English
From 23rd February to 2nd March, the Caixa Forum will be holding a series of conferences themed around dreams, and the fascination that this biological activity has long held for the science world, led by writer, director, playwright and tarot expert, Alejandro Jodorowsky – a man well-known in the world of dream interpretation.
We spend a large part of our lives dreaming – and not just during sleep, but also day-dreaming, which allows us to escape reality, and transport us to a fantasy world free of problems. Which is why the function of dreams and fantasy are crucial for healthy mental development, and a generally balanced body and mind.
If we consider the fact that we live in a virtual society, where communication and social life have stopped being physical, with fantasies created about people we know via social networking sites – we realise that fantasy is something we encounter on a daily basis, particularly during our dreams, where the two often merge.
This is why the study of dreams and their contents is an enormous point of interest in today´s society, just as it was for Swiss clinical psychiatrist and essayist Carl Gustav Jung, who collaborated with Sigmund Freud, dedicating himself to dream analysis.
Jung discovered a key part of the subconscious mind which is shared by all human beings, which transcends all kinds of geographic or racial origin. It is characterized by archetypes, instinctive behavioural and perceptive patterns found in the dreams of all cultures, throughout the history of mankind. Jung studied the hallucinations of the mentally ill, finding that they all shared key characteristics throughout the world, which implied that the human imagination might be governed by one universal nature. Jung´s dream theory was that the uncovering of this archetype would bring an understanding of the images that disturb and calm us, and thus a deeper understanding of mental health.
The conference, which is centered around the function of dreams, includes talks from neurophysicists, on psychoanalysis, and the latest advances on the human brain, as well as writers, and artists who will discuss the important of dreams for creativity and art. Alongside the debate, there will be screenings of related films.
For more informaion http://obrasocial.lacaixa.es
Nancy Guzman
For better dreams, go to Barcelona and experience their pleasures in Barcelona accommodation
Translated by: Poppy
