Freud on Dreams

Freud considered dreams to be the doorway into the subconscious mind. He believed dreams to be wish fulfillment. As in things we wish didn't happen or aspects that we wish weren't a part of us. Also, of course, things we did wish to happen. Freud believed that when we suppressed parts of ourselves or experiences the subconscious mind expressed them in dream symbols to get our attention. The subconscious uses symbols because that is how it communicates.

Freud also believed there was a big difference between what happened in your dream and the symbolism meaning of the dream. His thinking was the subconscious mind searches through symbols you have stored in your mind and finds the prefect ones to express what it wants to. These symbols are then played in order as a movie or dream for your conscious mind. Then the issues could be resolved. This only works, however, if the conscious mind knows what the symbols mean.

Freud analyzed dreams using what is called free association. The dreamer would focus of the emotions and thoughts the dream invoked not on the actual dream. He believed this was the best way to get to the repressed emotions.