Re: Interesting PerspectivehidenplainsightJune 23 2007, 02:28:28 UTC
Because I saw the third possibility, and decided that it needed some verbiage. The concept of repressed memories exhorting themselves in dreams can be misleading at times. Memory functions in a very strange way, relying on some reconstruction rather than total recall. (I.E., I was in my car. My car is a red Mitsubishi. Ergo, I *must* have been in a red mitsubishi.) The most graphic and horribly damaging (to their careers, anyways) example of this is the great number of hypnotic "recovered" memories. The entire nation, based on the sessions, was obviously involved in dark rituals including child molestation, baby sacrifices, and dancing naked in things better not pondered. As it turns out, the vast number of people to "remember" these things were mistaken. The hypnotherapists were inadvertantly asking leading questions, like "what kind of satanic rituals were you forced to perfom?"... which causes the subject, especially in deep hynosis, to assume that they must have been involved in such things. Of course, you also missed a few other possibilities in your suggestions of meaning... Things repressed do play a factor in dreams, but in my own experience (the dreams I remember, at least) dreams may also be a mental "defrag" or an exercise of imagination after the conscious shuts down.
Dreams, I fear, can be like Tarot cards. It all depends more on your interpretation, mindset, and ability than anything else; sure you can read instructions, but each mind is a unique construct. One that to this day no one knows exactly how it works.
Re: Interesting PerspectiverebornasphoenixJune 23 2007, 13:26:07 UTC
I concur. This is part of the reason why I find some current dream analysis techniques be to be problematic.
People have, and always will be very open to suggestion. Identifying a repressed memory is something that only the dreamer himself/herself can really do, and if it's truly repressed, it is unlikely that they will be able to identify it without deep introspection.
Really when I was thinking repressed memories, I was thinking more personal flashbacks though. I wouldn't trust a hypnotherapist to try to figure out my mind.
*Nods* Credit given there, dreams could be taken as a method of processing information (In a fragmentation sense).
As it turns out, the vast number of people to "remember" these things were mistaken. The hypnotherapists were inadvertantly asking leading questions, like "what kind of satanic rituals were you forced to perfom?"... which causes the subject, especially in deep hynosis, to assume that they must have been involved in such things.
Of course, you also missed a few other possibilities in your suggestions of meaning... Things repressed do play a factor in dreams, but in my own experience (the dreams I remember, at least) dreams may also be a mental "defrag" or an exercise of imagination after the conscious shuts down.
Dreams, I fear, can be like Tarot cards. It all depends more on your interpretation, mindset, and ability than anything else; sure you can read instructions, but each mind is a unique construct. One that to this day no one knows exactly how it works.
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People have, and always will be very open to suggestion. Identifying a repressed memory is something that only the dreamer himself/herself can really do, and if it's truly repressed, it is unlikely that they will be able to identify it without deep introspection.
Really when I was thinking repressed memories, I was thinking more personal flashbacks though. I wouldn't trust a hypnotherapist to try to figure out my mind.
*Nods* Credit given there, dreams could be taken as a method of processing information (In a fragmentation sense).
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