Common Mistakes in Dream Interpretation
Dreams are mysterious and often strange. Animals dream too. In today’s world, demand for dream interpretation is rising, and all kinds of interpreters are popping up. Psychologists interpret dreams, as do feng shui practitioners and even tarot readers. Some approaches rely entirely on the idea of past lives. There’s no single definitive method, but we can rule out a few misguided ones.
1. Psychology
The proponents discussed here are not licensed psychologists; actual psychologists ground their theories in medicine and psychology. I’ve seen interpreters online who rely on purely psychological analysis. They treat dreams as if they were real-life experiences and focus heavily on context. Their typical line of inquiry is, “Why did these objects appear in the dream?” In this view, if someone dreams of being bitten by a snake, it must signal a fear related to snakes. They often fail to ask whether anything was unusual about the exact spot bitten in the dream—perhaps the sleeper was actually bitten by an insect there, which then showed up in the dream.
2. Zhou Gong's Dream Interpretation
Zhou Gong, a prominent figure around 1700 BCE, offered a rich framework for dream interpretation in a pre-scientific era, enriching our ancestors’ cultural life. But with modern advances in technology and material well-being, do his ideas still hold up? Zhou Gong’s method often draws conclusions from a single object appearing in the dream. For instance, peach blossoms signal romantic luck; fire indicates wealth; a black snake is a bad omen. Some even claim that dreaming of an airplane means you’ll meet friends or relatives. Within the pure Zhou Gong framework, many of these readings feel far-fetched. Of course, those who use this approach are usually passionate about it, and given how widespread Zhou Gong’s lists are online, it’s understandable that people with limited life experience treat dream interpretation somewhat playfully.
3. Past Lives and Present Lives Dream Interpretation
Because many people report prophetic dreams, they feel they’ve seen unfamiliar scenes in dreams only to encounter them later. Since over 90% of people have had such experiences, the past-lives/present-life theory has gained significant traction. Chen Peng has studied dream interpretation since 1996 and remains deeply interested in the meanings dreams contain. However, claiming that all dreams are tied to past lives is unreasonable: what could be seen in a past era doesn’t necessarily align with what we see today—if past lives can even be clearly defined.
4. Atheistic Dream Interpretation Theory
This view is held by some scientists and psychologists. In their eyes, nightmares and experiences like sleep paralysis are products of the imagination. Yet there are phenomena they struggle to explain, such as dreams involving ancestors or recurring nightmares in allegedly haunted houses (even when later residents are entirely unaware, they may still dream of the person who died there), as well as prophetic dreams not formed through deduction.
5. Pure Spiritual Dialogue Dream Interpretation Theory
To these interpreters, all dreams are channels for communication about relationships and emotional exchange. Dreams are not expressions of self-awareness and cannot arise independently. This theory originated with a dream interpreter with a mobility impairment, who, out of a desire for social interaction, hoped to encourage more communication and attention to one another’s thoughts. While the intention is kind, humans undeniably have an ego: every perspective grows from one’s own reflections on the external world. As a result, this theory has many flaws.
6. Tarot Card Dream Interpretation
Tarot-based dream interpretation aligns with the principles of tarot fortune-telling. Even without discussing dreams, the order of the drawn cards can say a great deal. It’s more accurate to call it tarot fortune-telling than dream interpretation. So if you plan to see a tarot reader, you might as well ask for a reading outright.
Rigorous dream interpretation can deepen our understanding of what dreams truly are. In fact, the author believes that recognizing the reality of dreams and attending to the information they reveal—rather than merely offering answers or quick fixes—is what genuinely benefits people’s lives.