Chapter 14 "Symbolic Dreams" Summary and Analysis

The text suggests that people communicate with themselves through dreams—the subconscious mind sends a message to the conscious mind. The dreams of dying people are often vivid and frequently highly symbolic. The chapter presents four case studies concerning the dreams of dying people. These dreams were related to caregivers who were able to assist the dying in understanding the symbolism of their dreams. Unlike most other interpretive acts of involvement, the authors argue that assisting the dying to understand the symbolism of their dreams is in essence simply listening to the dream and then asking for an explanation. They suggest that offering an explanation is incorrect. This aspect of Nearing Death Awareness therefore varies from the typical pattern in that it primarily involves the dying person attempting to understand symbolism of his or...