Thursday, October 27, 2011

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?




...

       

8 comments:

  1. It's hard to patch up a disagreement with a son who don't answer phone calls, text, emails, or letters. Especially when I don't know the reason he is out of my life, yes, perhaps he has problems but does that give him the excuse to write abusive text messages and deprive me of seeing my grandchildren? He has made me feel a failure as a mother which does alote to my morale I can tell you.

    Yvonne.

    ReplyDelete
  2. If I lose someone in a dream, it's usually my wife.

    ReplyDelete
  3. haven't lost anyone in a dream but there ARE one or two I wouldn't mind losing in my waking life. lol.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Yvonne -- It must be terrible to be in your situation. At least you can wake up from a dream. When you lose someone in real life it can be so difficult.

    Alex -- Not gonna even touch the interpretation to that one. Hopefully it represents your fear of losing her.

    Delores-- I guess we all have a few of those, but we can dream can't we?

    Lee

    ReplyDelete
  5. Something strange happened to me on two occasions, I am never one to sleep through the night yet on the evening my mother passed away and two months later my husband both times I slept right through the night. I could never explain it.

    ReplyDelete
  6. There is actually someone in life that I lost whom I periodically dream about 'getting back.'

    In fact, I dreamed as much, last night.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Interesting observations and interpretations Lee - I agree.

    I have had a few instances of loss that actually played out in real life - premonitions one might say.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Yvonne--That is an interesting circumstance. There could be a reason for this, but then again it could be coincidence.

    Suze-- With some analysis of your dream I'd say you'll figure out the message of this dream.

    Paula-- A dream like this could very well be a premonition, or it could merely be dream mind interpreting facts gathered during waking life but not recognized as being of any significance when they were assimilated.

    Lee

    ReplyDelete

I'd love to hear your comments or to just know that you were here. Please let me know what you think. And if you'd be so kind, please click on the Friend Connect button. It's nice to be joined on my dream journey with others who want to explore the mysterious world of the subconscious mind.
Sorry, due to too much spam I no longer allow anonymous comments on this site. If you want to comment and aren't registered yet then please sign up. It's not all that difficult and I'd really like to hear what you have to say. Comment away!

The Dreamer