Abstract
Dreaming plays a part in many of the world’s religions, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism Christianity, and Islam. However, research into what the actual dreams of religious persons look like is very rare. Within a series of 2,055 dreams recorded over more than 30 years by a Benedictine nun, the frequency and content of church dreams were analyzed. The church dream frequency (11%) was high compared to other samples. The findings indicate that the daily religious practices of the dreamer as a nun is reflected in her dreams, with the most frequent church being “her” church and the most frequent activity related to the church being religious (praying, singing, a church service). Interestingly, the nun’s dreams also included profound religious dreams of inner liberation, insights, and positive feelings. It would be interesting to study the beneficial effects of dreams in other persons who have dedicated their lives to religious practice, whether within Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism, Judaism, or any other faith.
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The author would like to thank the dreamer for coding her dreams and providing the data for the present analysis.
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Schredl, M. Church Dreams in a Long Dream Series of a Benedictine Nun. Pastoral Psychol (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11089-024-01125-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11089-024-01125-y