Abby,
I suggest you first read the materials at my website The Power of Dreams. This will provide you with the basic tools to understanding dreams. It is Jungian based, the psychological blueprint of how dreams function. For more in-depth resources my other dream website Myths-Dreams-Symbols has 500+ pages of materials about dreams and dream psychology. As materials to purchase a good place to start would be Marion Woodman's audio book Dreams: Language of the Soul {you can listen to a short preview of the audio at this site}. Woodman is a Jungian psychologist who has written several books on dreams and women's issues. In my opinion she is the 'authority' when it comes to dreams.

As for your analyst not being able to help you understand your dreams, and thus not understand your psychological self, my question is what dream theory does she us in her/his practice/ is it Jungian or Freudian? If it is Freudian then she/he doesn't possess the tools to adequately interpret dreams {in my humble opinion|. Having worked with dreams for 20+ years using Jungian psyche I know from experience that when I have enough personal information about a person, and then analyze their dreams, I can successfully provide the person with the information they need to understand their psychological condition. Every person. The major difference between Jungian and Freudian concepts is Freud believed dreams are attempting to censor unconscious information so to help the dreamer avoid the unpleasant energies {and thus help preserve sleep}. Jung on the other hand believed that dreams are attempting to inform the dreamer of the unconscious contents so to help them resolve emotional conflicts. When I use Jungian concepts my abilities to analyze and interpret dreams are successful. I have this Dream Forum {on line since 2005} that has more than 15,000 posts and many more thousands of comments that verify my abilities as well as Jung's dream philosophies {which without I could not properly interpret dreams}. What is even more amazing about interpreting dreams at this Forum is all I know about the dreamer is their age and gender {two vital requirements when interpreting dreams}. The success I have from that having only that information {and of course the posted dream contents} proves that when using even the basic, rudimentary concepts of Jungian psyche dreams can be successfully analyzed. The proof can be seen in the posted dreams, my interpretations and the responses to my an analysis. When I am provided even more information in follow up responses I am able to better pin point what the dream is trying to communicate. If I were able to sit down with the dreamer and learn all there is to know about their life {as an analyst would do} there is no doubt I could correctly find and explain to the dreamer what emotional conflicts the dream is attempting to communicate. By doing that the dreamer can begin to resolve those issues. Anyone with a Jungian education and a intuitive mind can interpret dreams successfully.

But there is a caveat to successfully using Jungian psyche, or any form of dream interpretation. The dreamer must be open to finding what their psychological condition is. Just as with alcoholic's anonymous {which by the way was inspired in its formation by a letter from Carl Jung to AA founder Bill Wilson} the person must want to 'get better'. Otherwise the unconscious will reflect the conscious attitude but with a vengeance and an ultimate self destruction will occur. On the other hand when a person opens up to the unconscious there is a path to healing because the dreamer knows what it is that is causing the emotional conflicts that prevent them from having a normal, happy life. Dreams are therapeutic {nature's tool}. Just as with the immune system for the body, dreams are the device for the 'psyche' that helps provide a healthy mind.

I applaud your desire to wanting to learn about dreams. It is not an easy road but if it catches your interest as it did mine back in 1992 it will change you in so many ways {prior to that I was a couch potato, football junkie who had little interest in the 'inner world'. I was 42 at the time. If you take time to better understand your dreams {and your true self} at the age of 21 you will have a life most people never experience. That is because you will understand there is another world beyond the exterior existence of material worth, obeying hat society wants you to do and being limited by the outer forces to 'knowing' more than the mind should know. And in the process of learning more about dreams you will learn to heal yourself, and protect yourself from future psychological conflicts. Such is the Power of Dreams.

Jerry

Age & Gender & Location {Required}: 63 Space Coast, Fla.

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Abby,
For more about Marion Woodman here is a Youtube interview with her and her approach to dreams.
Jungian Analyst Marion Woodman on her approach to therapy.


Jerry

Age & Gender & Location {Required}: 63 Space Coast, Fla.

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Thanks for all the info! I'll definitely check out your website. I didn't know there was that much of a difference between Freud and Jung (at this point I don't know much about them), but I am very interested in learning. I can see what my dreams are trying to tell me for the most part. The problem I'm having is FIXING that problem. That's where my therapist comes in, I suppose.
I've read a few books about mindfulness, but can't seem to wrap my head around it. Being at peace in my head is a lot harder that one would think. Partly because of the depression and anxiety (and I have yet to find a medication that can fix those things). My therapist says mindfulness helps both of those things but it seems impossible sometimes.

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