The Dream Interpretation Dictionary: Symbols, Signs, and Meanings by J. M. DeBord

Abstract

There are many popular books on dreams, and people are naturally curious about what their dreams mean. Dream images, often, leave us stymied as to why they appear and how they relate to our waking concerns and experiences. Dreams can be elusive and mysterious, and it is probably for this reason that people often turn to books on dreams to try to uncover something about themselves.

There are a number of books that guide the individual on how to work with dreams (for example, Delaney 1996, 1998, Faraday 1974, Garfield & Stewart-Garfield 1998, Krippner  & Dillard 1988, Moss 1996, 2011, Taylor 1983, 1992, Ullman 2006). These books, and others, offer techniques for working with dreams, individually, one-on-one, or in groups.

Bosnak (1996) has advised that working with one’s dreams individually, with no input from another individual, can have discouraging or deleterious effects. This is due to the fact that it is easy for the individual to have blindspots about dream symbolism or psychological resistances to realizing the dream’s meaning. Participating in a dream group, such as an Ullman dream group, working one-on-one with a peer technique, such as Delaney’s Interview Method, or with a counselor or psychotherapist, can help overcome this handicap.