Carl Jung listened to and interpreted thousands of dreams. In the course of this work, he found the structure of many dreams to be similar to the dramatic form of fairy tales, Greek tragedies, and Shakespearean plays.
Jung laid out the four stages of dreams (CW8 §561-564):
1) Statement of Place/Exposition,
2) Development of Plot,
3) Culminiation/Peripeteia,
4) Resolution/Lysis

The dream tells a story that begins with the Statement of Place, also known as Exposition. This is seen at the beginning of the dream; where the action or events of a dream take place. I am in my childhood home; I am on a boat; I am at a party. In this regard, the dream begins within a psychological place, the details of which represent the symbolic observations the unconscious is carrying regarding one’s present situation.

Others have described it as a symbol of the problem looking for resolution. Some dreams may reflect a problem while others may be an expression of an unconscious content that is striving towards consciousness.

Of course, the language of dreams is comprised of riddles and metaphor, so it takes time, patience, and practice to decode what the unconscious is trying to convey. Getting the dreamer’s own associations, reactions, and feelings toward the dream is an essential aspect of dream analysis.

The second stage comes with the development of the plot. This is where mounting action occurs, tension rises, or a choice is made. There is a knock at the door; A storm is coming; I walk away.

Jung believed a fundamental component of a dream is its compensatory value. Compensation is a regulatory function of the psyche whose task is to balance a one-sidedness of a conscious position or to present an aspect of a situation not taken into consideration.

The third stage brings culmination or peripeteia (Greek for “turning point”), where something decisive happens or something changes. An “illustration of the transformation which can also leave room for a catastrophe” (Jung, Children’s Dreams, p. 30). By catastrophe, Jung may have meant the effect of the transformation on the existing order of things. An inner transformation of an unconscious content can shift psyche’s energy to a new order. When an inner shift occurs, the effect on consciousness can be large or small, positive or negative.

The final and fourth stage in dreams is the Resolution/Lysis. In Greek, lysis means, “to loosen”. Resolution can be an answer to a problem, but also the act of “resolving something by breaking it up into its constituent parts or elements”.

“The last phase shows the final situation, which is at the same time the solution ‘sought’ by the dreamer” (CW8 §564). The final phase of a dream may symbolize where psyche wants to go.

The process and interpretation of dreams encourages open reception to the language of the unconscious. “So it seldom happens that anyone who has taken the trouble to work over his dreams with qualified assistance for a longer period of time remains without enrichment and a broadening of his mental horizon” (CW8 §549).

Analyzing a dream step by step and staying with the structure, allows the analytical process to move slowly through the dream, paying attention to its many details. Working with the dreamer’s associations, feelings, and thoughts creates a “field” of attunement and gratitude for the power of the unconscious.

Optimally, we must find the balance between our conscious minds and unconscious contents. One wonderful way is through dreams. Paying attention to dreams allows for the balance to take place. Our dreams provide the portal to the unconscious. The language of dreams is quite different from our every day conceptual way of communicating, so deciphering the message of your dream takes time and practice.

The unconscious mind expresses itself through symbols and symbolic language. The unconscious mind is a very old part of the psyche. Historically, as a species, we lived thousands of years before acquiring a written language. Once the intellect developed a written language, the growth of our conscious mind swelled, and has since produced (with help from the unconscious) literary, musical, and scientific achievements.

The general function of dreams is to restore our psychological balance. This internal regulating function operates without conscious effort. In other words, it is restorative even when you are not writing out your dreams or contemplating their meaning and message. However, the more attention that is paid to them, the more life will feel in balance.

To get the most from your dreams, understanding your very own personal associations and symbols will be more meaningful than referring to a dream-symbol book. However, acquiring a dream interpretation book can help get you started. Keeping a notebook and pen by your bedside is essential.

If you develop an enduring curiosity about your dreams, you will gain insight into the problems, challenges, and relationships of your life. You may find the answers and guidance you need, from within.

Expressive art is not just for “artists”. It can be a portal to the unconscious where you can find solutions to problems, ease anxieties and find parts of yourself that await to be consciously known. Edward Whitmont, author of The Symbolic Quest, writes: “The symbolic approach can mediate an experience of something indefinable, intuitive or imaginative, or a feeling-sense of something that can be known or conveyed in no other way, since abstract terms do not suffice everywhere”.

Our western culture values money, power, fame, and possessions. However, it is the act of creating (the process, not the product) that will give you a sense of wonder and meaning.

Try something new, take a leap into the unknown, and bring something new into being.

We are all called to create in different ways. The easiest way to get started is by recording feelings, dreams, and images every day in a personal journal. From there, you may want to experiment with collage, painting, drawing, etc.

As you explore these inner pathways, new insights will emerge. You may feel that your inner and outer worlds are coming together. A heightened sense of wholeness, direction, and well-being begins to take shape.

If you can spend 30 minutes every day in experiencing this collaboration, you can gain a greater sense of yourself, your relationships, and life’s direction.