Marie-Louise Von Franz

        After reading this quote from Marie-Louise von Franz, I agree that there is no other rational way to explain the six particular dreams the woman had about her fiancé. I was convinced of this especially when the “rationally inclined colleague” did not want to believe von Franz’s interpretation of the dream.  This colleague seemed not to believe anything beyond what can be explained by empirical evidence which is why she was frustrated by von Franz’s ‘meta’ explanation of the dream. However, the reason for von Franz’s ultimate conclusion about the dream’s meaning was that she realized the kind of empirical evidence her colleague preferred would not have been able to adequately rationalize the dream. I think von Franz reached her conclusion about the dream because of the fact that there was more than just one dream. It seems that there is something about the persistence of these dreams that makes their existence objectively real regardless of whether or not human rationality can explain them.

        This excerpt from the reading made me think of the many dreams that I have had and heard about from others. Often in these dreams when loved ones ‘visit’ us after they have passed, there is usually a very real and undeniable physical reaction to them. I have heard people say that they wake up crying, trembling, unable to breathe, or in a cold sweat. To me, this proves that there is an objective reality to these dreams despite the fact that such experiences are hard to explain with words alone. In other words, even though words alone cannot describe the feelings that were experienced in the dream and in real life when we wake up, the feelings become no less real just because we cannot explain them. Therefore, I agree with von Franz’s interpretation of the woman’s dream because I myself and others have had similar dreams which seem to go beyond the rational world.

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