Questions regarding the function and meaning of dreams have been explored by humankind from the times of the earliest philosophers. In ancient times, dreams were understood to be manifestations of higher powers, both demonic and divine. As messages from the gods, dreams were thought to contain divine guidance, solutions to problems and insight into the future. This ancient approach to the phenomenon of dreaming was later transformed into dream psychology, which still regards dreams as meaningful and useful.
The psychoanalytic framework regards dreams as meaningful experiences that contain valuable psychic information. Sigmund Freud described dreams as "the royal road to the unconscious", a way for us to peak into what has been hidden or repressed in our psyches.
Dreams can offer valuable information about what we may not be aware of during waking consciousness. Keeping a dream diary and writing down the symbols we see in our dreams is a simple therapeutic technique that can be used in the quest for self awareness, discovery and healing.
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