You have to dream before your dreams can

come true.
A. P. J. Abdul Kalam

IMPORTANCE OF DREAMS IN PRESCRIPTIONS

Introduction
Homeopaths have used dreams since Hahnemanns time. Our repertories and
provings contain many references to dreams, yet there are many questions about how to
effectively use dreams to help locate the simillimum.

Delusions and dreams are very revealing of the psychological states produced by
homopathic provings because they are controlled directly by the unconscious. The
images seen in delusions, hallucinations and dreams carry archetypal information in the
form of symbols.

Fortunately, dreams lie outside our ability to manipulate them. We cannot create
a false reality in our dreams or influence them with our will. Material that is suppressed
from the conscious state moves into the subconscious and is frequently expressed
through the dream state. Because the dream is an attempt on the part of the organism to
heal itself, when used and analyzed accurately, material from dreams can lead to some
of the most reliable symptoms in a case. Although they seem ephemeral, dreams are
actually objective facts about a persons mental and physical state.

Homeopathic treatment begins with a thorough investigation into all aspects of

the patients life. During the initial interview the homeopath routinely enquires about
dreams (especially childhood dreams, memorable past dreams, recurrent dreams, and
nightmares), because dreams have proven to be helpful clinical indicators in many
patients cases.

But dreams must be amongst the most contentious, mysterious, and thoroughly
unobjective of phenomena! Why, then, are they nevertheless considered valuable in
homeopathic diagnosis and treatment? Their value lies in their ability to reveal the true
state of the patient and to point the way to a confident selection of homeopathic remedy.

What is a dream?
A dream is an expression of the unconscious and that we go through wishes and
emotions in our dreams in a way we dont allow ourselves in everyday life.

The dream is a very subtle, sensitive and a precise indicator of what is taking place
in the unconscious, namely which process is going on there and in what way it is directed.
Dreams tell us in an indirect way what the personal psychic and emotional tensions are
in each of our patients. Moreover, dreams show us the individual processes of
assimilation as reactions to these tensions. Dreams often are expressions of unconscious
conflicts or emotions which can lead to emotional and / or physical complaints. So
dreams are a reflection of the whole person.

Dreams are successions of images, ideas, emotions & sensations that occur
involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep.

Dreams: Precious psychic gems or rubble of the mind?

One of the enduring mysteries of life is the nature of dreams. Scientists have a
relatively poor understanding of the unique physiological states that occur during sleep
and dreaming, let alone of the reasons for the bewildering array of dream content that
we experience. In any event science does not yet possess a convincing theory that explains
why we must, in the first place, sleep and experience dreaming states to function
normally and stay alive (prolonged sleep deprivation of experimental animals leads to
dire consequences).

The actual content of dreams is normally considered irrelevant or not amenable to

the scientific mode of investigation. For example, one theory holds that dreams are
simply the minds attempt at making sense of the electrical noise produced by brain
metabolism: whereas in the waking state these signals find an outlet in miniature
muscular contractions throughout the body, during the paralysis of sleep these signals
are transformed into thoughts which bring about the dreaming experience.

But science apart and life apart: people of all cultures routinely interpret their
dreams, finding patterns of meaning even when reasonably there are none to be found.
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Psychologists and occult practitioners of all kind investigate the dream world, hoping to
offer insight and assistance to their clients through correct interpretation of their dreams.

Many spiritual traditions concur in their view that during sleep our soul leaves the
body and locates itself in some other realm in which actions are not bound by physical
laws. In the modern world dreams are regarded more conservatively, but not necessarily
more accurately, as windows into the individuals subconscious a realm beyond the
purview of science, governed (if at all) by the mysterious laws of spirit.

Which dreams do we remember?

There is evidence that all of us dream. This means that in some way, dreams are
useful, since nothing occurs that is not useful. We remember some dreams and cannot
remember the rest. Both these types of dreams must have their own utility. One thing to
be noted is that people who do remember their dreams usually wake up with a particular
mood of the dream, like happiness, fear, etc. Those who do not remember the dreams
wake up in quite a normal mood even though they might have gone to sleep on the
previous day with anxious thoughts or anger or sadness. We can assume that, in some
way, sleep and unremembered dreams restore balance to a troubled mind. In this sense,
the unremembered dream completes the days business and puts man at peace with
himself and the world. This happens especially when the situation is not so intense. I am
even tempted to say that the unremembered dream is the bodys way of healing itself of
minor disturbances, especially psychological ones.
However, when the situation (real or perceived) requires some strong specific
feelings in order that the person should adopt the proper posture to combat it, the dreams
then force themselves into the waking state also and are remembered along with their
specific feelings. The more we consciously do not adopt the posture required by the real
or perceived situation, the stronger and more vividly remembered the dreams will be.
As a simple example, we may take the case of a student whose survival depends upon
his preparing well for the examination, but who tells himself that he has nothing to fear
and that he need not study so hard. This student is very likely to get the dream of facing
the examination and not knowing the answers. The dream will be remembered and could
be useful to him.

We know that disease is delusion, the actual situation may not exist, but the patient
perceives the situation to be so. The delusion may be that he is a student whose survival

depends on his success in the examination, though here, this is not exactly the case. If this
patient tries to tell himself that he has no such anxiety, he too will get similar dreams.

Thus, the person who will have the most vivid dreams which will be remembered
with their specific feelings is the one who needs to have those feelings or fears the most.
In other words, he is the only one whose actions are not intense enough for the real or
perceived situation. This could be due to his trying to compensate very heavily for his
feelings. Therefore, the more compensated the man is, the more his dreams will be
remembered. The more out of touch with his feelings he is, the more his dreams will be
remembered. The more intense the situation is, the more his dreams will be remembered.

Conversely, the person who does not remember his dreams will be the one whose
behaviour is totally uncompensated, who is in touch with his feelings and does not
suppress or deny them to himself.

We may conclude that the person who does not remember his dreams at all is the
one whose actions and feelings are in tune with (suitable to) his basic perception of reality
(basic delusion).

Hierarchy:
Dreams belong, according to Rajan Sankaran, to the level of the delusions (level
4), dreams reach the deepest roots of the energetic identity of the person because they
bring to surface the deepest sensations of the person. The reason: Our deeper energetic
layers are in connection with the entity earth and cosmos, and this bridge is formed via
the dreams. Dr. Rajan Sankaran often uses the technique of free association. This
technique draws the patient from his original complaint, mostly physical, to bring him
finally to an emotionally loaded sphere wherein the verbal expression and body language
stand in the centre (level 5 and 6).

While analyzing the dreams, use directed association, starting from the
unconscious dream themes of the patient, to better understand the underlying emotions
and the nucleus elements of the dreams. From dream research it is proved that if one
wakes somebody during REM-sleep and if one then asks the person to make associations,
5

this will happen in a very bizarre and illogical way because at that moment the person is
in a hyper-associative state.

So while one is dreaming, one is also in a hyper-associative state. Moreover in the

dreams there is no censorship and there is no deception about our feelings. Only when
some feelings are painful or taboo for the dreamer, will the dreamer project those feelings
onto the opponent person/antagonist in the dream, not being aware that those feelings
belong also to himself, namely to his personal shadow.

Psychoanalysis (Carl Gustav Jung)

The concept personal unconscious of Carl Jung contains the concepts of Freud,
namely his preconscious as well as his unconscious. Jung calls this personal unconscious
the shadow. Jung also introduced the new concept of a collective unconscious, which
encloses content that are not specific for our individual ego. This material contains the
myriad psychological ways to react and to experience humanity, since the beginning. It
is a fact that the human being shares with all other human beings, so that he is
unconsciously in connection with all his fellow people. The collective unconscious
represents the real foundation of the individual psyche and contains the inheritance to
the possibilities of picturing, not in an individual, but in a common human, and even
common animal way.

The instincts and the archetypes build the collective unconscious.

As the instincts bring the human beings to a specific way of living, so the
archetypes force the perception and the concept into specific human shapes.

So the collective unconscious encloses primal images or archetypes.

According to Jung these primal images or archetypes are inherited material which
is present in the brains. The archetype can best be compared with a basic thought or an
immaterial idea that already exists before its material shape can be seen. Archetypes thus
are an arranging principles of the unconscious part of the human psyche. They are centres
of power and fields that rearrange material that is sunken in the unconscious. This is a
6

process that hides itself from our field of consciousness, but that is of vital importance for
all our doings.

In human beings there is from time immemorial a dualistic attitude toward snakes.
Placing snakes in a negative light is seen particularly in Western culture. The biblical
story of Creation is the prototype in which the snake, the first friend of Eve, becomes the
personification of all evil and deprives the human race of its near absolute freedom. Also,
the snake appears frequently in dreams, even in people who never were confronted in
reality with a snake. Here the snake motif often functions as an archetype image and
refers not necessarily to a homeopathic snake remedy. So the snake can be related as
much to good as to evil, as to anxiety and night (as it was the case in Old Egypt) and can
also refer to the mother figure or to the girl 5.

Dream and Symbolism in Homoeopathic Practice

Connecting with the Two-million-Year-old Man (by Jane Tara Cicchetti)

Over two million years ago the first humans walked the earth. In the twenty-first
century, someone with at least that number of years of cellular memory comes in for
homeopathic treatment. The homeopath must, according to classical training, perceive
what needs to be healed in this individual and match it to a dynamized substance that
will stimulate healing.
What a daunting task! To perceive what needs to be healed in an individual who
is the end product of millions of years of development. It doesnt matter if the individual
is 9 or 90 years old; they are still the most recent development in a long and ancient
lineage. Carl Jung referred to this as the two-million-year-old man within.

He is the two-million-year old man in us. And that fellow is by no means a legend,
he is a fact which you can see in every detail of your anatomical structure even. Study
your hands, your nose, your ears, your brain; in each case it is the result of long
differentiation, and traces of all the stages are still there, though of course somewhat
transformed. Our nervous system is a marvelous picture of the past, it contains all the
stages through which we have come, layer after layer of differentiation has been added.
And that is true of our psyche. We dont know whether our psyche is material or
immaterial, because we dont know what matter is, so we cannot say there is any
difference between the psyche and the body, or whether they are the same historically.
7

So the two-million-year-old man is in our psyche too if we count that as the age of man
as long as the tree of life has existed. Traces of this existence are still a part of our reality,
contained in the darkness of the collective unconscious; our unconscious is just a thin
layer on top of the ocean depths of history.

Given this, in the relatively short time allotted for the homeopathic interview, how
is it possible to understand enough about an individual to perceive what needs to be
healed? Contemporary homeopaths are very much aware of this dilemma and have
developed various methods to accomplish this difficult task. Depending on the case, it
may be useful to look at family analysis, sensation, or other methods. No matter what
method is used, knowledge of how to use dreams is an important aspect of case analysis.

Dreams and their symbols connect us to the archetypal realm where the twobillion-year-old man can speak with us. They are a portal into the ancient realm of the
collective unconscious, and are a wellspring of knowledge that cannot be tapped through
the intellect. These symbolic messages must be linked with the totality of symptoms in a
case, in order to be useful for homeopathic prescribing, for no dream or symbol will lead
to the correct remedy outside of the context of the anamnesis.

The symbolic realm is not a shortcut; it is a rich and complex way to delve deeply
into the underlying structure of individual reality and into the collective unconscious. It
is the way the psyche communicates with us, but, in order to benefit from these messages,
we must learn to pay attention to its symbolic language.

Entering the symbolic realm of dreams

In order to effectively work with dreams, it is essential to step out of the way as
much as possible and allow the essence of the vital force to emerge in its fullest. Working
with dreams takes both the practitioner and client out of the realm of ego and into the
symbolic realm, an arena that is bigger than both of them. It connects the individual or
ego self with a more universal and ancient reality. Dream analysis when done in a way
that allows for intimate and personal exploration of the symbolic content, creates a
broadening and deepening of conscious mind, which lets us think outside the box. In this
expanded awareness, connections that cant be seen with our literal minds become
obvious.

The opening of this realm can be overwhelming, so it is preferable to take a more

linear style case in the beginning, letting the person speak until they dont have anything
more to say, asking What else? until there is nothing else. Get as complete a case as
possible. Then one can ask about dreams. If we wait until there is a fuller understanding
of the case, it is then possible to see how the dream fits into the whole picture.

In dream analysis another level of reality emerges. A symbolic but parallel

universe is revealed that fleshes out the first part of the case taking. After telling a dream,
a person may begin to relate to the homeopath on a level that is much more personal and
intimate. It is here that they may tell their deepest desires especially if the dream has been
one that has been remembered from childhood. Dreams and visions remembered from
childhood often contain some of the most useful symbolic information. Associations to
these symbols may lead us to the remedy or to understand the individual more deeply.
Many times, however, the symbolic content from these early years is only understood
much later in treatment and must be preserved in our notes so it can be used in the future.
Such symbolism may actually be a blueprint for the unfolding of an individuals life. In
it, one may see the unfulfilled potential that has been blocked. On seeing this it may be
possible to find the remedy that stimulates the realization of that potential.

When working with dreams it is essential that we depend upon the dreamers
association because a true symbol, as opposed to a sign, has no fixed meaning and can
never be entirely understood by the rational mind. This is the problem with most, so
called, dream interpretation books. They reduce the symbolic content of dreams to signs,
that is, something that can be known in a literal way and whose meaning is pretty much
the same for everyone. Using symbols and dreams in this way is not at all helpful for the
homeopath. A more useful method is to reveal the meaning of a dream, by asking the
dreamer about each symbol. For example, if the dream is about elephants bathing in a
waterfall, ask what elephants mean to the dreamer. Then ask about the waterfall. Do this
for all of the symbols in the dream.

Because most dreams indicate the dynamics within an individual psyche, it is also
helpful to explain that the symbols may be about the dreamers inner self. Then you can
ask for his or her comments on the dream contents from that perspective. This method
will provide very personal information from the dreamers psyche and avoid the pitfall
of interfering with outside interpretation.

Dreams lie outside our ability to manipulate them so we cannot create a false
reality in our dreams or influence them with our will. Mental states that are hidden from
consciousness, physical symptoms, suppressed through medication, or the very early
stage of disease, are frequently expressed through the dream state. Because the dream is
an attempt on the part of the organism to heal itself, when analyzed accurately, the
resulting material can lead to some of the most reliable symptoms in a case. Although
they seem ephemeral, dreams are actually objective facts about a persons mental and
physical state.

Carl Jung has said that the most likely reality is that there is no such thing as body
and mind but rather that they are the same life, subject to the same laws. This relationship
is already quite clear to homeopaths on one level, however, we often use dreams in a way
that misses this connection. We use the dream as if it were a separate symptom out of the
context of the entirety of the case. We need techniques that will help us use dreams in a
way where they enrich the red thread that runs throughout the case. When the
dreamers associations to her dreams are seen as an integral part of the whole case, it is
possible to get a symbolic representation of pathology on the physical as well as the
mental and emotional levels.

Dreams can also be a rich source of information for prognosis. At some point
during therapy what Jung referred to as an initial dream may appear. So called because
it indicates the beginning of deep change within the individual; it predicts a change that
may come at any point during therapy. This could be in a week or in years of work.
Whenever it comes, the initial dream indicates the beginning of deep healing and can be
very helpful in determining that the correct remedy was given.

It has been said that the patient in therapy dreams a dream for the therapist. The
psyche of the client knows what symbolism the therapist will understand and when it is
safe to dream it. An individual in Freudian therapy will have dreams a Freudian can
understand, someone in Jungian analysis will have symbolic and archetypal dreams that
are a part of that school and a homeopathic client will have dreams that are related to
homeopathic remedies and processes. The more the homeopath is in tune with dreams
and symbols, the more likely the client will share their most intimate dreams during the
interview. A helpful method of getting comfortable with the dream state is to keep a
dream journal. It is interesting how having a dream journal along side of ones bed, with
the intention of recording dreams, will activate dreaming. Writing down a dream is
similar to telling it to someone; it stimulates associations that can bring meaning and
10

awareness to what the dream is trying to tell us. It is even better if it is possible to tell the
dream to someone. A dream has three parts, the dreaming, the telling of the dream and
the analysis. As long as our dreams are not analyzed they are incomplete and represent
some part of us that remains unfulfilled.

Dreams and Homeopathy

Dreams and their symbolic language are an essential part of the anamnesis. While
Hahnemann recognized the importance of dreams in the homeopathic interview, he
predated the modern understanding of the psyche. His view, therefore, did not include
an appreciation of symbolic language. Just as contemporary homeopaths have updated
their knowledge of physical medicine, it is essential that they bring the knowledge of the
psyche into the twenty-first century.

Learning to use dreams as a vehicle for listening to messages from the patients
psyche provides the homeopath with a powerful tool. It allows him or her to access
deeply hidden information that can help lead to the discovery of the simillimum in
complex and suppressed cases.

How do homeopaths make use of dreams?

Insofar as homeopathy is a spiritual science, its relationship with dreams ought to
be genial yet cautious, welcoming yet not fanatical. Accordingly, homeopaths tend to
approach dreams in a pragmatic and down-to-earth manner: they fully accept the
legitimacy of dream material (along with the legitimacy of all subjective phenomena), but
tend to eschew dream interpretation. Even if homeopaths may engage in dream
interpretation as part of their therapeutic approach, dream interpretation is not a reliable
foundation for homeopathic diagnosis. Homeopaths usually employ dreams either as (i)
symptoms just like any other homeopathic symptom, or as (ii) pointers to the true mental
state of the patient:

(i)

Dreams are ordinary homeopathic symptoms

Dreams can be incorporated into the diagnosis simply as ordinary homeopathic

symptoms alongside other symptoms. Examples of such rubrics are:

Dreams children
11

Dreams dogs

Dreams dancing

Dreams war

as well as dream qualities such as:

Dreams obscene

Dreams pleasant

Dreams vivid

In a patient with a clear history of dreams, the homeopath can quickly narrow
down the field of possibilities and concentrate on a smaller set of potential remedies. This
way of regarding dreams as reported phenomena (along with any other mental and
subjective symptoms) is universally accepted among classical homeopaths.

(ii)

Dreams point to the true state of the patient

Raw dream reports may also provide a starting point for a deeper comprehension
of the patients mental state, but dream translation has to be done both skillfully and
conservatively, lest it devolve into speculation. For this approach to succeed, two
assumptions must hold true: that dreams in general are meaningfully related to the
persons state, and that they echo this state at least as well as does the patients waking
state. Unsurprisingly, homeopaths differ in their opinion about the legitimacy of using
dreams in this indirect manner. Those who consider it legitimate to venture into the
dream world claim to find in dreams a highly reliable gateway to the psyche. When
correctly handled, dreams offer a precise view of the hidden dynamics that motivate the
patients life, frequently leading to a correspondingly precise diagnosis and prescription.
Others argue that this approach promotes error and speculation. In my mind, the key to
success lies in treating any inferences made from raw dream reports as speculative, unless
and until they are corroborated by the remaining clinical history, or at the very least
assimilated within it without incongruity.

Dreams can further be exploited as starting points for drawing out psychological
material that the patient is aware of yet does not wish or is unable to divulge directly.
From their dream reports, patients can be led rather craftily to reveal aspects of their
persona that they are either reluctant to discuss or which they incorrectly consider
12

irrelevant for the homeopathic interview. When used by the homeopath with the pure
intention of helping the patient, this approach creates no harm and facilitates a precise
diagnosis even in an uncooperative patient.

Finally, dreams can reveal the psychic makeup of children who are old enough to
retell their dreams but not yet intellectually capable of answering more abstract enquiries
into their mental state.

Dreams are valuable because they bypass compensations

Psychological restraint and alteration of maladaptive behaviour is a cardinal
ingredient of any civilized society, but it makes diagnosis more challenging. For example,
a person with violent impulses might take up Tai Chi, cultivating the peaceful, meditative
aspect of the art and speaking at length about values such as inner calm and forgiveness.
If asked directly about violent tendencies say if the homeopath were to suspect this
from the patients appearance or vibe such a patient might answer in denial. Yet a
reported violent dream might reveal what lies hidden beneath the peaceful outward
demeanor.

In the final analysis, the key reason for the diagnostic importance of dreams is that
the conscious reporting of the patient is reflective in part of his or her compensated state
(compensation involves the funneling of thoughts and behavioural impulses that are
inappropriate to the situation, toward more productive or socially acceptable outcomes).
Dreams may thus offer a glimpse beyond the veil of compensation and reveal the
patients underlying state of being.

Dreams reveal uncompensated feelings

In a dream most of our feelings and actions are uncompensated. In our waking
state, most of our feelings and actions are compensated. This was the main difference.
The reason is simple. Compensation involves an act of will. In the waking state, our
feelings are also censored by the barrier between the conscious and the subconscious. We
do not allow our feelings any expression many times, even to ourselves, but in the state
of sleep, when our will is not so active, the barrier is lowered and our feelings and actions
find expression in an uncompensated way.

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This much understanding led me to utilize the dreams, since one of our biggest
problems in Homoeopathy is to demarcate the difference between compensated and
uncompensated symptoms. It can be really difficult to know which is the compensated
feeling, since the form of compensation depends on various factors like social structure,
beliefs and rules, and methods of upbringing and training.

I think dreaming is somewhat like going on a holiday, since, in the dream, things
appear exactly as we like to see or feel them in the waking state, whereas in the waking
state, we do not allow ourselves to experience and react in the manner we would like to.
The disease (false perception about our situation) exists in the dream as well. Disease is
not only in the waking state or in dreams, it exists throughout. But what we see in dreams
are reflections of the feelings we experience towards various things as well as our
uncompensated reactions to them.

Dreams as delusions
The other section of the Repertory we can use for the dreams is the one on
delusions. For example, Dreams of snakes can be taken as synonymous with the
Delusion of seeing snakes, because they are similar. Delusion is seeing what does not
exist. Dreaming too is to see what does not exist. A delusion is to see things in a different
way and a dream also is to see things in a different way. Yet, to take delusion instead of
dream is also not good enough. What is important is to get the reaction whether it be a
delusion, a fear or an anxiety.

Dreams come closest to delusions

Since there is little or no compensation in a dream, it will show you a situation for
which the feelings and actions would be appropriate. The situation in the dream comes
close to the original situation from which the state comes (delusion), but the dream will
never show you the original situation itself. If we had the knowledge of that situation
(even subconsciously), then we would be cured, but the dream shows us something very
close to the situation, and it reveals our naked feelings and reactions. So, when we see in
the dream that our father is a devil, having horns, large teeth and blood flowing from his
mouth, we react with terror. We cannot say that this was the original situation. Of course
not. But our feelings towards our father in an uncompensated form and our reaction to
these feelings in an uncompensated form can be seen in the dream, and we can come
close to the situation from which this whole reaction and feeling must have arisen.
14

The father must have been viewed/perceived the way we saw him in the dream;
not exactly that, but something like that, which occasioned our feelings towards him in
this manner. The situation which causes the feeling is not known, but the feeling is clear
and the reaction is clear. So, the dream comes closest to our deep, but hidden, feelings.
Therefore, from the dream, we are able to glean the pure, naked feelings and reactions.
When we use these in the repertorial way, and look into the remedy that has these deep
feelings and pure reactions, we are very likely to come close to the remedy. You can often
hit on the remedy solely from the dreams.

Basic dream and situational dream

The situational dream is one which occurs only as a reaction to a particular
situation in ones life. So, you had an experience today and the way you felt about that
experience occurs in your dream; that is a situational dream. For example, you had to
appear for an examination and you felt very shaky about it; and then you had a dream
that you are on a mountain and you are trying to come down. It is a bit dangerous and
you are trying to keep your balance; at last you come down and you are safe. The theme
of that dream is:
Fear of high places;
Fear of going downwards;
Fear of falling;
Fear of losing control;
Ailments from anticipation.

All these are symbolized by the mountain and the need to come to a safe place and
cross the danger. Fear of high places is fear of dangerous places; going downwards
towards a safe place is fear of downwards motion. This is how exams seem to the dreamer
and it is the theme of Gelsemium. But, just as a delusion can be a basic delusion or a
situational delusion, in the same way a dream can also reveal the elements which are
basic to a person and the elements which express the basic nature in a particular situation.
For example, we have Fear of failure shown in the dream but it is not necessary that
the remedy is Gelsemium. We have to examine more deeply. Why is this person having
such a fear of failure? Underlying this fear may be anxiety about ones image, or fear
about achievement, or a great sensitivity to reprimand, or even a fear of poverty. So,
dreams that come up as a response to a particular situation, even though they are
uncompensated feelings in that particular situation, may not represent the basic nature
of the person; they may represent only the expression in a particular situation.

15

Basic dreams are:

Those dreams that are repetitive;

Those dreams that come without any situation on that particular day; or
Those dreams which can in no way be connected to the existing current situation.

When we ask the patient about his dreams, we must try to see if they are basic
dreams. Only through repeated unexplainable dreams can we infer their significance and
understand the feelings behind them. These feelings have to be confirmed as part of the
patients basic state, and not merely something that appears in one or two situations; they
should be found in the patient as a part of his personality in a chronic case, even if in a
heavily compensated form. The dream will give you the hint to look for this symptom,
whether in compensated or uncompensated form, and to examine various situations in
his life, especially situations of stress; and also to examine his sociocultural background,
so that you can get some idea of the compensated aspects of his life.

Symbolic dreams
In such dreams, absolutely no feelings are involved but one symbol appears again
and again, for example water. There is no feeling, there is no fear. They may see snakes,
but there are no feeling. In the earlier dream there was the theme of protection. This is
not there now just snakes. The dreams may be of houses, fruit, dead bodies, of funeral
or of weddings. When we find these symbolic dreams, especially the ones where there
are no associated feelings and this symbol is repeated again and again, then they are a
part of the universal symbols. We may not fully understand them and there may be many
theories about them. However, these symbols are available directly in the Dream
chapter and can be used without theorizing. Unless the dreams are of this type symbolic
dreams.

Dream and their Homoeopathic Diagnosis

Homeopath David Nortman discusses how dreams are best approached for
homeopathic diagnosis.
The process of homeopathic treatment begins with a thorough investigation into
all aspects of the patients life. Subjective phenomena usually provide the majority of
clinical matter for the homeopath to work with, and dreams often prove useful for
securing a correct diagnosis. Their main value lies in their detail and specificity since
the bodys ability to communicate its suffering is not as refined as the minds and in
their ability to reflect the innermost state of the patient. In addition, changes in sleep and
16

dreaming patterns are sensitive indicators of the progress of healing once homeopathic
treatment has begun. Yet dreams are amongst the most contentious, mysterious, and
thoroughly subjective of phenomena.

MIASM IN DREAMS
Significance of miasms in dreams:
The miasm which is the defensive trait of the body has to reflect on mind, body, disease
tendencies, likes, dislikes etc. All these are conscious aspects of the human being. If it
goes through and through the same defense tendency, or miasm it has to reflect in the
dreams which are a part of our subconscious self.
More often than not, the 'dreams' or the subconscious mind is a forerunner of things to
come. On the other hand, the 'dreams' can be the result of the state of mind too.
An individual dreaming of snakes biting him or terrorizing him is a bad sign. This
invariably indicates that the individual is going to develop or has already developed
auto-immune or an incurable disease.
A dangerous dream of fire, accidents, mutilation can indicate a Syphilitic disease existing
in the body or else about to invade the body. A dream of accumulation or construction
can indicate that some Sycotic disease is in the offing. Psoric dreams are dreams of work,
anxiety, irritation etc.
This often helps us in assessment of the follow-up of a case and which tells us whether it
is following Hering's Law or not.
Psoric dreams:
Dreams of daily activities
ex.: Cooking, fishing, flowers, home, household affairs, music, etc.
Dreams of efforts being done, whether or not success is achieved
ex.: Ascending a height, aspiring, climbing a step, failures, looking for someone and
failing to find him, train-trying to catch etc.
Dreams associated with emotions
ex.: Affectionate, emotional, grief, vexations etc.
Any Dreams of Anxiety, pleasant Dreams
ex.: Country beautiful, driving car, flying in plane, new scenes, pleasant, rainbow,
spanning the sky, swinging., wonderful etc.
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Sycotic dreams:
Dreams of collection, gatherings, construction
ex.: Assemblies, being large, balls being at, buildings, child birth, of computers, of fruits
gathering, gardens, body parts swollen etc.
Dreams related to business and money
ex.: Business of, busy being, calculating, companies, interviews, large of growing,
money, etc.
Frightful dreams emotion related
ex.: Danger, death of, embarassment, emotion suppressed, jealous, job related, deceitful,
political etc.
Dreams related to concealing
ex.: Hiding, masks etc.
Syphilitic dreams:
Dreams of accidents
ex.: Crash of Plane, explosion, fatal etc.
Destruction dreams
ex.: Bitten, bloodshed, body parts burning, bruising himself, cruelty, churchyard,
funerals, offensive pus, spitting, violence, ghosts etc.
Perverted dreams
ex.: Woman married to many
Dreams of wild animals
ex.: Birds, large black, bugs, enormous, dragons, snakes, vampires, wasps, wild etc.
Clairvoyant dreams etc.

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Conclusion
The dream shows on all levels the sensation of the dreamer. Dreams show us in an
early stage exactly where the energetic function is blocked, as seen under a magnifying
glass. This energetic dissonance shows itself by means of a mental or emotional delusion
(in the dream) that is a mirror image of the energy in disharmony. Practice proves that
almost any dream is worthwhile and useful to the homoeopath! This is contrary to what
is often lectured. The main reason why dreams are very useful, is that dreams are carriers
of powerful primary energetic information of the patient because censorship of the
conscience has fallen away.
note: The pure energy only can be controlled by means of its energetic reflection
at the height of the acupuncture points and meridians, and via their associated muscles.
In a common homeopathic interview, without paying attention to dreams, the
unconscious underlying motives of the person normally are difficult to fathom.
Dreams are a letter from the unconscious to the conscious (cf. S. Freud) and open
a world of different feelings and motives of the individual that otherwise would not be
touchable. Moreover a dream contains a lot of unconscious personal and collective data
that are connected with the essence of the homeopathic remedy to be prescribed.

The man rowing the little boat on a lake is the conscious part of the individual. Everything
under the waters surface belongs to the unconscious part of the individual, which consists of
different layers from where all kinds of pulsations rise to the surface in the form of symptoms and
dreams. So elements of the unconscious can become conscious to man.
The unconscious roots in different layers. It can be compared with the bottom of a lake,
which consists of mud, waste, earth, gold, pearls, and which also roots into a much deeper
subsoil, namely the whole earth from which it is part.
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Bibliography

Spirit of homoeopathy, Dr. Rajan Sankaran

Sensation in Homoeopathy, Dr. Rajan Sankaran

Predictive-Homoeopathy-Part-3, Dr. Prafull Vijayakar

Dreams come to the rescue, Dr. PrakashVakil

Dreams, symbols & Homoeopathy, Jane Cicchetti

Hpathy.com

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