I once read about a stimulating dream experiment: ‘’ Two people with very similar characteristics are admitted to the sleep laboratory. While they are asleep, a drop of water is dripped onto their palms and they are awakened immediately afterwards. One of the subjects reported having sunbathed in the dream under a warm summer rain while the other subject stated that he had had a dream that he was trying to cross a flooded street. The experiment proves how sensitive our dreams are to external stimuli. A drop of water dripped onto their palms were reflected immeadiately as rain and flood- symbolic derivatives of water. Similarly; most of us must have witnessed that odor, contact or sounds in our sleeping environment affect the course of our dream and even change the scenario of our dreams.
So, the main question is: ‘’Can our dreams, which are so sensitive to external stimuli, remain indifferent to the problems and changes in our physical body? ‘’
Why is it more probable to have a dream of burning house during a sleep when we are wrestling with a febrile illness? Can fire and similar symbols/ imageries be regarded as reflections of the fever of the disease? Can a dream in which we see rising water be an indicator of high blood pressure? Does an unscrewed device address dental, bone or joint problems?
The strongest’’ YES’’- answer’’ to such questions is found in ancient Greece. Unlike their predecessors (Egypt and Mesopotamia) the Greeks used their dreams effectively for the diagnosis and treatment of their illnesses (also known as incubation) They even had hospital-like structures called Asclepion for incubation. In asclepions, the patients would explain their complaints to the physician and then go to bed with a proper diet. Depending on the dream they have, the physician would seek answers to what kind of illness they have and what kind of treatment they would need.
We have many dream records left from that era by Hippocrates, also known as the father of medicine. For example; if the patient saw puddle in his/her dream, it could have been an indication of an infectious disease. To dream of a fruitless tree would be regarded as the sign of a deterioration of semen quality or infertility. A water source in a dream was a symptom of bladder problems while white clothing was a harbinger of healing. According to Hippocrates, dreams could also imply what kind of treatment should be followed. Again, we can clarify this with an example by Hippocrates’ dream interpretation records:
’’A shaking house means disease for someone who is already healthy but health for someone who is sick. (* In this conclusion, we witness that Hippocrates defines the earthquake as any transformative force of a positive or negative nature.) In this regard, it is beneficial for the dreamer to change nutrition intake. This diet should be applied after the removal of food that harms the body.’’
Together with Freud, it was believed that dreams could provide important clues about mental health rather than physical health. According to Freud, the dream was the moment when mental problems, oppressed emotions, aggression and sexual impulses that were not expressed in real life emerged with symbols. According to Adler, Freud's successor- metaphors of ascent-descent (aircraft, stairs, mountains, falling, climbing, etc.) are the indicators of inferiority complex or power will. Emil Gutheil, another psychoanalyst / dream theorist associated insect sting with symptoms of obsession. Jung, the founder of analytical psychology, interpreted dreams as indicators of barriers to spiritual maturation.
Even though contemporary dream schools associate dreams with our psychological realities, they do not refrain from approaching our dreams as signs and indicators of physical illnesses. For example, a dream that a woman sees herself as the driver of a heavy vehicle (train, ship, bus, lorry, truck, etc.) could be associated with the heavy burden of pregnancy. For a patient, wearing beautiful clothes in a dream would mean good health. Most plant species are considered to have important clues about our general health.
Examples of dreaming in which vehicles and objects were seen repaired, cared for or replaced are symbolic manifestations of medical treatments and recovery. Nevertheless; a car accident can be interpreted as a sign of deterioration of health status while a damaged exhaust can indicate digestive disorders. Similarly, the depletion of car fuel / engine damage is close to giving meaning such as illness, low physical / mental energy, while the headlights can carry some clues about eye health.
Buildings under construction are typical indicators of recovery. On the other hand, examples of dreams where houses, buildings and structures collapse, crack, burn can be read as signs of illness or worsening. In such dreams, houses and similar structures are always representations of our own body.
Dream scenes where water flow is inhibited may provide insight into the circulatory system disorders. Likewise, it can be assumed that dream patterns where the pipe and the installation are damaged or seen as malfunctioning draw attention to problems in the physical body. Pipes, fittings or taps are the representations of the vessels in this equation.
Broken or damaged furniture or tools can be considered as an analogy of defects in our own body, especially bone, muscle and joint disorders. This meaning is more evident in the dream examples where objects with special meaning for ourselves are broken, cracked or seen falling down.
Drowning and dreams with disturbing weight in the chest may indicate lung-related problems. Such dreams can also draw attention to psychological problems such as intense work pressure, stress and anxiety.
- It might be useful to remind: ''Dreams are by no means a substitute for medical treatment. These interpretations were compiled from the dreams of patients with a disease agenda or receiving treatment, and were prepared based on common similarities.''