Dreams: Portals to Inner Transformation

Psychological literature reveals the astonishing world of dreams, showing that they are not a platform for the direct fulfillment of desires, but rather a symbolic space for their understanding and transformation. In this approach, dreams act as an arena where our hidden impulses and images are processed and reborn, transforming into emotionally rich symbols. Although strong desires and fantasies may trigger a push toward action, the Ego does not become the immediate executor but remains an observer of the inner struggle. This perspective encourages us to abandon the illusion of instantaneous gratification and instead channel our energy toward the development of spiritual purity and self-awareness. Ultimately, dreams suggest that true transformation begins from within, gradually overcoming vicious tendencies and paving the way for a conscious future.

"Can any desires be fulfilled in dreams, and what does psychology say about this?"

Psychological literature, as presented in the document "document_id_or_name.pdf," indicates that dreams are reflections of our internal desires and fantasies, but they are not spaces where these can be literally carried out or realized. Dreams embody the realm of symbolic thinking and unconscious processes, where desires are transformed into images, emotions, and symbols rather than concrete actions.

For example, one excerpt emphasizes that daydreaming is the mind's tendency to "build castles in the air" and create an illusory future without addressing pressing problems:
"Achieving a pure heart is the most important requirement for a Christian: to cleanse one’s heart of all passions. All that is evil happens to us because evil is born within our hearts. And it is born there because we, as sinful beings, are inherently predisposed to vice from birth. A thought that does not wander among the objects of the world... A person... makes plans, builds castles in the air, and paints an illusory future for himself." (document_id_or_name.pdf, page: 42)

Another excerpt clarifies that although fantasies, spawned by desires and impulses, may spur action, at the level of dreams the Ego does not take on the role of the "executor":
"The method of cultivating the inner world of dreams and images—in other words, the implementation of the internalization of eros—can be divided into three stages. First, there is the setting of consciously accepting what occurs without reacting to it. Energy flows in, but nothing is immediately expressed. Undoubtedly, all incoming fantasies—in the form of desires, projections, impulses—encourage action. It is indeed a challenging task to separate the fantasy from its dynamic roots, the impulses that urge action. We try either to suppress everything that cannot be realized in life or to let in the fantasy, desiring to immediately live it out externally. This method prevents the Ego from functioning as the 'executor'." (document_id_or_name.pdf, page: 42)

Thus, the psychological approach outlined in these materials does not support the idea that any desire can be fulfilled in dreams. Essentially, dreams serve as a domain for the understanding and transformation of internal images and desires, rather than a direct realization of them into specific actions or events in real life.

Supporting citation(s):
"Achieving a pure heart is the most important requirement for a Christian: to cleanse one’s heart of all passions... A person... makes plans, builds castles in the air, and paints an illusory future for himself." (source: document_id_or_name.pdf, page: 42)

"The method of cultivating the inner world of dreams and images—in other words, the implementation of the internalization of eros... prevents the Ego from functioning as the 'executor'." (source: document_id_or_name.pdf, page: 42)