Jeremy Taylor's Ten Basic Assumptions of Dreams

Here is a list of Jermey Taylor's 10 basic assumptions of dreams. These come directly from his book, "The Wisdom of Your Dreams" (as seen below). These are hypotheses based on over forty years of working with and interpreting dreams.

1. All dreams come in the service of health and wholeness.

2. No dream comes just to tell the dreamer what they already know.

3. Only the dreamer can say with any certainty what meanings his or her dream may hold.

4. The dreamer’s aha of recognition is a function of previously unconscious memory and is the only reliable touchstone of dream work.

5. There is no such thing as a dream with only one meaning.

6. All dreams speak a universal language of metaphor and symbol.

7. All dreams reflect inborn creativity and ability to face and solve life’s problems.

8. All dreams reflect society as a whole, as well as the dreamer’s relationship with it.

9. Working with dreams regularly improves relationships with friends, lovers, partners, parents, children, and others.

10. Work with dreams in groups builds community, intimacy, and support and begins to impact on society as a whole.

One more that I (Saskia) would like to add, is that the dream ego (whoever you are in the dream), is the least trustworthy source of information. Often, the characters in your dream that are terrifying, stupid, cunning, etc., are seen as threats to the ego and not taken seriously, when in fact, they hold the most valuable insights into what the dream means. This idea came from the podcast, "This Jungian Life".