Dreams are a window into our unconsciousness. According to Carl Jung, who was a contemporary of Sigmund Freud, “Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate.” Dream analysis, therefore, has been a fascinating topic for a psychologist like me. Below I describe a recurring motif in my dreams, and how I made sense of it.
When I was completing my Ph.D. program, I often dreamt that I was on my way to deliver something important or attend an urgent meeting. For instance, in one vivid dream, I was cycling through a night market full of vendors and people. There were butchers cutting up meat, and trash were strewn everywhere. Swerving through traffic, I was often just inches away from hitting into people and objects, avoiding an accident just in the nick of time. Hanging by a thread, I suddenly recalled a shortcut that would allow me to get to the destination in time. I decided to take it, but a cloud hung over me when I realized that the route took me down dark alleys. There was no one around. Dead silence. The sky was dark and everything was shades of grey. I pedaled as fast as I could, but the path became windy and started to look unfamiliar. I couldn’t figure out where I was anymore. I was lost. Panic set in, waking me up.
To interpret this and similar dreams, I asked myself the following questions: What emotions did I experience in the dream? Which were most salient? What situations in my life evoke the same feelings?
In these dreams, the feelings of anxiety and panic were the most prominent. Other emotions were feeling lost and scared. It wasn’t obvious to me, however, where in my life I experienced these feelings. People often describe me as calm, and I rarely miss meetings or deadlines. The relationship became clear, however, when I looked closer. As a doctoral student, I was taking a full course load, teaching several classes, working 20-hours a week at my practicum site, and trying to make progress on my dissertation. I was constantly rushing from one place to another, and the pace was frantic. Although I was organized and efficient, under the surface was a layer of anxiety, worrying about losing control at any moment.
In a way, dreams uncover and accentuate the feelings that we try to ignore or suppress. Though these powerful emotions may be outside of our normal awareness, they bubbled up various ways, such as in dreams. They provide clues to what we need to attend to, so that our lives, as Carl Jung noted, are not directed by the unconscious.
What recurring dreams do you experience? How do they relate to your life?
P.S. Meditation, reading books about spirituality, and hikes in nature are activities that keep me centered and grounded. When I engage in these activities often, the content of my dreams changes.
