1- When a child is first born, its first awareness is of itself as an individual. It has to learn that it is now separate from its mother and cope with the separation. It begins to become ‘conscious’ of itself, and of its need for warmth, comfort and love. One vital stage of growth is the baby’s fascination with its own body and the ability to be physical. This is as much to do with what feels comfortable and nice how it feels to be in one’s own skin, as it were.
It is at this point that lie or she learns about touch, whether il is nice to touch or be touched, and even if touch is permissible. If, for instance, the child is handled roughly, there may be a fear of being touched, which may later manifest as a sexual difficulty.
While the original trauma may be suppressed, it will often surface in dreams when the time is appropriate. Real growth takes place when the individual is not afraid of the curiosity which allows an innocent exploration of his own body. Dreams will often allow us to explore this physicality in a safe way.
2- Dreams highlight the whole range of the individual’s sexuality. Only if lie ignores his own sexual nature and fails to appreciate his own life force do the negative aspects make themselves obvious in dreams. This is a natural attempt to balance the waking state which may have been over-intcllectu- aliscd, or over-dramatised. Contact with others then bcconies necessary; and often this need will make itself apparent in dreams. Various aspects of sex and sexuality can be interpreted as follows: Bisexuality Within ourselves we hold both masculine and feminine potentials. One is more overt than the other and there is often conflict between the inner and the outer. This can sometimes show itself in dreams as bisexuality and a need for some kind of union with members of both sexes. Castration in a dream suggests fear of loss of masculinity and sexual power.
Clothes in sexual dreams can have particular relevance often to do with the dreamer’s perception of him or herself: being fully clothed would suggest some feeling of .guilt.
Contraception Dreaming of contraception can indicate a fear of pregnancy and birth. Ejaculation/Emission The images in a dream prior to orgasm can suggest the nature of the dreamer’s attitude to sex and sexuality.
The conflicts which arise in the dreamer because of his sexual desire for someone can be dealt with in the dream state through dreaming of emission or orgasm. Fetishes Fetishes arc a fixation 011 an external object without which there can be 110 sexual act. This is a little akin to a child not being able to go to sleep without his comforter. There is some evidence for the belief that, at an unconscious level, man would prefer a life of celibacy and, by projecting his energies onto an object, he abdicates responsibility. In dreams, therefore, a fetish can highlight fear, immaturity and lack of capability. Hermaphrodite (also see Individual Entry) Dreaming of a hermaphrodite (someone who is both masculine and feminine) suggests either bisexuality, which is an erotic attraction to both sexes, or androgy ny the perfect balance within one person of the masculine and feminine qualities. Homosexuality is taken to mean the desire for sex with a partner who is the same sex. More properly, it is a desire for someone who is the same as oneself.
It is this aspect that comes across in dreams.
If the dreamer can identify what is similar to himself or herself in ways that arc not purely sexual, the dream can be fully interpreted. Incest (also see individual entry) in a dream usually characterises the need for expressed love that is, love expressed in a more tactilc way. In dreams incest can highlight guilty feelings about one’s parents or members of the family. Intercourse (or petting) The wish or need to be able to communicate with someone on a very intimate level can translate itself into intercourse in a dream.
If intercourse is interrupted the dreamer may have inhibitions of which he or she is not consciously aware. Often intercourse in a dream can mark the integration of a particular part of one’s personality; If a child is then born that integration has been successful. Kiss This can indicate a mark of respect or a desire lo stimulate the dream partner. It suggests we should be aware of what arousal we ourselves need. Masochism The desire to hurt oneself or to be hurt in dreams through sex arises from two causes.
The first is to be a martyr (to suffer for one’s ‘sins’) and the second to feel extreme emotion of one sort or another. We mav not allow ourselves to feel deeply in everyday life.
Masturbation The child learns to comfort himself through masturbation, so dreaming of masturbation is a need for comfort. Perversion When sexual perversion appears in dreams we are avoiding, or attempting to avoid, issues to do with closeness and bonding.
Phallus Any image either of or to do with the phallus signifies everything that is creative, penetrative and masculine.
It is vitality and creativity in both its simplest and most complex form.
It is resurrection and the renewal of life. Rape Any image of rape appearing in dreams can be as much to do with violation of personal space as with the sexual act. Sexual rape is unlikely to appear in the dreams of, for instance, sexually abused children. It may only appear as an image when the adult is ready to deal with the trauma. Sadism (also see individual entry) Sadism appearing in a dream would suggest that it is probably a counterbalance to the dreamer’s conscious way of being in the world. In everyday life he may be cither very timid, in which case the dream is an escape mechanism or. in having to be dominant and controlling in everyday life, the unconscious shows its need to be controlled.
Semen Dreams have an odd way of throwing up images of primitive rites and practices of which we may have no conscious knowledge. Many of these are representations of the sexual act. Semen is the sign of masculinity and of physical maturitv and is often seen in dreams as some other milkv fluid.
Sexuality in a dream, in the sense of feeling desire for someone else most often of the opposite sex is a basic primeval urge for closeness and union with that person.
It is as though we are searching for a part of ourselves that we have lost.
The other character in the dream represents the closcst we can get to that part.
If we were a fully integrated human being, we would have no need for sex with someone else, but for most of us we have a desire to be united with everything which is not part of our own ego. Such a dream, which highlights the feelings we are capable of having, provides information to enable us to understand our own needs. Transvestism This signifies a confusion so far as gender is concerned in dreams. Venereal Disease In a dream this can suggest awareness of some kind of contamination. This need not necessarily be of a sexual nature, but could also be emotional.
3- Sexual activity is either the highest expression of love and spirituality between two people or. if purely physically based, is entirely selfish. It would be up to the dreamer and their understanding of themselves to determine which it is.