Dream Power

Ann Faraday – 1972

Though not as famous as Carl Sagan or Alan Watts, British Freudian psychologist Ann Faraday was similar as a popularizer of her chosen field.  Specializing in intensive dream research, Dr. Faraday was among the first - if not the first - in the sciences to present a theory of dream analysis that individuals could apply on their own, without the mediation of a psychiatrist.  Dream Power is an excellent book for the layman because its first half is a concise and fascinating overview of the history of dream research, which lays the groundwork for the point at which Faraday picks up where her forebears left off and begins her own sleep experiments.  Central to her proposal is the notion that no one is more capable or qualified to interpret the purpose of a dream than the dreamer himself.  In her view, it is foolish to assume that a glossary of definitions correlating to dream images and situations can be established and used universally, because what matters so often in dreams are not the images and situations but the emotions they evoke.  Dreams are a form of instinct and can often be an early-warning system for bodily issues that take time to become apparent.  For example, someone may dream of damage to their teeth long before an actual tooth-ache begins, and women have dreamed of being pregnant shortly before having a pregnancy confirmed.  Another major aspect of Faraday’s process is to maintain a dream journal.  The dreaming function is a muscle that needs exercise.  Those who never work this muscle are the ones who either forget their dreams soon after waking or even claim to never dream at all.  Keeping a diary serves to notify your own unconscious that you are open for business, and in turn not only do dreams become easier to remember in detail but more elaborate and rewarding too.  Finally, one of the most memorable things about Dream Power, for me, is the awe and pleasure that Faraday sees in dreams.  Aside from therapeutic concerns, she writes, dreams are there to be enjoyed for their sheer entertainment value, full of surreal humor and visions, feats of superhuman power, sexual adventurism, and poignant personal memories.

Excerpt:  “In my view, psychoanalysts have done us a disservice by associating dream interpretation with psychological illness and spreading the idea that any form of self-therapy which involves ‘probing the depths’ is a dangerous business.  White it is true that there are disturbed people who cannot cope with life without expert therapeutic help, there are also millions of other intelligent and basically ‘normal’ people who are perfectly capable of exploring their own dreams for greater self-knowledge.”