<a href="https://musing.io/q/beautychicks/p33nfetgx">View the original post on Musing.io</a><br /><p><strong>Dreams: The Realm of the Subconscious Mind</strong></p>
<p>I suppose it's appropriate to provide a disclaimer before I begin here and state that: no one really yet knows the nature of dreams and their purpose. That being said, there are several mainstream theories that tackle this question, all which are probably partially true.</p>
<p>I'm most sympathetic to the theories of Swiss Psychiatrist, Carl Jung (1875-1961,) who worked closely with Sigmund Freud (before an interesting falling out between the two which is a story for another time.) Both individuals continue to have heavy influences on the development of Western Psychology.</p>
<p><strong>Discovering The Secrets We Keep From Ourselves</strong></p>
<p>According to the Jungians, the act of dreaming is actually a temporary <em>state</em> of consciousness (distinct from the waking state) in which we are exposed to areas of our mind that usually inaccessible while we're awake.</p>
<p>This idea relies heavily on the (well accepted) bipartite theory of mind, which separates our awareness into two broad categories (which each have their own sub-categories.)</p>
<p><strong>1. Conscious</strong> (parts of ourselves which we're aware of.)</p>
<p><strong>2. Subconscious</strong> (parts of ourselves which we're unaware of.)</p>
<p>Consciousness is normally tethered to its waking state (there are many different states of consciousness, as outlined in Transpersonal Psychology,) however in other states, like dreaming, we are able to view the contents of our mind through a different perspective which may allow subconscious parts of ourselves (what we've disidentified with) to reveal themselves to us.)</p>
<p>Dream Yoga and Dream Therapy are useful methods for decoding our memories of dreams and how they relate to us. Furthermore, Lucid Dreaming is an even more powerful technique which can aid in understanding.</p>
<p>And, in case you're curious, there are people who attempt to induce altered states of consciousness for the same purpose, through techniques like meditation, other contemplative practices, or even psychedelic drugs (which I would not recommend toying with and could result in something negative without the proper knowledge, guidance, &amp; supervision.)</p>
<p><strong>Recommend Reading</strong></p>
<p>If you'd like to learn more about this stuff, there are two books by Psychologist Robert A. Johnson that I'd recommend.</p>
<img src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1526881270l/9544.jpg"/>
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<p><em>Owning Your Own Shadow: Understanding the Dark Side of the Psyche</em></p>
<img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/510rVoVOwbL._SX330_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg"/>
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<p>Inner Work: Using Dreams and Active Imagination for Personal Growth</p>