Symbolic representation of a church in a dream, spirituality and community

Dream Meaning:Church

The church is a universal symbol for spirituality, for community, and for the place of the divine. It connects the feeling of awe with the longing for the transcendent. Freud interpreted it as a symbol of femininity, Jung as the archetype of the sacred, spiritual traditions as the house of God.

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Dream Interpretation by Freud

Freud interpreted the church as a symbol of femininity and awe (Freud, 1900). The church represents the longing for security.

Entering a church shows, according to Freud, the desire for security. An abandoned church represents the loss of faith.

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Freud, S. (1900). The Interpretation of Dreams. Franz Deuticke, Vienna.

Dream Interpretation by Jung

Jung understood the church as the archetype of the sacred, as the place where the person encounters the divine (Jung, 1964). The church is the symbol of spirituality.

Whoever enters a church receives a message of the sacred. Jung saw the invitation to seek one's own spirituality.

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Jung, C. G. (1964). Man and His Symbols. Doubleday, New York.

Spiritual Interpretation

In spiritual traditions, the church is considered the house of God, the place where the person encounters the divine. It is the symbol of spiritual community.

Dreams with churches are read as an invitation to seek one's spirituality and find community.

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Bulkeley, K. (2016). Big Dreams. Oxford University Press. Fromm, E. (1951). The Forgotten Language. Rinehart & Company, New York.

Cognitive Continuity

According to Domhoff, the church in dreams reflects spirituality and community (Domhoff, 2003). It appears when the dreamer goes through a change.

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Domhoff, G.W. (2003). The Scientific Study of Dreams. APA. Domhoff, G.W. (2018). The Emergence of Dreaming. Oxford University Press.

Neurobiology & Emotion

According to Walker, REM sleep activates spatial orientation and emotional memories (Walker, 2017). Church dreams arise when the brain links spirituality with positive emotions.

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Walker, M. (2017). Why We Sleep. Scribner. Walker, M.P. & van der Helm, E. (2009). Overnight therapy? The role of sleep in emotional brain processing. Psychological Bulletin, 135(5), 731-748.