Dreams: God's Forgotten Language

by John A. Sanford

First published twenty years ago, this revised edition of John Sanford's classic exploration of the psychological and spiritual significance of dreams draws on the work of C.G. Jung to show how dreams can help us find healing and wholeness and reconnect us to a living spiritual world. Featuring a new preface by the author and using case histories from his own experience as a counselor, Dreams traces the role of dreams in the Bible, analyzing their nature and examining how Christians, through fear and the constraints of dogma, have come to reject the visions through which God speaks to humanity, making dreams -- in Sanford's words -- "God's forgotten language."

Genres: Psychology, Spirituality, Christianity, Nonfiction, Theology, Mysticism, Christian

208 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1966

Reviews

[Ruben · Rating 3 out of 5]

Zu meiner Leseerfahrung: Joa ist halt ne extreme Nische, die finde ich aber extrem spannend. Das Buch hat sich relativ schnell weggelesen; einfache Sprache, viele Geschichten aus der Praxis von Sanford und komplexe Inhalte sehr vereinfacht dargestellt, trägt halt alles dazu bei, dass man ein geschmeidiges Lesegefühl hat.
Inhaltlich sehe ich einige Schwierigkeiten, von denen ich die Zentralste weiter unten ausführen werde. Andererseits trifft Sanford hier und da schon auch einen Nerv und sofern man etwas mit der analytischen Psychologie Jungs anfangen kann und die Entdeckungen Jungs nicht alle für Schwurbelei hält, bringt Sanford ernszunehmende Argumente. Das Naheliegenste wird dabei seine Kritik an dem "modernen" Menschen im 20. und 21. Jahrhundert sein, der aus Angst vor mystischem und einem gewissen Rationalisierungs-Zwang viele ernstzunehmenden Phänomene - wie zum Beispiel Träume - vernachlässigt. Auch und vor allem für den Christen ist dieses Argument von Bedeutung, da die Bibel und die Kirchenväter, wie Sanford zeigt, Träume sehr ernst nehmen und sehr häufig mit göttlicher Offenabrung in Verbindung bringen.

Zum Inhaltlichen des Buchs: Sanford stellt 4 Hauptthesen im Buch auf.
Die erste These lautet: Träume sind ein Werkzeug der Seele, dem Menschen bei seiner Ganzwerdung/Individuation zu helfen. (analytische Psychologie von C.G. Jung)
Die zweite These lautet: Geber dieser Träume ist der Gott im Menschen (nach Sanford ein Abbild des transzendenten Gottes).
Die dritte These lautet: Die Menschen im 20. und 21. Jahrhundert finden alles mystische und nicht rationale grundlegend gruslig und haben deswegen aufgehört Träume ernst zu nehmen und verlieren so eine der Wichtigsten Elemente um Ganz und damit Heil zu werden.
Die vierte These lautet: Das oberste Ziel Gottes für den Menschen ist, dass der Mensch wieder Ganz werde.
Mit der Kombination dieser Thesen, denen unterschiedlich starke Argumente zugrunde liegen, ergibt sich eine gewisse Deutung des Christentums für Heute: Gottes Ziel (die des Transzendenten und die des Abbilds im Menschen) ist die Ganzwerdung des Menschen-->Gott im Menschen (die Seele) wirkt auf diese Ganzwerdung hin-->Träume sind ein zentrales Mittel dafür (deshalb Sprache Gottes)--> der Christ im 21. Jhd sollte gefälligst anfangen sich diesem Prozess hinzugeben, auf dass er Ganz/Heil werde.
Diese Folge ergibt (neben anderen) ein zentrales Problem:
Die Psychoanalyse verlagert die Transzendens (Gott) vollständig in das Innere des Menschen und macht sie zur Immanenz. C.G. Jung, wie Sanford sprechen vom "Gott im Menschen". Gleichzeitig sind sich die Erwähnten einig darüber, dass die Psychoanalyse über die Existenz eines metaphysichen Gottes keine Aussauge treffen kann. Träume sind also die Sprache des "Gottes im Menschen" an den Menschen, ob sie aber tatsächlich auch die Sprache des metaphysichen Gottes an den Menschen sind, dass bleibt unklar. Das wiederum legt eine Dynamik nahe, die dem christlichen Glauben im fundamentalsten Sinn entgegensteht: Erlösung durch etwas anderes als den lebendigen, transzendenten, in die Immanenz (Welt) eingetretenen Gott; Jesus Christus. Die innermenschlichen Prozesse sind eben Prozesse der Seele(, die eine Art Eigenleben haben), die den Menschen zur Ganzheit helfen wollen - in dieser Gnazwerdung besteht dann auch die Beziehung zu Gott und das Heil, dass der Mensch empfangen kann. Aber ob die Beziehung von Mensch zu Gott nur zum "Gott im Menschen" oder auch tatsächlich zu Christus, dass bleibt unklar. Und in wieweit Gott für die Individation/Ganzwerdung, also das Heil, von Nöten ist, dass ist ebenfalls unklar.

[Julianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned a great deal from this book. I used to think dreams are simply the recycle bin of one's mind. Just a place to throw away all the junk. Slowly I have changed my opinion about this, greatly due to Sanford's thoughtful ideas, taken from Jung and his own pastoral and psychological analyst work.

Sanford points out the immense importance of dreams in the Bible. I don't know why I never noticed this before. He explains the reasons why in our day and age, dreams are no longer considered significant to reality and understanding it. And yet they reveal a lot about ourselves, particularly if we have the tools for interpreting them, which are best found within ourselves, but often require faciliation due to our contemporary lack of knowledge about dream symbolism.

I am going on to read Jung on dreams next!

[Rhonda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent book for understanding how our dreams may be telling us something with which we are having significant difficulty. This book is all about learning to understand the dreams of others and thusly, using a great deal of Jungian interpretation, understand how to solve our own issues.

[Frodo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dreams have always been a mystery to me. This little book makes a valiant effort to explain, examine and expand our/my understanding of this ongoing activity of human life. While I certainly respect what Father Sanford has provided with DREAMS, I find dreams still a source of mystery.
The linkage of dreams with God activity is a challenge, yet certainly an Avenue of exploration and wonder.

[Carrie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't care for the psychological basis of his theory. I did agree that dream interpretation must be done based on the dreamer's relationship to the people, places, and things. Water doesn't ALWAYS represent the same thing to all people.

[Doc Bullfrog · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book that if everyone were to read could change the world for the better.

[Danielle Shroyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good little introduction to dream work if you’re new to it and particularly if you are interested in looking at it from a spiritual and particularly Christian perspective.

[Anita Ashland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sanford was an Episcopalian priest and a Jungian analyst. This was the first Jungian book I read way back in the 1990's. I just reread it and it held up very well. If you are a Christian or former Christian and are interested in dreams, I highly recommend this book. He explains everything very clearly and you don't need a background in Jungian psychology.

A couple of quotes:

"It is high time the churches talked less about conscious commitment to ideals and creeds, and more about what to do with that living reality, our shadow. And it would be good if we clergy spent less time as ivory-tower theologians and more as doctors of the soul."

"We can say as a general rule that the people who appear in our dreams represent aspects or fragments of our own personality, and the reason that so many people appear in a course of dreams is to be found in the complexity of human nature. We are not the simple, uncomplicated people we would like to suppose. Each one of us contains the capacity or potential for every emotion or tendency found in the human race. We are saints and sinners, prophets and criminals, feminine and masculine all rolled into one."

[Keith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an excellent book for understanding why we should pay attention to our dreams. Here's a line that sums things up pretty well:

"We are not only conscious; we are also unconscious. Unconscious psychic reality is as real and substantial as is our conscious life. It expresses its reality in a hundred ways, one of which is the dream."

Sanford does a great job laying out a biblical precedent for paying attention to our dreams. He analyzes dreams in a Jungian manner, which is to say, to discover more about what's going on within ourselves on a subconscious level. The goal is to become more aware of ourselves and become a more fully integrated person. We need to move beyond our 'ego', that which we would like to see about ourselves and reveal to others, and discover who we really are, good and bad, that we might foster a healthier 'becoming'.

[Lynne Tull · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book in 1996 and recorded the following in my journal:
Animus: the man in a woman's dreams. He represent the woman's own neglected masculine qualities. He acts as spokesman for some of her unconscious attitudes and is the woman's lost spirit. The more a woman wishes to become an individual and not just Eve, the mother of the race, the more she must recognize and develop her animus.
The Shadow in our dreams if our evil or inferior side.

[uncatastrophe]

update this sucks

[Rachel Vryhof · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing introduction to Carl Jung's work and the intersection with Christian faith. In my younger years I'd found Jung's terminology confusing and had no desire to try to understand his ideas but this book explained things in a more graspable way, using real life examples of people known to the author.

This book definitely brought up more questions in me than it answered, but not in a frustrating way, more like sparking my curiosity to learn more and as much as possible.

[Conor Sarsfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable read. A great reminder that god is present and speaks within our dreams. There are parts in chapters that feel long and slightly dull. However, the author does a great job of tying together dreams from a jungian perspective whilst adding in biblical references to back up his interpretations. Worth reading if you have wild dreams and are fascinated by them.

[Victor Fabien · Rating 3 out of 5]

A peculiar mix of Jungian psychology and Christianity... interesting, though a little meander-y at times. I've been seeing it on my parents' bookshelf for years and I'm patting myself on the back for finally reading it.

[Phyllis Larkin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed it, it showed that God is still talking to us in our dreams an maybe if we took time out God we might know that he is talking to us all the time .

[Anaïs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Psychology meets Religion meeting Spirituality.

[Esther · Rating 4 out of 5]

My best friend recommended this book, always been fascinated by my surreal dreams. Sanford's theory on dreams is very spiritual and easy to follow in this book. I would suggest reading this book to anyone wanting deeper understanding of dreams.

[Jason Kemp · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great introduction into the ideas of Carl Jung along with a review of the biblical characters that described dream experiences. It could be suggested that modern day Christians have overlooked or forgot the power of dreams

[יצור · Rating 5 out of 5]

I very interesting read for those interested in a psychological view an the manifestations of God's Hand in our dreams.

[Joel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another primer book for me in considering the non-material world.

[Rob · Rating 3 out of 5]

Further fleshed out the ideas of Jung in relation to dreams and the unconscious and achieving a sense of wholeness in the mind.

[Theresa Sivelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had a really hard time getting through this one. I think mostly because I just couldn't buy into the authors theory.

[Alexia Gordon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this for a dream work group. Dense material to read through, dry in parts, but provided good insight into the interpretation of dreams.