Embodied Metaphors not Universal Symbols

When most people consider dreams, they think of dream dictionaries and symbolic interpretations. We've all heard claims: dreaming of snakes means fear, black cats symbolize bad luck, and water means the unconscious. While these symbolic interpretations seem appealing in their simplicity, they fail to capture the complexity and richness of our actual, individual dreaming experiences. The Embodied Cognition Theory of Dreaming (ECTD) challenges this traditional universal symbolic approach, offering a nuanced understanding by focusing on embodied metaphors—metaphors grounding our understanding of abstract concepts through our experience of being in a physical body interacting with the world.

Consider a common dream scenario: climbing a steep hill. A symbolic interpretation might conclude this dream symbolizes general life challenges or struggles. But from the ECTD perspective, this dream is more accurately understood as an embodied metaphor. This dream doesn't "symbolize" struggle abstractly; it uses your lived experiences and physical sensations as a framework for understanding abstract concepts. So perhaps your experience with climbing a steep hill is most notably the joy you found in hiking with your father as a child. That shifts the metaphoric meaning of the dream to one of joy and connection along with overcoming physical challenges, providing an important clarification to how the dream relates to what is affecting you in waking life.

This process is true for dreams of all abstract concepts, such as those involving freedom or control. Bodily experiences ground these concepts metaphorically. Imagine you dream you're flying effortlessly through the air. Rather than interpreting this as a universal symbol of freedom, ECTD asks you to consider your physical and emotional experiences of movement and release. Perhaps it embodies the exhilaration you associate with succeeding at something significant or captures your understanding of what it is like to escape from stressors in your life. Alternatively, flying dreams might relate to anxiety, representing a metaphorical embodiment of instability or uncertainty. The specific meaning emerges through your personal embodied metaphors.

It's crucial to clarify that ECTD does not suggest every aspect of a dream is a metaphor. Not all dream content revolves around abstract concepts; some dream experiences are more directly sensorimotor without deeper metaphorical implications. For example, dreaming about swimming might simply reflect the physical memory and sensation of being in water, without necessarily pointing toward an abstract concept. However, when dream content does relate to abstract ideas, such as security, freedom, love, or fear, ECTD argues they are portrayed through embodied metaphors, deeply rooted in your sensorimotor experiences.

Understanding dreams as embodied metaphors rather than universal symbols also allows you to appreciate their deeply personalized nature. The universal meaning of symbols ignores individual differences and the unique ways we understand our worlds. In contrast, metaphors are inherently personal, evolving dynamically with your ongoing experiences and understandings of yourself and the world you inhabit. Your dream about flying today might embody very different metaphors than a similar dream you had years ago, reflecting how your understandings have changed over time.

This perspective transforms your relationship with your dreams. Instead of looking outside for dream symbols you must look inside to understand the personal significance of the dream. Your own experiences and understandings empower you as the expert on your own dreams. Embracing dreams as containing embodied metaphors ultimately leads to greater self-understanding and authenticity. It helps you acknowledge your experiences as fundamental to how you comprehend abstract ideas and navigate your life. Rather than chasing generalized interpretations from dream dictionaries, you begin to uncover deeply personalized insights that resonate authentically with your unique life story and identity.