Sexual Dreams
Sex Dreams and Sleazy Dreams

WHAT DO SEXUAL DREAMS MEAN?

An extract from 'Fantasy Dreaming' by Craig Hamilton-Parker

According to Freud, all dream activity relates in some way to sex. Most people would consider this an extreme point of view, but it is true that sexual imagery is a vital part of dream content. Dreams have a lot to teach you about your sexual nature, your fears, and your anxieties.

:Dreams are a rich source of fantasy and can be a way to deal with unfulfilled desires from waking life. Also as dreams are messages from the unconscious mind they can reveal our deep feelings and our true motivations. In particular they can bring to light many repressed sexual desires, our guilty feelings or our unexpressed fears about sex.

If a person has a high degree of repression, the person's fears and anxieties may be expressed through their dreams. Similarly the person's desire for greater fulfillment may be expressed in erotic dreams. If the sexual repression is severe, the dreams may be filled with sexual situations that the person would find shocking, embarrassing, or confusing. In such cases, there is often a big difference between the person's waking sexuality and the sexuality displayed in dreams. The person's day-to-day life may be emotionally sterile and sensually barren, but the dream life is full of eroticism and steamy sexual encounters. By paying attention to your dreams you can learn about your needs and desires and perhaps discover ways to make your life more sensual if necessary.

Your sexual dreams may also reveal things about the way you feel about your relationships and your shared sexual behavior. As was explained in the section about Freud, dreams can sometimes disguise sexual subjects and wrap the naked truth in all manner of symbolism. Explicit sexual images may appear in dreams. For example, should you dream of having sex with a member of your family or someone completely inappropriate, it does not necessarily mean that you have a mixed-up sexuality. Psychologists point out that this type of dream can be a symbolic message about your relationship with these people. You may worry that you have these illicit feelings, but dreams of this nature are comparatively common.. There's no need to panic. Don't read too much into them.

Erotic dreams usually occur at times when you need a certain amount of release from tension. They are a safety valve that lets out your pent-up frustrations and sexual inhibitions. They may compensate for your unfulfilled sex. People who have balanced and happy sex lives in their waking life do not, as a general rule, dream about sex. As far as we know, the primary functions of dreams are to maintain sleep and prevent the brain from emotionally overheating. Dreams therefore are often concerned with resolving problems and restoring emotional equilibrium. If sexual issues are important to you or have been pushed out of your waking consciousness, your dreams will try to deal with these unresolved issues. Even nightmares can be therapeutic, as they draw to your attention many of the hidden fears that may be preventing you from moving forward. Pay attention to your dreams and nightmares; they may hold the keys to a your happiness.

Freud's generation was one of sexual repression and fear of eroticism. Today the conditions are reversed. Our society is extremely open and perhaps overemphasizes the importance of sex. Both situations can cause problems. A repressed sexuality is clearly not healthy and may lead to neurosis, yet the fierce sexual competition of today's world can cause just as much anxiety. Relationships should be about love and feelings as well as sex.

The truth is that everyone has varying degrees of sexual desire. Freud's era would have been a difficult time for highly sexed individuals living within a repressive society. Today someone who may not require persistent sexual gratification may find the demand put upon them difficult to cope with. Neither situation is right or wrong. Each of us has to find a way that suits us best and not give in to the demands of a repressive or permissive society.

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