Dream Analysis

From my research, I have found that there are 6 common variables that researchers analyze about dreams: content, location, characters, length, timing, and overall feeling. While research is divided on which variable is the most important to analyze, I decided to keep track of all 6 variables in order to have a complete analysis.

I found that analyzing several dreams for a certain length of time (as opposed to just a single dream), was a better interpretation of me and my current mental state. Single dreams can be bizarre and jarring and make absolutely no sense. But when you start to notice patterns and similarities among dreams, that is when you can find some serious meaning in your unconscious thoughts!

This analysis consists of 73 actual dreams I recorded in my dream journal throughout the months of January - March 2019.

1. Content

As you can see from my own dream analysis to the right, I did not have too much overlapping content throughout my dreams. That means that a majority of my dreams were about different things and contained different "plots." While there were some reoccurring aspects, I did not have an actual reoccurring dream throughout the duration

of this dream journal. That is pretty normal for me though; I haven't had a reoccurring dream since I was a kid.

The actual reoccurring symbols did not surprise me much, as they are things that I either think about often or are big parts of my life. For example, I love the beach and find my mind wandering to summer and warmth often. There were, however, certain symbols that my dreams did not include, which surprised me. As an animal lover and person who looks at pictures of her dog daily, I was shocked that dogs or other animals did not make an appearance. Additionally, bugs are my biggest fear, so I figured they would have been a major part of some of my scarier dreams.

Maybe, though, the content of my dreams focuses on things that I want to try to figure out. Meaning: I want to figure out how to get to the beach or how to fly or the reason for my inevitable death; but I don't have to figure out how much I hate bugs or how much I love my dog. Those are more constant, easier to understand things in my life.

2. Location

I kept track of two aspects of location in my dreams: whether the dream took place in a familiar or

unfamiliar place, and whether the dream took place inside or outside. I also indicated of the two reoccurring locations: beach/water/boat and hotel/casino settings. A majority of my dreams occurred in multiple settings, which means that I traveled/moved a lot in my dreams. In almost every study, active or mobile dreams means that the dreamer has a desire to move and travel in real life. However, the large portion of my dreams that occur indoors and in familiar places indicates that I enjoy being in comfortable and recognizable spaces. These opposing interpretations is exactly what makes dream interpretation so difficult.

However, I would argue that both interpretations, though contradictory, are true. I'm a homebody and get anxiety whenever I have to go somewhere new. But I also love going to new, interesting places and learning about different cultures. Therefore, the interpretation matches my feelings about traveling!

3. Characters

I also kept track of the number of characters in each dream (not including myself) and whether I knew those

characters or not, as well as some reoccurring characters. As you can see, there were only a few dreams that contained only unfamiliar characters, and only a few instances where the only characters were me and another person. In fact, all of the ones with only unfamiliar characters had only one other character, and they were all 'a murderer is coming to get me!' ones.

But normally, I dreamed about multiple people that I know. There were only a handful of reoccurring characters (all of whom I spend a lot of time with), though, which means that a wide variety of people appear in my dreams. In fact, I dreamed of everyone from my grandparents to my roommates to my old high school classmates. Random people, really. Which, to me, interprets that the actual people in my dreams are not what is important, but what they represent: whether it be family, friends, or someone from my past. Normally, this representation is what's important, as it ties into the content of the dream. For example, in one dream I was with my cousin at a casino, and I interpreted it to mean that I hadn't spent time with my family in a while.

4. Length

During dream research, a common question that researchers ask participants

is how long they believe their dream to have lasted. The researches then compare this length of time to the length of time of brain activity on the EKG machine. I, however, did not have access to such equipment, and the length reported by dreamers was often inaccurate, so I did not think how long I thought they lasted was a relevant factor. So, instead, I recorded whether the dream was a single scene or multiple scenes. This did get blurry sometimes, though, as I couldn't tell if it was a new 'scene' or a new 'dream'. To be consistent, I usually counted scenes within a single sleep cycle (i.e. without waking) a single dream.

Per my analysis, about two thirds of my dreams contained multiple scenes. This means that my dreams were more complex and followed more of a plot line as opposed to just a single scene. In a majority of studies, this inclination for complex dreams and longer plots indicates higher creativity and a need to find answers. I would argue that that is pretty accurate!

5. Timing

In addition to length of each dream, I also kept track of when during the

night each dream occurred. This factor related to the theory that most dreams occur during the fifth phase, or REM sleep. And it turns out, for me, that was pretty accurate. A majority of my dreams happened right before I woke up in the morning, as opposed to when I woke up in the middle of the night. This means that, while I was in that REM stage where memory processes are inhibited, I was close enough to my natural waking period that I remembered the dreams. Additionally, when I did have lucid dreams, they were almost always in the morning.

I am a very light sleeper, and often wake up naturally an hour or two before my alarm is set to go off (thank you internal clock). This is when a majority of my dreams seem to occur: when I'm aware that I should still be asleep but my mind is waking up to prepare for the day ahead. I believe that this is what causes my increased dreams and often lucid dreams; the increased brain activity paired with the physical desire to continue to sleep. It creates a sort of in between stage where I am aware but not.

6. Feeling

In addition to content and symbols in dreams, the feelings a dreamer has during their

nighttime adventures are nearly just as telling to the meaning or reason of the tale. Therefore, I recorded the general feeling each dream caused; if I had multiple distinct feelings I classified the feeling as a combination.

As you can see from the frequency chart, the number of strictly negative dreams far outweighed the number of strictly positive dreams; however, neutral dreams was the majority winner. The fact that most of my dreams are either negative or neutral implies two things: one, that I often go to bed with a full or anxious mind. And two, most of my dream capacity is used to think about things that I have negative feelings towards. I'm sure that's part of the reason I'm such a light sleeper!

While it might seem bad to go to sleep with lingering thoughts of troubles and worries, for me, I think it really helps. It is difficult for me to clear my mind, so while I sleep, my brain does it for me. All of my thoughts and worries are then manifested into silly tales and scenes of my family and friends. There could be worse things, right?

So, you might be wondering how all of that stuff fits into the theories about the functions behind dreams I previously discussed. And really, the answer isn't clear. It's pretty dang blurry, actually. What happens to me while I sleep doesn't fit into one of the theories perfectly, just as I'm sure yours won't either. Different dreams have different meanings and different functions and different levels of importance. Just as my dreams will always be different than yours, the reasons behind my dreams will always be different than yours. And that's the way it should be!

So I encourage you to go on a journey of your own. Record your dreams, make the charts, identify reoccurring symbols and people and feelings. Go back and analyze them and make sense out of the senseless adventures of Dream You. Think about them all day. Tell your therapist. Or your dog. In my case they happen to be the same.

But remember: your dreams, as anything, are what you make them.

Follow Your Dreams