Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Recurring Dreams

Have you ever had a dream over and over again? According to one web site:"Recurring dreams are quite common and are often triggered by a certain life situation or a problem that keeps coming back again and again. Such dreams may be highlighting a personal weakness, fear, or your inability to cope with something in your life - past or present... It may point to a conflict, situation or matter in your waking life that remains unresolved or unsettled. Some urgent underlying message in your unconscious is demanding to be understood."

When I was a child, I had two recurring dreams. In one, I would run so fast and the wind was so strong that it would lift me up in the air - I could fly! In the other (perhaps stemming from watching the movie "Splash" too many times), I was underwater and discovered that I could still breathe. Perhaps these dreams represented the feeling of freedom that comes with childhood.

For the past several years, I have had a recurring dream that I go into a public restroom to discover that each stall is filthy, too dirty to be used. This may be partially due to some of my experiences in China, and partly due to a physical connection to a full bladder towards the end of my slumber that cannot be emptied. I’m not sure if there is a deeper meaning - perhaps a fear of contamination? Recently, I have begun dreaming that I am back in Hong Kong, where I lived for a year and a half. I see this as a longing to travel and have adventures, as well as to reconnect with the place and people I grew to love.

Do you have recurring dreams? If so, what do you think they mean?

2 comments:

  1. My recurring dream has been happening for YEARS, seriously. Adrian laughs when I mention my "math dream" again. It's always the same. I'm always in a math class and it's getting closer to the end of the semester and I realize I have not done my homework the entire year. And I don't know what to do about it...extra credit? make-up work? start now? etc. It's crazy, and I have no idea what it means. :)

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  2. That IS crazy, but I understand that dreams about school scenarios are amongst the most common. It sounds like a possible fear of being unprepared or fear of failure. Just a guess though!

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Thanks for sharing your thoughts with me!