What do We Learn From Our Dreams?

I suppose I have always had a pretty vivid imagination, and I have always had pretty vivid dreams, as well.

A couple of decades ago — as part of a fairly intense period of psychotherapy — I started keeping a dream journal, as part of getting a better handle on what was going on in my subconscious.

I'm not sure how much wiser I might be, as a result of journaling and examining my dreams, but one thing that definitely does hold true is that I am able to track general patterns in my dreamscapes. And I have learned that many of my dreams are quite accurate indicators of the level of stress I'm under, regardless of whether or not I am openly admitting to it!

Dreams don't tend to lie!

Some patterns stay with us till we "learn" whatever it was the dreams were suggesting for us.

For example, I used to quite frequently have dreams in which I was suddenly back in high school or University — always at my contemporary age — because it turned out I had "forgotten" to take one class or exam, and actually hadn't graduated.

It was a "theme" that followed me between ages 25 and into my 40's and then pretty much stopped... around the same time I was doing a lot of self-examination and learning to feel more capable.

In recent years, a recurring theme has been stolen cars, sometimes multiple times in the same dream.

I will be somewhere, come out to a parking lot and I can't find my car because it has been stolen. Sometimes I am able to get a ride home, where I pick up the older car and I run my errand, and then that car is also stolen when I come back out. On other occasions I end up renting a car because my car was stolen, and then the rental car is also stolen. Sometimes I can't get a replacement car, so I use a bicycle instead... and the bicycle is stolen, as well.

(Note: I have never actually had a car stolen, in waking life)

By most analysis and psychological interpretation, these are stress dreams that may even be indicative of impending burnout and generally feeling overwhelmed by life.

Some dreams are somewhat predictable and obvious.

For example, I have had many recurring dreams about being late for flights, and being late going to the airport... usually starting with plenty of time, but because there is so much to pack and clean up before I can leave, it gets later and later.

In many cases, the lateness turns out to be the result of having to pack several other people's stuff as well as my own, and having to carry or transport many people's luggage to the airport.

Again, these are stress dreams, the multiple people presence suggesting carrying the burdens of other people, the late for/missing flights being symbolic of "missed opportunities" because I feel too weighed down by things that aren't even my own.

Of course, most dreams don't have recurring themes... and many dreams are little more than "clutter" that clears the mind of the various things we encountered during our day.

There are also prophetic dreams, of which I have had more than a few... some relatively vague, and some startlingly (almost supernaturally) accurate and on-point. Mostly, these include people I meet... and I realize that I have previously not only dreamed them but dreamed the situation I now find myself in, with them.

And it's not exactly something you can tell a person, lest they freak out and run away screaming! It gets a bit intense, sometimes... and it's best to just hold your tongue. People aren't necessarily open to the possibility that there really is more between heaven and earth than meets the eye.

All these years later, I continue to keep an eye on my dreams, and I still track some of the more memorable ones... and who knows? Maybe some of them will still come to pass!

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great Friday!

How about you? Do you have vivid dreams? Have you ever dreamed events that came to pass later? Have you ever kept a dream journal? Leave a comment if you feel so inclined — share your experiences — be part of the conversation!

(All text and images by the author, unless otherwise credited. This is ORIGINAL CONTENT, created expressly for this platform — Not posted elsewhere!)

Created at 2024.06.28 01:06 PDT
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