broad dimension of the psyche that is not consciously available. Even someone who does not practice religion or spirituality may experience the emergence of religious or spiritual content in their dreams, depending on how they were raised. “Now my patient experiences an acute curiosity to know how I will seize those contents that constitute the root of his dominant idea. Then at the risk of disconcerting him I tell him that his dreams will supply us with all the necessary data. We will consider them as if they came from an intelligent source, directed to specific ends and, so to speak, personal.”
“In dreams, we find even before a thorough analysis the same conflicts and complexes whose existence can also be deduced through the association experiment. Furthermore, these complexes are an integral part of the existing neurosis.”
“We also assume, with sufficient reason, that dreams faithfully reflect the subterranean processes of the psyche.”
In the book Psychology and Religion by Carl Jung, these examples of dreams as access points to the unconscious are mentioned:
“Although the content of our dreams often seems absurd, they reflect internal conflicts that are an essential part of a neurosis.”
“The symptom resembles a sprout found above the ground, while the main plant is an extensive underground rhizome (a root system). This rhizome is the content of the neurosis: it is the mother soil of complexes, symptoms, and dreams.”
“For this reason, we reasonably assume that dreams, at the very least, can provide as much insight into the content of a neurosis as the association experiment. Strictly speaking, their information goes much further.”
He discusses the content of dreams as a reflection of internal conflicts.
Neurosis in people with high intellect: “The man whose dreams I refer to is an intellectual of remarkable intelligence. He was neurotic and sought my help because he felt that his neurosis had come to dominate him and was slowly but surely undermining his morale.”
“A person suffering from a neurosis disorder, even with a brilliant intellect, can see their morale and daily life affected.”
The emergence of religious or spiritual themes in dreams: “The series consists of four hundred dreams; consequently, it is impossible for me to give an idea of the entire material. However, I have published a selection of forty-seven of these dreams, which contain themes of unusual religious interest.”
“I must add that the man whose dreams we are discussing was raised Catholic but neither practiced nor showed interest in religion.” Dreams can become a profound psychological focus, and according to Jung, they can reflect internal conflicts and processes of psychic adaptation.
- Jung, C. G. (1960). Psychology and religion. Yale University Press.