Authors: Ryan Shinazy & Cole Butler, MACP

(6-minute read)

Introduction

Did you dream about someone last night? You might be wondering “what does it mean that I had a dream about this person?”

Interest in dreams has roots reaching all the way back to primal societies. In modern times, people often credit the Austrian psychologist Sigmund Freud with the commonly practiced form of dream interpretation. However, it's important to mention the Swiss psychiatrist Carl G. Jung when talking about major figures in dream analysis.

This blog post will give you a brief history lesson on ancient dream interpretation. It will also cover Freudian and Jungian dream analysis and provide a few key elements for analyzing dreams. Finally, it will explain what it means when you dream about someone.

Read on!

Ancient Dream Interpretation

Historians have found records of dream interpretation dating back to 4000-3000 BCE. They believe that the ancient Sumerians carved their dreams into clay tablets. For the Sumerians, dreams were indistinguishable from everyday life. The dream world was not only an extension of reality, but a more powerful version compared to waking life.

Similarly, the ancient Egyptians recorded their dreams with written symbols we know as hieroglyphics. During this time, it was the job of priests to record and interpret the dreams of the Pharaohs and other leaders. The Egyptians considered those with the most vivid dreams special. They also believed those who could interpret dreams possessed divine gifts.

Notably, dream interpretation played a crucial role in the Greek and Roman era as well. A single dream turned the tide of battle and changed the face of Christianity during that time.

In 312 CE, the Roman Emperor Constantine had a profound dream. The dream guaranteed his victory in the coming battle if he publicly demonstrated support for Christ. The following morning, Constantine ordered the soldiers to paint a Christogram on their shields. Low and behold, they were victorious, and Constantine credits their success to his dream.

Dreams have influenced human history since ancient times, and these are some of the earliest examples. Now let’s jump to our modern time.

Modern Dream Analysis

Sigmund Freud and Carl G. Jung significantly shaped modern dream interpretation with their works. Each of them offered unique perspectives on the function and meaning of dreams.

Freud's Perspective:

Freud viewed dreams as manifestations of repressed unconscious desires and thoughts. He believed that dreams serve as a means to fulfill wishes that cannot be satisfied in waking life.

According to Freud, dreams have two levels of content. First there is manifest content, which is the actual storyline of the dream. Then underneath that, is the latent content, which is the hidden psychological meaning.

Freud argued that the manifest content disguises the latent content through mechanisms such as condensation and displacement. Condensation refers to the process of combining multiple ideas into one. While displacement is the transformation of the object of concern into something or someone else. Both mechanisms require the removal of layers to understand the hidden message of the dream.

Jung's Perspective:

Jung, on the other hand, saw dreams as natural expressions of the unconscious mind, essential for maintaining psychological balance. He emphasized that dreams are spontaneous self-representations in symbolic form. They reflect the dreamer's inner state and encourage communication between the conscious and unconscious.

Jung rejected Freud's distinction between manifest and latent content. He asserted that dreams do not disguise their true meaning but rather convey messages directly through symbols and metaphors.

Jung proposed a dual reading of dreams, considering both their objective and subjective aspects. He identified four key functions of dreams:

1. Reaction to Conscious Situations: Dreams react to waking life experiences, either by mirroring them or compensating for them.

2. Conflict Resolution: They reveal conflicts between conscious attitudes and unconscious tendencies.

3. Transformation: Through compensation, dreams aid in transforming conscious attitudes.

4. Autonomous Processes: Some dream content is unrelated to conscious experiences, originating purely from the unconscious.

Note: Jung introduced the idea of the collective unconscious. Jung believed the entirety of humankind is connected through the collective unconscious.

Jung also emphasized the dreams' "intuitive function," suggesting that recurring motifs need interpretation based on the dreamer's personal context. He believed that dreams operate at all times, even during waking hours, but consciousness drowns them out with noise.

Dreaming about Someone

Now, the reason why you’re here. Why did you dream about that person last night?

Dreaming about someone can have various meanings and interpretations. The context of the dream and your personal experiences play a role in the interpretation. Let’s go through some common dream interpretations:

1. Emotional Processing: Dreams can serve as a means for your brain to process emotions and experiences. If you dream about someone, it might be because you have unresolved feelings or thoughts about them.

2. Symbolic Portrayal: The person in your dream might symbolize a particular quality or aspect of yourself you possess or desire. For example, dreaming about a friend who is very confident might reflect your own desire for confidence.

3. Wish Fulfillment: Dreams can sometimes represent desires or wishes. Dreaming about someone you have a crush on, or miss might be your subconscious mind exploring those feelings.

4. Unresolved Issues: Dreaming about someone you have unresolved issues with could be your mind's way of working through those problems.

5. Recent Interactions: Sometimes, dreaming about someone can simply mean they've been on your mind lately. This could be due to recent interactions or thoughts about them.

6. Stress and Anxiety: Dreaming about someone in a stressful situation could reflect your own stress or anxiety. This is particularly true if the person in the dream is someone who causes you stress. Or if a stressful aspect of your life involves that person.

7. Relationships and Bonds: Dreaming about someone can reflect the nature of your relationship with them. For instance, dreaming about a family member might highlight your feelings of love, conflict, or concern regarding that person.

8. Psychological Insights: According to Jung's theories, dreams about others offer insights into our unconscious mind. This awareness can aid our understanding of deeper thoughts and feelings.

9. Random Brain Activity: Finally, it is possible that not all dreams have deep meanings. At times, your brain may simply generate images and scenarios randomly from your memories and thoughts. So, the presence of someone in your dream might not hold any significant meaning at all.

Conclusion

Ultimately, the significance of dreaming about someone lies in the relationship between our waking experiences and the unconscious mind. While ancient civilizations imbued dreams with divine significance, modern psychology offers frameworks for analyzing dreams. However, the true interpretation often lies within the dreamer themselves.

Dreams involve highly personal experiences, meaning they are open to various interpretations. It's important to consider the context of the dream, as well as your own personal feelings and experiences. This can help you to better understand what dreaming about someone might mean for you.

If you still puzzle over your dreams, seeking out a mental health professional trained as a dream expert could be helpful. They can help you analyze the types of dreams you are having and help apply the wisdom of the unconscious to your real life.

About the Author:

Ryan Shinazy

Ryan Shinazy is an Intern at Integrative Care Collective PBC. He is an Honors Student in Psychology at University of Northern Colorado (UNC). He is currently a Senior with a 4.0/4.0 GPA. He is currently working on developing his honors thesis under Dr. James Kole, entitled: Understanding Loneliness in the Digital Age: Implications of Social Media Use. He plans to get his Master’s Degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at UNC. As ICC PBC’s Intern, he is responsible for content production, including SEO-optimized blog posts and social media content.

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What Does It Mean When You Dream About Someone?