Dreams (and Freud)

[janedoe311]

Jane,

I think Freud might have discussed vagina envy if there were any men willing to admit it - especially in that day and age. But that's not very likely (even now). But I do agree that dreams can have hidden meanings, messages and insight into our psyche. I've learned a lot about myself from mine. :2c:


I believe Your brain "cleans" itself out in dreams. I think about being a woman all the time but rarely dream that I am a woman. Most experts believe dreams are mainly on your fears, ( I do not agree they are the ones you remember). Your brain recalls random memories and thoughts like a CD on random but taking parts of songs on random. There have been studies on this.

Yes, dreams can give you an incite into your subconscious and or Id. But Freud spent a lot of time and effort and importance in analyzing dreams. I think dreams are mostly random (brain firing memories and thoughts at random) and you only remember a fraction of them and then only if you wake up during the dream. To do a proper analysis you need more data, Freud put too much importance on dreams, considering you only remember a fraction of your dreams not enought for proper analysis.

I remember a lot of my dreams, because I do not sleep very soundly and wake up a lot. (Yes I dream in color). Also you have a tendency to remember the traumatic dreams. I remember nightmares from a kid some 40 to 48 years ago. Some of sounds in them still hit nerve when I hear them, (two bird calls a morning dove and another bird I do not know that were in this dream, the last dream that had with my father in it, (he died a year or so earlier, I was about 4.)

I also remember the first dream I had sex with a man as a women some 30 + years ago. It was a shock when I woke up (It was oral sex, yuck). Have had a few since then, not so much of a shock now!

[CaptLex]

Jane,

I'm moving your post about Freud and dreams to it's own thread 'cause it's a separate topic from "Penis Envy".

Now . . . in response to your post, I think that dreams are not necessarily the same for everyone. For some people they can be insightful, and for others it could just be the brain "taking out the trash" every night. I also believe that some people have prophetic dreams or dreams where loved ones who have passed on bring them messages from the afterlife. I also wake up a lot during the night so I tend to remember most of my dreams, and interpreting or analyzing them has helped me figure stuff out.

Like others have said, I think Freud was off his rocker about a lot of things (like penis envy), but I'm not too quick to throw out all his theories - especially about dream analysis. You say you think a lot about being a woman, but rarely dream about it. I don't think that means anything necessarily. Maybe your brain spends enough time on it consciously, so your subconscious has nothing to say about it. In my subconscious I've been able to realize things about myself (especially gender issues) that I would never have figured out consciously - some of it very surprising.

But I still maintain that it's not the same for everyone, so there's no right and wrong here.

[Kate Simmons]

Well said Captlex. Just a side point. Regardless of the content or meaning of dreams, if you want to guarantee ALL your dreams are in color (some are black and white), take Vit. B12 before going to sleep. A little info I picked up some years ago while researching my nutritional regimen.:happy: Ericka/Rich

[Felix]

Interesting! Myself I think consciously all the time about what if I was a man, it never comes out in my dreams. All the other stuff does though the junk I suppose. Although sometimes I do think my dreams are there to warn me of stuff maybe to protect me in some strange kinda way. I'm sure you know what I mean Ericka? I have studied a bit about our old friend Freud and I can see why he says the things he did about penis envy, but it's down to interpretation with these sorts of things like most things. Our own values will give us different insites into the meaning of Freud as with many other theories. Felix xx :hugs:

[Kate Simmons]

Absolutely Felix. Think of yourself as a movie production company. We are the ones who write the script, produce the dream and direct the actions. Maybe not consciously but our mind is always working below the surface while we are receiving input data in every day life. We may also "tune in" to the time stream or another dimension while our body is asleep. Our mind and spirit are always active on different levels, so probabilities may form and we may have a prophetic dream that we may or may not help bring about with our creative abilities later. I'm usually able to interpret my dreams even though I don't immediately recall the details. It may take a while and my spirit guides help me to do that.:happy: Ericka/Rich

[Xaff]

It's interesting that most of you are in your dream what you are for your body. (men/woman) Iself dream for 95% in the role of that of a boy, and 5% I am myself. But also very boyish. I am never a real girl in my dreams.

[janedoe311]

When I think of it, in an awful lot of my dreams I want to or am trying to be a girl, ie trying to find a place to put on woman’s clothes or magically change. Taking of my mens clothes and not being able to get it off like removing one shirt after another or getting caught in shirts.

Most of the few that I am a woman I start with me being a woman
then I am looking from a 3rd person prospective, very annoying.

Many dreams where I am a woman, I see myself as me but people in the dream see me and treat me as a woman, (I like that).

I have lucid dreams a lot. So called experts say you are not really dreaming but are just in a light sleep and are still conscious. Well I have had some very complicated lucid dreams in the middle of the night in a deep sleep, so I do not believe these so called experts.

Never saw loved ones in dreams, except in a past way. Really wanted my father to visit me (was 4 when he died), but it never happened, one of the reasons why I am an agnostic.)

I have “dreams” when awake, some see it as hallucinating, I see it as seeing pictures in my mind. I can have “dreams" when just resting I guess nearly asleep, but aware of my surroundings. Another sign of a mental problem no doubt!

Lucid dreams could be another thread. It is an interesting subject; some say you can train yourself to have lucid dreams.

Most of the dreams I remember are fears or dislikes, like dreaming I am cooking in Denny’s again, AHHHH.

I get ideas for stories from dreams. My first script was spawned from a dream.

I solve problems lying in bed after waking up, partly asleep kind of like meditating.

It is known that you solve problems in your subconscious. IF you stop focusing on it your subconscious will solve it. I am sure that is true in my case.

I have come up with the best ideas and solving problems when waking up.

I believe dreams can be an outlet for solving problems as well as taking out the trash.

I do Transcendental meditation and am getting back to doing it twice a day again. It REALLY helps with stress and rejuvenation, if I did not get enough sleep that night.

Never had premonitions in dreams but have had “warnings”. I believe some people do, (I have talked to people that have had them). Dreams can be very traumatic and if you have a dream that you crashed in a plane I bet you will not be flying anytime soon! Again I feel it is your subconscious protecting you.

Maybe Captlex is right, I think about being a female all the time while “allegedly” awake so I do not need to work that over in dreams. I miss them though only time I have can really have breasts!

So, now that I think of it dreams are more than random firing of memory’s or thoughts in the cerebellum.

[Charleen]

I agree that dreaming is the brain doing a little house keeping, but also trying to get a handle on things that are going on in our lives. About 6 months or so ago, I had a few dreams with my Mom and wife in them as well as 2 with my Dad. All dead. The long shot is that after those dreams I felt O.K. about them being gone. Won't get into the content in detail, but we did talk about life, and life without them.
Most of the time I don't see myself in my dreams, but lately I have been a woman occasionally.
As far as Freud goes, even he said that some times a cigar is just a cigar. Love and xxxx, Lily