Dreams, fascinating and mysterious, range from lucid dreams where control is retained, to vivid nightmares invoking fear.
Types of Dreams:
1 Day Dreams
2 Lucid Dreams
3 Prophetic Dreams
4 Problem Solving Dreams
5 Warning Dreams
6 Nightmares
7 Anxiety Dreams
8 Repeating the day Dreams
9 Recurring Dreams
10 Punny Dreams
11 Correcting Dreams
12 BIG LIFE CHANGING DREAMS
Let’s look at each of these in more detail. Also see my other post on dreams Click Here.
- Day Dreams: The mind is curious and even mysterious. Scientist have done their best to understand how it works. It is beyond our purpose here to discuss the way it works. However, we all often Day Dream, you well know what I mean. You have probably had an experience like this. I will be driving and suddenly realize that I have no memory for the past several minutes of travel because “my mind was somewhere else!” Day Dreams, if we can remember them can be interpreted just like other dreams.
- Lucid Dreams: in a way these dreams are the reverse of Day Dreams. In these dreams we become conscious of the dream while still sleeping. When Lucid dreaming it may even be possible to consciously effect the course of the dream “story.” There is an open debate concerning the advisability of doing so.
- Prophetic Dreams: The Bible recounts several examples of Prophetic Dreams. The several dreams of the Pharaoh interpreted by Joseph are well known. Read about the fat and skinny cows in the book of Genesis Chapter 41. However, we too may have a Prophetic dream. I once dreamed of a large yellow road grade. I had not seen one the previous day, or in the recent past. The next day I saw one! There after we purchased land on a dirt road. Now we see one regularly as they grade the road about twice a year!
- Problem Solving Dreams: There are several famous examples. Perhaps the most interesting was a dream of Rene Descartes who credited his dreams for the development of the scientific method.
- Warning Dreams: sometimes our subconscious will notice a dangerous thing that doesn’t rise to a level of consciousness. Then we may have a drawing warning of the danger. Say, for example, you are staying in a high rise hotel and dream that the railing on the balcony is loose. It would be a wise precaution to check it out before leaning on it.
- Nightmare: Most of us have had one. Technically, a nightmare is a bad dream that wakes you. Usually this is accompanied with anxiety and physical discomfort. Unlike many other dreams we usually remember a nightmare. There may be several things that cause a nightmare, from emotional trauma to a drug reaction.
- Anxiety Dreams: As noted above nightmares can be caused by anxiety. However, we can have a dream full of anxiety that doesn’t wake us. Typical anxious dreams have stories or situations of frustration or difficulty. We might dream of failing a test or being unprepared for an interview.
- Repeating the day Dreams: I had these in my younger years after a day long drive. Often these were also Lucid dreams.
- Recurring Dreams: often these are dreams of our unconscious attempting to help us process trauma. On the other hand, it maybe that our unconscious self is attempting to teach us a lesson or compensate or waking mental state. If we don’t get the message we keep getting the dream.
- Punny Dreams. These are my favorite. For example, think of the dream Mentioned above of the road grader. It was preparing me to “grade new roads” in my future. Elsewhere I recounted a dream whose message was, “Been there got the T-shirt, time to move on!”
- Correcting Dreams: Jung especially thought of some dreams in this way. It can be a way of telling us we are puffed up in our estimation of self importance. Conversely, it could be encouraging us to think more highly of our selves. Such a dream may also be telling we are mistaken in our present waking pursuits.
- BIG LIFE CHANGING DREAMS: Sometimes a dream will change the course of our lives. For example, on the night I had a spiritual awakening I dreamed I was an Episcopal Priest. I did.
- more on dreams