Dreams

I wasn't sure where to post this so finally decided on the Open Forum.

I find dreams completely fascinating, even the idea of dreaming and all that happens to us in these "episodes" while we are asleep. The trouble with me is it is very hard for me to remember my dreams, so I have been keeping a dream journal and jotting down what I do remember hoping this will lead me to being able to remember more and more of them.

So, I have been thinking about dreams today and was curious about what others here might think. Do you attach much meaning or significance to dreams? Do you think they are a random dumping ground? Have you ever dreamed something that happened later? How about recurring dreams? I would just like to hear any thoughts you might have and any interesting dreams you might like to share.

I've had wonderful dreams after people have died where they tell me all is well. I've had a few when I dreamed of some event and then it happened. I find it interesting that some dreams I remember and write down I completely forget until I read what I wrote, but can still NOT remember the details. I had a counselor who asked about dreams, then asked what I thought about the dream, so I suspect the interpretation I had told her a good bit about my thinking. She helped me in many ways through a bout of serious depression and very little of the time was spent on dreams. My husband dreams vividly, remembers them and they are generally very funny.

Very occasionally, every couple years, I am aware of dreaming but just as I am waking up and the thought is lost very quickly. I could never figure out if I didn't dream or simply stopped before I woke up.
Curious to see what others say.

I dream vividly all the time, in color, and I usually remember at least fragments of my dreams. It is like free weird movies every night, so I rather like my dreams. I do think it is mostly a dumping ground, but I also think it's a place where our subconscious minds work on things or try to make sense of them. I have a recurring series of hotel dreams where I am checking in and out of hotels, moving luggage, trying to coordinate with my fellow travelers (always my closest family). I think these have something to do with my concerns about my aging mother, thoughts about family co-housing, etc. I like hotels and associate them with vacation, but in my dreams, it is always an annoying experience.

I have a lot of dreams also, I see a lot of meaning in them as well. I look meanings up all the time, sometimes I disagree and sometimes it makes a lot of sense. I have had some wild ones! Really prophetic too.

I had one recently with luggage and my work colleagues. It seemed that others were having an opportunity to move on, that one made sense,

There are places in dreams that have an existence of their own. I have a basement secret apartment that I know very well and it almost so real that I could draw it out. Sometimes I miss this place, a home I used to live in, but it is a dream construct that is very real.

What about work anxiety dreams? As a teacher my dreams often concern having no control over the kids in the classroom, or not having a lesson ready, or losing the children. I would assume other professions have work dreams, too.

When I was a word processor I had a dream that my boss, the owner of the market research company I worked for, delivered my baby. A couple of months later I asked her for the market research analyst job and she gave it to me. You don't have to be Freud to figure that one out.

I have recurring anxiety dreams about missing trains, plains and busses. It's horrible. It's usually in the context of getting to a place I have to be at, but either I'm late for train, or the plane doesn't come. I just had one recently where I had to be in a place quickly and I get on the plane and realize I'm leaving from Europe so it's going to take hours and hours. And they had make a stop in another city.

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Originally Posted by Zoe Girl

There are places in dreams that have an existence of their own. I have a basement secret apartment that I know very well and it almost so real that I could draw it out. Sometimes I miss this place, a home I used to live in, but it is a dream construct that is very real.

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That is VERY interesting. A secret apartment that you can go to. Do you find yourself dreaming of this when you have had a hard time with something? I don't think I have heard of this before, but could see how a person's mind could construct a safe place to go to.

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Originally Posted by catherine

I have recurring anxiety dreams about missing trains, plains and busses. It's horrible. It's usually in the context of getting to a place I have to be at, but either I'm late for train, or the plane doesn't come. I just had one recently where I had to be in a place quickly and I get on the plane and realize I'm leaving from Europe so it's going to take hours and hours. And they had make a stop in another city.

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When I was working full time I had dreams similar to this. I would usually be out at lunch (from work) in my dreams, and I would be in a store shopping or maybe gone home for lunch and would be busy doing something. When I looked at the clock it would be around 3 p.m. or so and I would think "OH, I am late getting back from lunch!" as if I had completely lost track of time.

Both DH and I have had vivid, nightly dreams since retiring. Perhaps because we can sleep so much more. Every morning, we both comment that we have to get up because the dreams are just too much. He often dreams about work but I haven't had a single dream about work or the people I knew there. I return to familiar places in dreams-rooms or buildings-that I don't know while awake. I sometimes think that waking life might be a dream.

I had a long involved dream last night about coming into lots of money and buying this massive 7 story home. Each floor was several thousand square feet. I was planning out how many staff we would need to manage it and which floor each of our kids would claim as their own. I was planning to put my husband in charge of the grounds, one son maintenance, One son bill paying, Daughter in law the kitchen, Daughter the wellness program, Son in law the technology, me the cleaning and laundry. This is based on our personal strengths and is logical. All with a staff member to assist each of us of course.

This was a very realistic long dream. I loved it. And of course I was in charge. Ha.

Last night I had one where I was in a van in a parking lot. Just hanging out, not actually living there but not going anywhere. Seems that I was okay but a little antsy about it.

Then I had a dream that I was at some training/conference and we had to go to the 9th floor for a training on contracts! Ahhh my nemesis is contracts. I got up there and a guy was questioning all my qualifications back to my high school grades. Perfect dream for the job search process, getting to the top and being questioned relates to feeling nervous about my qualifications and other things.

Seems like I dream more when I'm sleeping really well. Or maybe I'm just remembering them better since I'm more rested. When I'm overwhelmed in my awakened life, I dream frequently of drowning or seeing a tidal wave coming. I also have erotic dreams on regular occasions. Not sure what that's all about.

My husband has a recurring dream where he comes through a doorway and someone grabs him by the ankles and pulls him back. It always sits him straight up in bed shouting.

I dreamt last night that I was on the beach with my dance group removing invasive star thistle. There was an enormous sort of island made of sharp black rock not far from shore and the waves would hit it and spew water up hundreds of feet. The sun was bright and made rainbows in the flying water. I had a red bicycle and rode it along the water edge on the hard sand.

It was a good dream

That's a wonderful dream.

I mostly dream of something I could never think of when I'm awake, eg. meet an old friend who moved to Czech Republic long time ago. I find dreams fascinating too, I can be more imaginary when I'm sleeping.

I have been very active in my dream state the past few nights, but just can't recall anything except bits and snatches of the dreams. I know in one I was buying medicinal marijuana brownies from my optometrist! In another someone was going on a plane for the first time and I was trying to reassure them how much they would like it once they had experienced their first time. Just bits here and there. I so wish I could keep the whole thread of a dream, but not often does that happen. Meanwhile I enjoy hearing about your's!

Cannabis has some measure of effectiveness in treating glaucoma--could that be the tie in?

A friend of mine died recently. I dreamed that they were upstairs*, so I trudged up to see them, and I was disappointed to find them sitting there with one of their offspring, because I had wanted to talk to them alone. We didn't talk, I didn't identify which offspring it was, and truthfully, I forgot all about the dream--until i consulted some notes I had taken some time later. I was startled by the dream, because my friend's offspring followed them in death--unexpectedly--some ten days later.

*"Upstairs" seems to be a metaphorical reference to "heaven" or another dimension. My rigidly skeptical father, who didn't acknowledge my mother's near-death experiences when they occurred right under his nose, remarked not long before his own death "Did you know Mom and Dad were upstairs?" (There was no upstairs...) Deceased relatives and friends seem to form a welcoming committee to usher many of us to the next realm, apparently. Believe it or not.












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Originally Posted by JaneV2.0

Cannabis has some measure of effectiveness in treating glaucoma--could that be the tie in?

A friend of mine died recently. I dreamed that they were upstairs*, so I trudged up to see them, and I was disappointed to find them sitting there with one of their offspring, because I had wanted to talk to them alone. We didn't talk, I didn't identify which offspring it was, and truthfully, I forgot all about the dream--until i consulted some notes I had taken some time later. I was startled by the dream, because my friend's offspring followed them in death--unexpectedly--some ten days later.

*"Upstairs" seems to be a metaphorical reference to "heaven" or another dimension. My rigidly skeptical father, who didn't acknowledge my mother's near-death experiences when they occurred right under his nose, remarked not long before his own death "Did you know Mom and Dad were upstairs?" (There was no upstairs...) Deceased relatives and friends seem to form a welcoming committee to usher many of us to the next realm, apparently. Believe it or not.












*

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Did you know about the death of the offspring before you had the dream and had just forgotten it? That is a very interesting dream.

I had also wondered about the connection to my optometrist and medicinal marijuana being used to treat some eye problems.

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Originally Posted by Sad Eyed Lady

Did you know about the death of the offspring before you had the dream and had just forgotten it? That is a very interesting dream.

I had also wondered about the connection to my optometrist and medicinal marijuana being used to treat some eye problems.

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No--I recorded the dream when I awoke, forgot about it, the death happened some ten days afterward, and I came across my notes just the other day.

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Originally Posted by JaneV2.0

No--I recorded the dream when I awoke, forgot about it, the death happened some ten days afterward, and I came across my notes just the other day.

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There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,
Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
- Hamlet (1.5.167-8)

That's so interesting, Jane.

I have read a couple of books about the afterlife: Dying to Be Me by Anita Moorjani is a very interesting book about the dangers of repressed desires; and Proof of Heaven by the neurosurgeon Even Alexander. I am very open to whatever might be, realizing that our own hardwiring for immortality could mislead us, but also our limitations in terms of only having our personal experience with which form opinions could mislead us--i.e., the 6 blind men and the elephant story. We are so limited.. it wasn't so long ago that we believed that leaching was a viable treatment option.

I've had some experiences that convince me that that what we can see, taste, touch, hear and smell is just the tip of the iceberg.

I agree about the iceberg--we have no way to even measure much of what goes on around us.

Leeching has been used successfully in certain circumstances in recent years, so...;)

"My own suspicion is that the Universe is not only queerer than we suppose, but queerer than we can suppose." --JBS Haldane

I've read quite a few books on related subject matter, but most of all, I trust my own experience and tend to keep an open mind.

I dream every night in color but seldom remember them. I’ve had dreams that I was with my mother and was terribly upset when I woke and remembered that she was dead.
Before I retired, I frequently had frustration dreams that I was trying to go home but couldn’t get out of the building or couldn’t find my car or something else was blocking my way home. Not much interpretation needed there.
And then there were the dreams that I had to take an exam but had not attended the class.

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Originally Posted by Florence

I dream every night in color but seldom remember them. I’ve had dreams that I was with my mother and was terribly upset when I woke and remembered that she was dead.
Before I retired, I frequently had frustration dreams that I was trying to go home but couldn’t get out of the building or couldn’t find my car or something else was blocking my way home. Not much interpretation needed there.
And then there were the dreams that I had to take an exam but had not attended the class.

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For a long time I had a dream that I needed to take one more Spanish class to graduate, but consistently failed to do so. I'm sure that indicates some stumbling block in my life, but I never figured out what that was.

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Originally Posted by JaneV2.0

For a long time I had a dream that I needed to take one more Spanish class to graduate, but consistently failed to do so. I'm sure that indicates some stumbling block in my life, but I never figured out what that was.

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Gee, to me that is obvious. Your subconsc wants you to marry your SO. Lock him down!

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Originally Posted by catherine

[I]

I've had some experiences that convince me that that what we can see, taste, touch, hear and smell is just the tip of the iceberg.

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That is a perfect way to describe it. I totally agree.

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Originally Posted by iris lilies

Gee, to me that is obvious. Your subconsc wants you to marry your SO. Lock him down!

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Ha! I think my parents felt the same way. I didn't consider that angle; I just thought it was another "You failed at life" dream.

Oh a bad one last night, the kind that is going to stick with me for more than today.

I was with friends and we were on some property including an old farm house and we were going to stay in it for the first night. I was the one checking it out and in the kitchen I could see some kind of wild cat like a bob cat eating a litter of kittens. It was super messy, basically the wild cat was mopping the floor with kittens while eating them. I shiver thinking about it. So then we go inside to choose bedrooms, in one room the bobcat is under the covers. No one seems to be as scared as I am. We find some rooms with a double bed and a single, and I ask to stay in the same room as them (they are a couple) because of the wild cat.

Not getting that image out of my head anytime soon.

Had another travel nightmare dream. Came back from a trip to France, but realized I had left my suitcase there. Had to go back to get it. I went all the way back, saw the suitcase, but then I couldn't remember what time my return flight was.. and started to panic, thinking I would miss it. So I hurry out to the airport, not knowing if I've missed the plane or not, only to realize when I got there that I forgot the suitcase again!!

Woke up, profoundly relieved it was a dream.

Went back to sleep and dreamed that I met CathyA in person, and (as expected) she was so nice and we had a great time together. (no kidding--I really dreamed that). I wish THAT dream would come true! :)

And I didn't even have pizza for dinner (pizza usually provokes really strange dreams for me).

Background - my passed away in August in her home. My brother and I have just about everything settled - supposed to close on the sale of the house on May 15. Have been fussing with repairs, etc. My dream early Monday morning - I was over at Mom's house and there was still some of her stuff piled around (it's actually empty). There were some other people there - not family. Mom walks into the living room from the back and wanted to know what was going on. I, of course, was surprised to see her. I tried to explain that we were just about ready to sell her house. She, of course, said Nope. I was frantic trying to figure out where to move her and how to pay her back for all of the other assets already distributed - I remember trying to text my brother and the Realtor! She was fully ambulatory in my dream (had to use a walker with great difficulty the last few years of her life).

Sorry, Mom. We're selling the house.

I imagine your mom wasn't on board with the house sale--not one bit. It always does my heart good to see loved ones in dreams with their functions and faculties fully restored.

I agree, JaneV2.0! It was good to see her strong and able to walk without pain.

Likewise, so happy to see loved ones in my dreams too especially when they are far away.

My friend with Alzheimer's died and then my favorite dog a week later. 2 months later we lost another dog. She loved to doggy sit for us. I had a dream where she was holding both dogs and told me not to worry that the 3 of them were together and happy. It was awesome.

Last night I had a vivid dream of answering an ad for a job. When I arrived they just invited me to hang out with the office crew all day, and they gave me three loaves of cinnamon roll bread. At the end of the day I thanked the boss for letting me hang out with his delightful team all day and he said, "oh! You're not coming back tomorrow?" I guess that was a job offer.

Then I woke up.

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Originally Posted by KayLR

Last night I had a vivid dream of answering an ad for a job. When I arrived they just invited me to hang out with the office crew all day, and they gave me three loaves of cinnamon roll bread. At the end of the day I thanked the boss for letting me hang out with his delightful team all day and he said, "oh! You're not coming back tomorrow?" I guess that was a job offer.

Then I woke up.

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Lol! My dream last night had to do with a bathroom. I think I was staying somewhere, the place was not really nice but I remember telling a friend "I think my bathroom has a bidet!". Why?? I can't remember even thinking about a bidet since who knows when! Maybe my subconscious wants one!

Oh I had the loveliest dream last night! There was something with a lot of bars of soap but that was not really important. Then I was in a meditation group that I had been in for awhile. I had a male friend sit next to me and I recall having a little crush but being sure that it was not reciprocated. Then he touched my hand and then held it. It was just sweet. I think there was a kiss in there. At some point he got up to speak and another friend came over, sat down and definitely kissed me. It didn't have a whole conflict/cheater vibe, just a sweet loving space.

What a wonderful feeling to go into today with.