The perceived link between dreams and the spiritual life: An exploratory qualitative survey

Despite recent gains in the understanding of dreams and their meaning, the topic of dreams in relation to spirituality has remained largely unexplored. This study investigates the perceived relationship between dreams and the spiritual life in a multi-national sample. It explores the proposition tha...

Full description

Saved in:  
Bibliographic Details
Authors: Robinson, Oliver (Author) ; Vasile, Maria Cristina (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Check availability: HBZ Gateway
Journals Online & Print:
Drawer...
Fernleihe:Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste
Published: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group 2023
In: Journal for the Study of Spirituality
Year: 2023, Volume: 13, Issue: 1, Pages: 63-73
Further subjects:B precognition
B Spirituality
B Dreaming
B Jung
B Insight
B Unconscious
Online Access: Volltext (kostenfrei)
Description
Summary:Despite recent gains in the understanding of dreams and their meaning, the topic of dreams in relation to spirituality has remained largely unexplored. This study investigates the perceived relationship between dreams and the spiritual life in a multi-national sample. It explores the proposition that dreams contain spiritual messages or realisations, and/or whether experiences of apparently paranormal phenomena in dreams inform a spiritual worldview. A sample of 118 people took part in an online survey in which they responded to closed-ended and open-ended questions about dreams, learning, personal development and spirituality. Ninety-eight out of 118 participants (83%) reported having dreams that informed their spiritual life in some way. Thematic analysis revealed four themes within the domain of dreams and spirituality: 1. Bringing the unconscious into the conscious for healing and insight; 2. Accessing spiritual knowledge via intuition and feeling; 3. Spiritual Messages via encounters with other beings in dreams; and 4. Spiritual messages as precognitive information about upcoming events. The findings have implications for an understanding of the formative role of dreams in the spiritual life. Limitations and future implications of this study are also discussed.
ISSN:2044-0251
Contains:Enthalten in: Journal for the Study of Spirituality
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1080/20440243.2023.2189213