The Secret Language of Dreams: A Visual Key to Dreams and Their Meanings

by David Fontana

a great book to read

Genres: Psychology, Nonfiction, Reference, Spirituality, Self Help, Philosophy, Science

176 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

David G.J. Fontana FBPsS was a British psychologist, parapsychologist and author. He was Professor of Psychology at Cardiff University. He was also visiting professor at Liverpool John Moores University and the University of Algarve.

Reviews

[Kris · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Further research reveals four distinct levels or stages of sleep, each characterized by particular physiological activities and brain rhythms. During the first fifteen minutes, the sleeper descends progressively through each of these stages, before spending about one hour in Stage 4, the deepest level, when the body is at its most relaxed and brain rhythms at their slowest. After this, an ascent back up to Stage 1 is often accompanied by a change in sleeping posture, and it is at this point that the first REM [Rapid Eye Movement] period of sleep begins, usually lasting for about ten minutes. Thereafter, the process of descent and ascent is repeated between four and seven times during the night, though sleep rarely against reaches a state as deep as Stage 4. Each REM episode becomes progressively longer, as does the frequency and rapidity of eye movement, and the final REM period can last as long as forty minutes." (p. 14-15)

“…there are three main classes of dreaming, each one related to one of the three subconscious levels of the mind [proposed by Freud and Jung]:
Level 1 is the most superficial class, drawing primarily upon material in the preconscious mind. Dream images from this level can often be taken at face value.
Level 2 deals with material from the personal unconscious, using predominantly symbolic language, much of it specific to the dreamer.
Level 3 contains what Jung called “grand dreams”. These deal with material from the collective unconscious, operating only in symbols and archetypes.” (p. 23)

“Dreams are a conversation we have with ourselves, in a symbolic language that sends messages between the unconscious and conscious levels of our minds. We are the authors and actors of our dreams, and ultimately the best judges of their meanings. No dream interpretation offered by an outsider is likely to be correct unless the dream recognizes it as authentic.” (p. 57)


► The Beginner's Guide to Dream Interpretation: Uncover the Hidden Riches of Your Dreams by Clarissa Pinkola Estés – dreams, interpretation, recurring
► Inner Work: Using Dreams and Active Imagination for Personal Growth by Robert A. Johnson – dreams, rituals, imagination
► Death Is But a Dream: Finding Hope and Meaning at Life's End by Christopher Kerr – dying, dreams, comfort

[☾ · Rating 4 out of 5]

(2.5/5) It is a good book. I think it has several things that can be useful.
Btw the pictures are beautiful.

[Vic · Rating 2 out of 5]

Visualy beautiful book. Beautiful color illustrations..... Could not relate to the ideas in this book.
Seems any knowledge revealed resides in the realm of "Hocus Pocus".
Ideas of Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung have emphasis. Would not recommend

[SmarterLilac · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not sure which is more engrossing—the text or the illustrations. Thoroughly fascinating.

[Adrian Creece · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dream journaling has commenced

[Lísia Marioti · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really powerful book. It got me thinking a lot, and since I've started using the book's strategies, I've been remembering and working better with my dreams (and taking them to therapy, of course). I'm just a little skeptic about the precognitive dreams, but the rest of the book is fantastic! Just be careful, you'll start to listen to your unconscious and understand what it says, so take it easy.

[Kasandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

The writing is very basic if you've done any previous research on dreams, their interpretation, lucid dreaming, etc. - hence the 3 stars. However, the artwork is really detailed and beautiful throughout and rates at least 4 stars, if not more! This would make a great gift idea for someone just getting into learning more about dreams, their symbols, and who enjoys books with lots of illustrations (also a good coffee table book).

[Erick Gonzalez · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you want to fully immerse yourself with the dream world and your inner self, this book is the cheatcode for that. Reading and using this will help exlain your dreams in ways you wish you could have ealier.

[Debra · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book written by a psychologist covers dream interpretation via theory and viewpoints of numerous, prominent psychiatrists/psychologists in the field. Most helpful is a thematic approach.

[Charles Hager · Rating 2 out of 5]

A good "description" of dreams, but not the information or help I wanted.

[Simona Moschini · Rating 4 out of 5]

L'interpretazione dei sogni nell'ottica junghiana.
Bellissime le illustrazioni (letto in edizione italiana non presente su Goodreads).

[Lori June · Rating 1 out of 5]

Illustrations are the best part of this
useless
Dream guesstimating. Every scenario is either anal retentive or indicative of identity suppression

[Christopher Schaffalitzky · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very visual and well-designed book. But also light in many ways. It's far from the best work on dreams.

[Iris Koopman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely illustrations and some compact info about the studies that have been done on dreams. Great one to keep in your nightstand.

[Samantha Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

PnvEs

[Melanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't have to do much at work today and had a look at this beautiful book and fell in love with the illustrations! Very charming.
And I dream a lot...so this one is definitely a good read.


*******


I read the book and must say I didn't read something new. The common things
I read before and there are a few practical examples of dream/dream patterns and symbols are explained.
The book could be a good introduction into the topic if you don't know anything about it but for me personally it wasn't what I expected.
But the illustrations are very cute and if I would give stars for only the artwork then it would be 4 stars.
I will keep on looking into this book from time to time again.

[Morgan]

I tend to shy away from books about dreams, which may seem odd for someone who analyzes people's dreams on a daily basis. It's not that I want to revel in the ignorance of not knowing the history and comparative methodology of sream interpretation, it's just that dream-work has always been a labor of intuition for me and I'm afraid of screwing that up—like the musical savant who enrolls in the conservatory and loses everything he had being put in the box of formal education. So far the book in interesting. Stay tuned.

[Samantha Verdin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fue amor a primera vista. Desde el empastado hasta sus hermosísimas ilustraciones. ¡Creo que me dieron más por mi dinero! Sobre el contenido, creo que te aporta muchas otras maneras para interpretar tus sueños. Definitivamente enriquece mis ejercicios de interpretación...

[TJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book on dreams. I purchased this book hoping to be able to decipher some of my dreams. However I was surprised at the history and educational piece of this book. It did get into the symbology of the dreams but gave a history on dream research and sleep stages.

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely, a great quick reference book for understanding the pysche and your dreams.

[Gloria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute. Interesting. Wish it was more indepth

[Nothingruler · Rating 4 out of 5]

a beautifully illustrated and fascinating coffee table book