Sara-Jayne Makwala King13 June 2025 | 13:40

Unlocking the mystery of dreams: What our sleeping minds reveal

Why do we dream, what do our dreams mean, and why do some of us remember every detail, while others recall nothing at all?

Unlocking the mystery of dreams: What our sleeping minds reveal

Photo: Pixabay/Katniss12

It was William Shakespeare who once wrote, "To sleep, perchance to dream," - but why do we dream and what purpose do our dreams serve?

We spend around a third of our lives in the land of nod, and yet it's still not clear what actually happens to our minds during those hours.

Moreover, while some of us will dream every night, in full technicolor, others will rarely go on mindful nighttime adventures.

Clement speaks to two dream interpreters who talk about the significance of our dreams and how to unpack what they really mean...

"With amaphupho [dreams] there's always, always a message."
- Gogo Sifiso Macozoma, Traditional Healer and Dream Interpreter
"Dreams are like movies, you always have the main character, the villain, you'd also have the [other] characters. Sometimes the main character is you."
- Gogo Sifiso Macozoma, Traditional Healer and Dream Interpreter
"I always say to people that dreams from our ancestors have a certain quality to them that is unshakeable. They tend to linger long after you've had the dream."
- Gogo Ntombiyamanzi, Traditional Healer and Dream Interpreter
"Whereas dreams that are about your mind just sorting out the mental clutter, they are easy to forget, they don't have such a powerful emotional resonance."
- Gogo Ntombiyamanzi, Traditional Healer and Dream Interpreter

Scroll up to audio player to find out more about how to unlock the meaning of your dreams.