When we start looking at our own dreams, we are faced with their symbolic mystery that appears to be insurmountable. Many people will simply dismiss them on the basis of their cryptic and confusing—if not downright disturbing—nature and I can only empathize with that.

However, as I have already explained, not being able to understand dreams does not mean that they do not have wisdom. To reduce the overwhelming nature of the phenomenon, we have to establish some assumptions first.

The two fundamental points in dealing with dreams are these: First, the dream should be treated as a fact, about which one must make no previous assumption except that it somehow makes sense; and second, the dream is a specific expression of the unconscious.

Carl Jung, Man and His Symbols, Past and future in the unconscious

A dream cannot produce a definite thought. If it begins to do so, it ceases to be a dream because it crosses the threshold of consciousness.

Carl Jung, Man and His Symbols, Approaching the Unconscious

These quotes establish the key points: dreams are objective psychic facts from the standpoint of the unconscious and thus can only be expressed in symbolic language. This explains the reason why dreams are always hard to approach from our waking consciousness. Even after years of personal experience, my initial reaction is always being at a loss for words. Thankfully, practice has taught me that this hump is part of the process. We are working with a living mystery and this requires the humility to leave pre-made knowledge aside.

Another key assumption we have to make is that dreams are reactions to the conscious attitude. More precisely, they play a part in the self-regulation of the psyche by bringing up compensatory aspects such as everything that is repressed, neglected or unknown.

The dream rectifies the situation. It contributes the material that was lacking and thereby improves the patient’s attitude. That is the reason we need dream-analysis in our therapy.
Carl Jung, General Aspects of Dream Psychology, CW 8, par 482

In summary, the most concise definition of dream that I know comes from Robert A. Johnson. He defined dreams as “information you should have but don’t” (see video, starting at 1:56:10). This puts it in a nutshell.

The guidelines I use for my own dreams are based on Inner Work: Using Dreams and Active Imagination for Personal Growth which I consider to be the best and most approachable book on the topic of dream analysis.

A good summary of the first half of the book can be found here.

This step is obvious, but it needs to be done in a way that does not censor the unconscious. I recommend writing the dream down in a stream of consciousness manner with no self-censorship. Once the first draft is done, edits to improve readability are perfectly welcome as long as they change only the form and not the content.

A good analysis cannot happen if one starts to censor or omit embarrassing or graphic symbols. In fact, I would argue that the more confronting the imagery, the more necessary it is to go through the dream to understand what is being expressed.

I believe that dreams do not waste a single symbol. If one is willing to do it, it is possible (even recommended) to work on every word in a short dream. However, it is unrealistic and unpractical to apply the same approach on long dreams. My recommendation then is, once the dream is written down, that the dreamer figures out which symbols are key symbols.

So what is a key symbol in a dream? Simply said, key symbols are the symbols that cannot be removed without the story of the dream breaking down or becoming unexplainable. These symbols are usually charged with more emotions and leave a stronger impression on both the dreamer and any reader of the dream.

Once these symbols are identified, the dreamer has to provide spontaneous associations for each symbol. A spontaneous association is what comes immediately to mind. It is faster than thinking so to speak. Said in a different way, an association is not rational or logical and might leave an impression of cognitive dissonance at first, such as “I don’t know why I am saying this but this makes me think of that”. These are signs to look for.

Sometimes, a key symbol is too complicated and associations cannot be properly articulated. In that case, simpler associations such as “I have a positive/negative/mixed association with this symbol” are good enough to start with.

Sometimes, most frequently actually, it also happens that no associations come to mind. In that case, it then opens up the right to do amplification on the dream symbol. Amplification means to look for similar symbols found in mythology, religion and fairy tales in order to find a comparative basis for its meaning.

To read more about associations, I suggest having a look at this article and this video (from 47:15 to 56:00).

One of the primary assumptions we have made is that the dream responds to a conscious attitude. This means that the personal context of the dreamer must be included in a serious dream analysis.

Providing the personal context can be done by asking oneself: why did the dream happen that night and not another? What happened recently in my life that could be associated with the dream? What comes to mind when I think about the symbols of the dreams? Here again, spontaneous associations are the rules.

Once the pre-requisites are provided (i.e. up to Step 3), we can start to work on the dream.

The first mistake people make is that they assume that dreams are about their outside world. This is incorrect. Dreams are about inner dynamics. For instance, dreaming about a family member does not mean it’s about said family member, rather there is an inner dynamic that is best represented by that family member. Said differently, dreams inform us about ourselves, not about others.  (Note: in some exceptional circumstances, this rule can be incorrect, for instance when a family member dies.)

Looking at the dream, we will usually observe a narrative arc in three-part: a beginning (introduction of the settings and characters), the middle part (drama and tensions) and the ending (possible resolution).

The first sentence of a dream generally gives the setting and introduces the major characters. […] Once you have that translation, you have naturally to think about how it applies to the moment of the dream and to the dreamer’s life.

After you’ve looked at the exposition in this way, you then go on to the naming of the problem.

Now the ending of a dream, the lysis, is always what the dream is driving at: a solution or a catastrophe. […] I always pay particular attention to the last sentence of the dream, which gives the unconscious solution if there is one.

Fraser Boa and Marie-Louise von Franz, The Way of the Dream: Conversations on Jungian Dream Interpretation With Marie-Louise Von Franz, page 34

With this overarching structure of narrative and inner dynamics, we can then approach the dream scene by scene, each scene being about an inner dynamic of the conscious attitude seen from the unconscious.

Describing these dynamics can be done with Jungian vocabulary (which is an essential compass for the analyst), however this might obscure the meaning of the dream for people unfamiliar with these terms. To avoid losing the emotional core of a dream, we can approach these dynamics by feeling into them. James Hillman makes this point magnificently here.

This is how I do it: when I read a dream, I try to imagine myself in the dream, witnessing the symbols and their transformations, asking myself: “Why is the unconscious showing this and not something else? How does it feel to be in the presence of this symbol? What does it mean for the unconscious to show this?”. Emotions and impressions guide the analysis, not the intellect.

Thankfully, another way of guiding our understanding is to rely on body signals: shivers, gut instincts, sudden breaths, etc… are all ways of orienting oneself and avoiding over-intellectualization.

Once we partially understand the dream and the dynamic of its main scenes, we can look at the personal context.  Dreams offers a compensation of the personal context, thus the dreamer’s life needs to be included in our attempt to find the right interpretation.

A good interpretation meets mainly two criteria:

1. The interpretation must teach something new or something that was unknown before the dream.
2. The interpretation must have a humbling effect on the ego. It will usually will deflate the ego or, in rarer cases, bring some relief.

Dreams are never self-congratulatory, thus the interpretation should have a grounding effect on the dreamer. If not, the interpretation needs to be at least reformulated, if not completely revised.

At this point, it is essential to know that the dreamer has always the last word on the interpretation. No matter how tight the analysis is, the interpretation must feel right to the dreamer or it can be freely rejected.

Once the interpretation is validated by the dreamer, we must make sure that the wisdom of the dreams is not lost. This part of the process is often forgotten.

Depending on the nature of the dream, we can either try an incremental change, choose a decisive action or engage in a symbolic ritual. 

If the interpretation is still unclear to the dreamer or the dream does not provide a direction, doing something new that is small or incremental is a good way to test the waters. For instance, if a dream indicates that one is at a dead end, trying something new could be appropriate.

If the dream calls for action or change (nightmares usually fit in this category) and the interpretation is clear to the dreamer, then decisive action is more appropriate.

For “big dreams” (dreams that stays with the dreamer for days or weeks), engaging in a symbolic ritual is preferable. It’s up to the dreamer to come up with something that is appropriate for him/her. Some wonderful examples are to be found in Inner Work and I am personally fond of Alejandro Jodorowsky’s Psychomagic (first book, second book, movie) for this part.

In short, the guideline is that actions should be small and incremental unless the interpretation is absolutely clear. The exception being big dreams who should be responded to symbolically.

If no actions are taken after the analysis, the process will be wasted and the next dream might repeat a similar theme. If the wrong interpretation and the wrong actions are taken, the next dream might attempt to correct it or repeat as if nothing happened.

Insights coming from the unconscious are meant to help us to have the right attitude to take decisions. Thus acting these insights out is essential to the process of interpretation. Doing this builds up the relationship between the ego and the unconscious, which is one of the goal of individuation.

To recap, dream interpretation relies on an assumption:

[W]e must remember the working hypothesis we have used for the interpretation of dreams: the images in dreams and spontaneous fantasies are symbols, that is, the best possible formulation for still unknown or unconscious facts, which generally compensate the content of consciousness or the conscious attitude.

Carl Jung, Mysterium Coniunctionis, CW 14, par 772

We can then differentiate the process into a few steps :

Step 1 – Write the dream down as it comes
Step 2 – Identify the key symbols and provide spontaneous associations
Step 3 – Describe the personal context
Step 4 – Feel into the inner dynamics of a dream
Step 5 – Aim for an interpretation that promotes self-knowledge
Step 6 – Make the dream concrete with a symbolic act

Step 1 to 3 are the pre-requisites for an analysis. Step 4 and 5 can be delegated to the analyst, but the dreamer always has the last word. Finally, Step 6 happens after the interpretation has been agreed on and is fully up to the dreamer.

Given the unexplained nature of dreams, the guidelines must be flexible to accommodate them. In fact, there are some obscure dreams that will resist any attempt to be analyzed and this is most welcome. It has to be said though that those dreams are rare and, in my case, it’s only by knowing my typical dreams well that I am able to detect when something unusual is taking place.

Regrettably, there is no shortcut or dream dictionary that will help the dreamer to learn this skill faster. As no two dreams are the same, what works once might not work ever again. The active cooperation of the ego is the only real prerequisite for working with the unconscious and thus it is a task that is best practiced alone.

For my part, I have been using these guidelines for the past five years and they have proved themselves many times. I hope that they will be as useful to you as they are to me.

These guidelines can be downloaded for free.

Article: https://dreamsanctuary.net/dream-interpretation-guide-for-download/

Direct Download: https://dreamsanctuary.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/DreamInterpretationGuidev5d.pdf

To get a sense of how I approach my own dreams, here are real examples that were life-changing.

Step 1 – Write the dream down as it comes

I am riding on a horse and I see a figure in the distance. As I am riding the horse, it starts vomiting violently. It falls down and keeps vomiting. It deflates like a balloon.

Step 2 – Identify the key symbols and provide spontaneous associations

The two key symbols are the horse and the vomiting. At the time, my spontaneous association of the horse was “the horse is what brings me from point A to point B”. The vomiting is associated with a collapse, a disintegration.

Step 3 – Describe the personal context

I was in a coding bootcamp and started to have frequent health issues (headaches, tiredness, trouble to eat).

Step 4 – Feel into the inner dynamics of a dream

There is no way around it: this dream is horrifying. The dynamic of the horse as “the thing that carries me” is shown as being deathly sick. Another point that the dream shows is that the horse will collapse before arriving to the figure in the distance. The conclusion is that the sickness will strike before the current process reaches its end.

Step 5 – Aim for an interpretation that promotes self-knowledge

This dream terrified me and made me realize that the symptoms I was experiencing were more dangerous than I thought. I also recognized that I was going to be really sick before the end of the coding bootcamp.

Step 6 – Make the dream concrete with a symbolic act

I stopped attending the bootcamp, moved back home and started taking care of my health. One week later, I was diagnosed with a burnout.

Step 1 – Write the dream down as it comes

A female friend is looking at me with a smile. I see a car with two people driving.

Step 2 – Identify the key symbols and provide spontaneous associations

The two key symbols are the smiling female friend and the two people driving the car. I have positive associations with the girl. The two people driving a car made me think of an analogy I found in a book. The book was about financial trusts and the analogy was that a grantor and a trustee are like two people using the same car (one who owns the car and one who drives).

Step 3 – Describe the personal context

I am pondering on going to a seminar in Australia. I feel that it’s important, but I have major doubts about it and I feel like it’s irresponsible to go on a trip.

Step 4 – Feel into the inner dynamics of a dream

The dream is positive. The smiling girl feels like an encouragement. The symbol of the two people driving has the personal association of a financial trust. Knowing how dreams work, this does not stand for “trust” as “the financial tool” but “trust” as “to rely upon.”

Step 5 – Aim for an interpretation that promotes self-knowledge

Considering the situation of going to Australia, the dream showed a positive compensation to my doubtful attitude. The dream clearly says to trust the process.

Step 6 – Make the dream concrete with a symbolic act

I bought tickets for the seminar and the flight. Looking back at it, this was one of the best decisions of my life which I would have never taken without the dream.

Step 1 – Write the dream down as it comes

I am in a tall glass building. A woman is making the building shake and I ask her to stop doing it. I am crouching and scared that it is going to collapse. She replies, “At this point, I have nothing to lose.” The dream changes. I see my girlfriend in a different, peaceful setting.

Step 2 – Identify the key symbols and provide spontaneous associations

Three key symbols: the shaking building, the first woman, the girlfriend. I associate the shaking building as a “frail structure” that risks to collapse. My associations with the first woman are negative as she is menacing. The girlfriend is a very positive association.

Step 3 – Describe the personal context

I am in a long-distance relationship. At the same time, my mother is pressuring me to work part time. She even said that she was going to find work for me.

Step 4 – Feel into the inner dynamics of a dream

The dream shows two different scenes that are somewhat unrelated. The first scene is threatening and the dream tells me that the collapse of the building will happen if things do not change. Being inside the building, I don’t seem to have a choice in the matter and I am afraid of it collapsing. The second scene in contrasts is wholesome.

Step 5 – Aim for an interpretation that promotes self-knowledge

It’s a fork in the road: the first scene relates to the relationship I have with my mother. She wants to force me to live the way she thinks is best for me and that dynamic is best represented in the coming collapse of the tower. In comparison, the second scene is related to the long-distance relationship and I am being shown a sketch of that potential future.

Step 6 – Make the dream concrete with a symbolic act

I understood through the dream that it was a matter of time before my situation around my mother would get worse. Thankfully, the dream showed me an alternative with the long-distance relationship. Because of the peaceful nature of the other scene, I understood that I had the approval of the unconscious for making it happen. On the same day, I called my Australian girlfriend and asked her to come to Switzerland so we could make the relationship concrete. Long story short, we are now married and have a kid.

If you want more material about dream interpretation, I suggest checking out:

• my video series about dream interpretation. You can find the first episode here.
• A document where I’ve analyzed twenty of my dreams. You can find this here.