Dream Interpretation History

Tracing back the history of dream interpretation, it may be noted that the ancient cultures of Greece and Egypt have records on the relationship of dreams and religion.

In ancient Greece, temples called Asclepieions were constructed in which the sick people were being sent to be cured from their diseases. In order to be healed, a dream incubation ritual had to be done inside the temple. After this, the person would be cured through divine intervention.

Dream interpretation was also recorded in the Bible through the stories of Daniel and Joseph. In the story of Joseph, he was able to interpret the dream of Pharaoh about the coming events in the land of Egypt. Through his interpretation of dreams, the city was saved from famine. The New Testament also held records of dreams carrying a divine message.

In various cultures, dreams are considered important especially in foretelling the future. During the time of Sigmund Freud during the late 1800s, dream interpretation took on a different meaning. While dream interpretation used to be associated with divine intervention, Freud's theories gave birth to the idea that dreams may be the key to the person's unconscious mind.

Through the study of Sigmund Freud, dream interpretation was studied in the context of Psychology and Psychoanalysis. Freud's theory that dreams are the person's wish fulfillment was followed by the theories of other key persons in the field of psychology including Carl Jung, Calvin Hall (in 1954) and Ann Faraday (in 1970s). With the introduction of the Internet, dream studies are also being done online.

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