More Commonly Recurring Themes in Your Dreams?

MattHunX · #1 by **MattHunX** » Oct 08, 2011 6:23 am

I just had a dream about the river Danube flooding, again. Bare in mind, my town is own a damn hill, high enough that flooding couldn't possible be an issue for us, unless it causes a massive landslides.

But, that takes some time...I think. :dunno:

Anyway, I noticed that the most commonly recurring themes in my dreams are 1) me being in school, filling out a test or just having weird conversations with a teacher or classmates, b) a river flooding, me watching from high and worrying what the hell is going on c) me being unable to take a proper leak, toilet and surrounding area is all weird, really, REALLY public sometimes...

That's it.

Why? Beats me. :dunno:

I do remember that when I got into reading, watching and listening to scientific debates and general discussion, a few years ago, particularly astronomy (because of Mass Effect 8-)

), I had a few dreams about a planet orbiting close to Earth, huge in the sky, nebulae visible with the naked eye, watching volcanoes and geysers erupt and some strange-colored puddles boil on a planet orbiting near, meteor hits, explosions...etc.

I didn't have that many of those dreams, but noticeably more often than the general nonsense. At that time.

redwhine · #2 by **redwhine** » Oct 08, 2011 6:41 am

Recurring?

[/PEDANT] :smug:

redwhine · #3 by **redwhine** » Oct 08, 2011 6:45 am

Flooding sounds like bed wetting anxiety.

MattHunX · #4 by **MattHunX** » Oct 08, 2011 6:58 am

redwhine wrote:Recurring?

[/PEDANT]

Fixed it.

I don't know why I make such mistakes, still. :nono:

MattHunX · #5 by **MattHunX** » Oct 08, 2011 7:02 am

redwhine wrote:Flooding sounds like bed wetting anxiety.

Well I don't have it that often. :what:

But, I had it enough times to notice those dreams occur more times, infrequently. Excluding the absurd and nonsensical dreams.

Nora_Leonard · #6 by **Nora_Leonard** » Oct 08, 2011 7:16 am

Just a few thoughts (I studied dreams intensively for years).

1) In my experience, it was most fruitful to look at a perplexing dream as a metaphoric analysis/reflection on events of the previous day. So my first question to you would be where during the day did you experience something where you felt like your emotions were threatening to overwhelm you, burst their banks, get out of control? Even in everyday language the metaphor "a flood of emotions" is pretty common.

2) You specifically state that your house is on a hill, theoretically quite safe from flooding. Maybe that's also the way you see yourself, 'aloof', 'out of harm's way'. If so, then I think a part of you is trying to say "think again".

3) It's also important to get the dreamer's own associations to the dream. So I might ask: what was the feeling in the dream? What was the outcome of the dream? (e.g. If the flood happened, and yet at another stage of the dream everything was okay, then maybe your unconscious is trying to reassure you that allowing your feelings to 'overspill the banks' won't be a disaster). It's the Danube, so what do you specifically associate with that? I take it is very close to home, so again, look at that metaphorically.

Just some thoughts. But the most important I think would be to look at dreams as a reflection of that day's thoughts and events. It isn't always about something that happened to you that day, it could be about a state of mind you got into during the day.

And one final thing. I really, really don't want to get into a discussion or argument about whether dreams mean anything. My experience is that working with them in this way can prove extremely fruitful to the individual dreamer. It certainly has been true for me.

MattHunX · #7 by **MattHunX** » Oct 08, 2011 7:38 am

Nora_Leonard wrote:Just a few thoughts (I studied dreams intensively for years).

1) In my experience, it was most fruitful to look at a perplexing dream as a metaphoric analysis/reflection on events of the previous day. So my first question to you would be where during the day did you experience something where you felt like your emotions were threatening to overwhelm you, burst their banks, get out of control? Even in everyday language the metaphor "a flood of emotions" is pretty common.

Well, I'm impatient, and I often get annoyed when I have to wait for something (traffic light, queues in certain places, the latest is the primitive machinery at work). I have the urge to kick the lamp post, or to smash the machines to bits, but it's not anything strong. It's just general annoyance.

2) You specifically state that your house is on a hill, theoretically quite safe from flooding. Maybe that's also the way you see yourself, 'aloof', 'out of harm's way'. If so, then I think a part of you is trying to say "think again".

This is a rather nice photo of my town, just found it!

The flat I live in can be seen in the upper left, where there are two rows, one with 8 flats (right), and the other 6 (left), a live in the one that's in the (left) row, second from its left side. And the Danube is down there at the top of the image. The difference in elevation cannot be seen on this image, though. There's a village to the left, the old town, as we call it. That is in danger. It can be flooded, and was, too, in the past.

3) It's also important to get the dreamer's own associations to the dream. So I might ask: what was the feeling in the dream? What was the outcome of the dream? (e.g. If the flood happened, and yet at another stage of the dream everything was okay, then maybe your unconscious is trying to reassure you that allowing your feelings to 'overspill the banks' won't be a disaster). It's the Danube, so what do you specifically associate with that? I take it is very close to home, so again, look at that metaphorically.

I find that any sensation or emotion is a bit dulled out in the dream. In this particular one, I cannot even say that I properly panicked. There was some worry, but it was also coupled with surprise, uncertainty and a bit of intrigue as to what exactly was happening and where did that sudden rise in water-level could come from. But, I haven't and couldn't give it much thought, since I woke up shortly afterwords, and I wasn't even conscious that I was just dreaming, so it was just an ordinary episode.

Nora_Leonard · #8 by **Nora_Leonard** » Oct 08, 2011 10:56 am

MattHunX wrote:
Nora_Leonard wrote:
3) It's also important to get the dreamer's own associations to the dream. So I might ask: what was the feeling in the dream? What was the outcome of the dream? (e.g. If the flood happened, and yet at another stage of the dream everything was okay, then maybe your unconscious is trying to reassure you that allowing your feelings to 'overspill the banks' won't be a disaster). It's the Danube, so what do you specifically associate with that? I take it is very close to home, so again, look at that metaphorically.

I find that any sensation or emotion is a bit dulled out in the dream. In this particular one, I cannot even say that I properly panicked. There was some worry, but it was also coupled with surprise, uncertainty and a bit of intrigue as to what exactly was happening and where did that sudden rise in water-level could come from. But, I haven't and couldn't give it much thought, since I woke up shortly afterwords, and I wasn't even conscious that I was just dreaming, so it was just an ordinary episode.

Again I'd suggest you look back on the previous day and see if there was something that pushed a button, something unexpected. The rise in water doesn't have to be a bad thing, it could be an indication that you found yourself feeling passionate about something (or someone?) unexpected. You're intrigued... Maybe revisit the scene in your imagination and without trying to force anything see what evolves? It might give you more clues.

I should remind you that floods can bring fertility. Certainly the regularly flooding of the Nile each year was always eagerly anticipated for the good that it would do the farmers. You're not panicked, you're intrigued.

But it's your dream, Matt. Do with it what you will. :-)

theropod · #9 by **theropod** » Oct 08, 2011 11:08 am

I dream about water of all kinds and quite often. Sometimes it's peaceful and refreshing, but at other times it's muddy and roiling. Sometimes it's set in a Japanese garden with coy and lily pads and at other times it's a rushing torrent like the discharge from a hydroelectric plant. I never really seem to suffer fear of drowning or any other threat from these "troubled" waters, but the serene settings do leave me with a sense of happiness. Sometimes the water flows in ways water just can't, like running uphill or in an endless loop. I've never really given this a lot of thought, but I do wonder what my mind is doing concerning itself with water on such a repeating basis. I don't think it's wanting to piss as I rarely have to get up in the night to visit the bathroom, and I don't remember having wet the bed as a kid. Maybe I'm thirsty.

RS

MattHunX · **#10** by **MattHunX** » Oct 08, 2011 11:12 am

theropod wrote:I dream about water of all kinds and quite often. Sometimes it's peaceful and refreshing, but at other times it's muddy and roiling. Sometimes it's set in a Japanese garden with coy and lily pads and at other times it's a rushing torrent like the discharge from a hydroelectric plant. I never really seem to suffer fear of drowning or any other threat from these "troubled" waters, but the serene settings do leave me with a sense of happiness. Sometimes the water flows in ways water just can't, like running uphill or in an endless loop. I've never really given this a lot of thought, but I do wonder what my mind is doing concerning itself with water on such a repeating basis. I don't think it's wanting to piss as I rarely have to get up in the night to visit the bathroom, and I don't remember having wet the bed as a kid. Maybe I'm thirsty.

RS

Or...you could be...AMPHIBIAN!!! :teef:

It's been kept from you, since birth. :plot:

MattHunX · **#11** by **MattHunX** » Oct 08, 2011 11:13 am

tuco · **#12** by **tuco** » Oct 08, 2011 11:21 am

I was told that dreaming about water means dreaming about sex ;) Seriously. The larger volume one sees the more libido. I saw a hat of water at the time others saw oceans. These days my brain settles for more direct approach.

Nora_Leonard · **#13** by **Nora_Leonard** » Oct 08, 2011 11:27 am

In waking life water can mean so many different things and be used symbolically in so many different ways that it would make sense that the same would be true of dreams. I am very suspicious of dream dictionaries that give very simple x = y interpretations for dreams. That's why when you work with dreams you always need to consider the dreamer's own associations.