How to Interpret Dreams: Freud’s 4-Step Method + Exercise

Are your dreams trying to tell you something important? Why do certain symbols and scenarios keep appearing in your sleep?

Learning how to interpret dreams can open a window into your deepest desires and hidden thoughts. In his book The Interpretation of Dreams, Sigmund Freud argues that all dreams are meaningful expressions of our unconscious wishes—and, with the right approach, we can decode their messages.

Continue reading to discover a four-step method for uncovering what your mind might be trying to tell you while you sleep.

How to Interpret Dreams

Freud argues that all dreams are meaningful, and that, by following his method, any dream can be traced back to the latent content of your unconscious desires. In his book, Freud explains how to interpret dreams. We’ve distilled his method into four steps.

Step 1: Write Down Your Dream

First, Freud suggests writing down your dream in detail. The more details you remember, the better: Because every detail in your dream is the expression of unconscious desires, every detail in your dream is meaningful, even ones that might seem arbitrary or unimportant. He advises that you also note what emotions you experienced during the dream, as these are less subject to distortion than thoughts or memories.

Step 2: Relax Your Mind

Before you begin interpreting your dream, Freud explains that it’s important to relax your mind and try to suspend your personal judgments of yourself. This is because your censor may try to resist the desires you uncover in your latent content. By suspending self-judgment, you’re more open to uncovering parts of yourself that your censor may resist. In his psychotherapeutic practice, Freud enabled this by having patients lie down on a couch and close their eyes to put them into a calmer state of mind while discussing their dreams.

(Shortform note: Suspending your judgments of yourself can be a challenge. If you struggle with this step, psychologists recommend that you break the habit of binary thinking. Binary thinking occurs when you see a trait as either all good or all bad. Some psychologists argue that when you judge yourself harshly, you’re likely thinking that your trait or desire is all bad. By recognizing that your traits and desires are a mixture of good and bad, you’ll be more open to self-discovery through the process of dreams.)

Step 3: Uncover Associations in the Details

Once you’re in a relaxed state of mind, go back through the details of your dreams one by one. Identify what your personal association is to each detail. These will be memories, thoughts, and feelings that could relate to something recent or to something more distant, like your childhood. Your associations will be personal and idiosyncratic, since each detail comes from your own mind. According to Freud, they’ll be manifestations of unfulfilled wishes trying to fulfill themselves through the dream.

(Shortform note: According to some experts, when you connect the details of your dreams to the details of your life, you’re using associative thinking, which is a skill you can develop through intentional practice. To improve your associative thinking, they recommend activities that relax your mind, such as meditation, exercise, or taking a walk, as studies have shown that relaxed minds are better at forming connections. They also recommend learning new things, having new experiences, and meeting new people, since these all give your mind more material to work with. Lastly, they recommend practicing associative thinking directly through writing, either by keeping a journal or by writing out your thoughts in a stream of consciousness.)

Step 4: Analyze Your Dream

Now that you have a list of personal associations with the details of your dream, look for common themes, patterns, and preoccupations, as well as instances of symbolism, condensation, or transference. Finally, ask yourself what wishes are fulfilled by this dream. According to Freud, your dream is motivated by desires that you’ve kept hidden from yourself, but which nonetheless play a very important role in life. By analyzing your dreams through Freud’s technique, you can gain a deeper understanding of yourself and recognize the hidden motivations that guide you.

(Shortform note: According to the psychologist Carl Jung, dream analysis may reveal ways to restore balance in your waking life. He argues that dreams provide compensation for the qualities that you are missing to become your full self. Someone who is very passive in their waking life may dream of being assertive, whereas someone who feels isolated may dream of forming deep, intimate connections. While these can be interpreted as “wishes” in accordance with Freud’s theory, Jung says the underlying motivation is a desire for personal growth rather than a repressed sexual urge.)

Exercise: Interpret a Dream

This exercise will give you a chance to try Freud’s dream interpretation technique on one of your own dreams, leading to a deeper understanding of your desires.

1. Think of a dream you’d like to interpret. Choose one that you’ve either dreamed recently or one from the past you can remember clearly. Write down as many details as you can about the dream, remembering that every detail is meaningful.
2. Write down how you felt while experiencing this dream. Recall that the emotional content of a dream (or “affective content” as Freud calls it), is often subject to less distortion.
3. Take a moment to let your mind relax and suspend personal judgments. Then, starting with the most vivid part of your dream, write down all the memories, feelings, and thoughts that each detail evokes.
4. Try to interpret these associations. Look for patterns, themes, and possible symbols or instances of transference. Do you notice that any of your associations lead you to similar feelings or memories?
5. Lastly, consider what unfulfilled wishes or desires have been fulfilled by this dream.