by Bob Trowbridge

Created on: March 18, 2008   Last Updated: July 28, 2009

Dreams have played a significant role in the lives of humans as far back as we can go in recorded history. Native Americans looked to dreams for all of their major decisions. A tribe would seek dream advice before going on a major hunt, going to war, or moving their village. Personal help would also be sought in dreams, such as whom to marry or what to name a child.

The vision quest was, in the minds of Native Americans, not unlike a dream experience. In fact, most "primitive" peoples did not distinguish between visions and dreams. In the vision quest an individual would experience a rite of passage and would also get information on their life path. This would come in the form of symbols and metaphors.

One of the dreamwork techniques used by native peoples had to do with manifesting their dream and vision symbols so that they could see them every day. The designs on clothing, horses, tepees, and even on their bodies represented important images from their dreams and visions. They believed that these images had the power to change them, to give them specific powers and abilities.

Because dreams have played such an important role in peoples of all times, many individuals have tried to create methods of interpreting dreams. One of the earliest dream books we have today was written by the Greek, Artemidorus, in the second century C.E. It was called "Oneirocritica," which means, "The Interpretation of Dreams." This title was borrowed by Sigmund Freud for his famous 1899 book.

A contemporary of Artemidorus was the physician Galen who wrote "On Diagnosis in Dreams." The idea that dreams could help us with our health precedes Galen and Artemidorus by many centuries. Hippocrates, in the fifth century B.C.E. and Aristotle in the fourth century B.C.E. also wrote about dreams as they affect and comment on health.

At the time of Galen and Artemidorus, there were over 300 dream temples in Greece dedicated to the god Aslepios. Aslepios was a god of healing, especially through dreams. (There are many spellings of Aslepios, especially since the Romans borrowed him and gave him a Roman spelling.) Such dream temples existed all over the world, including Asia, Africa, and other ancient cultures, all dedicated to local healing gods and goddesses.

For a wonderful overview of the significance or uses of dreams, I recommend "Our Dreaming Mind" by Robert Van de Castle, Ph.D. Bob takes us on a trip through the history of dreams and demonstrates their significance in every area

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