Eyes are one of the most important distinguishing characteristics of any person, so it is no surprise that eyes often play such a prominent role in our dream lives as well.

One of the most intriguing dreams about eyes is the one in which the dreamer sees his or her own eyes in the dream.  Seeing your own eyes in a dream, in a mirror for instance, or even symbolically, is often a representation of knowledge, enlightenment, intellectual awareness, understanding or sudden comprehension.

Dreaming about one’s own eyes can often mean that unconscious or repressed thoughts and images are breaking through to the surface.  The eyes are often seen as the window to the soul, so dreams about eyes can often be seen as meaning that hidden desires of the soul are coming through to the surface.

Dreaming of only one eye, or seeing only one eye in a dream, is very significant.  The left eye is often seen as a symbol of the moon, while the right eye is seen instead as a symbol of the sun.

Some people have reported dreams in which their eyes turned around in their heads.  This kind of dream can symbolize insight and spiritual awareness.  Dreaming about inwardly turned eyes can indicate a desire on  the part of the dreamer to examine themselves and their psyche.

These kinds of dreams often accompany psychological turning points in the life of the dreamer.  This type of dream about eyes can also mean that your subconscious is trying to warn you to be aware of something, or that you need to look within yourself for answers.  This kind of dream can be a warning to the dreamer to trust his or her instincts and intuitions.

On the other hand, dreaming that you have something in your eye can mean that there are obstacles in your path.  Dreams in which the dreamer has something in his or her eye can be the subconscious way of telling the dreamer that they need to overcome the barriers in their path.  These kinds of dreams can also be representations of the dreamer’s tendency to take a critical view of the actions of others.

Dreams in which the dreamer has only one eye can  symbolize the dreamer’s refusal to accept or see other points of view.  It can mean that the dreamer suffers from a jaded and stubborn way of thinking.

Dreaming that you have a third eye can mean that you should pay attention to your insight and inner vision.  Dreams about a third eye are often warnings for the dreamer to look within themselves.

Dreams of injured or closed eyes can symbolize a refusal to confront the truth about something you have been hiding from.  This kind of dream is often about avoiding intimacy, or avoiding looking at something you should.  Dreams about closed or injured eyes can also be expressions of pain or hurt feelings.

Dreaming about crossed eyes can mean that you are not seeing things properly.  Dreams about crossed eyes can indicate that you may be getting mixed up.

The back is one of the most commonly dreamed about parts of the body, and depending on its context within the dream the back can hold a great significance.

Backs can be symbols for many things, including your strengths, burdens, attitude and standing in the world.  Dreaming of a back that hurts, or a back that feels as though it is breaking, can mean the dreamer feels overwhelmed or overburdened by the events in his or her life.  Thus the dream is a manifestation of feelings of being asked to do too much with too little support.

Dreaming about a back can also indicate that the dreamer is feeling undue stress or pressure, especially from an outside source.  Those who are feeling overworked or pushed to hard on their jobs often dream that their back is hurting.  Stress is real life can cause back problems, and psychological stress can often manifest in dreams of an aching back.

If someone in your dream world turns their back on you, it can indicate that you harbor feelings of hurt, envy or jealousy toward that person.  The identify of the person who turns their back to you can be quite significant and it should be heeded.  Repressed feelings of anger or resentment often manifest themselves in dreams, and the turning of a dream character’s back toward you is one of the clearest manifestations of repressed feelings of this nature.

Seeing a back in your dream, or being afraid to turn your back on a person in your dream, may also indicate that you fear a betrayal, either of a personal or professional nature.  Dreaming about being afraid to turn your back to a coworker may indicate that you feel someone at work (not necessarily the person in the dream) is plotting against you.

If the character you refuse to turn your back on is a friend, you may feel the betrayal of a friend.  Again, the friend you fear will betray you may not be the one who appeared in the dream.  Dreams are symbolic, and one friend can be a dream stand-in for another, especially if you do not want to face up to the possibility of their betraying you.

If you dream about a naked back, it can mean that you are keeping secrets from those in your life, and that you fear that those secrets could be revealed and you could be exposed.  Dreams of any sort of nakedness, including an exposed back, are often manifestations of this type of fear.  If you have been keeping secrets, dreaming of a naked back may mean your subconscious is telling you to come clean.

The word archetype is actually derived from the Latin and Greek languages, but the world of psychiatry, particularly the work of Carl Jung, is what brought the word into common usage.  Simply stated, an archetype is a prototype, or an original model.  An archetype can also be used to mean the ideal example of a type.

Carl Jung used the word archetype to mean an instinct pattern of thought or imagery that was derived from collective experience.  Jung believed in the existence of the collective unconscious – that is that people are born knowing things learned from their ancestors.

There are several archetypes used in dream interpretation, and one of the most common of these archetypes is that of the child.

The child is quite a common symbol in dreams, and it is probably the most easily recognized archetypes.  After all, everyone can remember what it was like to be a child – the freedom of being a child, the unconditional love received from parents, the laughter and the innocence of the imagination.

In the world of dreams, the child reminds us of our past and our childhood.  Dreams involving children, or dreaming of ourselves as children, often symbolizes an unconscious desire to go back to a simpler time.  People in need of unconditional love often dream of being children or being surrounded by children.

Every psychology student is familiar with the concept of the inner child, the part of everyone that refuses to grow up, and is constantly in need of encouragement, comfort and unconditional love.

There are several other child archetypes and metaphors, and one of the most powerful of these is the Divine Child.  The Divine Child archetype is often encountered in mythology, and there are examples of the Divine Child in almost every major religion and belief system in the world.  This worldwide appearance is one of the hallmarks of a true archetype.

The Wounded Child, like the Divine Child, is also an archetype that is seen in cultures and religions all over the world.  The wounded child archetype is most closely associated with children who have been neglected or abused.  Dreaming of a wounded child, or dreaming of yourself as a wounded child, is often the manifestation of a desire for a loving, wonderful childhood.

In addition, the Wounded Child archetype may appear when you are facing something that reminds you of being a Wounded Child.  For instance, being blamed for something you did not do at work can take you back to the times a parent treated you unfairly.  Therefore, such a negative event in the workplace could trigger the appearance of the Wounded Child archetype in a dream.

There is no question that children are powerful dream symbols, and dreams about children can have many interpretations.  When interpreting any dream, it is always important to consider the context of the dream, and to take it into account when examining the dream.

Recurring dreams involving children can have their own meanings as well, and they can often be triggered by memories of childhood.  Often a return to a hometown, a grade school reunion, or running into a childhood friend you have not seen in years, can trigger dreams of being a child again.  These types of dreams are among the most common in the world of dream interpretation.