Wisdom of the Dream, pt. 3: The Inner Lives of Dream Characters

In the first part of this series on the Wisdom of the Dream conference put on by the C.G. Jung Institute of Boston, I presented Jungian Analyst William Ventimiglia’s talk, “Dreams: The Unconscious Has A Voice.” In part two, I looked at Robert Stickgold’s talk titled, “Sleep, Memory, and Dreams: What Does It All Mean?”

In this third part, I will discuss Erik Goodwyn’s presentation, which was called, “Gods, Ancestors, and Other Inspiring Characters from our Dreams.”

The Intentionality of Dream Characters

Erik Goodwyn is the author of The Neurobiology of the Gods, a book that examines current research from the field of neuroscience, showing the support that it lends to Jung’s theories of archetypes and the collective unconscious.

In his presentation at the conference, he asked several provocative questions meant to challenge the ways that we think about and understand the dream characters that visit our sleep.

In particular, he wanted to consider the notion that dream characters have their own intentionality.

Generally, we tend to think of dream images as representing a subjective aspect of our own personal psychology. But if we look closely at our experience of other human beings, we have a hard time making a clear differentiation between what is subjective, that is, an experience that comes from inside, and what is objective, an experience that comes from outside.

When I interact with someone, there is both the activity of the other person and my experience and interpretation of the activity of the other person. The experience of intentionality, then, says Goodwyn, is a hybrid of my own and the other person’s experience. It is hard to say where the objectivity of the other ends and my subjectivity begins.

When we are having a dream, we do not experience the other dream characters as aspects of our own mind. We experience them as objective others with their own separateness. That is why traditional societies often interpreted the figures from dreams as spirits and ancestors.

A World Filled With Mind

Neuroscience has progressed so far in recent years that we know a great deal about what happens in the brain during times of sleeping and dreaming. But, for Goodwyn, this does not explain the phenomenon of the apparent intentionality of our dream characters, just as understanding the mechanics of a wink does not explain the intentions of the mind that produced the wink. 

In other words, the mechanics of dreaming are not identical to the meaning of the dream.

There is a universal tendency to make meaning of events around us, to think about and experience the world as though it was full of intentionality. In our immediate, unreflected experience, we tend to experience the world as filled with its own mentality — a world filled with mind.

If we resist reducing the characters of our dreams to the chemical activity of the brain, we find that we experience them as having their own mentality separate from our conscious self. Dream characters often appear to have their own memories, intentions, and values, as well. In fact, they tend to embody many of the qualities that define personhood.

Dreaming and Creativity

Goodwyn suggests that one area where the implications of these considerations can be felt is in the area of creativity. Like the figures of our dreams, creative states are not so much willed as they are autonomous visitations. 

The connection between dream states and creative states of consciousness is very strong, as is the connection between creativity and mental illness. 

Both the genius and the psychological sufferer have an unusual openness to the effects of the unconscious, says Goodwyn. What makes a difference is the ability to meet the “uprush” from the depths.

A creative approach is one that allows for a fuller cooperation between the unconscious and the emergent self of the individual. Treating dream characters as a foreign “other” can make them seem destructive and dangerous. But when we take a respectful approach to these figures, they can bring to our consciousness something that did not exist before.

Jung expressed just this insight when he said: 

We know that the mask of the unconscious is not rigid — it reflects the face we turn towards it. Hostility lends it a threatening aspect, friendliness softens its features.

To my mind, it is not so important whether we view the intentionality of our dream figures as something literal or not. It is not so important to decide whether a dream character is actually a spirit, or an ancestor, or even a god. But when we approach it as if it were a being with it’s own mind, the insights gained can be powerful and transformative.

In part 4 of this series, I will discuss the Embodied Imagination Dream Group experience facilitated by Jill Fischer.

[optin title=”How To Discover Your Calling: Sign up today for my free 10-day email course.” text=”Learn how to cultivate a ‘calling mindset’ and discover the work that you were meant to do.” buttontext=”Get Access Today” successMessage=”Message has been submitted successfully.” errorMessage=”Failed to send your message. Please try later.” invalidEmailMessage=”Your email address does not appear valid.” border=”true” collectfirstname=”true” collectlastname=”false” collectphone=”false” collectcompany=”false” image=”https://www.jungiantherapist.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/wpid-How-To-Discover-Your-Calling.jpg”]