My Dream Lab: How AI Transformed My Self-Analysis

Opinion

An AI-generated image of one of my dreams. (Credit: Gemini)

I analyzed my dreams for two years using AI, and this is my testimony.

My interest in dreams began when I was a teenager, and my father, after graduating in Civil Engineering and Computer Science, decided to enroll in a Psychology course to understand the human psyche. I lived with him, and there was a clear rule in my house—no one could watch TV, and it was impossible to access any type of electronic device (only adults could). All I could do was read. I did nothing but read.

I read a lot of books: books about programming, engineering, philosophy, psychology. Since then, I have been fascinated by psychology, especially Carl Jung. While Sigmund Freud, a pioneer of psychoanalysis, was more interested in healing traumas through dream analysis and free association, Jung focused on personal growth and the integration of contradictory aspects of the personality to achieve psychological completeness. For Freud, dreams can represent neuroses and repressed pain. For Jung, dreams represent symbols of our psyche, which are a language encoded in images.

Jung captivates me more than Freud because he studies the power of myths. I like fiction more. Both began studying people’s unconscious through hypnosis, with Freud focusing more on neuroses, guilt, and sexuality. Jung, who was once a disciple of Freud but later found his own path, went further and more profound. The main difference between Freud’s and Jung’s studies lies in their conceptions of the unconscious and personality development.

I’ve read many psychology books and have been in therapy for over 15 years. My father always told me to write down my dreams every time I wake up, before I do anything else. That’s what I always do, but for the past two years, I’ve been using technology to combine it with my self-study. The tool fascinated me as soon as ChatGPT was launched. I thought: Will this tool be suitable for such a subjective study? After all, it wasn’t a program I wanted to code or some specific question with a straightforward answer. It was self-analysis. Since 2022, I’ve been writing down and analyzing my dreams with AI. Sometimes, I recall two or three dreams a night. Yes, I am a dream factory. I believe that, because I developed the habit early on, I have this facility. Usus promptos facit: Practice makes perfect.

I use three AIs to analyze my dreams: ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini. All three tools are very good, and I have long conversations with each AI ​​to best develop my analyses. ChatGPT is the most natural. Claude is also great, but a little more technical. And Gemini, in my opinion, is the best because it doesn’t miss important details, such as the blue color of my dress in the dream. I know, for you, future and already scientists, it seems crazy, but the study of our own psyche, the self-understanding of our traumas and neuroses, is crucial for you to live well.

I will give an example of a short dream because I usually include a lot of details, but in this case, I didn’t remember much. Let’s see how the AI ​​analyzed it:

The prompt I made for the AIS: “Analyze these dreams from a Jungian perspective.”

First dream: “I dreamed of a swimming pool that looked like a kind of lake, and I kept looking at it. Then, a horseman passed by in the pool, guiding a horse. One underwater submerged and another out of the water. Suddenly, he jumps out of the ‘pool’ and pulls the horse from underwater, which jumps out and leaves with a collar.”

Second dream: “I dreamed of riding a winged horse. A feeling of freedom.”

The AI responses:

Claude

From a Jungian perspective, these connected dreams contain rich symbolic content related to the unconscious mind and personal transformation.

First Dream Analysis

The Pool/Lake:

  • Water represents the unconscious in Jungian psychology
  • The ambiguous nature (pool that looks like a lake) suggests a threshold between the conscious (structured, man-made pool) and unconscious (natural lake)

The Horseman and Horse:

  • The horse is a powerful archetypal symbol representing instinctual drives, vitality, and natural power
  • The horseman represents conscious control or direction of these instinctual energies
  • Their positioning (one submerged, one above water) symbolizes the division between conscious and unconscious aspects of the self

The Emergence from Water:

  • This represents the integration of unconscious content into consciousness
  • The horseman pulling the horse from water symbolizes reclaiming or acknowledging repressed instinctual energies
  • The collar signifies that these wild energies are now contained and directed by consciousness

Second Dream Analysis

The Winged Horse (Pegasus):

  • Represents the transcendent function in Jungian terms - the union of earthly instinct (horse) with spiritual aspiration (wings)
  • Suggests successful integration of the unconscious content from the first dream

The Feeling of Freedom:

  • Indicates psychological liberation that comes from integrating previously unconscious aspects of the self
  • Suggests you’ve achieved a new level of self-understanding and wholeness

Connected Meaning

These dreams appear sequentially related, telling a story of psychological development:

  1. First, recognizing the division between conscious/unconscious (the pool/lake boundary)
  2. Witnessing the integration process (emerging from water)
  3. Experiencing the freedom and transcendence that comes from successful integration

This progression aligns with Jung’s concept of individuation - the process of becoming more whole by integrating unconscious aspects of the psyche.

ChatGPT

First Dream Analysis

  • The Pool as the Unconscious: The body of water resembles a lake rather than a regular pool, suggesting a deep unconscious realm. In Jungian thought, water often represents the collective unconscious—the vast, mysterious part of the psyche where symbols, instincts, and hidden knowledge reside.
  • The Horseman as the Ego or Guide: The horseman (a figure in control of horses) may symbolize a guiding force—perhaps your ego consciousness or an inner guide (a psychopomp) navigating between different levels of awareness.
  • The Dual Horses (One Submerged, One Above Water): The horse is a powerful symbol of instinct, energy, and freedom. The submerged horse could represent repressed or unconscious energy, while the horse above water could symbolize conscious or accessible vitality.
  • Emerging from the Water: The act of the horseman pulling the submerged horse out could symbolize integration—bringing something from the unconscious into conscious awareness. This could relate to personal transformation, reclaiming a hidden strength, or confronting something previously buried in the psyche.
  • The Collar: The fact that the horse leaves with a collar suggests taming or controlling instinctual forces. Perhaps this dream reflects a process of gaining mastery over powerful emotions or instincts.

Second Dream Analysis

  • The Winged Horse as a Spiritual Symbol: The winged horse is a transcendent image, often associated with Pegasus, which in mythology is linked to divine inspiration, poetic creativity, and a bridge between the earthly and the celestial.
  • Riding It as Mastery of Spiritual Power: In contrast to the first dream (where control is emerging), this dream suggests you have fully embraced your instinctual and spiritual energies, allowing you to experience freedom and transcendence.
  • Feeling of Freedom: This suggests that an internal integration has occurred—where the unconscious material from the first dream has been successfully incorporated, leading to an experience of psychological liberation.

Possible Psychological Meaning

These dreams could represent a process of individuation—moving from unconscious struggles (the submerged horse) to conscious mastery and transcendence (riding the winged horse). Instinct may be transformed into spiritual or creative energy, reflecting personal growth, emotional integration, and a rising above old limitations.

Gemini

Let’s analyze these dreams from a Jungian perspective, focusing on the symbolism and potential archetypal themes.

Dream 1: The Submerged Horse and Horseman

  • The Swimming Pool/Lake:
    • In Jungian psychology, water often symbolizes the unconscious. A large body of water like a lake suggests the vastness and depth of the dreamer’s unconscious. The fact that it resembles a pool may indicate a contained, somewhat artificial or constructed aspect of the unconscious.
    • The act of “looking at it” suggests the dreamer’s conscious mind is becoming aware of and contemplating their unconscious processes.
  • The Horseman:
    • The horseman can represent the animus (in a female dreamer) or the self (in any dreamer). The animus is the unconscious masculine side of a woman, representing reason, action, and assertiveness. The self is the totality of the psyche, encompassing both conscious and unconscious aspects.
    • The horseman in the water shows that this aspect of the psyche is currently operating within the unconscious.
  • The Horse:
    • Horses are powerful symbols of instinctual energy, vitality, and drive. They can also represent the libido.
    • The fact that one horse is submerged and the other is above water suggests a conflict or tension between conscious and unconscious drives.
    • The submerged horse could be a representation of repressed instincts.
  • The Action of Pulling the Horse Out:
    • This act signifies a conscious effort to bring unconscious content into awareness. The horseman, representing an aspect of the psyche, is working to integrate the submerged, instinctual energy.
    • The horse that jumps out and leaves with a collar could symbolize the integration of the instinctual energy into the conscious personality, but also that it will be controlled or directed. A collar is a symbol of tamed power.

Dream 2: Riding a Winged Horse

  • The Winged Horse:
    • A winged horse, like Pegasus, is a powerful symbol of transcendence, spiritual aspiration, and the integration of instinct and intellect.
    • Wings represent the ability to rise above earthly limitations and achieve higher levels of consciousness.
  • Riding:
    • Riding the winged horse signifies a sense of mastery and control over one’s instinctual drives.
  • Feeling of Freedom:
    • This feeling indicates a successful integration of unconscious content and a sense of liberation from inner conflicts. It shows a feeling of personal growth.

Jungian Interpretation:

  • These dreams suggest a process of individuation, the psychological journey toward wholeness. The first dream depicts the initial confrontation with the unconscious and the struggle to integrate repressed instincts. The second dream reflects a successful integration and a sense of liberation.
  • The first dream shows a process of bringing the unconscious to the conscious. The second dream shows the result of that process.
  • The transition from a submerged horse to a winged horse indicates a transformation of instinctual energy into a more refined and spiritual form.
  • The horse being collared could be a sign of a necessary control, or a fear of letting the instinct run wild. It is important to consider if this control is healthy or restrictive.
  • The progression from a lake-like pool to a winged horse suggests a movement from the depths of the unconscious to the heights of spiritual awareness.
  • Consider the dreamer’s current life situation. Are they facing inner conflicts or seeking personal growth? These dreams may be reflecting these inner processes.

Key Jungian Concepts:

  • The Unconscious: The vast realm of thoughts, feelings, and memories that are not readily accessible to the conscious mind.
  • Individuation: The process of psychological development that leads to the integration of the conscious and unconscious aspects of the self.
  • Archetypes: Universal, primordial images and patterns of behavior that reside in the collective unconscious.
  • Animus: The unconscious masculine side of a woman.
  • The Self: The totality of the psyche, encompassing both conscious and unconscious aspects.

These examples were just to illustrate. I usually then delve into the elements by researching myths and symbols. For example, in these dreams, I studied in depth the symbols and myths of horses in different cultures. I tried to see where the horse had been part of my life, and I stitched together the narratives. In this case, when I was little, I lived in a house with many horses in front. This may be showing something within my psyche. We need to think about the feeling they brought me. In this case, they brought joy; I liked to see them through the window. So, I delved deep into the image of Pegasus in Greek mythology. The lake, the mirror, the knight. It is simply fantastic to emerge in the “fiction” of our own being, to stitch together the patchwork of our improvement. I remember that during the pandemic, I had recurring dreams of death and people dying around me.

Jung said in one of his books that when he analyzed people shortly before World War II, he could “predict” that the war was coming. It was all in the subconscious of the people and the community. And it is not magic because magic does not exist. It is simply the subtleties of the social environment in which we live, and we absorb narratives, and successively, our dreams bring us precise images of this. Dreams often emerge as answers to studies or problems that we are experiencing. Dmitri Mendeleev provides such an example, having visualized the periodic table elements in his dream after a few days of thinking about them. Einstein said that he (day)dreamed about sliding along a ray of light, an image that later inspired him to develop the theory of relativity.

These cases illustrate how the dream state can allow creative connections that escape conscious and rational thought. That is why I study my own dreams. Some ideas have already emerged from there. I did not know what decision to make, so I made them based on a dream, and some answers came from this subjective world.

It is cool, fun, and profound when you ask the AI to analyze your dreams. I had this experience not long ago, and I can say that it was fantastic. Afterward, I shared it with my therapist, who was also impressed. The insights, ideas, reflections, and changes that they can bring to our lives are worth a lot. After all, our choices and patterns are always based on our minds, and everything emerges from there.