Try keeping a dream journal. Pick up a notebook and use it exclusively for recording dreams, and keep it near your bed, like on a bedside table, for easy access. Get in the habit of writing down the details as soon as you can, before your waking mind forgets or starts to add items that weren’t there originally. Focus on images rather than on telling a story when recording the dream. The sequence might not be important, and you may end up forcing the dream into a narrative.
Pay attention to the setting of the dream. Where did it take place? It is somewhere you’ve been before or a totally new, imagined location? Was anyone or anything else near the door in your dream? For instance, it might be important if your late grandmother stood and opened the door for you.
Who appeared in your dream? Besides their relationship to the door, think of who they are and what relationship you have with them. Oftentimes, the less direct personal relationship we have with someone in a dream means that it is more likely they are a part of our psyche – that is, your mind is trying to tell you something. [3] X Research source
When you record dreams in your log, make notes about how the dream made you feel. All you need are impressions – happy, depressed, fearful, angry, anxious, powerful, etc.
For example, dreaming about being chased might mean that you are running from a fear – something that you feel unprepared for. Dreaming of death might signify transformation in your life; disease could mean an inner conflict. [6] X Research source
The saying “when one door closes, another one opens,” is very relevant here. Your door might be leading you to a new phase.
What is the door’s color? Some interpreters think a red door signifies that you are keeping anger or frustration bottled up. A black door symbolizes secrets, and opening it means that you are taking a risk. What kind of door is it? Trapdoors can represent hidden opportunities or, sometimes, suppressed feelings in the subconscious. A revolving door can mean going around in circles – that perhaps you feel your life is going nowhere. Are you outside or inside? Being inside might suggest you are in need of introspection and should take stock of your life, while being outside can represent freedom and opportunity.
For example, if you come across a land of plenty the dream might indicate you will transition to a glorious new phase in life. On the other hand, if the door leads somewhere depressing, dull, and sad, it could suggest you are afraid of change and holding back. A door that takes you somewhere familiar and comforting is a sign that you are ready to transition, but that you will remain whole, just more experienced and wiser on the other side.
Humans have tried for centuries to interpret and understand dreams. However, the first modern attempts only came in the early 1900s with the theories of Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung, many of whose interpretive ideas are still popular today. Currently scientists have a range of theories. Some argue that dreams don’t really mean anything but are the result of random electrical signals in the brain; others think that dreaming evolved as a defense tool; and still others link dreams help us to process the emotions and events of the day.
Websites will often plug very specific meanings into symbols. Dream interpretation is actually a lot more messy than this. Given how little we know about the brain and dreams, you are better off relying on your own judgment or on the advice of a psychoanalyst. [13] X Research source Dream interpretation is highly personal and varies widely. There may be some symbols that carry a shared cultural or even universal meaning, but these are exceptions to the rule. Don’t trust that a symbol really means what the “dream dictionary” says.
