Sadhguru Tips: Why Do We Dream, Did Psychoanalysts Like Sigmund Freud Misunderstood the Human Mind? Jaggi Vasudev Sheds Light

Sadhguru Tips: Dreams have long intrigued human beings, and many have pondered their meaning and origins. Psychologists, including the renowned Sigmund Freud, have attempted to decode these mysterious phenomena. However, Sadhguru offers a fresh perspective on why dreams occur and the limitations of early psychoanalysts in understanding the human mind. Here, we delve into Sadhguru’s insights and explore the intriguing world of dreams.

Sadhguru's Insights on Dreams

According to Sadhguru, the study of dreams and the human mind is incomplete without a deeper understanding of human consciousness. While famous psychoanalysts like Freud studied the minds of individuals who were mentally disturbed, their conclusions about humanity lacked a broader perspective.

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Freud, for instance, believed that dreams are essential for human life and that one cannot live without them. He went so far as to suggest that people can live without sleep, but not without dreams. However, Sadhguru points out that Freud, and others like him, missed a significant aspect of human experience by limiting their studies to "sick" minds, rather than exploring the minds of enlightened individuals such as yogis and Buddhas.

Sadhguru on Flaws in Freud’s Approach to Psychoanalysis

According to Sadhguru, Freud’s fixation on analysing people with psychological disorders led him to make sweeping conclusions about the human mind. For example, Freud's method of treating a patient who believed he was dead involved making him repeat the mantra “dead men don’t bleed” in front of a mirror. When blood eventually appeared after a pinprick, the patient’s delusion was shattered. While this treatment might have had some merit in treating a specific case, Sadhguru highlights that such an approach fails to account for the vast spectrum of human experience.

Sadhguru argues that Freud's inability to look beyond his limited framework—based on fear, death, and mental illness—resulted in incomplete conclusions. Freud, terrified of death himself, could not bring himself to visit the Egyptian pyramids, which symbolises how his personal fears shaped his work. As Sadhguru points out, if Freud had the opportunity to study someone like a yogi, his entire understanding of human potential might have been different.

Sadhguru on Types of Dreams

Sadhguru categorises dreams into four types, with the most common being dreams related to unfulfilled desires. These are the dreams where people live out scenarios they cannot experience in real life—such as romantic encounters, adventurous feats, or victories. In essence, dreams serve as a sort of psychological "escape" that helps individuals cope with unmet desires.

This is why entertainment platforms like cinema and television have become so popular. These "dream machines" allow individuals to experience fantasy and excitement without any real-world consequences. However, Sadhguru cautions against equating these dreams with real life, as they remain mere projections of the mind.

While many dreams are simply mental projections of desires, Sadhguru acknowledges that there are other types of dreams that offer access to different aspects of life. However, he refrains from delving into these further, as it could lead to misguided interpretations. He warns that when people start overanalysing their dreams, they often fall victim to their imagination, which can spiral out of control.

Sadhguru Tip: How to Stop Dreams

One of the most fascinating aspects of Sadhguru's approach to dreams is his belief that dreams can disappear altogether if a person reaches a certain level of awareness and meditativeness. According to Sadhguru, the key to eliminating dreams is not to actively try to stop them but to cultivate a state of inner stillness through meditation. He explains that when a person becomes meditative, they enter a state of consciousness that transcends the fluctuations of the mind, resulting in the cessation of dreams.

Sadhguru shares a personal experience from his own life, where scientists attempted to study his brain activity during meditation. To their surprise, they concluded that his brain activity suggested he was either "dead or brain-dead," yet he felt fully alive and deeply aware. This state of heightened awareness, Sadhguru suggests, is something every human being can achieve with the right effort and focus.