Way of the Dream

Rating:
Summary: The Royal Road to the Unconscious
Review: I have found this to be one of the clearest, most concise books on Jungian dream interpretation that I have ever found. It is also perhaps the best introduction to Jungian analysis itself, for such analysis is essentially educating people to hear their inner voice and follow it with the help of dreams.

As for those who dismiss dreams as trivial things that reflect their own wishes, or worse yet, mere static and ephemera from their daily lives- why then do so many dreams deal with what we hate hearing? Why do dreams carry eternal archetypical symbolism of which the conscious mind has absolute ignorance? No, dreams have a superior intelligence to them that goes far beyond that possessed by the conscious mind.

Dreams take us into mysteries of nature absolutely strange to our rational mind. Thank God, that they do, for our hyper-rational, materialistic, mass-statistical worldview is killing us- both as individuals and as a viable civilization. Dreams are the way that our inner center, our Self, can make connection with our ego consciousness. This connection is always an attempt to tell us how we are off-balance. The central message is always what path that we need to follow to balance and stabilize our personality.

The basic fundamentals of Jungian theory are fully explained in the text: the basic archetypes of the shadow, the anima, the animus, the Self; the concept of complexes; the goal of individuation, etc. The greatest part of the book is involved in case studies of actual dreams, however. While there is a danger of applying individual case studies to other unique cases this danger is pointed out. Every dream is unique, because every dreamer is absolutely unique.


Rating:
Summary: "But, of course" von Franz
Review: If you're looking for an introduction to the symbolic life lived close to the unconscious, it doesn't get much better or more concise than this. In a question and answer format, you'll find an easily accessible introductory guide to analytical psychology and Jungian dream analysis.

"The Way of the Dream is based on an extraordinary series of films made by Fraser Boa, who collected first-person accounts of dreams in street interviews with ordinary men and women in various parts of the world. He then asked the eminent psychoanalyst Marie-Louise von Franz to interpret these dreams on film, just as she would in a private analytical session. The resulting text is a primer explaining and demonstrating the art and science of dream analysis for the general public. The material covered includes dreams of men, dreams of women, what dreams tell us about ourselves and our relationships, the historical significance of dreams, and dreams about death and dying. Dr. von Franz concludes that one of the healthiest things people can do is pay attention to their dreams: 'Dreams show us how to find meaning in our lives, how to fulfill our own destiny, how to realize the greater potential of life within us.'"

Rating:
Summary: Von Franz Shines Light on Dreams in the Night
Review: This book was a very interesting, readable, understandable introduction to Jungian psychoanalysis. Reading like the transcript from Boa's documentary film, it introduces von Franz' comments between quotes from everyday people about their own dreams. Fascinating dialogue and question/answer format makes this easily understandable and prompts an appetite to learn more. For everyone who ever had a dream and wondered about its possible meaning, this book is a treat and can set you on a journey of self-discovery that is both fun and challenging.