What is behind the idea of speaking in terms of the role of dreams rather than their meaning?

Dream interpretation has been explored as if to the ends of the earth! Relatively little, however, has been written about the function of dreams, which seems such a crucial topic if we are to understand or even assume that dreams have meaning in the first place!

Here is the abstract that goes along with the vignettes I have been sharing with you so far:

THE ROLE OF DREAMS AND DREAM-LIKE EXPERIENCES IN SPIRITUAL EMERGENCE PROCESSES

The process of spiritual emergence has been defined by the Spiritual Emergence Network as one marked by difficulties with psychospiritual growth, and has been referred to variously as psychospiritual crises, spiritual transformation, sudden mystical experiences, and spiritual awakening. The research question for this dissertation was, "What is the role of dreams and dream-like experiences (DLEs) in spiritual emergence processes?" This report addressed the question by examining contemporary examples and historical literature from a Jungian hermeneutical perspective as well as through recent electronic interviews.

Methodology was primarily derived from seven interviews (including some documentary articles), mixed with a hermeneutic literature review, exemplifying experiences of the prominence of dreams/DLEs during a spiritual emergence process. The discovery of similarities and differences among interviews helped to interpret the role of dreams and DLEs. The nature of the data spans electronic, semi-structured interviews, published literature, historical documents, biographical narratives, and within- and cross-case analyses. Specific methods of analysis include theoretical, thematic, conceptual, descriptive, and graphic. A comparison of the interviews with criteria for identifying spiritual emergence processes such as Visionary Spiritual Experiences from Lukoff, Grof, and others, and findings from the hermeneutic literature helped identify and validate roles of dreams/DLEs to provide data reduction and triangulation. The design was therefore a meta-interpretation.

Findings were that dreams and DLEs during spiritual emergence processes symbolize and point toward those processes themselves. Within this framework, however, there can still be great diversity in specific roles and functions, such as: healing, guidance, instruction, connection, revelation, summoning, and animating/enlivening. Thus, the role/function extends to helping dreamers know and understand their phenomenological experience with regard to the spiritual emergence process. In this sense, such dreams/DLEs may help to answer questions such as: “What kind of being am I growing into? What capabilities and capacities are developing within me and reaching outward toward manifestation?” Implications in terms of the findings are that these may be applicable to spiritually emerging populations and to therapy where dream work is used, particularly Jungian analysis.

Please note especially the last paragraph above.

How much of this might you have taken for granted?

What, if anything, seems surprising?

Which possibilities might you like to explore further in this group?