Introduction

Some people say that they never dream. But that is not possible. Everybody has dreams, but some people just have a better memory for them than others. Every one and a half hours throughout the night we live our private fantasies in our dreams – we can forget the good behaviour of the day and we are free to behave in any way we want. Images from our past and present come together. But as soon as we wake, the dream starts to melt, and the more we try to remember the details, the more we forget.

“ I had this amazing dream last night. I must tell you about it – now, I was in my old school, er … but it wasn’t a school, it was … er … it was a kind of a … er …I don’t really know what it was.”

So, why do we dream? Are dreams important? The experts tell us that they are, because they can help us prepare for the problems of everyday life. The images in our dreams have special meaning, and they can help us to understand our inner personality.

Play the dream game

1. You are asleep and you are dreaming. In your dream you find yourself in your perfect house. What is it like? Describe it in detail.

2. Now you are walking along a narrow path. Suddenly you find a cup /glass/ drinking vessel on the ground in front of you. What is it like? What is in it?

3. Now the path ends and you are walking in a wood. You walk quite a long way until you find a clearing. In the middle of the clearing is a building. What sort of building is it?

4. Around the building is a garden. Describe the garden.

5.You walk out of the garden and through the wood. At the edge of the wood there is a wall. The wall is too high to climb over, and it is too long to walk round. Suddenly you notice a small door in the wall. It slowly opens as you watch. What do you do? Do you go through the door?

6. On the other side of the wall is water. What does it look like? Do you want to swim in it?

Interpretation

Now read about what the images represent and try to analyse your answers.

The house

The house is your idea of yourself. If your house is old, you probably do not like change, you like traditional things. If your house is large, it means you are quite confident, with a high opinion of yourself. If it is filled with light, you are optimistic. If it is dark, you are pessimistic. The number of rooms is the number of people you want in your life.

The cup

The cup is your idea of love. The more beautiful and valuable the cup, the more important love is in your life. You are a romantic person. The contents of the cup show what your experience of love has been so far.

The building

The building is your idea of religion and God. A strong building is a strong belief. A ruin would mean a lack of belief.

The garden

This is your idea of the world around you, your country, or the whole world. If the plants and flowers in your garden are dying, this might mean that you are worried about the environment and pollution in the world.

The wall

This is your idea of death. Is it the end or is there something after it? Do you go straight through the little door? Do you look and check before you go? Or don’t you want to go through at all?

The water

The water is your idea of your future. If there is a sea with big waves, you feel positive and excited about your future. If you want to swim, you feel confident and want to take risks. If the water is a stagnant (стоячий) pool, you might fear your future and the future of the world.

Task 6. Quiz Time

How much do you worry?

Each one is followed by two possible responses: agree or disagree. Read each statement carefully and decide which response best describes how you feel. Don’t spend too long deciding. It’s important that you answer each question as honestly as possible.

1. I will never lose my close friends. Agree A – Disagree B –

2. I am unattractive to many of the opposite sex. Agree A – Disagree B –

3. I never appear stupid to others. Agree A – Disagree B –

4. My future job prospects are not secure. Agree A – Disagree B –

5. My work is up to date. Agree A – Disagree B –

6. This country is in serious trouble. Agree A – Disagree B –

7. I open bills immediately. Agree A – Disagree B –

8. I might be a lot less healthy than I realize. Agree A – Disagree B –

9. The future will be better than the past. Agree A – Disagree B –

10. Something terrible could be about to happen. Agree A – Disagree B –

11. I shower and dress as quickly as my friends. Agree A – Disagree B –

12. I dislike touching people who are ill. Agree A – Disagree B –

13. I quickly forget my mistakes at work. Agree A – Disagree B –

14. I detest visiting hospitals. Agree A – Disagree B –

15. After locking a door, I do not return to check it. Agree A – Disagree B –

16. While on holiday I worry a lot about home. Agree A – Disagree B –

17. Human frailty is forgivable. Agree A – Disagree B –

18. I do it myself if I want it done well. Agree A – Disagree B –

19. I prefer eating out to staying in. Agree A – Disagree B –

20. I very rarely, if ever, use public toilets. Agree A – Disagree B –

Find out how you scored

Work out your score by adding up the numbers of As and Bs you have ticked.