Theresa Cheung - The Dream Dictionary from A to Z [Revised edition]

See also PLACES.

ABANDONMENTDream images connected to feelings of abandonment, fear, and loss of control all have some form of conflict as their theme. For example, dreams about missing a bus, train, or plane all point to some kind of tension in the dreamer about failing to achieve a goal. Dreams about being abandoned or left alone by a group of loved ones suggest feelings of anxiety about being left out, or being different from the crowd. Anxiously searching for the right road or path could point to fears about losing your identity. If you are happily wandering alone in your dream, this may suggest a feeling that the source of your problems lies outside yourself. Dreams about anchors and lifeboats also tell of the fight for survival in daily life. If you dream of being lost in dense vegetation, towering trees, or tall reeds, you may feel that your progress is being thwarted by obstacles. As in the tale of Hansel and Gretel , this dream may evoke longing for the comfort and warmth of home.

See also CHILD(abandoned by parents dream) and SEPARATION.

ABDOMEN

See BODY .

ABDUCTION

See KIDNAP.

ABORIGINALIn dreams, an aboriginal is a symbol of that within you which is unsophisticated and natural. It is the basic, life-affirming energy or intuition within you which may have been repressed by experience; you need to get in touch with this simplicity again to understand yourself or a situation in your waking life better. In short, this dream is urging you to reconnect with your intuition and work with it in your daily life.

ABORTIONDreams about abortion, miscarriages, and stillbirth are likely to leave you feeling traumatized on waking, whether you are pregnant or not. And if you are expecting a baby, such a dream is likely to be a nightmare. If this is the case, your dream was simply playing out your natural feelings of anxiety. However, most dreams about abortion, miscarriage, and stillbirth aren’t to be interpreted literally, as they refer to a concept you may have been mulling over, or an idea that is not realizing its potential or is not supported by your confidence or desire. There may be a need to reject a feeling, emotion, belief, or concept that could be problematic in waking life. Decisions need to be taken which will help you get rid of what is no longer wanted in waking life.

How did you feel about the abortion in your dream? If you were distressed, perhaps someone or something is trying to prevent you from succeeding. If you were relieved, your unconscious may be urging you to change direction or change your mind. Perhaps the concept is too demanding or the idea is flawed in some way. On the other hand, the dream may also have referred to something or someone about which you feel guilty. Dreams that focus on miscarriage may have the same interpretation but they may also refer to a miscarriage of justice, especially if you felt anger in your dream. Is someone in your waking life taking the credit you deserve? Stillbirth dreams are in some ways more devastating and sad than dreams about miscarriage, as the baby has been brought to full term with the only element missing being the spark of life. In dreams, a still born baby may represent a talent you have allowed to die, or a relationship that has died due to neglect.

ABOVE

See POSITION.

ABROADIf you are going abroad or are abroad in your dream, your unconscious is thinking about your own personal freedom or your ability to move freely around your inner and outer worlds. Your dream is giving you an understanding of your feelings toward the widening of your horizons or the making of changes in your life. Pay attention to how you feel in the dream, as this will help you interpret it. The dream could also be about a need to escape from, or leave, a situation, as suggested by the phrase for having a vacation abroad – ‘getting away from it all’. If someone or something arrives from abroad, this represents a change or something new happening in your life. Someone of the opposite sex arriving from abroad indicates hopes for a new relationship or the need for new life to be injected into a current relationship. The dream may also be slang – ‘a broad’ – expressing desire for a particular female.

ABYSSIf the deep, precipitous sides of a chasm or large hole threaten to engulf and swallow you up in a dream, or if an abyss suddenly opens up in front of you, transforming a previously pleasant scene into a terrifying one, could your unconscious have been warning you that your position in waking life is not as stable as you might think and that you could be facing unexpected mishaps or pitfalls? Chasms and holes in dreams always suggest an element of the unknown or something in some way risky, and they urge the dreamer to make a decision one way or another in waking life. Perhaps you dreamed of teetering on the brink of a ravine, petrified that you would lose your footing? Such a dream may be warning you that you are in danger of falling into an emotional black hole, out of which you feel powerless to emerge. Also, because the earth is a symbol of the archetypal mother, devouring chasms may represent a devouring maternal figure in your life, intent on dominating you or dragging you under.

ACCIDENTSThe traditional interpretation of dreams involving accidents is that we are receiving some kind of warning to be on our guard against possible danger or hidden aggression, either our own or others’. From a psychologist’s point of view, such dreams may highlight anxieties to do with safety or fear of taking responsibility. Spiritual interpretations of such dreams suggest the need for some kind of intervention from an authoritative source.

According to Freud, accidents in dreams, like slips of the tongue in waking life, are not accidents but dream events with a meaning that can help us to unravel the often incomprehensible maneuvers of our unconscious mind. For Jung, accident dreams, as well as offering insights into our unconscious thought processes, can provide a reaction to a traumatic experience or the fear of it. For example, if you were in a car accident or are anxious about having one, you may dream of being involved in one. People who suffered great trauma, such as rape victims or war veterans, may have nightmares that are exactly like, or very similar to, actual life events.

The most commonly accepted theory is that accident dreams show how your unconscious has noticed things that you may not have noticed in waking life. They are both a reminder and a possible warning. You may, for example, dream of a teenager being hit by a car on a busy street outside a gas station, only to read a few weeks later that a teenager has been seriously injured in just this way. The most likely explanation is that you have unconsciously noticed how dangerous the street was, having read somewhere about the growing number of teenagers killed due to drivers’ use of cell phones and, without realizing it, you have observed that an accident was highly likely. These kinds of subtle clues and subliminal suggestions are around us every day.

Accident to the Dreamer

If you dream that you have an accident yourself, you should take note of the details, especially if it was caused by something you use every day, such as a bicycle, a car, or a lawn mower, and check that it is in good working order before you use it again. On the other hand, an accident dream could also be warning you of potential danger or loss of control if you continue a particular course of action. For example, you may dream that you are hit by a car as you run across the street to talk to a married colleague you’ve been thinking of having an affair with. An obvious interpretation of this dream is that the accident signifies pent-up guilt for something you have thought, said, or done, and that you are subconsciously punishing yourself over it. You could also be harboring deep anxiety over being found out. Dreams of car accidents might be urging you to slow down before you hit disaster, or telling you that you are ‘driving’ yourself too hard. You need to rethink, or re-plan, your course of action and set yourself on a better path. Your accident dream may also represent your straightforward fears of being involved in an actual, physical accident. You may just be nervous about getting behind the wheel, or going on a train, boat, or plane trip.