Trauma is an excess the mind cannot bear; it is a moment when words lose their meaning and time becomes frozen. An individual continues life by repressing the trauma; yet nothing repressed remains completely silent. As Freud puts it, “the repressed returns.” One of the most subtle forms of this return is through dreams. Dreams are the stage where silenced emotions, unfinished stories, and frozen memories come to life.
Dreams As The Return Of The Repressed
In The Interpretation of Dreams, Freud defines the dream as “the royal road to the unconscious.” To him, dreams are the indirect expression of repressed desires and trauma. Because the traumatic memory cannot be tolerated by consciousness, it is censored; however, this psychic energy reappears in dreams through symbols, images, and indirect representations. Thus, dreams become “distorted wish fulfillments” of the unconscious. In individuals with a history of trauma, recurring dreams represent the re-enactment of the repressed memory. This repetition symbolizes an inner search for dissolution — a symbolic discharge of traumatic energy.
Dreams And The Psyche’s Search For Wholeness
Jung, however, perceives dreams not only as expressions of repressed desires but also as part of the psyche’s effort to restore wholeness. In his work Dreams, Jung describes dreams as “the psyche’s attempt at self-regulation.” Unlike Freud, he argues that dreams contain not only traces of the past but also potentials for the future. For Jung, traumatic dreams are not merely echoes of past pain but efforts of the self to heal and integrate. Intense dreams following trauma indicate a process in which the psyche seeks to repair itself and reunify the fragmented self.
Freud And Jung: Discharge Versus Dialogue
While Freud views the dream as a discharge field, Jung sees it as a field of dialogue. In Freud’s dream, the past speaks; in Jung’s, the whole self does. Both theorists agree that traumatic experiences remain vividly alive in the unconscious; yet Freud considers this content as returning in the form of repressed desire, whereas Jung interprets it as being transformed by the unconscious into a meaningful whole.
Trauma, The Body, And Dream Imagery
Modern trauma theory bridges these two perspectives. As Bessel van der Kolk (2014) notes, traumatic memories return not in words but in the language of the body and imagery. In this sense, dreams form an intermediary stage for the mental and bodily resolution of repressed traumatic energy. In Allan Schore’s neuropsychoanalytic approach (2012), dreams are seen as a neurological process that reorganizes emotional memory.
Symbolism As The Language Of Trauma
The symbols in dreams are not random images; each carries the psychoanalytic trace of a repressed emotion. For example, dreams of being lost or chased symbolize childhood experiences of abandonment or insecurity. Water represents the depth of repressed feelings; fire embodies the expression of suppressed anger and fear of losing control. Collapsing houses symbolize the breakdown of the self or echoes of family trauma. A frozen, speechless body reenacts the helplessness experienced during trauma. Dreams involving death often reflect unresolved mourning, while falling or flying dreams signify the unconscious conflict between control and freedom.
Archetypes And Collective Meaning
In Jungian language, these symbols are not only personal but also archetypal images of the collective unconscious. When a person dreams of being lost in a dark forest, it may represent not only individual fear but humanity’s ancient anxiety before the unknown. For Freud, this loss symbolizes the deformation of repressed desires; for Jung, it marks the beginning of the soul’s transformation.
Conclusion: When The Unconscious Speaks
Ultimately, dreams are not merely the mysterious tales of the night; they are the language the soul finds to make itself heard. When words are no longer enough, the unconscious speaks through dreams. And perhaps the deepest healing begins not in words but in the silent symbols of dreams.
References
Freud, S. (1900/2010). The Interpretation Of Dreams (E. Kapkın, Trans.). Payel Publishing.
Jung, C. G. (1948/2016). Dreams (Z. A. Yılmazer, Trans.). Pinhan Publishing.
van der Kolk, B. (2014). The Body Keeps The Score: Brain, Mind, And Body In The Healing Of Trauma. Viking.
Schore, A. N. (2012). The Science Of The Art Of Psychotherapy. Norton.
Ogden, P., & Fisher, J. (2015). Sensorimotor Psychotherapy: Interventions For Trauma And Attachment. Norton.
Hartmann, E. (2011). The Nature And Functions Of Dreaming. Oxford University Press.