What dreams can't be told to others: superstitions and psychologists' opinions

How many times have you heard in response to an attempt to tell someone about your vivid dream? "Don't tell me, it won't come true"? The prohibition against telling what you have seen is one of the most common superstitions related to dreams. There are several explanations: folk-mystical and psychological, for why you can't tell dreams.

OBOZREVATEL looked into the essence of superstition. What do mystics and psychologists say about this?

Folk interpretation

Dreams are the result of the brain's work, which, while resting, analyzes the information it has received during the day. That's why during a dream you can see phantasmagoric combinations of familiar faces, impressive events from your past, and, for example, fantastic stories from movies and books. However, it is not recommended to tell what you see to everyone, but only to those people you trust.

The thing is that your brain shows you only what is most valuable and important to you personally, even if it is in a bizarre form. If you entrust this information to someone who has a negative attitude towards you, they can use this information against you. And sometimes even unconsciously.

But if you want to share your dream story, choose someone close to you who has never let you down. Or even your pet. First of all, it loves you for sure, and secondly, it will probably not tell anyone what it heard.

Superstitious people also advise against telling dreams that portend something good for you, because it will not come true. And bad things, on the contrary, because of the risk that your fear will come true.

What psychologists say

Psychology experts point out that we often dream about anxious situations, such as an exam or a public speech. It can be either a vivid memory from the past or a vision caused by worries about future events. You should not retell such dreams in order not to plunge into anxiety and provoke excessive stress. However, if you know that after a disturbing night, you will receive the support you need in such a situation from a person, then you can reveal the details of the dream to them.

If you regularly have nightmares, then this may be a reason to see a psychologist or psychotherapist. And then you can tell them everything you saw in detail. Frequent nightmares can be symptoms of serious disorders, such as post-traumatic stress disorder or depression. Only a specialist can help you figure out what exactly is keeping you awake and prescribe adequate treatment.

If you wake up and want to forget the dream you just had, try looking out the window right away. You can also say: "Where the night goes, the dream goes." This shift of attention will likely erase unpleasant memories.

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