The Royal Road to Well-Being: Exploring the Hidden Potential of Dreams

Most dream theories agree on one thing: dreams are meaningful. Whether they reveal hidden desires, offer inner guidance, or communicate something spiritual, engaging with your dreams can bring real benefits:

• Emotional clarity(1) – Dreams often show us what we’re feeling before we consciously realize it.

• Creative insight(2) – They can provide solutions to waking-life problems.

• Psychological integration(3) – Dreams help bring repressed, ignored, or forgotten material to the surface, supporting a fuller sense of self.

• Cultural and spiritual connection(4) – For many, dreams strengthen ties to tradition, land, or community.

Why Do We Dream?

Freudian, Jungian, and Transpersonal Perspectives

Are dreams meaningful—or just random nighttime static? While there’s no single “correct” way to interpret dreams, ideas from psychology and spirituality can help us make sense of their surreal nature.

Freud: Dreams as Hidden Desires
Sigmund Freud believed that dreams express unconscious wishes, often rooted in childhood, that are too disturbing or socially unacceptable to face directly(5). Through a process he called dream work, the mind disguises these wishes using symbols, memories, and distortions. Freud argued that interpreting these symbols—through free association—could reduce psychological distress. Once the dream’s hidden content becomes conscious, it loses its emotional charge. That frees up mental energy for what Freud saw as the two pillars of mental health: love and work(6).

Jung: Dreams and the Journey to Wholeness
Carl Jung believed dreams play a key role in individuation, the process of becoming one's true self(7). For Jung, dreams contain archetypes—universal images that reflect core human experiences. These include the anima (feminine), animus (masculine), and persona (our social mask).(8)

Jung suggested that archetypal dream figures guide us toward greater balance. For example, a woman might dream of a male figure representing drive or assertiveness, while a man might dream of a female figure symbolizing emotional connection or creativity. Engaging with these images can help integrate disowned aspects of ourselves(9).

Transpersonal Views: Dreams as Sacred Encounters
Many cultures view dreams as encounters with spiritual or mystical forces(10). From this perspective, dreams may contain messages from ancestors, spirits, or nature itself (11). They can offer healing, guidance through life transitions, or help in coping with grief. Importantly, these dreams are often seen as relevant not just to the dreamer, but to the wider community.

Transpersonal traditions frequently emphasize that dreams come with a call to action—whether it’s taking a remedy, performing a ritual, or making a life change. Ignoring the dream, in this view, means missing an important invitation to restore balance or meaning (12).

How to Engage with Your Dreams

• Keep a Dream Journal (13)
Writing your dreams down—especially first thing in the morning—helps you notice patterns and themes. Over time, this deepens self-awareness.

• Talk About Dreams in Therapy (14)
Many therapists work with dreams, not by interpreting them for you, but by helping you uncover their personal meaning and integrate them into your waking life.

• Join a Dream-Sharing Group
Dream-sharing circles revive the tradition of exploring dreams in community (15). These groups do not position any one member as an expert, but instead welcome all voices and perspectives, encouraging rich, collaborative interpretations. Jeremy Taylor, a dream researcher and Unitarian minister who ran dream-sharing peer groups, found that sharing dreams with a group served as a productive starting point to solving complex social problems (16).  

But What If You Don’t Remember Your Dreams?

You can improve dream recall by (17):

• Setting an intention before sleep: ask your unconscious to show you a dream

• Keeping a regular sleep schedule

• Drinking water before bed (to wake briefly in the night)

• Avoiding alcohol, cannabis, or sedatives

• Recording any dream fragments immediately upon waking—often, more details will return

Join a Dream-Sharing Circle

Curious about what your dreams might be telling you? Unlock their wisdom in a small, supportive group of fellow dreamers.

Our first Dream Sharing Circle takes place at Antidote Wellness Lab on August 20th, 2025 at 7:30 PM.
Spots are limited—book online. 

Participants will receive a 15% discount on their next treatment.* 

*Applicable to any treatments booked before December 31, 2025.

References:

1. Freud, S. (1966). Introductory Lectures on Psycho-Analysis: The Standard Edition. Liveright.

2.  Spaulding, J. (1981). The Dream in Other Cultures: Anthropological Studies of Dreams and Dreaming. Dreamworks. 1(4). 330-342.  & Corey, G. (2021). Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy (10th ed.). Cengage

3.  Freud, S. (1966). Introductory Lectures on Psycho-Analysis: The Standard Edition. Liveright. & Crain, W. (2005). Theories of Development: Concepts and Applications. 5th ed. Pearson.

4. Spaulding, J. (1981). The Dream in Other Cultures: Anthropological Studies of Dreams and Dreaming. Dreamworks. 1(4). 330-342. & Trimble, J. E. (2010). Bear spends time in our dreams now: Magical thinking and cultural empathy in multicultural counselling theory and practice. Counselling Psychology Quarterly. 23 (3). 241-253.

5. Freud, S. (1966). Introductory Lectures on Psycho-Analysis: The Standard Edition. Liveright.

6. Mitchell, S.A. & Black, M.J. (1995). Freud and Beyond: A History of Psychoanalytic Thought. Basic Books.

7. Crain, W. (2005). Theories of Development: Concepts and Applications. 5th ed. Pearson. & Corey, G. (2021). Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy (10th ed.). Cengage

8. Corey, G. (2021). Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy (10th ed.). Cengage

9. Corey, G. (2021). Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy (10th ed.). Cengage

10. Spaulding, J. (1981). The Dream in Other Cultures: Anthropological Studies of Dreams and Dreaming. Dreamworks. 1(4). 330-342.

11. Spaulding, J. (1981). The Dream in Other Cultures: Anthropological Studies of Dreams and Dreaming. Dreamworks. 1(4). 330-342. & Trimble, J. E. (2010). Bear spends time in our dreams now: Magical thinking and cultural empathy in multicultural counselling theory and practice. Counselling Psychology Quarterly. 23 (3). 241-253.

12. Spaulding, J. (1981). The Dream in Other Cultures: Anthropological Studies of Dreams and Dreaming. Dreamworks. 1(4). 330-342.

13. https://thisjungianlife.com/recall-content/ & https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/dreaming-in-the-digital-age/202303/dream-journaling-as-a-contemplative-practice

14. Freud, S. (1966). Introductory Lectures on Psycho-Analysis: The Standard Edition. Liveright; Corey, G. (2021). Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy (10th ed.). Cengage; Gabbard, G. O. (2017). Long-Term Psychodynamic Psychotherapy: A Basic Text. American Psychiatric Association Publishing.

15. https://bulkeley.org/dream-sharing-groups-spirituality-and-community/

16. https://asdreams.org/magazine/articles/taylor_nonviolence.htm

17.  https://thisjungianlife.com/recall-content/