Dreams and existential messages

This chapter provides an overview of dream psychology, emphasizing the value of keeping a Dream Journal and defining the 'existential message of dreams.' It catalogs dream types—including symbolic, clear, hypnagogic, initial, nightmares, anxiety, death-related, grief, resolution, resources, validation, creative, healing, incubation, transpersonal, paranormal (premonitory, telepathic, clairvoyant), lucid, prelucid, recurring, and dream series—and illustrates each with a real-life example. The chapter functions as a descriptive taxonomy rather than presenting empirical findings or a central argument.

Study at a glance

Abstract

This chapter covers basic knowledge about the psychology of dreams, precisely the importance of keeping a Dream Journal, the definition of the existential message of dreams and a list of dream types and their functions, giving systematically one real-life example for each dream type. Among the dream types are: Symbolic dreams; Clear dreams; Hypnagogic dreams; Initial dreams; Nightmares; Anxiety dreams; Dreams about death including dreams where we die, dreams announcing death, Meeting death itself, Meeting a deceased person; Grief process dreams; Resolution dreams; Resources dreams Validation dreams; Creative dreams; Healing dreams; Incubation dreams; Transpersonal dreams; Paranormal dreams including: Premonitory dreams, Telepathic dreams, Clairvoyant dreams; Lucid dreams; Prelucid dreams; Recurring dreams and Dream series.