Child's Dream

Junior D

Hi guys,

Just wondering any opinions you guys might have on this. My 2 year old cousin has been having this really weird dream over the last couple of months and it has me really intrigued. The dream, which the child tells herself all the time, is as follows:

"Mammy and daddy fell into a big black hole. Lauren (her uncle's gf) saved me from falling and brings me off"

Apparently she has had this dream at least once a week for the last few months.

Any ideas why a 2 year old might be having regular dreams like this?

Valmont

Dreams can be so rich in symbolism and metaphor it's very hard to come to any conclusive interpretation about them. I've never heard a two year old talking about their dream though, very interesting! Although now that I think of it, I only ever had recurring dreams as a child - it's very rare now as an adult that I will have the same dream twice.

studentoflife

Reoccurring dreams tend to repeat because you are not taking heed to the message. Is there something bothering the parents or the child?

JuliusCaesar

There are a number of theories of dreams. One is that it's the random firing of neurons, and that we 'make up' a story to go with the stream of ideas/images as we are hard-wired to see sequences. In this theory dreams mean nothing. Other than maybe that something you are worryinging about/is on your mind may arise as an image or idea.

The meaning of dreams - well, you could go Freudian. Or you could pick up a book in the secondhand market that will tell you dreams of pigs mean that you will travel soon. Or - just make it up yourself, you've a better chance of being right as you know the people in the child's life.

Valmont

JuliusCaesar wrote: »

There are a number of theories of dreams. One is that it's the random firing of neurons, and that we 'make up' a story to go with the stream of ideas/images as we are hard-wired to see sequences. In this theory dreams mean nothing.

I suppose this is the most plausible theory but the inability of neuroscientists to find the engram suggests there may be a lot more we don't understand. All that said, it has to be biologically based but if memory isn't localised anywhere in particular in the brain then the possibility of random neurotransmitters 'firing' old memories seems unlikely.

I'm interested in the meaning and interpretation of dreams but sadly it's very difficult to read about or discuss the topic without the overbearing influence of Freud being felt. My own insight tells me that dreams are deeply symbolic, and reflect our hopes, fears, anxieties, and values. I'm not sure though if there is anything to be learned from looking at one's own dreams but I don't really know enough about the area to be honest.

I met a 'dream researcher' at the local university recently who told me that Freud's structure of the mind as being comprised of the ID, the ego, and the super-ego, had in fact been confirmed by contemporary neuroscientific research so her arbitrary Freudian interpretations of dreams were in fact objectively correct:eek:.

dar100

From a therapeutic perspective, I do like, and find interesting, the Gestalt therapy way of working with dreams. The experiential and creative method of processing dreams, is powerful.

Valmont

Could you recommend a quick read on that topic, dar100?

Paco Rodriguez

I think she really likes Lauren!