Top 22 Books About Dreams Updated 04 /2024

Interpretation of dreams is based on the following basic premise: You'll get insight into your subconscious struggles if you decipher the symbols in your dreams. There's always a deeper significance to your unusual dreams, no matter how bizarre they seem at first glance — like riding the subway nude or having NSFW sexual relations with your employer (yikes!). It's time to turn to one of these books on dreams if you want to learn more.

There's a solid reason why so many individuals want for the same things: a family, money, and a fulfilling career. Many psychologists and scientists believe that dreams assist the mind in coping with and processing the daily conflicts and tensions that it faces. To put it another way, getting to know your dreams may help you get to know yourself better.

You're still not persuaded? Before you pass judgment, give it a go. To discover what experts from across the globe have to say about your ideal life may still be enlightening and entertaining, even if you're not yet convinced. So, do you believe you're ready to discover the connection between your everyday life and your dreams? Below, you'll find a list of 13 books about dream interpretation.

The Interpretation of Dreams: The Complete and Definitive Text by Sigmund Freud

"The interpretation of dreams is the royal way to a knowledge of the unconscious operations of the mind," said Sigmund Freud in this now-classic book. Psychologists no longer hold the interpretation of dreams to be gospel, but Freud's specialized guide to dreaming, which includes case studies drawn from his own practice as well as theories and interpretations, is still intriguing to read.

Sleeping, Dreaming, and Dying: An Exploration of Consciousness by The Dalai Lama of Tibet

To better understand how Western studies of the subconscious relate to Eastern studies of dreams, the Dalai Lama's book Sleeping, Dreaming, and Dying is an excellent resource. His Holiness emphasizes on sleep, dreams, and death in the book's title, as indicated by the subtitle.

Psychology of the Unconscious by Carl Jung

Carl Jung, like his master Sigmund Freud, played an important role in popularizing the study of dreams. Psychology of the Unconscious is one of the most well-known publications of the Swiss psychologist. To better understand how our unconscious influences our conscious thoughts and feelings, this book, published in 1912, sets out Jung's beliefs on the subject.

Shadow Work Journal and Workbook for Black Women by Limitless Abundance

Allows you to write in your own voice. The Shadow Work Journal and Workbook is particularly designed for Black women and describes the practice of "shadow work," which enables users to access their subconscious thoughts. This book claims to help novices grasp the fundamentals of journaling with over a hundred writing questions to help them do exactly that — plus plenty of blank pages to fill with ideas and emotions that arise in the process.

Where Dreams Come Alive: The Alchemy of the African Healer by Lynne Radomsky

Author Lynne Radomsky explores the world of indigenous Zulu healers from southern Africa's three countries of South Africa, Namibia, and Botswana in this book. "A creative individuation that displays the sovereignty of fundamental psychological processes" is a procedure that the author claims has parallels in Western research in Where Dreams Come Alive, a book on indigenous healers.

Lucid Dreaming: Gateway to the Inner Self by Robert Waggoner

Lucid dreaming is a fascinating topic, and Robert Waggoner's book is a fantastic place to start learning about it if you've ever been intrigued about it. Lucid Dreaming, an autobiographical account of the author's experiences with lucid dreaming, breaks down the process into five distinct stages. This is an excellent resource for both new and seasoned lucid dreamers.

The Ultimate Dictionary of Dream Language by Briceida Ryan

Keep a copy of the Ultimate Dictionary of Dream Language close at hand. As the title suggests, this book by Briceida Ryan is an alphabetical aid to deciphering dreams: Anyone interested in learning what it signifies when they dream about sex and violence or even Great White Sharks will find plenty of information here. It's one of the most extensive publications on the subject, listing and analyzing all 25,000 conceivable dream symbols.

The Art of Dreaming by Carlos Castaneda

In the middle of the twentieth century, anthropologist Carlos Castaneda (supposedly) spent a decade following a Yaqui "sorcerer." In The Art of Dreaming, Castaneda teaches readers how to manage their mind while they sleep, based on his own experiences. In order to gain "complete awareness" of one's subconscious, seven stages must be followed. If Castaneda truly did spend that much time with Yaqui the "sorcerer," then The Art of Dreaming is a fascinating book.

The Oracle of Night: The History and Science of Dreams by Sidarta Ribeiro

Sidarta Ribeiro's The Oracle of Night asks, "What is a dream?" Brain Institute founder Dr. Ribeiro, a Brazilian neuroscientist, uses evolutionary, social, and personal subconscious aspects to explain the nature of dreams. The Oracle of Night chronicles how dreams have affected people and the planet, from early cave paintings to today's major scientific hypotheses.

The Dream and the Underworld by James Hillman

Jung walked so that James Hillman might run, in other words. As a result of Hillman's research on archetypal psychology, the movement linked with these ideas was born. According to Hillman's 1979 book The Dream and the Underworld, which follows up on his prior books The Myth of Analysis and Re-Visioning Psychology, Jung's initial discoveries aren't made up of pure chance. The "soul," he says, plays an important role in the human mind.

The Pagan Dream Guide: Dreamtime Images Symbolism and Ancient Wisdom by Pat Regan

Have you ever had a dream that was so outlandish or bizarre that you temporarily questioned your sanity? Dream imagery may be complex, and the Pagan Dream Guide strives to make sense of it all. Despite the author's assertion that the dreamer has the greatest power to interpret their subconscious, this detailed guide may assist readers in working through their dreams and the underlying subconscious sentiments that underpin them.

Why We Dream: The Science, Creativity and Transformative Power of Dreams by Alice Robb

Ex-New Republic staff writer Alice Robb attempts to address the age-old question, "Why do humans dream?" in her new book, Dreaming. Despite the fact that everyone dreams, and the vast majority of us recall our dreams the following day, much about this common experience is unknown. When it comes to understanding why dreams are important, Why We Dream relies on decades of scientific study.

Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming by Stephen LaBerge & Howard Rheingold

Discovering Lucid Dreaming by Stephen LaBerge and Howard Rheingold is a comprehensive study of lucid dreaming as well as a guide on keeping one's consciousness intact throughout the process. Besides LaBerge's Stanford University study, investigations by Tibetan yogis and world-renowned dream scientists are cited throughout the book.

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