Customer Reviews

Dictionary For Dreamers (Language of the Unconscious, Vol 1)

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Of the several books on dreams I own, this is one of the best--and the most concise. The author's research is impeccable, his sources being namely Jung, Freud and the vast world of mythology and symbolism from cultures around the world. A must buy for anyone interested in the serious study of dreams.

Dreams are not produced by MGM nor by the authors of "dream books." I have used this book, not as an exclusive tool, but as a prod or a cue book to help me associate a possible meaning that may jog my memory. This book is invaluable, and I continue to use it even if every answer is not there. For more possibilities I turn to Strephon Kaplan-Williams to look at his "Dream Cards," or to a dictionary of symbols. Use whatever is necessary, but remember, it is your dream and only you know the answer. Don't give in to some fortune teller's dream books. Throw them away.

I am usually quite skeptical when a writer offers a way to unravel the meaning of a dream. What makes this author's approach different is he shuns the obvious superstitions and blends the theories of Freud, Jung, Adler, Stekel, Gutheil, and many others. Why no one thought of this before is a mystery to me, but I do notice this book comes from England, a nation known for taking fuzzy European ideas and transforming them into the sobriety of science. Chetwynd explains each aspect of a dream with a simple definition; but there is still enough information given to convince us that his source was a clinical theory rather than some fortune teller's unchallenged guess. The sources are useful in case we need to sort out the matter in more elaborate detail than was the goal of this quick reference guide. I greatly appreciate that compromise, because even with the insights possible this subject is going to remain speculative. As I haven't had much faith or contact with psychiatrists, sociologists, or their books, this is better than nothing. Additionally, this little book has an especially appealing shape and size. That encourages the reader to keep it at bedside - or take it along to work when some particularly intriguing dream lingers from the night. This practice appeals to the artistic potential within all of us, especially those who open their minds to the possibility that dreams and reality are connected.

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