Dreams as Waking Life Actualizations

Have you ever had a dream (or multiple) where you carry out something that you want to in waking life, but haven’t, or may not ever carry out?

Perhaps you’re frustrated with coworker, and you vent to your partner about them, but you never approach your coworker and have a conversation. Yet, in your dream, you do approach them and say what’s on your mind. Or, maybe you’ve been struggling to complete a task in waking life – let’s say it’s something simple, like finishing cleaning a room of your house. Then you have a dream that you get it all cleaned. Or, maybe it’s something more, like you’ve wanted to travel, yet don’t have the financial resources, and then you have a dream that you are in the place you want to travel to. There are many ways in which dreams allow you live out what you aren’t in waking life.

Why does this happen? I personally believe it’s for a few different reasons. To let you know that you are capable of completing the task at hand in waking life – kind of like a subconscious nudge to get it done. It could be so that you won’t have to do something in waking life. In certain circumstances, carrying out a task in the dream realm is as good as doing it in waking life. (Your higher self knows what’s up). And, your subconscious may allow you to experience what you physically cannot in waking life. It all depends on your waking life circumstances.

For instance, I’m often dreaming about saying things to my mom that I haven’t said to her in waking life…things that I would like to say, yet find it difficult to say. A lot of times, the dreams are dramatic and I’m yelling at her. I wake up feeling a bit shocked at how I handled the situation (I obviously wouldn’t want to yell at her in waking life!) and like I completed the task, and now won’t have to approach her. In times like these, I believe that in another realm/dimension, my higher self is reaching out – in somewhat of an urgency – and connecting with her to get the job done. Again, this is a personal belief, I cannot prove this. I only strongly feel it based off of my experiences.

I do know that one of Freud’s interpretations of the purpose of dreams is wish-fulfillment – where dreams reflect the suppressed desires of the conscious mind. In a dream, you are free and safe to explore – limitless. I like what I found on a site called dreamsmean.org:

Manifest vs. Latent Content: In Freud’s framework, the manifest content of a dream is the storyline, while the latent content represents the underlying wishes. Understanding this distinction is crucial for interpreting dreams.

Manifest Content	Latent Content
Surface-level narrative of the dream	Hidden desires and emotions that fuel the dream
Immediate imagery	Deeper psychological significance

Symbolic Representation: Many dreams portray these wishes symbolically. For instance, dreaming of flying may symbolize a longing for freedom or escape from daily pressures.

As with any dream, you will have to see what waking life event your dream can connect to, as well as finding out what you can do differently. Going back to my dream where I’m yelling…while I feel I’m accomplishing the task, if I could go back into the dream and re-do it, I would calmly talk and have a conversation. This type of dream could also be your subconscious asking you to take that action in waking life. While I mentioned that doing it in the dream is as good as doing it waking life, there may be times it’s healthier and more beneficial to take the dream to waking life. Dreams always come at the right time. Again, feel it out and see what feels appropriate.