Analyzing Dreams and Uncovering the Subconscious Mind : Analyzing Dreams and Uncovering the Subconsc

[Awakening]

Thanks Tammy. I guess you are right I don't particularly like it!

Well not so much dislike but I feel uncomfortable but also that this could be an opportunity for me.

Its definitely true that I wonder how I get through the day without killing myself with over analysis. Honestly those words freaked me out with their accuracy. Absolutely spot on summary.

I definitely want to feel better, I'm over it. I have lots of new ideas from therapy and thinking and reading. But yes I seem to fail to stick with any changes and then revert back to comfort eating, alcohol, internet.

It hasn't occured to me that I don't want to change though. From my point of view I *know* what I need to do, and for a few days will do the new things, but in the end I find myself back where I started using bad coping mechanisms, feeling despair & wondering how I got there.

I'm not sure whether I'm dissociating? Or maybe some part of me really doesn't want to change. That's the baffling part. I use defenses, I avoid. Hmmm. The ideas itself sound fine to me. I certainly don't want to stay stuck the way I am.

I get confused/over loaded. I keep having break throughs only to revert back.

Maybe I am lying to myself, but it doesn't feel like it. It feels like I'm trying my hardest. Although I admit I long to go back to the 'old me' and I guess that will never happen.

Thanks Tammy, I'm really appreciating all your help on this. It's opening up my mind. I will have to keep thinking about what you have said over my last couple of dreams to see what this block is.

Perhaps it's worth asking myself before I go to sleep? I've heard if you want the answer to something i.e. how to stop lying to myself, you can sometimes get the answers in your dream?

 

[Seeking_Nirvana]

It's true you can ask yourself questions and find the answers in your dreams (Well, I can any way). Your subconscious has the answers, but we can't always see it due to our busy lives and other issues going on.

Just to let you know everyone stays stuck in bad habits (so don't beat yourself up over it). I'm still doing it too and I have recurring dreams telling me to change, and as I try some things do change, while others stay the same.

It's an ongoing process that we all go through and your progressing, but I wanted to point this out bluntly, so that maybe if you truly know your stalling then maybe it would put the fire under your butt LOL.

One of my friends does that to me. His favorite saying is "Your Still Stuck In The Past" when he reads a dream of mine. I still see it in my own dreams and others point it out as well.

We can't heal over night and change takes time. Change is uncomfortable and scary. So hang in there and just keep trying to move forward toward your goals.

I'm not a therapist and this is just advice. You can take what you want and toss what doesn't fit.
Peace
Tammy

 

[Awakening]

Thanks Tammy, I really appreciate your input. I know it's not the answer, but your analysis sparks some new train of thinking for me. Mostly I find the whole dream thing quite comforting.

And your right I have to cut myself some slack. It's just so annoying feeling like you don't even know your own mind.

I'm still dreaming, but no magic answer appeared. I wonder why my subconscious just can't spell it out for me rather then using all these symbols LOL!

 

[cookie]

here's a short but weird one. the first time, i dreamed that i lit my clothes on fire(in the closet). i lit one side and then the other. i know i had a reason, but i couldn't remember it. the next time (2 nights later) i had the same dream, but as i watched it burn, i could see m y daddy standing behind the rack of clothes. he was not burning or reacting, just staring coldly. i was shocked to see him there, i don't think he was the reason i set them on fire. whenever you feel like doing this. no hurry. thanks, cathy

 

[Seeking_Nirvana]

Hi Cathy, I sent that dream meaning to you in your PM.

Take care of yourself
Tammy

 

[WorkingThruIt]

Alright, I have been trying to stick my head in the sand lately and put my healing process on the back burner. The damn dreams won't leave me alone. I had a really bad one last night and I am looking for a little insight. I was really upset when I woke up, heart racing and all of that.

I was traveling on foot (outside) with a group of people. We had to be careful and hide in ditches and such because people were trying to find us and kill us. The people coming to kill me is a disturbingly common theme for my dreams, but I am usually by myself. I finally made it to a house and was trying to keep from being shot and explaining what I do and why to someone else. I went out on the back porch and saw a pack of three wolves outside the porch enclosure. I think I was explaining how to keep the wolves out to the person and then one broke through the screen and started tearing apart the lower half of my arm. I remember feeling the pain of the bite, which is kind of unusual for my dreams. I fought with the wolf and finally got it off my arm and was trying to close up the screen when another stuck his head in and took a huge chunk of the upper part of my arm. The second bite was considerably worse than the first. It was very gory.

 

[Seeking_Nirvana]

Hi workingthruit, Sorry you had this dream and it upset you.
This is a trauma dream. There is not a lot to analyze in trauma dreams, but I did pick up a few things.

As a general rule traveling on foot would represent our present journey in life (the direction we are moving right now).

The group of people are aspects of your personality. The other people trying to find you and kill you are the negative aspects of your personality. You are in conflict with yourself because you’re repressing (hiding in ditches) your trauma and not dealing with it.

When you get to the house your trying to reason with yourself and others why you chose to do the things you do. Also the back yard and porch is a place we generally don't want the public to see, so there is something you don't want to see in yourself and you don't want some one else to this either. This something would most likely be that you have instincts just like the wolf does.

Wolves represent reckless abandonment and instinct. Kill or be killed and only the strong will survive. You are discussing how to keep the wolf aspect out of you. The wolf is an aspect of yourself that is repressed into your subconscious and you won't let yourself acknowledge it. You won't act on instincts and harm anyone, but in the dream you are doing that to yourself. Arms generally represent how we reach out to people and things so maybe your not reaching out for help.

Most likely the wolf/you could represent the repressed feelings of wanting to rip your abusers arm off as well, especially if his/her arms were used a lot in the abuse. Also maybe your abuser hurt your arm. (Off topic - my abuser bit my arm and left a scar)

The gun is a symbol of power and fear. If your abuser had one then this is the trauma your seeing in your dream and doesn't mean anything but what it is--trauma. If the abuser didn't use a gun then it shows that your trying to control situations that you can't control and it's causing fear.

I want to mention that life gets so busy it's easy to put our recovery on the back burner. I used to have nightmares 2-3 times a week, and have a freaky- bizarre one at least once a week. I started writing them down and went to people to help me understand them.

Once I understood that these dreams are not literal, they don't bother me anymore. My trauma dreams will always bother me and we will probably always have one once in awhile. But I rarely have trauma dreams or bizarre dreams anymore because I took the time to figure out what dreams mean, and that it's all in our subconscious mind.

I can laugh at most of my bizarre dreams now. But there was a time that they haunted me for days. Please try to stick with your healing and the dreams will calm down.

Take care
Tammy

 

[WorkingThruIt]

That makes sense. I appreciate your input. I used to be better at handling the dreams, but now they seem so real that I find them very upsetting.

Thanks again!
Mary

 

[linasmom]

I'm wondering if anyone could give some insight into a recurring dream I had as a child:

I used to dream, many times, of animated pigs bowling. I was there but in the dream I could never see myself, the view of the dream was through my own eyes. The pigs and I (I wonder if I was an animated pig, too?) would be in a dark bowling alley, I could never see any other lanes, just our lane. I would watch the pigs bowl and eventually, I would turn into the bowling ball, but again, I could never see myself. I would, while dreaming, feel the pigs picking me up then being rolled down the lane, I would hit the pins and then drop off into black. At this point, I would always wake up from my dream, with my stomach feeling like I was falling. I haven't had this dream since I was a kid, but had it often as a child.

Any insight?

Best,
Rachel

 

[Seeking_Nirvana]

Would anyone else like to give this dream a try? Just jump in and say what come to mind with regard to the symbols.

Hi Rachel

This may seem strange but all symbols represent you in one way or another.

If this were my dream,

My life didn't appear to be real; it seemed like a game that was being played out at my expense. I made myself believe that I could be a happy, and energetic person who in reality was depressed, feeling alone and scared.

I didn't like my space invaded and was unable to see beyond my own beliefs of who I was at that time.

Some times I was being hit, other times I was doing the hitting and then other times I was a doormat. It took skill and intelligence to keep myself from completely breaking down.

Also, there were times when I would play the game and times I felt the game was being played on me. This would cause me to hit (pins) a more depressed state of mind and withdrawal into the dark side where I felt my life was out of control.

If this were an adults dream I would say that you are hard on yourself and passive- aggressive? Could you let me know if this fits in with your reasoning back then. I'm interested in learning children's dreams. They are a bit different than adult dreams. I haven't interpreted very many children's dreams

Thanks
Tammy

 

[WorkingThruIt]

Rachel,
How old were you when you were having this dream? Was there anything major going on in your life at the time?

Children's dreams are different than adult dreams. Words lack connotation, some symbols are different, etc.

I would say that it most likely has to do with feeling a loss of control. The animation and the pigs could just be a child's imagination, not any specific symbols. I find it interesting that you saw yourself as an inanimate object. Did you ever have a feeling about who the pigs were? Did you have a feeling like you knew them (in a general sense, doesn't have to be specific)? I think that would give you some insight of who they represented. Did the pigs know that you had feelings when you were a ball?

The dream says to me that you felt like you didn't have control and the people that did have control weren't considering your feelings. Your perception may have been that were being selfish and/or ignoring your feelings or needs.

 

[Grama-Herc]

Had a dream DUH My car broke down and I started to walk home. Was dressed in business suit, looking good. Stopped at a bar to call mom to come and pick me up. Sat down at a table and suddenly someone I knew--don't know who it was-walked up,asked me to join her group.

Suddenly, I noticed an extremely handsome man smiling at me. He came over, introduced himself and ask to join the group. I was completely under his spell. He had the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen

I then realized that I did not tell my mom that I had left where ever I was and had started walking. Knowing she would not be able to find me I jumped up saying I must go. This beautiful man with the fantastic eyes begged me to stay. He professed his love for me and held me safe and secure in his arms. Those eyes. OMG those eyes. If I ever see them in real life I'll be in trouble.

This dream was one of those really REAL dreams. I can still feel the sense of safety and security I felt when he held me.

I just simply love dreams like this. I've had similar dreams with the warm and fuzzy feeling staying after waking up but this one--Oh his eyes OMG