A Resource Center for Dreamers

Sex, Symbols and Dreams
by Janice Baylis
Sun, Man, Moon Publishing
ISBN 0-917738-05-5
Reviewed by Ziah Borkesh

Janice Baylis is not a practicing psychologist, she is an educator. Nevertheless, she is not a dream neophyte. As her extensive references demonstrate, she has been deeply involved in dream study and instruction for many years. Exposing the logic and system behind the seemingly bizarre is the special genius of Sex, Symbols & Dreams. Part I demonstrates on what basis dream-mind substitutes an image as a reference to a related idea, activity, feeling or meaning. There is always some connecting area of similarity. Baylis proceeds by inductive reasoning from astute observation of waking language, the history of dream interpretation, and even cartoon humor, to the formulation of generalizations supported by empirical data. The result is this statement of a general relationship between many variables. "Dream images and their referent meanings are two sides of an equivalent equation. There is a sufficiency of similarity in regard to the areas compared such that one can substitute the other." With exceptional analytic and organizational skills, Baylis delineates seven symbol substitute systems. For example, qualities or properties — shape, function, etc; word relationships — puns, homonyms, etc.; literary figures of speech — allegory, personification, etc.. Detail by detail, with dream examples, Sex, Symbols & Dreams builds a compelling and logical case for these systems. A secondary focus is how sexual imagery fits into each system. Dream examples range from sexual rape as a substitute for financial rape or sexual organs as a substitute for creativity to sexual attraction as a substitute for attraction to philosophy. The chapter "Beyond Personality Plus" is all about the transcendent function of the psyche and it’s uplifting toward ultimate joining with divinity. Part II extends this focus and presents sexual imagery related to the practical side of dreams. This emphasis on dreams being relevant to the dreamer’s daily problems is another Baylis specialty. She also wrote Sleep on it! The Practical Side of Dreaming. The sexual focus necessitated the occasional use of some offensive vocabulary, but it is kept as minimal and as clinical as possible. I enjoyed reading Sex, Symbols & Dreams. It is well organized, very well referenced, amusing and often touching. However, so much is covered, that I felt overwhelmed. I’ll have to live with the book awhile to absorb all of it. A chart section in Part IV will surely help. The major concepts are laid out in charts. A mini-dictionary demonstrates how to relate a given image to each of the symbol systems and how its meaning would vary accordingly. The author’s purpose does not seem to be to argue the reader into accepting the claims of the seven symbol substitution systems. Rather, she wishes to present evidence that suggests this is what goes on in dreams. She is willing to leave tracing the neurological brain paths of associative linking to laboratory scientists. I agree that the premises deserve further investigation. Dreams use narrative symbolism with a logic of their own, rather than straight forward factual documentation and that is not easy to trace. I came away with an added respect for the vastness and mystery of the dream-mind terrain. All in all, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.