What happens when a client tells you they had a dream last night?

Do your eyes widen with excitement—or with apprehension? As they begin to describe it, do you feel a bubbling eagerness to share your associations, or perhaps a creeping sense of being lost in unfamiliar territory, deskilled and searching for solid ground?

Dreams hold such an iconic place in the “talking cure” that therapists can feel pressure to offer a grand interpretation—or at least a wise, knowing look. Yet, as I was reminded in a recent workshop, working with dreams does not require instant brilliance. Instead, it asks us to slow down, hold curiosity, and offer a scaffold for exploration.

This post was written by Brighton and Hove based psychodynamic counsellor Zoe Carey. Last month we also featured 10 Books About Working With Dreams in our blog.

Learn more about this topic in our online CPD workshop: *Dreams: In Conversation with our Unconscious* with Victoria Settle on Friday 10th October 10am – 4pm.

In this one day workshop for Brighton Therapy Partnership our trainer Tori Settle will help us explore the fascinating world of dreams.

Freud vs Jung: Two Ways of Seeing Dreams

The history of psychoanalysis is full of rivalries, and few were as impactful as the clash between Freud and Jung.

Marcus West, Jungian analyst and UK Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Analytical Psychology, painted a compassionate picture of this famous “break-up.”

Their conflict, he explained, began when they made the mistake of analysing each other’s dreams.

Freud’s view: The unconscious holds more truth than the conscious mind. Dreams are disguised wish-fulfilments, offering pleasing (to the unconscious) solutions to present and past conflicts (Freud, 1900/2010).

Jung’s view: Dreams are not disguised at all. They are direct communications from the unconscious, expressed in the archaic language of imagery and symbol. For him, dreams are bridges between the conscious and unconscious mind, guiding us towards creative and individuated solutions (Jung, 1960/2014).

In short: for Freud, dreams reveal hidden desires; for Jung, they illuminate paths forward.

A Scaffold for Exploring Dreams

Despite their differences, both Freud and Jung emphasised one crucial truth: the dreamer’s unconscious is the true interpreter of the dream. Jung wrote:

“So difficult is it to understand a dream that for a long time I have made it a rule, when someone tells me a dream and asks for my opinion, to say first of all to myself: ‘I have no idea what this dream means.’ After that I can begin to examine the dream.” (Jung, 1960/2014, CW8, para. 533)

With this humility in mind, here are some helpful starting points when exploring a client’s dream:

Who are the characters? What is their role and nature?

What is the dreamer’s position—participant, observer, flying, immobilised?

Where is the setting? When in time?

What about the elements—earth, air, fire, water? Are they turbulent, destructive, or nurturing?

What are the emotions? Do they align with the events, or contradict them?

Are there patterns or themes emerging?

And above all: resist the urge to reach for dream dictionaries or Google.  Ask the dreamer what the symbol means to them.

The Four Levels of Dream Interpretation

Dreams can be thought about on multiple levels (Hall, 1983; West, 2016):

1. Objective level – Relating directly to outer life.
   E.g. a dream of speeding may be a literal warning to slow down.
2. Subjective level – Each element reflects aspects of the dreamer’s psyche.
   E.g. a threatening stranger might represent a denied part of self.
3. Transference level – Dreams highlight relational dynamics, often within the therapeutic relationship.
4. Archetypal level – Dreams connect with collective symbols found in myth, religion, and culture.

Jung’s Dream of the Two Skulls

Perhaps the most famous example of dream interpretation between Freud and Jung occurred during their holiday together in 1909.

Jung dreamt he was in a house he didn’t know—his house. The upper storey was ornate and rococo, but descending into the cellar he found ancient remains and, finally, two human skulls (Jung, 1963).

Freud’s interpretation: The skulls symbolised death wishes—towards Jung’s father and towards Freud himself.

Jung’s interpretation: The house was an image of the psyche: the upper floor his present life, the cellar his inherited past, and the skulls the “primitive man within myself.”

Both readings carried truth—Freud operating on the objective and transference levels, Jung on the subjective and archetypal.

Holding Dreams with Care

What this workshop reminded me—and what I hold on to in my practice—is that there is no single “right” way to interpret dreams. Whether approached through Freud’s lens, Jung’s, or a blend of both, the essential point remains:

The dream belongs to the dreamer.

Our role is not to provide the answer but to accompany them in exploring the rich symbolic world their unconscious has offered up, and to notice what emerges together in the therapeutic relationship.

As therapists, we don’t need to offer grand interpretations. What matters is creating space where dreams can be received with curiosity, care, and respect for their mystery.

This article was written by Brighton and Hove based psychodynamic counsellor Zoe Carey. Last month we also featured 10 Books About Working With Dreams in our blog.

References & Further Reading

Freud, S. (1900/2010). The Interpretation of Dreams. Basic Books.

Hall, C. (1983). Jungian Dream Interpretation: A Handbook of Theory and Practice. Inner City Books.

Jung, C. G. (1960/2014). The Structure and Dynamics of the Psyche: Collected Works Vol. 8. Princeton University Press.

Jung, C. G. (1963). Memories, Dreams, Reflections. Vintage.

West, M. (2016). Understanding Dreams in Clinical Practice. Karnac.

Upcoming Workshop with Victoria Settle

Want to explore more? Join us for the upcoming training *Dreams: In Conversation with our Unconscious* with Victoria Settle on Friday 10th October 10am – 4pm.

In this brand-new workshop for Brighton Therapy Partnership our trainer Tori Settle will help us explore the fascinating world of dreams.

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