Mental Health Corner: Dreams

by Maria Santa–Maria
May 1991

Sometimes during counseling sessions people ask me about the meaning of dreams.

Dreams have a compensatory function. Our God in His love and creativity designed dreams as a way to balance out our conscious life. In other words, dreams stem from the unconscious part of our personality, and they may point to areas of our lives which need attention and special insights.

Using symbols from our everyday life experiences, dreams may hint to unexpected solutions to problems or show us certain aspects of ourselves which need to be recognized and expressed.

Some people find it helpful to keep a dream journal. especially at times when they are going through a life transition or in the process of making an important decision.

There are many instances in the Bible where God used a dream to convey direction to people. For example, Joseph in the Old Testament was quite an interpreter of dreams. Joseph, the carpenter in the New Testament, was guided by a dream before Jesus was born. There are many other examples worthy of our study and consideration.