Pandemic Dreams
Freud stated “Dreams are often the most profound when they seem the most crazy.” Freud not my favorite psychologist, I am a fan of Skinner or Jung, they were less sexist. Despite being sexist ( purely my opinion) Freud did have some great insights on dreams. I wonder what he would say about the Pando-Dreams or RonaDreams as they have been called since the CoronaVirus epidemic started in March, according to Maria Cohut in an article published on Medical News Today “Dreams in the time of Corna Virus: How they have changed and Why?”
Since March my dreams have become more vivid and longer. I cannot recall all my dreams since March because you know Mom Brain, but on Monday night I had the craziest dream that woke me up with my husband at 5am. Being up at 5am I used the notes section of my phone to write down the main themes.
Darnell this is for you, since we were at A-School in Petaluma California we got in the habit of telling each other our dreams and then looking up the themes on www.dreammoods.com. The ultimate dream dictionary. My dream Monday sparked me to do this Tuesday morning, I wanted to see if the dream reflected my anxiety about my upcoming surgery, school starting on-line for the girls, and moving to Florida were 2-3 weeks out of the month I will be single momming it due to my husband being on a Coast Guard Cutter. Also the anxiety and fear of starting a new career.
On Monday night I had a dream that I was back in college, and my roommate was a former co-worker who I was cordial and professional with (not friends) and my other two roommates were senior citizens. They looked like Helen Miren and Ian McKellen. In this college I had joined a running club where we would run on Dr. Suess like trails, with signs on the side of the dirt road riddled with bullet holes. At one point on the trail there was a bridge that was broken, but could be easily jumped over, however under the hole was a huge canyon of water. The drop in the dream looked to be about 100 feet down. My best friend and I had run this course many times when one day she decided to jump, I freaked out and started to call out to her “I am coming in after you.” At that point, I had already jumped and I was falling when she called out “DON’T YOU DARE JUMP, I DO NOT NEED SAVING.” By that point it was too late as I splashed down into the water. We started swimming toward the shore and we saw a little girl clinging to the rocks trying to pull herself up, at that point we got her off the rocks and saved her. From there the dream faded out and I was back at the college, where our dorm had a bar. At this bar I was with my older roommates discussing the rules of the dorms. They told me I would have to ride share and share my car. I asked about dating and stated “I would get no dates.” At that point they started laughing at me hysterically and stated, “I would have no problem finding dates.” That is when I woke up, at 5 am.
Dissecting the dream I took out the major themes, college, roommates, bridges, jumping off a cliff, bullet holes and signs.
According to dreammoods.com here are what each of those symbols mean.
College: To dream that you are in college indicates that you are going through some social or cultural changes. You want to expand your knowledge and awareness. It also suggests that now is a good time to experiment and try new things.
I am going through social and cultural change going from full time working mom to stay at home mom trying to find a new career. The cultural change could indicate the upcoming move from Virginia to Miami.
Road Signs: To see road signs in your dream represent some advice and message that your subconscious is trying to convey. The road sign may be trying to guide you toward certain decisions.
I cannot remember what these signs said exactly, I just remember that they were in Dr. Suess type font and massive. I am at a loss on what this one means.
Roommate: To see your old roommate in your dream suggests that there is a lesson you need to acknowledge from the former relationship and apply it to a current life situation. Perhaps you need to incorporate aspects of your ex-roommate with your own self. If you don’t have any roommates, but dream that you do, then it means you are looking for a friend or for companionship.
The coworker who was now my roommate, was always so calm, collected and reserved. Maybe that is what the dream means, to approach these anxieties and worries with a sense of calm and reserve.
Maybe I am looking for companionship or friendship with older wiser friends since my other roommates were senior citizens.
Bridge: To dream that you are crossing a bridge signifies an important decision or a critical junction in your life. This decision will prove to be a positive change filled with prosperity and wealth on the horizon. If the bridge is over water, then it suggests that your transition will be an emotional one. If you fall off the bridge and into the water, then the dream indicates that you are letting your emotions hold you back and prevent you from moving forward. Alternatively the bridge may indicate that you are trying to bridge or connect two things together.
This one is really interesting, I wish I would have kept a more complete dream journal throughout this pandemic, because bridges have been a major theme. I feel like this gap that was in the bridge has gotten smaller over time. Also the fact that my best friend yelled “DON’T YOU DARE JUMP” in the dream and I did anyways was some kind of warning not to let my emotions guide these decisions and that emotions will only hold me back. Another interesting point is that the bridge is trying to connect two things together.
Maybe the connection of moving from Virginia to Florida, and connecting my stay at home mom life with starting a new career is the theme for my waking life. I am curious about how the connection and the gap will be once we move to Florida, will the bridge in my dream finally be complete? I will keep you guys updated.
Rescue: To dream that you are being rescued or rescue others represents an aspect of yourself that has been neglected or ignored. You are trying to find a way to express this neglected part of yourself...In particular to dream that you rescue someone from drowning indicates that you have successfully acknowledged certain emotions and characteristics that are symbolized by the drowning victim.
There were other aspects to the dream little details like I received the wrong mail, one number off from my house number now. I am curious if our new house number will be the one I had in my dream. Some dreams are said to be predictive of the future. I do not know how much of this is true, all I do know though is dreams can help a person in their waking life. Analyzing this dream this morning was like a mini therapy session with myself. Dreams help release the anxiety, sadness and fears that we cannot quite speak when we are awake.
So readers tell me, are you going to start paying attention to your dreams?
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