Dreams and Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

The American psychologist Abraham Maslow proposed a theory of human motivation in a 1943 paper published in Psychological Review. In it, he presented a hierarchy of needs, which became a popular concept often depicted in the form of a pyramid with basic safety needs at the bottom and self-actualization at the top. His hierarchy of needs has found its way into business courses as well as courses in psychology, which is where I first encountered it. A quick Google search will give you all the basics concerning this theory.

I find that the concept of human needs presented in the form of a pyramid is very useful in connection with dreams as well as the conscious waking state. Our dreams reflect our conscious life, our hopes, fears, and daily struggles. Dreams can be thought of as a daily review by the subconscious of what we have done during the course of the day. Sometimes the unconscious portions of mind abhor what we have done, and other times we find approval and encouragement to continue on our present course.

Dreams also show us consequences of our current thoughts and actions. We see a view of where the road leads. If change is needed, we may see dire consequences if we continue on our current path. If we are moving in a positive, life-enhancing direction, the future depicted will be positive and harmonious. 

The theory of motivation expressed as a hierarchy of needs states that we must first deal with our basic needs before moving up the pyramid toward higher needs. If we are without work and hungry, it is difficult to become self-actualized. If we fear for our safety, self-esteem will not be our foremost concern. 

Dreams follow a similar pattern by focusing on our basic needs first, if those needs our not being met. Dreams that will help lead us to a more self-actualized life are likely to wait until basic physical and social needs are met. We can still have dreams related to our higher needs, but the primary focus of our dreams is likely be on the lower needs not being met first. This is also the case for our conscious daily life as pointed out by Maslow. If you are submerged in problems related to your physical needs, you may still spend some time reflecting on higher needs.

In my own case, I explain in my book how certain needs came to the forefront in my dreams during my early work with dreams. It wasn’t until I had resolved certain issues that my dreams dealt more with self-actualization. We have to resolve issues on the level where we encounter them before we can move to higher levels. It is silly for a person to expect spiritual enlightenment while at the same time harboring hatred for a family member, coworker, or neighbor. The hatred must first be faced and resolved before moving on.

In my early years of working with dreams, I occasionally had a precognitive dream, but it was the exception. I first had to resolve certain issues in my life before my dreams became completely transparent. Now, each day the main events or interactions in my life are first played out in dreams the previous night.

Dream studies can be very misleading. If a university researcher studies dreams of the students, then the study only reflect the dreams of that age group in the setting of the university. It does not necessarily shed light on the potential of dreams. As in my life, the early dreams did not reveal the true potential of dreams, only where I was at that point in my life.

Dreams depend upon age, level of self-awareness, and spiritual orientation. The effect of meditation on dreams is quite pronounced and a subject I will discuss more in a separate post. Our conscious spiritual searching opens up higher levels of consciousness in our dreams and can help bring us closer to the essence of our being.

First, focus on your issues where you meet them. Dreams can help you resolve them and take you to the next level, but first you must deal with shortcomings when and where you find them. There is no shortcut to self-awareness.

Fear of Dreams

I think that the fear of dreams and the messages they contain is one of the main reasons most people ignore their dreams. People exhibit what is commonly called the ostrich syndrome. They think if they ignore their dreams and mentally stick their heads in the sand, they won’t have to deal with the issues they reveal. They fear bad news and think if they ignore their dreams any bad news will just go away. 

Occasionally, a dream will be remembered due to its intensity. If it is a nightmare, it may leave the dreamer terrified of having further nightmares. Often, the dreamer then tries hard to suppress any further dreams and worries that evil from the subconscious might spilling into the waking state. 

Even if there is not a paranoid fear of dreams, many will think they are suspect and worry that they will receive news they won’t like. If someone has a dream about a person that is a prospective mate, and the dream is a warning that the person is not right for that role, the warning is not likely to be enthusiastically received. 

People tend to reject answers that don’t coincide with conscious desires, and fault will probably be found with the dreams and not the dreamer’s choice. Now in the above situation, there would undoubtedly be signs that the conscious mind ignored that this person would not work out as a mate. The dream serves to bring them to the conscious attention of the dreamer, often in a way that cannot be ignored.

We can mentally stick our head in the sand, but that simply means we are less prepared for situations we encounter in our lives. The problems or events revealed are still there, even if we refuse to look at them. 

Unresolved issues will continue to affect our lives until they are faced and resolved. We can pretend they are not there, and for a time that might bring us relief. However, they usually are very apparent to family and friends, who may wonder when we will wake up or deal with a situation before it becomes a crisis.

I am reminded of Penny on the TV show The Big Bang Theory who ignores the check-engine light on her car, much to her friends’ dismay. She thinks if she ignores it, everything will be okay. In one episode, she talked about putting a "sticker" over it so she wouldn’t see the light.

Dreams are for our benefit and not just a way for the subconscious mind to contaminate our conscious state. The theory of the subconscious simply being a reservoir of repressed unseemly desires and sexual frustrations is quite outdated and no longer considered valid. 

Sexual dreams do occur, and their frequency will depend upon the age, sex, and character of the dreamer. However, even dreams that appear to be sex dreams often are not. The sex act is sometimes used by the subconscious to depict a strong intercourse or bonding between individuals, which may be purely mental.

Dreams are not to be feared but are to be embraced. By working with our dreams, we are opening up to another aspect of our individual natures, the other half of ourselves.

If we ignore our dreams, we are living partial, incomplete lives and a large part of who and what we are will remain closed off. If we sincerely seek help and guidance, our dreams will respond accordingly, and an immensely rich and fulfilling world will unfold.

The Hard Way or The Easy Way

A number of years ago, I was at a metaphysical fair near Columbus, Ohio. As I stood by a booth, a young woman who approached the booth asked me what I did. I told her that I worked with dreams as one metaphysical activity. She snorted in derision: “Dreams, nobody cares about dreams.” 

I politely asked her what she did. She said she was waiting to have a reading, and went on to extol the amazing abilities of the psychic with whom she had scheduled a reading.

I think I can safely say that this young woman viewed dreams as nebulous and too much work to be worth her time and effort. She wanted answers now and believed she could get them from the psychic or intuitive, as some like to be called. 

The sad truth is that even if the psychic provided the answers she sought, she was unlikely to accept or understand them unless they met with her conscious approval. If she heard news that pleased her, she would probably extol the advice to all her friends. If she did not agree with or like the information provided, she would most likely dismiss it as irrelevant and think the psychic just was unable to read her.

We hear what we want to hear and filter out everything else. One of the great values in working with dreams is the gradual opening of one’s eyes to see broader truths about oneself. There is a special joy in reaching that aha moment when we discover a truth for ourselves. Perhaps family or friends have told us the same thing for years, but it doesn’t really register until we discover it for ourselves.

I have read that research with young children shows they will often heed advice or direction from their own dreams more readily than from their parents. 

The discovery of truths through one’s dreams can be a magical moment. There is no shortcut to enlightenment. The work must be done, whether it is through dreams or some other way. Those who seek a simpler, easier way are only delaying the inevitable that must ultimately be faced.

So I ask the question: Is dream work the hard way or really the easy way? 

I think that most of us at some point in our lives have faced adverse consequences of a decision we wish we had not made. We can’t take back the decision, but we can learn a better way going forward. The better way is to tune into our inner self for guidance with the decision. This can be done through meditation and working with dreams. 

One insightful dream can save you all the grief of a poor decision that sometimes can adversely color your life for years. I consider learning to use guidance from dreams the easy way. For me, the hard way is experiencing the effects of a bad decision that could easily have been avoided.

More on Common Dream Themes and Caveats

In researching lists of common dream themes from various sources, I find that the following are usually on the list of the top ten, not in the order of frequency of occurrence because it differs with study.

- Being chased
- Failing an exam
- Being late
- Displaying nudity

- Falling
- Flying
- Having problems with teeth

I mentioned several of these in a previous post and I will not repeat my comments here. Falling or flying, not previously mentioned, often relate to how you feel about some problem or situation. If you are falling, you may feel that your sense of support or ability to deal with a problem or situation is collapsing. You feel as if you have nothing to hold onto and are either sinking of falling. 

If you are flying, this may indicate you are able to rise above a problem or situation. Another possibility for flying dreams is astral projection, which I will discussed in a previous post (1/30/2015). 

The condition of our teeth often relates to words we have spoken, which can make us attractive when spoken with kindness or ugly when spoken with hate. Crumbling or decaying teeth in a dream often indicates a need to examine our speech, which may reflect a recent verbal attack upon someone. However, as with all themes, other interpretations are possible.

Various studies have been done at universities where there is a captive audience to determine the frequency of occurrence of various dream themes. The common themes appear to be cross-cultural, although particular symbols will vary across cultures. 

In my own case, I commonly find myself in the environment of a university or the place where I was employed for over thirty-five years. This is not surprising when I consider that I was a full-time student for the first third of my life and spend over half of my life in the same career. I have repeatedly stated that the subconscious mind constructs dreams using associations that are meaningful to our conscious selves.

If you have a dream with one of the common themes listed, then you have a lot of company. As I have stated in previous posts, the key to the meaning is found in your daily life. If you dream you are late for an exam, for example, examine your life to see what test or challenge you are late in accepting or meeting.

There is a strong caveat that I would like to add concerning dream themes. The themes change with age and degree of awareness. I discuss this point in my earlier book as it has related to my own life. 

The common dream themes of college students are not likely to be the same as for people in mid-life or old age, and as your self-awareness grows, spiritual themes will become much more prevalent. In addition to an increase in spiritual themes as you awaken, dreams of precognition and universal awareness will become more common.

The studies conducted at universities that I have reviewed seem to miss the connection between meditation and dreams. When Edgar Cayce was asked by an individual how to improve his psychic ability, he was told to first examine his purpose and then with the right purpose to meditate. Regular meditation improves our intuition and activates the higher levels of mind in dreams. I will say more about this connection in a later post dealing specifically with meditation and dreams in the last section.

The fact that most people share common dream themes is not surprising because they share common experiences in their conscious lives. However, if you want to rise above the common themes and explore the unlimited potential of dreams, you must first apply the guidance you receive to resolve current issues. This takes some effort and sincerity. As you heal old wounds and become more aware, greater dimensions will open up.

You will notice that precognition is not on the list of common dream themes. This is because most people either do not experience precognition in their dreams very often, if at all, or do not recognize it when it occurs. One of the great potentials of the human mind goes largely unnoticed by both dreamers and researchers alike. 

The Association for Research and Enlightenment (A.R.E.) founded by Edgar Cayce provides a broader, more enlightened view of dreams and is a good source for further study. And the book Dreams Your Magic Mirror by Elsie Sechrist, first published in 1968, reflects the author’s experience as National Director of The Study Group Program for the A.R.E. where she had an opportunity to review thousands of dreams of ordinary people.

This past year I perused Dreams Your Magic Mirror again. I first encountered it when I started my own dream work over forty years ago, but have not thoroughly reviewed it in over twenty years. I found that the themes and guidance in my dreams is consistent with that reported by the early study group members. What I can do and have done through my dreams is certainly achievable by the ordinary person with desire and willingness to be open, sincere, and not averse to making some daily effort.

An Enlightening Encounter on an Airplane

Many years ago, I sat on a plane that that was scheduled to make a long flight to my final destination. I had already spent considerable time on planes that day and was not looking forward to the final leg of my trip. 

As I stared at the few remaining passengers looking for their seats just before takeoff, I noticed an attractive young woman coming down the aisle. I was seated in an aisle seat, and the window seat next to me was vacant. I silently prayed, please God, let this seat next to me be hers.

I was quite pleased when she continued on to the seat beside me. Having an attractive woman in the seat next to me offered the prospect of a pleasant flight. However, I soon learned that we often desire things that are not in our best interests. 

The conscious mind is limited, and we formulate opinions and desires based on limited information. And often even the limited knowledge is not accurate because we misperceive a person’s intent or a situation.

This young woman was a flight attendant on international flights and she was returning to her home base. I quickly learned that she hated her job. She didn’t like the hours, the workload, or the company. 

I tried to suggest some positive aspects of her job, but she would have none of it. She twisted and turned in her seat, cried frequently, and finally went into a fetal position. During the flight, I learned her entire life history, but mainly how miserable she was in her job.

By the time the flight landed and we parted company, I was exhausted. It was one on my worst flight experiences out of more than a hundred. The only one that compared to it was an international flight where the woman seated next to me held an unhappy baby. 

My story may appear a bit superficial to some, but it points out an indisputable truth. Whether we are in deep prayer or simply expressing a wish or desire, we often do not know what is in our best interests. 

Many authors who write about New Age thought provide a process for achieving one’s desires. Some will show you how to get rich and achieve all of your desires. However, is achieving all your desires in your best interests? Are your conscious desires consistent with your soul’s purpose in this life? What should your desires be?

My answer to the above is first to find your soul’s purpose—why you are in this life. And this can be found in your dreams. If you are sincere and really want to know, you will be told your soul’s purpose. I was shown mine in clear, easy-to-interpret dreams. After you know your soul's purpose, you can examine your conscious desires in light of this knowledge.

If you are someone who prays for answers to a problem, how do you expect to receive an answer? How will God deliver the answer you seek? Certainly, in the Judeo-Christian tradition, one way that God speaks to man is through dreams. 

First find your purpose in life, and the rest will fall into place. When I pray, and I do pray, I pray for guidance. I have learned over the years that I am often wrong about an early opinion or what is best for me, so praying for something that may not be in my best interest is counterproductive. I pray for insight. I pray for guidance and direction.

A Famous Quote, Life, and Dreams

Albert Einstein supposedly said the following: “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” However, people researching this find that he is most likely not the author. 

Regardless of the source, the saying does point out a very real situation in which many often find themselves. In personal relationships, some often repeat bad choices to the point of dismay on the part of family and friends. A woman who is abused by a boyfriend or husband will often have a string of past relationships just like the current one. In the beginning, she probably told her friends how this one would be different, while they patiently listened and hoped she would wake up.

I was once in a bookstore near the registers when I overheard a conversation between two young women who had a chance encounter in the store. One asked the other how she had been. The young woman, beaming all over, responded that she had recently met the perfect man.

I quickly learned that she had two young children and was excited about marrying her knew love. Her friend commented by saying she was happy for her. She asked if they had set a date. The woman said that they just had one small problem to work out first. According to her, other than that things were perfect. She emphasized that the problem was quite minor. The friend asked about the small problem. She said that he didn't like her kids at all.

Usually there are warnings about situations we should avoid. Sometimes it is an uneasy feeling and other times there is just some unexplained inconsistency. The still small voice is always trying to alert us in such situations. However, we might ignore it because it does not support our conscious desires. 

This is when dreams can become extremely valuable. What do our dreams say about an impending choice or decision? Some concern might just be an irrational fear, but if you find a warning in your dreams that you should avoid some course of action, regardless of how much your conscious mind wants to follow that course, you need to reevaluate. 

The dream provides a sense of objectivity, even though it is generated by your own mind, which allows your conscious mind to look at it, as one would consider the advice from a respected adviser. Learn to use this adviser and you will avoid many situations that might not turn out well.

Dreams of Food Shortages and Storms

I am somewhat reluctant to provide the following summaries of two dreams I recently experienced. As I have said many times, dreams are normally not literal. However, literal messages can occur in dreams that also serve another purpose. 

A dream about a violent storm or other natural disaster is often a reflection of some internal event in the life of the dreamer or someone with close emotional ties and might not be related to an actual physical event. However, an actual impending physical event might be folded into the dream by the subconscious, even if the main message of the dream relates to something else.

With the above caveat, I relate the following dreams.

On April 19, I dreamed I was talking with the leader of China. He said that in three years they were going to have a difficult time with food shortages. I saw a map of China, and he identified a spot where I took him to mean the problem would start. He didn't give the cause of the food shortages.

On April 22, I had a dream with many distinct parts. In one part, several people were discussing the level of fear over some terrible weather. Violent storms were striking South Carolina, and there was a feeling that such storms were spreading throughout the world.

I have delayed a post about these dreams because I was looking for possible interpretations of the symbols that I could relate to something in my life. Since I have not been able to make personal connections, I decided to provide the brief summaries. Also, we are approaching the hurricane season, so a violent storm hitting South Carolina is certainly conceivable.

The Night Train

Several years ago, I dreamed I was in a train speeding along the rail as a passenger. I was aware of only two other passengers. One was a man I knew from work, and other was not someone I recognized. The two men were engaged in conversation.

The man I knew told the other man his birth date. That man responded by giving his as well. The two men appeared to know where they were going, or at least why they were on the train. 

The entire time they did not seem aware of my presence. I seemed to sense that they had both passed and were on their way to another reality. 

Within a few days, my acquaintance passed away. He had been quite ill, but I was not aware that he was about to die. Anyhow, this dream is a type you may experience yourself right before or after someone you know passes away. 

During the dream, I did not detect any sense of fear on my part or the part of the two men who had passed.

Pascal's Wager

The famous seventeenth-century mathematician and philosopher Blaise Pascal made a wager found in some of his papers published posthumously. These papers are called his “Thoughts” and include a description of a wager that he says a rational man must accept. The wager concerns the existence of God and our belief or nonbelief in that existence. 

Simplistically, he looks at the question as a wager. If God exists, he assumes that belief can result in unlimited gain. If God does not exist, we will have only suffered a finite loss, due to giving up certain things. 

However, if God exists and we do not believe, we have suffered an unlimited loss. If God does not exist and we do not believe, we have not lost anything.

His conclusion is that a rational man must believe. If we believe, we can possibly have an unlimited gain with the risk of only a finite loss. If we do not believe, we could suffer an unlimited loss. Clearly, we should believe.

Pascal was a brilliant man and understood that some still could not bring themselves to believe. He knew the wager alone would not cause them to believe. For them, he suggested practicing the discipline that had brought others in a similar situation to salvation, the thought being that in time they too would believe.

The wager is an interesting bit of decision theory. The problem is that someone cannot become a believer based on an analysis of the wager and its outcomes. Even if Pascal’s assumptions are correct about the possibilities of unlimited gain and unlimited loss, this cannot make someone believe. Someone can feign belief, but this is not belief. 

You cannot fool your subconscious mind by pretending to believe, even if you think you ought to believe. And if you do believe, what is it you believe in? What is your God? Is God going to reward you for believing?

I mention Pascal’s wager because some people think they are somehow covering themselves by going to church or performing certain rituals that they have been taught. Your subconscious mind in its higher states is not concerned about the outward show; it is concerned about your regard for yourself and those around you. It is concerned about how you serve your fellow man. 

I am not saying you shouldn’t go to church; that is a personal decision. I am saying that church activity alone does not constitute belief or make one spiritual.

In the early days of my work with dreams, I was active in a church and taught classes on dream interpretation in an adult education class. My dreams frequently provided guidance concerning the class and my interaction with its members. 

Before my participation and subsequent to it, my dreams never pushed me to attend a specific church or accept a certain doctrine. At the time when I was active, the church was a place where I could share some things I had learned and practice what I believed. When I felt I was no longer able to fulfill that purpose, I left.

If you try to get help from your dreams, but fail to do so, ask yourself if you really believe you can get help through your dreams. You cannot fool your subconscious mind. 

If you take the approach, maybe I’ll have a dream that helps, but I really don’t expect anything to happen, you are programming yourself for failure. However, if you find you can’t simply suddenly believe it is possible, you need another approach. 

In this situation, you need to explore your reasons for your beliefs. Maybe you can't believe because you are afraid of what you will find in your dreams. You need to find the underlying limiting belief and counter it through regular exercises using visualization and repetition. 

Repetition can be especially beneficial if you apply it in the pre-sleep state. Picture yourself getting help from your dreams. If you are seeking an answer to a particular problem, see yourself getting an answer in a dream. You might have to do this for several nights, but if you don’t focus on a negative outcome, you will eventually be successful.