Losing (Elements of Dreams) #AtoZChallenge

       You may have heard of dreams that help someone find an item they've lost in waking life.  In the dream a place is identified where the lost item is and then after awakening you look and there the lost item is!   This is probably a rare instance when this happens, but more commonly in our dreams we have lost something

       Dreams often can leave us feeling a sense of ambiguity or apprehension and in many cases these feelings in the dream are brought about by having lost something or unable to find some important item.  These dream feelings are most likely extensions of similar feelings in waking life.  Trying to find a missing item can lead to exasperation and even feelings of panic depending on the importance of a lost item.

        The emotions brought about by losing something and searching for it can be strong.   It's no surprise that the foggy state of the subconscious mind might evoke those same feelings as when something is lost.   The lost items in dreams might be the same items we lose in waking life--keys, glasses, wallet--or they might be odder types of items that often represent something else in our lives.

         There have even been situations in some of my dreams where I know I've lost something but I'm not sure what it is.  In this type of dream my frustration increases because I'm trying to figure out what exactly I have lost and this can carry into wakefulness as I feel that something is lost but I can't remember what it is that I have lost.

         What are some things that you have lost in your dreams?    Do you tend to misplace things in waking life?    Are the things you lose in dreams the same things that you lose during your waking hours?

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Lost Things or Being Lost

 Lost WikiProject Award. I release it in to the public domain. SergeantBolt (t,c) 12:56, 1 October 2006 (UTC) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

        Dreams of being lost or having lost something are fairly common for me and, from what I've heard, for others as well.   These can be mildly distressing to profoundly disturbing.  Often the sense of loss will remain after awakening at which time I may consider whether the loss was real or even get up and look for something I may have dreamed about losing.

         Many times the dream will be about losing money.   In these cases, upon awakening, it may not be unusual for me to try to remember if I actually have lost money or worry about the possibility of having done so.  The better dreams are those of finding money that I have lost.  These dreams will also lead me to think about the possibility that there is money to be found somewhere.  I have even woken up and looked somewhere a dream indicated there was money.  I have never found any.

         In other dreams I will have lost a thing or somebody.  For the material objects the outcome is the same as the dreams of lost money.  Frequently the lost objects are very odd things that seem valuable in the dream, but are absurd to think about in waking life.  The dreams of losing people like my kids are always very upsetting.   I can sometimes lie awake for a long time after having a dream like this trying to bring some kind of closure with a better ending, but feeling worry at the same time.

         The most obvious symbolism that I can see going on with these dreams is a fear of loss.  This may be the result of an insecurity I am feeling about that lost something of the dream.  Perhaps I am afraid that I am in serious danger of losing something or somebody in a real or in a metaphorical sense.

        Another interpretation may relate to something that has already happened that is actually or symbolically being played out in my dream story.  Perhaps my mind is trying to gain understanding of the loss or merely replay the event for whatever purpose my mind may need.

         The dreams of being lost will most often involve me going to an important meeting or event and losing my way.  Most of the time in these dreams I become distracted by other activities or happenings and forget that I was going somewhere.  Eventually I might remember my engagement, but by that time I am usually late or have missed it.  At this time I may feel panic, disappointment, or resignation.

          The symbolization of these dreams depends on the feeling I have in the end.  The dream story probably represents my life or current life events in most cases.  In other dreams of this nature the story may represent a fear of something that could happen if I am not ready for it or careful approaching it.  If I am lost, I need to either find my way or improvise the situation to make the best of it.   It's the way I actually do things in life and my dream life reflects this in the being lost dreams.

          Dreams of losing things are typically troubling, but not always devastating.  Dreams of being lost can cause distress, but allow recovery space for me that allows me to fix the situation and end up okay.

          What have you lost in your dreams?    How does losing things in dreams make you feel?   Are you able to recover well when you become lost in a dream?

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