Ive come to think of consciousness as a continuum of states from fully awake cogitation to daydreaming to the altered consciousness of hallucinations and dreams. Still interpreting dreams can only take place when were awake. I believe meaning is what the mind makes and wants. Its essential to perception and to consciousness in all its forms. But the important meanings of psychotherapy are subjective. Theres a lot of research that confirms that drem content reflects the dreamers emotional conflicts.