ABSTRACT
The idea that dreams are somehow meaningful and important is an extremely ancient one. What may be a surprise is the fact that dismissing dreams as meaningless is very old, too. In general, when reviewing dream theories and methods, it appears there is an overall need for and underutilization of dream material in various kinds of psychotherapy. This chapter looks at a brief background on the art of dream interpretation, and in so doing also explores the subject of symbolism and why dreams can be usefully thought of as largely symbolic expressions. After taking a look at the background on psychodynamic dream interpretation, it will cover some of the common objections to the practice of it as well as the theory that dreams may be "random" and hence meaningless images. Finally, the chapter provides information on the Invisible Storyteller (IS), the hypothetical character we all have that puts together the dream story as if commenting on our situation.
