Dreamland of the Lost

        What have you lost in your dreams?

          The theme of losing something can be common in dreams.  I'm not talking about losing your way or being lost--that's a different topic for another blog post.  What I am talking about is actually losing something or someone in the dream and you spend time looking for what has been lost or worrying about it.  A dream like this can create apprehension and cause you to awaken in a state of uncertain anxiety.

           For now I'm going to focus on the dreams where we have lost a loved one--a person or a pet.  I see two primary meanings in these types of dreams.

           The first relates to fear of losing someone.  Perhaps there has been a recent event that you've heard about that involved a disappearance or a death.  It's natural to have concerns for loved ones and we will often relate stories about this type of loss event to those we cherish.  A dream of this nature may cause us to awaken with feelings of immense sadness.  Dreaming of death or inability to find a loved one can be the subconscious rendering of the what-could-happen scenario or the fear that the worst imagined thing could happen in our lives.  This may be an inner mind rehearsal for a worst case scenario.  The element of fear is the one that would most commonly apply with dreams of the loss of a pet.

          The other loss interpretation could be a more abstract realization that we are out of touch with or have lost contact with someone we care about.   If the dream is about a family member or someone we encounter on a regular basis the dream may be triggered by an estrangement that has come between us and the one who has become lost in the dream.  This dream is a reminder that we need to patch up any difficulties or start developing better ways of communicating with this person.  In our waking lives they have become emotionally lost to us which later could translate into a physical loss in dream life.

          When we dream that a friend or relative is lost it may be a sign that we have been out of contact with that person.   Once again this dream is a reminder that we need to take action before that person really is lost to us through some kind of separation or even death.

            Any other interpretations are dependent on the dreamer's personal symbology.  Being lost could have religious connotations, be related to substance abuse, or some other distinctly personal circumstance of the dreamer and the dream subject.

           The main observation to make upon waking from a dream of loss is how the dream made you feel.   Were you sad, remorseful, or puzzled?  How did you feel in the dream as opposed to your feelings upon waking?  Your emotions will be the best guide on finding the meaning of your dream.

           The important thing to do is heed the warning or hear the message that your dream is conveying.  Hug your spouse or kids and tell them you love them, patch up disagreements that you may have had with a person who is special to you, or call someone you haven't contacted for a long time.  Pet your dog or play with your cat.  Assuage the fears that you may have.  Solidify your relationships.  The dream is telling you something you need to hear.

            Who has been lost in your dreams?   Did you find them?   Can you relate the dream to something in you waking life?




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