Can You Learn from Your Dreams?

Do your dreams reflect real people, places, and ideas? Psychologists have gone back and forth on this question. Some believe dreams are gateways into your abstract mind; others say dreams are nothing but subconscious garble, a random collection of sights, sounds, and emotions. But who's right? Where do your dreams come from, and what do they really mean?

In the mid-1900s, Calvin S. Hall was one of the leading experts in dream research. Hall conducted several famous studies on the meaning of dreams. One study conducted in 1953 analyzed over 10,000 individual dreams. In this video, we're going to talk about one of Calvin Hall's greatest contributions: the cognitive theory of dreams. In his theory, Hall redefines dreams and where they come from. Your dreams, he says, reflect elements of your reality but not in linear, straightforward ways.

Dreams and Reality

Alright, let's say you dream about the richest person on the planet. That doesn't mean your dream is going to come true, but even unrealistic dreams can teach you important lessons—lessons about yourself, about the world, and about your direction in life. Because dreams, according to Calvin Hall, embody your thoughts. The dream is a collection of images and stimuli, a subconscious projection that you imagine when you sleep. But dreams may also transform your thoughts into sensory stimuli, images, and landscapes.

So what exactly can we learn from our dreams? What do individual dreams teach us about our own cognition?

The Dream Mirror

In Hall's theory, he compares your dreams to a mirror. When you dream, your subconscious reflects your selfhood back at you. But there's a catch: your subconscious isn't always true to life. That reflection isn't your real self; it's your dream self. Now, your dream self represents your own conceptions of who you are. It's constructed from all kinds of ideas, misconceptions, and biases. It shows your personality the way you perceive it.

Okay, let's say you dream of falling into a deep ocean. You try to swim to the surface, but it gets farther and farther away. The next night, you dream of a dark road. You take turn after turn, but every road leads you deeper into the darkness. And then, the night after that, you experience the same feeling. This time, you're trapped inside an endless hallway. You see a light at the end of the tunnel, but no matter how fast you run, you never get there.

What do all these dreams have in common? Each dream shows you a perception of yourself. In the ocean, on a dark road, and in the endless hallway, you see yourself as one thing: powerless. In these dreams, you have lost control. You have become overwhelmed. You're unable to overcome the challenge that's standing in front of you. Ultimately, these dreams show you your own weakness.

Of course, this is just one example. Some dreams show strength, some show courage and confidence, others show fear and insecurity. The possibilities are limitless, but Hall argues that nothing presents a more honest view of yourself than your dreams.

Social Reflections

What do you really think of your friends and family? According to Calvin Hall, your dreams reflect more than just your selfhood; they also reflect your honest opinions of the people in your life. If you're harboring deeper issues, a dream will bring that conflict to the forefront of your mind. Dreams can turn emotional turmoil into stories, images, and sounds.

Imagine, for example, your best friend. You've known your friend for most of your life. Maybe you grew up together. Maybe you played the same sports. You two are almost inseparable. But one night, you have a dream about your friend, and in that dream, you and your friend are running a marathon. You try to keep up, but your friend pulls ahead of you. They get further and further away, and you can't catch up.

The first time, you don't think much of it, but you have similar dreams for the rest of the week. Eventually, you notice a pattern. Patterns like these could represent deeper conflicts. Maybe your friend has taken a new job or started spending time with new people. You may be scared that you're going to lose them, so that fear manifests in your dreams.

Let's try another example. Let's say you've been dreaming about dogs all week. In your daily life, you like dogs. If a dog runs up to you, you smile and scratch its head. But in your dreams, you're being chased and attacked. Every one of these dreams feels like a nightmare. Deep down, you may be afraid of dogs, even if that fear has never come to the surface.

According to Calvin Hall, patterns or dream series are windows into your thoughts. Just like your dream self, dreams create dream friends and dream family members. These people represent your conceptions of them. Sometimes you discover love and trust, and other times you discover fear or intimidation. But you have to identify these issues before you can fix them.

Nervous Nightmares

What do your dreams tell you about your personality? A 2010 study from the International Review of Neurobiology discovered something interesting about your dreams, specifically about your nightmares. We've all had nightmares at some points. Like dreams, they vary wildly, from standing naked in a crowd to monsters in the woods. But they all have one thing in common: every nightmare is colored by negative emotions—fear, anxiety, humiliation.

A nightmare cooks up a stew of negativity, which may haunt you throughout the day. But why did researchers take a special interest in our nightmares? They found that certain personalities have more nightmares than others. On average, people who have frequent nightmares are worriers and overthinkers. People with this personality type are prone to guilt and frustration, and they experience significant stress on a regular basis.

Sometimes that tension comes from their environment or their lifestyle, but most of the time, it's all in their head. Worry and stress may affect your subconscious. When you fall asleep, your negativity may seep into your dreams. So instead of happy, exciting stories, you may conjure up a nightmare.

Strange Experiences

How well do you remember your dreams? Dream recall is a rare talent. Most people forget their dreams within seconds of waking up. Hours of images slip out of their brain like those dreams never ever happened. Now, a handful of people do remember their dreams, and their dreams may have a positive impact on their life. They remember the lessons they learned, so they carry those lessons into their lives.

According to our 2010 study, this talent is correlated with one personality trait: openness. Openness is your receptiveness to new experiences. Do you try things you've never tried before? Do you value unique opinions and perspectives? If you have a strong dream memory, you may rank highly in this category. You're open to new experiences, so your brain is receptive to the strangeness of your dreams.

Worldly Interpretations

Dream worlds are nothing like the real world. You may dream of a mountain made of ice cream or a city floating on the clouds, but you can't experience anything like that in real life. Does that mean our dreamscapes have nothing to teach us?

Let's say you're dreaming of your hometown. Suddenly, you hear a storm brewing in the distance. That storm sweeps across your neighborhood, picking you up and swirling you in the air. Maybe you dream of a desolate battlefield. Explosions burst all around you, and for mile after mile, you see nothing but wreckage.

Neither of these dreamscapes reflects your reality, but your dreamscapes may mean something. According to Calvin Hall, they're created by your opinions of the world around you. Now, in both of our examples, you saw chaos and destruction in your dream. You stepped into a dangerous environment, so in reality, your world may feel like a dangerous place. The emotions are the same; only the images have changed.

Not all dreamscapes are dangerous or scary. Some are uplifting and beautiful. You may dream of a cool breeze blowing across a flowering meadow. You see the sun setting over the ocean. If you see these dreamscapes, your world may seem like a majestic place. You may feel happy and calm in your environment, so those emotions may be reflected in your dreams.

Persistent Obstacles

Do your dreams repeat themselves? Do you run into the same obstacles time after time? These patterns may not be a coincidence. Calvin Hall says that persistent obstacles represent greater conflicts in your life.

Locked doors are a common dream obstacle. Whether you're chasing something or running away, a locked door stops your story in its tracks. There's no key, there's no way around, and suddenly you feel stuck.

Authority figures are another common obstacle. Let's say you're dreaming about your future career. You're about to accomplish a lifelong goal when an authority figure steps in your way. It could be a king, a parent, or a teacher. It may be someone from your past or someone you've never met before. Either way, this person prevents you from accomplishing your goal.

If you encounter dream obstacles, there may be conflicts you need to resolve. You may be facing a roadblock in your career. You may feel trapped by a job, relationship, or lifestyle. You may not realize anything's wrong until you see that obstacle in your dreams.

Understanding Dreams

Dreams aren't always accurate. Some dreams may be meaningful, and some may not. The truth is, most dream research is theoretical. Dreams may be useless collections of stimuli, but they may also reflect your thoughts and emotions. Even if your dreams are meaningless, you can still learn powerful lessons from your sleeping brain.

Summary Table

Aspect	Description
Dream Mirror	Reflects your self-perception and personal biases.
Social Reflections	Shows your honest opinions of friends and family.
Nervous Nightmares	Reveals personality traits through negative emotions.
Strange Experiences	Correlates dream recall with openness to new experiences.
Worldly Interpretations	Demonstrates dreamscapes as reflections of your worldviews.
Persistent Obstacles	Indicates unresolved conflicts through recurring dream patterns.

Visit our website and blog for more insights on dream interpretations and other topics.