What are people expecting when they ask for a dream to be interpreted?

As I see it, there are two different things.

Some people think dreams are prophetic, so they want to know what the dream is telling them is going to happen next in their lives.

Other people are under the impression that a given thing in a dream symbolizes a given something else.

Well, now I think about it, there are other things going on.

Sometimes a dream effects you emotionally -- and since it FEELS meaningful, they seek that meaning.

sometimes they're asking if there's a way to stop having a particular dream.

There are books and websites where you can look up things, and read what the author claims is the meaning -- whether prophetic or symbolic.

Of course, both ideas are silly.

Often, the specific thing is a result of random firings, or something that happened or that struck you during waking life.

And where things do have meaning, what they symbolize varies from person to person.

But people want answers.

I want to know if this or that thing is going to happen to me soon, or if I should be afraid of something horrible.

And there's the sort of Freudian idea that every tiny thing tells us something important about ourselves.

Dreams provide clues to the subconscious mind and can help people gain insight into issues that may be impacting their lives. The problem with a blog for this purpose is that you can't interpret a dream for someone over the internet, you need to know details about their lives and you need to be able to ask questions. If two people had the same dream ....it would probably mean something different for each person. If I find a person's dream interesting and decide to put my ideas in...I try to list a number of possible meanings for the person to consider

They are looking for, answers to how the dreams relate to there lives.

1. Does the dream give insight to there future.

2. Does the dream guide them in the changes they need to make in there life.

3. Does the dreams give insight on there struggles.

4. Does the dreams give direction.

5. Does the dreams provide lessons in life.

It's basically the same mechanism that makes people go to fortune tellers. We want to think that there is a deeper meaning to life, and our dreams are more than just neurons firing.

On the flip side: There's a theory that we a have a collective unconscious. Maybe my dreams are your dreams. Maybe they're a little bit of everyone's dreams. That could be why they don't always make sense...

They are hoping to get an idea of what their dream MAY possibly mean. Many dreams can be interpreted and it helps them understand what part of their life needs work on, as dreams sometimes may mean different scenerios going on in our lives. If there is a problem you need to solve in your life, your dream may be trying to tell you something. By understanding your dream, you can get an idea on how to solve that problem. Not all dreams necessarily mean something.

It reminds me of the Rorschach inkblot personality test.

The way people interpret dreams can show their personality just as much as the dreams tell the interpreter about the personality of the dreamer.

It is fun to see how other people react to your dream situations.

They expect you to be a Professor Trelawny and say "WHOOoooooooHHHOooooo. I see that you will come into millions of Galleons and never have to work another day in your life!"

The truth of the matter is that you brain is doing a trash dump of the day and so it really means nothing; otherwise, I would have to wonder why Jesus was giving me tips on how to get a date with Ariel, the Little Mermaid.

They only want to be stroked. They gobble the attention. Those who 'interpret' these made-up 'dreams' are only playing the Dating Game.

The insipid shallowness of teenagers never amazes me. If I invest in it, I always receive huge dividends.

It helps them think more about their dream. They can't figure anything out so they have someone else give their opinion. Some opinions might make them think "Well I was having a bad week...or something like yeah I've been thinking about my life" stuff like that.

People are looking for all kinds of outlets. a dream represents the journeys and adventures by your sub-conscious mind. It is a past time and a hobby.