methods of interpretation

“Interpretation is the revenge of the intellectual upon art.”

-- Susan Sontag

It is one thing to pick and choose symbols for interpretation, but what does an entire dream say to us? One of the artists on this blog sent a dream to me and I thought I might offer it up as a chance to explore interpretation.

“I have a recurring flying dream that is terrifying because I can't come down or land, I just keep rising higher & further from the tree tops.”

Is this a “classic” anxiety dream? Me, I claim to the Queen of Anxiety Dreams, I have them so often. What seems most important is not the flying but the sense that the dreamer has lost control and is scared. Unsaid, but suggested, is the deep desire to get “grounded” which seems to be less and less possible as the dreamer floats further away from the rooted trees.

This is just my interpretation of the dream. I bet you have your own. What seems most important to you about this dream? Are your dreams more vivid when you go to bed worried? Do anxiety dreams help you work out an issue?

TODAY’S CREATIVITY CHALLENGE:

Pick one of your dreams and explore it in detail. Interpret it first based on the emotions you felt while dreaming. Explore why these emotions were triggered. What are the opposites of those emotions? If you felt terrified, does it mean you actually want to feel safe? If you’re frantic from being chased, does it mean you want to stop running?

Now rewrite your dream using synonyms or different descriptive adjectives. Like above the word “rooted” refers both to the tree and the dreamer’s desire to stop flying. What if I had replaced the original words “tree tops” with “Nature” or “The Earth” or “forest” – how does that change the interpretation?

Some therapists also suggest “free association” interpretation where you pick a word from the dream such as “terrifying” and let your imagination riff on it such as:

terrifying – horror – movie – business – agent – work – checks – bank – bills – need to do my bills