Sigmund Freud: The Father Of Modern Dream Analysis
Human beings have always been fascinated by their dreams.
The ancient scrolls of Egypt, Sumeria, and Babylon recorded long treatises on the meaning of dreams and some ancient cultures believed they were a divine pathway to commune with the gods. Rather than trying to understand dreams on an internal level as a product of the dreamers own experiences and thoughts, they were viewed as supernatural or divine events inspired by external forces. Put simply, when a man or woman slept, their resting mind became a canvas to be painted by powerful beings beyond mortal control.
When the era of religious dogma and supernatural fear began to give way to the age of reason, man slowly turned to scientific analysis to answer the important questions about human existence. As mankind took the first tentative towards understanding the inner workings of the mind, one Jewish doctor shocked the world with his theory of dream analysis.
Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) was not only the father of Psychiatry, but he changed our understanding of dreams forever. When his writings began to appear at the end of the 19th century, civilization had finally evolved to the point where a great thinker could offer a new scientific theory without the risk of imprisonment or death at the hands of the religious authority.
Today, Freud is considered the father of modern dream analysis and he is easily the most popular authority on the subject. Dr. Freud concluded that our dreams contained two levels of content or meaning: The Manifest Content and the Latent Content. The images you would remember if you were to describe your dream to another person is the Manifest Content and the sub-conscious part of a dream that contains the hidden or true meaning is the Latent Content.
Sigmund Freud
Freud called the process by which we convert or censor our dreams from latent to manifest “Dream Work.” He believed the human brain used three methods to actually convert objects in a dream from latent to manifest, as the dreamer struggled to hide or repress uncomfortable thoughts. The first method is Condensation, by which we convert multiple thoughts into one general thought.
The second method is Displacement, by which we redirect an emotion or desire from the intended person to a meaningless object in a manifest dream. For example, a person might displace a deep love for a particular individual on the latent level onto an inanimate object such as a new car or stereo system on the manifest level.
The third method is Symbolism, by which similar looking objects are used to disguise the actual object. For example, an erection might be represented by a tall tree, a stick or a floor lamp. To Freud, long solid objects represented the masculine or the penis and objects with space inside, such as a fireplace, a bucket or a pot represented the vagina or the feminine.
Perhaps it was the fact that Freud believed that many thoughts, especially on a sub-conscious level, represented repressed sexual desires that shocked so many people when he first published his theories, but even today, the “Dream Work” of Sigmund Freud is the foundation of Modern Psychiatry and Dream Analysis.
From his study of dreams, and his understanding of the symbolic content contained there in, Freud was able to create of a system of analysis to aid him in the treatment of his patients. Dr Freud opened the door to understanding the human mind and the many healers who followed in his footsteps used his groundbreaking theories to free millions from the chains of mental illness.
Image src: http://newspaper.li
Image src: http://www.lifed.com
Read MoreThe Wonderful World Of Yogi Berra
Lawrence Peter “Yogi” Berra is widely regarded as the greatest catcher in baseball history.
Yogi spent most of his 19 year long playing career with the New York Yankees, where he won 10 World Series Championships. After retiring as a player, Berra spent 25 years as a manager and coach for several major league teams and he won three more World Series titles. Berra’s 10 World Series wins as a player are the most by any player in Major League history.
Yogi was voted into the Baseball Hall Of Fame in 1972 and he was named to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team in 1999. In addition to all his accomplishments as a player and coach, Yogi Berra is famous for his ability to mangle the English language in humorous ways. His catalog of mixed up words and hilarious sayings are known to baseball fans everywhere as Yogisms.
Since Yogisms defy logic and explanation, we will simply share a selection of some of the best and allow you the pleasure of figuring them out for yourself. So without further ado, welcome to the wonderful world of Yogi Berra and Yogisms.
“If you can’t imitate him, don’t copy him.”
“Baseball is 90 percent mental. The other half is physical.”
“You can observe a lot by watching.”
“In baseball, you don’t know nothing.”
“A nickel ain’t worth a dime anymore.”
“It’s deja vu all over again.”
“You should always go to other people’s funerals, otherwise, they won’t come to yours.”
“If you come to a fork in the road, take it.”
“He hits from both sides of the plate. He’s amphibious.”
“I usually take a two-hour nap, from one o’clock to four.”
“If the people don’t want to come out to the park, nobody’s going to stop them.”
“Why buy good luggage? You only use it when you travel.”
“I didn’t really say everything I said.”
“It ain’t over ’til it’s over.”
On being asked his cap size at the beginning of spring training:
“I don’t know, I’m not in shape.”
After accepting an invitation to dine at the White House:
“I thought they said steak dinner, but then I found it was a state dinner.”
In the spirit of Yogi’s immortal words,”It ain’t over ’til it’s over,” we are happy to inform you that the inimitable Mr. Berra is still with us at 87 years young. As you go through life, do your best, stay humble and remember: “It ain’t the heat, it’s the humility.”
