Sweet Dreams Are Made of This

[tabtab13]

Had any good dreams lately?

I can usually remember what I've dreamt about the night before, some have reoccurring themes, some just seem to be a mish mash of events.

If I'm under stress or anxious about something, I'll have my 'travelling dream'. This involves packing a suitcase but not being able to find certain things - and the clock is tick tick ticking away ...

Or I'll get to a railway station (late) and find the train is leaving from say platform 39 - but I know of no such platform at the station. Laden down with baggage, I finally find someone who can tell me where it is. I find the train, board it and sit down with minutes to spare - only to find that I'm on the wrong train. I have to struggle to get all my luggage together and get off - but more people are getting on, so it's difficult to leave the train.

Another stressful dream is fighting some sort of faceless 'monster'. Not a fairy tale type sort of monster, but not exactly human either. Faceless in the sense I cannot identify who or what it is. There's two variants on this. One, I go to throw a punch, but the nearer I get to making contact, the slower my fist travels, so when I do actually make contact, my fist is hardly moving at all. The second variant is I'm battering the hell out of whatever it is, not just with fists, but with anything I can lay my hands on, but none of this makes any difference.

Then there are the more light hearted dreams. I don't snowboard (never have done), but I'm on an invisible snowboard, shooting around all over the place (but never on snow) and usually travelling at quite a speed. It's excellent fun!

And I have flying dreams - not flying in the strictest sense, more a case of jumping into the air and 'swimming' through it. That's great fun too.

One type of dream I find really strange is dreaming that I'm dreaming. This also has two variants, First one is I'm aware in my dream that it is a dream and I know at some point I'll wake from it. The other variant is I'm dreaming, I wake up within my dream (but I'm still asleep) and then go back to sleep - again within my dream. So, a dream within a dream.

Anyone else have any good dreams they'd like to share? ::9:

 

[treeve]

Fairly 'common' Jungian images. I am afreud I do not subscribe to that other 'analyst' - I reckon he needs psychoanalysis. You have acquired from experiences all the tools that are needed to use the shorthand and 'jokes' that your mind requires. I have a dream record somewhere of my escapes and fears. It will take quite a while to find and assemble. Dreaming and remembering that dream requires a proper mechanism. My Circadian Clock is completely out of Synchonisation, so dreams are rare now. Dreams are so very dependant upon your Self and your Psychology, the persona is never seen, it is acted. Hence the name of the 'actor' in Greek plays was the Persona, the mask, as they wore them to display emotions and to hide their true human features. In Life, The true self is observed in dreams.

 

[bear]

dreams

Hi Tab Tab.
First I'd like to say I have no idea what a Circadian clock is, and I'm neither young or Fred. My belief is this. Most dreams are a mash of past experiences. Some we are proud of and some we are not. The brain remembers it all, and we often tell it to forget the bits that hurt us. So during normal everyday life we protect ourselves by overriding the instinct to remember. It's like talking to somebody who talks about something you don't want to talk about, so you tactfully change the subject, and feel ok about the conversation. However the brain is a living thing, and will always remind you of its experiences. So when you are awake and strong you win, but when you are tired or weary through stress it wins, and you have to listen.
I found your dreams interesting, and though i'm no psychoalalyst, if you don't mind I'd like to have a go at breaking down the dreams into bite sized chunks.
From looking at what you saw in you dreams, I would say that you would like to put things right that happened in your past. So you're trying to pack in a hurry, and you are afraid that you will not pack some vital item that you should take back with you. The clock is ticking and the train will not wait for you. This is because this is something you should have done a long time ago, and time is running out. (we are all guilty of this) Something we should have said or done, but haven't. So having packed and arrived at the station you don't know where the train is, Maybe because the way back isn't straight forward anymore, your present life has separated you from the past. you are doubtful because you don't know how your present family and friends will look upon you for wanting to go back in time to put things right. 39 is interesting, was that just a random number or is it always platform 39? So eventually you get to the train only to find that it is the wrong train. Don't forget that you have all this baggage that you have been carrying, and your not sure that you have everything you need. You are confused, and try to get off the train, but people won't let you get off. To me this tells me that you have decided that if you take this journey, you are well aware that there is no going back.
You are also craving freedom. Hence the snowboarding and the free as a bird thing.
here endeth the gospel according to Bear. good luck.

 

[treeve]

Circadian Clock

This is Man's inbuilt sense of time. It already has problems, in that when Man first gained awareness beyond Animal response (sunset, sunrise, hungry, thirsty) and gained a sense of the time of day, the day was 25 hours long. Each of us reacts to the 'clock' in different ways, and it appears to start when we are born. Generally we are most active in mind around the same time each day. It depends on daily activity as well, obviously, hard work makes us tired. It also depends on our internal resilience and will to 'go on'. People have been shown to lose sense of time altogether when placed in a room without sense of the external world. That is not to say that windows only are blocked. The sounds of birds will offer 'clues' to the subconscious. For over three years now, I have had my clock severely out of kilter. As a result of trying to get any sleep at all, I was given tranquilisers and sleeping tablets, et, etc. The result was the I felt quite ill and my blood pressure raised, I decided to let it happen when it did. So, I went to bed when tired and got out when I woke up. That was from 4am until 2pm. That has now changed to 2am to 11am. My system is way out of alignment with natures day. That means that the daily rhythm of sleep cycle is also out of alignment. So my deepest sleep rhythm does not coincide with my waking time rhythm. Therefore I either do not 'have a dream' or I cannot remember having one. That is what I meant. Modern Man is less aware of the Circadian Day in any event, what with alarm clocks, noises in the street and so on, but it is most obvious when a person is very tired 'for no reason'. Give it some thought next time you are wildly hungry or need a sleep in the middle of the day. It could be your natural body clock needs re-winding.

 

[treeve]

39

ps. 'bear' is pretty near right. Our minds acquire a lot of information in our lives, and in dreams, some of them are used as a form of mental shorthand. These depend on our lives and experiences, rather than archetypal images from previous generations or times. 39, to my mind conjures up the story of The Thirty Nine Steps, which I find to be very impressionable, representing injustice, mystery and especially the pursuit, there is nowhere for him to hide. Everyone is after him, for no reason that he knows. It is coupled with images of panic and frustration. Would that be a fair assessment of underlying feelings?

 

[tabtab13]

Interesting! Though first off, '39' was just an example in the sense of Platform 39 would be a long way off (could have been 40, 50, 60 etc) - it just adds to the stress that even though I made it to the station, there's still further to go to make that train on time. But an interesting point, treeve, I am familiar with the film The 39 Steps, so I wonder why I chose '39' as an example here?

Difficult to pinpoint when these dreams first started - but I've had them on and off for years. Many years back I use to commute to work, so there were times when it was a last minute dash to the station in the morning, or jump on the train standing on the usual platform - then hoping it was going the right way. Or waiting for late tubes, knowing if it didn't come soon, I'd miss my railway connection.

I once also had a two week contract working abroad. It was stressful, long hours, not eating properly and having to stay in a hotel away from home. After the last day finished, I was finally able to relax and went to bed exhausted. Slept right through the alarm and woke up with minutes to spare before checking out time, packed in a hurry and then a dash to the airport.

These things may all contribute to the dreams.

On the other hand, I have hurt people emotionally in the distant past - and I still carry that guilt with me to this day - a 'baggage' if you like, so Bear's observations make a lot of sense - I would like to make things right.

I am not a violent man, so I do find the 'battering the hell out of some one or something' disturbing - but I do think it's more a sense of frustration manifesting itself, rather than wanting to commit acts of violence.

I very rarely wake up in the morning and go 'Wow! What a beautiful dream that was - how inspiring and uplifting!" - other than the 'snowboarding/flying ones'. They mainly are dark, stressful, sad etc - I have even had dreams in which I have been crying and have woken up with real tears.

The irony is, in waking hours, I'm a pretty happy go lucky sort of bloke. Perhaps it's all to to with the ying and yang of the conscious and the subconscious.

 

[sparky]

Dreams....interesting subject, I can remember some dreams the next day when I awake, and I always seem to dream a dream where I am running as fast as I can, but going nowhere fast, (if you know what I mean) its like my feet are stuck in some sort of jelly/glue and I'm running like the clappers, but its taking ages to get there.

Also I dream sometimes of falling, and that I believe is falling of the Astral Plane (I think thats what its called) this is where I suddenly fall from a tall building, or feel like I'm falling , then with a start/Jump I'm fully awake, very wierd.

And I dream a dream where I can see myself in this dream plain as day and I'm hiding from something and crouching behind a rock and Also I am standing close to the rock and I'm telling myself to go in a different direction, this is also a bit wierd.

As for remembering them....alas I cannot think of one at the moment, but when I do I will post my dream here.
funny how we remember some dreams and not others?

 

[tabtab13]

Ah yes, sparky, had the running through glue dream too - very frustrating!

Also when I have just dropped off (a sort of in between state of awake and asleep), I dream that I have slipped or tripped and wake up with a start too.

 

[tabtab13]

Just one other thing that springs to mind, in my dreams, I'm always about the the same age (25) and look and dress the same way as I did way back then. That was a great time in my life, so I don't know what to make of the contradiction in that and the stress/frustration dream contents.

 

[treeve]

@tabtab- No contradiction at all, 25, young virile and confident is what you want to be, but your subconscious knows that this is not so, so feel inadequte, struggling against time passing. It is the penultimate inevitability.
\\
. .. waking up with a start stems back to the night terror. It was believed way back that daemons would sit on your chest and pull the air from your lungs (there is a well known evil painting of such a beast, I must find that) , rather explained scientifically as apnoia, the lungs exhale ... too much, or even stop, maybe even the throat tissue blocks the airway, resulting in the 'panic' as it is realised that life is threatened. Make no mistake, it needs checking, it has been known to cause damage. If it is regular and pronounced, check with the doctor as to problems, or even a 'snoring' clinic.
I studied sleep and night terrors a long time ago, I wonder if I still have the book?
Here is one of the two pictures ..

 

[treeve]

@sparky - falling, hiding, feet unable to move correctly - all standard signs of insecurity. A basic feeling of being unable to cope, but not drastically so, the long fall is total insecurity. Often accompanied by the sudden awakening at the body's reaction in the amygdala, the basic self protection system that shouts, danger! Sudden jump and awake with heart pounding.

 

[treeve]

No, can't find it; a major text book on sleep, rhythms and patterns, cycles, depths, times, with charts; and a full description of terrors, nightmare states, heart rates .... it was only a library second copy, loose leaf, but not printed that way!

 

[tabtab13]

Not exactly a daemon, but remember the old wives tale about how a cat will smother a sleeping baby?

Well, one of our cats (Pip) will wait until I get into bed, sit on my chest, massage my throat and then settle down resting her face across my mouth. That's on a good night, other times she will try and settle on my chest facing the other way - but I had to put a stop to that!

 

[treeve]

Water you dreaming about

Not a good habit to encourage ...

As to water in dreams. They refer to Our Emotions.
Whether or not we have problems with being in touch with our inner feelings, feeling something for or from someone else ...
It depends on what the water is doing.
If it is rising unmercilessly, we are feeling swamped by situations.
If is is icy, then we feel unloved, or treated coldly by someone.
If it is rough, that is a reaction to life's turbulence.
As in 'cast adrift' in a small boat ... I have known many people to have that feeling and have such dreams.
You may be on a fast moving river or even heading for a waterfall.
The inevitability of being overcome by emotions ... love or hate, they are parallel emotions, and the standard British Male will fight the thought of being emotional about anything.
The opposite of Love is Indifference.
Heading for rocks on a rough fast river is typical of any young lad fearing the responsibility that comes with accepting that he may be in love with a girl, and actually what it means .... as in 'getting wet feet'.
Making a commitment is hard going. That requires strength, a pair of strong oars and a good rudder, it requires teamwork. That is admission that we cannot do it all on our own. That is even harder for most males to accept.
Being Brave does not necessarily involve facing a thousand Massai warriors. It could mean facing our own secret fears.

Water in Dreams = Emotions.

 

[bear]

I had a bad dream once. I dreamt I was eating a giant marshmallow, and when I woke up ............the pillow was gone!


The old ones are the best.

 

[treeve]

You are so right about the old ones. I have a problem with that contradiction in terms 'modern comedy'.

 

[bear]

oooooooops. Excuse me sir. I thought I would try to inject a little levity into this thread. From here on on in the floor is "all" yours.

 

[Halfhidden]

@bear

 

[treeve]

oooooooops. Excuse me sir. I thought I would try to inject a little levity into this thread. From here on on in the floor is "all" yours.

I was agreeing with you .. I have no intention to offend anyone. Nothing much worse than an empty thread, and even ruder not to reply to something that has been said which has worth. I wish more replies were forthcoming .... or even 5th ....

 

[Halfhidden]

Dreams, dream, dreams!
ummm well here goes. I don't dream that often (mostly in an alcoholic coma ) no but seriously when I do I have no idea what the hell it's all about.
I mentioned on site earlier (picked up by tabtab13) that I had a re occurring dream of a tidal wave hitting Penzance. Up until now I've dreamt that I saw the wall of sea and ran as fast as I could.... always i got away from the tidal wave but ended up at the top of Mount street looking at the now engulfed Penzance. I've had this dream as long as I can remember.
About two weeks ago I revisited the dream with what I can only describe as a Dolby sound upgrade and full HD.
It was the most realistic dream I've ever encountered. I felt absolutely every sensation.... wind, smell, ground movement, fear, sight, unbelievable sound....
What happened that was different in the dream this time was my location. I was at the war memorial at Batter Rocks when I felt the wind suddenly pick up. I looked out to sea and saw what appeared to be a white crest of a wave some distance out. Taking no notice I looked back at the swimmers in the Jubilee pool.
Now you know when you dream... it's about 80% crap and you just make sense of the things you can... often you are trapped and stuck in jelly or something like that.... perhaps you hide from yourself and see that you run past yourself whilst being chased by a monster or something...... well this wasn't one of those dream... this was in techno-colour and vivid sound!!
Anyway, getting back to the dream.
There I am on a wonderful summers day observing the swimmers enjoying themselves in the pool when I start to feel cold... The temperature drops several degrees and the light is suddenly fading. Looking up I can see angry black clouds and wonder where they came from.
Moments later the ground starts to vibrate and the wind picks up. Car alarms start to go off in the distance and the birds all take to flight in the same direction. Suddenly people are screaming and at that point I turn on my heels to see a giant wall of pure darkness. At first I wasn't sure what it was but as the strong smell of seaweed and salt hit my lungs my greatest fear was suddenly a reality... the tidal wave was only a few seconds away. I remember feeling sick, cold and tearful as the realisation of the inevitable was just a few seconds away.... despite this time seemed to slow and I had some quality thoughts about my friends and family and how sad and pointless this ending was for me... by now I had gone into shock and I was shaking uncontrollably and I couldn't think or see anything because I was crying out of fear. I remember wiping my eyes with the sleeve of my arm and thinking this can't be it. Looking down I could see some rope tied to the fence and left looped on the floor... without so much of a thought I threw myself to the floor and lashed myself as tight as I could to the fence.... fearing the worst I made my peace with everyone and hoped to be forgiven myself.... and then took a large breath and closed my eyes....
The sound grew louder and louder and the floor shook like mad, the wind was like a storm and I had a hard job to hold on...... all of a sudden I was emerged in total darkness and then one almighty explosion.

I woke with a start!
I don't normally have such bad dreams... well not that graphic anyway.... but I thought I would write this one up just in case anyone else had one like it... or perhaps they could recommend a decent psychotherapist