think about a powerful dream you have had,
or a dream a friend has shared with you

ever try to figure out what that dream may mean?
or what it may reflect about the dreamer?

if you have tried to interpret such a dream,
what is it that you focus on?

perhaps the feeling tone of the dream,
or the dream's characters or maybe those
objects (symbols) that stood out

these are important elements of a dream
and they may provide clues to its meaning,
but there is another a significant aspect
of dreams, one that is typically overlooked -
its the behavior or functioning of the dream's
main character - for example,

- was that character passive or did he take charge?

- did he run from a dangerous situation or did he
approach and attempt to make things right?

- was he effective in his actions or did he
become confused and disorganized?

these questions are explored in
"The functional analysis of dreams:
A new theory of dreaming"

here, the key assumption is that the actions
displayed in the dream may reflect the dreamer's
waking life actions

they might, for example, reflect the dreamer's
tendency to remain passive in those waking life
situations that call for decisive action

or the key actions in the dream might relate
to the dreamer's tendency to impulsively jump into
a complex situation, when a more measured and
reflective approach would be more effective

the bottom line is, when you think about
the possible messages of a powerful dream,
don't overlook the nature of the actions
of the dream's main character