Are Dreams a Necessary Part of Forgetting? (Part two)

“People always talk about how hard it can be to remember things - where they left their keys, or the name of an acquaintance - but no one ever talks about how much effort we put into forgetting. I am exhausted from the effort to forget... There are things that have to be forgotten if you want to go on living.”

-Stephen Carpenter

     Have you experienced a dream that reminded you of something familiar, but you just couldn't quite remember what it was?

Do you ever wonder if that forgetful feeling is a result of a past experience being intertwined into your dream? There are numerous reasons behind the various plights, feelings, and thoughts we experience everyday; however, the reasons behind those experiences may be unknown. Could we unlock these secrets with a closer look at our dreams? Just as our brain forms connections in our mind with old and new experiences; similarly, our dreams portray the connections between our past and current experiences to allow us to appreciate how the past influences our present thoughts, dilemmas, etc. Several of these observations were influenced by the book I am reading, Memory in Mind and Brain: What Dream Imagery Reveals by: Morton F. Reiser. 

     This week, I’ve read about some thoughtful observations implied by Morton F. Reiser in his experiences assisting his patients in dream analysis. One such observation was: the feelings and memories of an analyst influence the interpretation of a dream. I find this similar to an individual providing advice, their past experiences and knowledge influences the advice they give; however, this doesn’t imply all advice is sound because not everyone experiences the world the same way.  

    One day, Reiser was going to help a young man (Richard) in analyzing his dream; however, that day Reiser had been unaware that this particular day had been the anniversary of his mother’s death(this unawareness invoked strong feelings of sadness that day, which helped Reiser influence how he helped Richard analyze his dream). Richard described his dream as: holding a deep and quiet sadness throughout. The dream focused on his house, in which a young woman Richard had a satisfying relationship with, may have been planning to move in with Richard (a welcome thought); however, the depressed mood that accompanied the dream didn’t match how Richard should have felt about the woman moving in with him.

     After hearing Richard’s recollection, Reiser remembered: (he believed the following memory was tied to this dream because of his sister’s hair color) Richard had mentioned that his mother became seriously ill and depressed for an extensive time after the birth of his younger sister when he was two years old. Richard explained he became depressed and lonesome throughout this time, particularly when his sister came home from the hospital. Reiser thought the prospect of Richard’s girlfriend moving in with him had brought up these earlier conflicts (of mother being sick, and Richard then becoming lonely and sad) because her moving in was akin to his younger sister coming home for the first time. 

     Our dreams intimately weave our past experiences, feelings, etc. into images that tie into our present situations; demonstrating, that an efficient way to analyze our dreams is to determine how much of the dream is tied to our past experiences. Additionally, our moods can influence the way we interpret our dreams, so we should interpret our dreams in various emotional states, to discover new thoughts about the dream that wouldn’t occur without the insights of various emotions. An individual could even ask another person to interpret their dream in various moods to see if any new insights help determine dream meaning. I now desire to apply this “emotional” theory towards the analysis of my own dreams in order to discover the various insights my emotions can provide about my dreams. :D