12016-11-30T17:31:47-08:00Elizabeth Withers4c83cfe2d791828249eb6cc21e5e14580fecf72e130083plain2016-12-14T20:04:52-08:00Elizabeth Withers4c83cfe2d791828249eb6cc21e5e14580fecf72eFreud postulates that much of the content and meaning-making of dreams comes from symbols and metaphors. We make connections, analogies, and comparisons in our everyday thinking, and our dreams work in much the same way. Much of what we dream about is a symbol for something else, and many of these symbols are condensations of multiple ideas or people or objects. Although many of these symbols come from a person's unique set of experiences, Freud believes that there are universal symbols-- things that carry similar meanings for everybody and can be interpreted in the same ways. Most of these are related to shared human experiences; they have to do with our most immediate sensations. Phallic symbols, representations of female genitalia and the womb, sensations of flying or falling, water, and many others are all symbols Freud believes can be understood at least in part without complete knowledge of the dreamer's past. This is because these symbols make up a kind of shared, human language.