Most people dream at night. Upon waking, they might wonder, "What a strange dream! What made me dream that?" Dreams can be frightening, fulfill wishes, or present a confusing, upside-down world. In dreams, we act and think in ways uncharacteristic of our waking selves. Why are dreams so strange and unfamiliar? Where do they come from?
Sigmund Freud offered a compelling answer. He proposed that dreams originate from a part of the mind we neither recognize nor control, which he named the unconscious mind.
Freud, born about a century ago, spent most of his life in Vienna, Austria, and died in London after WWII began. He explored the inner world of humans. The unconscious, he suggested, is like a deep well storing memories and feelings from birth, forgotten by our conscious mind. Unhappy or unusual experiences can trigger these memories, making us relive childhood emotions.
This discovery is key to understanding human behavior, as unconscious forces are as powerful as conscious ones. Sometimes we act without knowing why; the reasons may lie deep within our unconscious.
Freud's childhood concern for others' suffering led him to medicine. While he learned how the body works, his curiosity about the mind grew. He studied in Paris with Dr. Charcot. At the time, little was known about mental illness; it was often attributed to possession or divine punishment, and sufferers were isolated.
Doctors then focused on observable body parts, not thoughts or dreams. Few shared Freud's interest in how the mind works, though he learned much from Charcot.
Returning to Vienna in 1886, Freud specialized in nerve diseases. He married and saw many patients at home, mostly women who were anxious and "sick in mind." Medicine offered little help, and Freud, full of sympathy, felt powerless.
A breakthrough came when his friend, Dr. Josef Breuer, described treating a girl by letting her talk freely about herself, which improved her condition and revived childhood memories. Inspired, Freud adopted this method. He urged patients to discuss early childhood events and relationships, listening quietly as they trembled with relived emotions, sometimes seeing him as a parent or lover.
For instance, a young woman unable to drink, despite thirst, recalled under Freud's guidance a childhood memory of a dog drinking from her disliked nurse's glass. After sharing this repressed memory, her symptom vanished.
Freud called this the 'talking cure,' later known as psychoanalysis. Patients often felt better after speaking freely about their troubles.
His findings were sometimes shocking. He discovered that young children can have intense, ambivalent feelings—like a boy's love for his mother coupled with jealousy toward his father, causing deep shame. Such conflicting emotions fade into the unconscious and may resurface in troubled dreams.
Freud faced criticism for suggesting childhood experiences could cause symptoms like blindness or speech loss. Yet, many believed he had found a way to unlock the mind's secrets and help the miserable. He gained worldwide fame, teaching others his method. His influence on modern art, literature, and science is immeasurable, inspiring countless professionals.
While not all Freud's ideas are accepted today, his pioneering work paved the way for better understanding of the human psyche. Thanks to him and his followers, there is more hope for those once dismissed as 'crazy.'