Understanding your dreams

Dreams can be read from different perspectives. You can always peel off their multiple layers of skin one by one to further explore their deeper and deeper meanings. Examining the various sides of dreams could bring not only insights but also sometimes answers to your questions.

 

The Dream

A young man often plays with cats. He thinks it would be better to be a cat. Scene changes to an indoor home and a black and white cat is there. Male actor Stephen Chow walks to the right side of the flat which is a living room. There is also a room with the door open. He plays with the cat with a ball attached to a long elastic band. Every time when he throws out the ball, the cat would chase that ball, then the ball will go back to his hand. The young man's mother sees that and says, "enough!" She throws out a soft ball with blue and yellow strips for the cat. The cat is the young man.

 

Subjective vs Objective

People appeared in a dream can be subjective, meaning they are representing a part of you, or objective, reflecting the dynamics between you and that person in your waking life. The dream character could possibly be objective only if he/she dressed, talked and behaved exactly the same way he/she would do in your waking life.

Going back to the dream, the dreamer could not recognise any of the characters appeared in the dream as someone close or she really knew in her waking life. Therefore the characters were considered as subjective rather than objective. The dreamer associated the young man to herself - she liked playing with her cats and sometimes would think that it would be better to be a cat. The cat could be her playful and instinctive aspects, as compensation to her waking life personality.

 

Dramatic Structure

You can analyse a dream by identifying its structure as a play - the setting, development, conflict/turning point, and resolution/conclusion. Not all dreams have all of these, for example some dreams do not present a resolution.

The dream was in a home setting. It started with a young man often played with cats, then Stephen walked into the living room and played with a black and white cat. The turning point was the angry mother entering the scene which brought in the conflict. The conclusion was the cat was actually the young man. The dreamer reflected that the cat was happily playing and running around, no matter with Stephen's attached ball or the mother's free ball. There was no right or wrong, good or bad. It didn’t matter to the cat. It was only how people think, how they interpret other's actions and whether they could understand the others’ viewpoints. It could be taken emotionally, or without emotion. The dreamer further gained insight that she could choose to be the cat be in the moment and focus on what she wanted, rather than thinking and judging too much.    

 

Associations and Amplifications

Dream contents are usually not to be taken literally. Personal associations and amplifications (by relating to for example myths, art and cultural materials) of dream elements and images would be useful to reveal the underlying messages from our unconscious.  

The dreamer associated Stephen with in charge, calm, intelligent, didn't care about how other people think about him, not placating, thinking a lot, seldom talked, usually not understood by other people. Someone that the dreamer would like to be, who kept things to be under control (ball attached with elastic band). He could be a positive shadow figure. If there was the Self in the dream, the dreamer thought it could be the invisible mysterious power who turned the young man to the black and white cat, who was not showing its face and involved in the play, but watching and working behind the scene.

The mother archetype in the dream showed both her positive and negative qualities. She was caring, loving, protective and would take action. But she would only consider what she thought to be good as good and would like other people to follow her way and judgement, without trying to understand others.

 

More thoughts

The dream ego was just watching and not involved (remember how the dreamer described the Self?) No judgement, not taking side, just observing. The cat was black and white. There was Stephen and the mother. Binary opposition. But with the cat, Stephen, the mother and the dream ego, the four could be a sign for the opportunity towards integration to wholeness.

With the rich ingredients discovered above, you may choose to settle for an interpretation at the moment, or go back to the dream any time to dig deeper for deeper meanings. Enjoy your dream journey!