Water May Represent Emotional State

Dear Nancy: I’m going through a rough time in my marriage and my husband and I are seeing a counselor. I recently began a new career which has made me more independent and confident. I woke up from this dream sobbing. - Marie

I’m leading my horse across a bridge over a raging river. I see a group of warriors approaching to attack us, so I turn to go back. The attackers reach us, the bridge collapses and we end up in the water. I’m struggling to keep my horse’s head above water and to keep him from panicking. Then I notice two midgets fighting. I can’t believe how disrespectful they are of each other. I tell them they’ll both drown if they don’t stop fighting. All this time, I’m trying to help my horse. Then the water becomes calm and my beloved horse is dead. I’m sobbing, but know I’ve done everything I can.

Dear Marie: Your dream contains several archetypal symbols, and from the powerful emotional content, I’d say this is an important dream for you.

Bridges often illustrate we are in transition, moving from one phase of life to another. It may symbolize your decision to move toward independence or a change in your marriage. By crossing a bridge, you enter new territory. This can be physical or emotional.

Water often represents the emotional life of the dreamer, and in your dream the water is raging. Do you feel swept away by your emotions, afraid you might drown?

The fighting midgets may be you and your husband. They may be a representation of the “little self,” the part that’s narrow-minded, petty and selfish.

The dreaming self says, “Stop fighting or you’ll drown!” Can you find the respect you and your husband once had for one another? Disagreements and fighting can be done in a mutually respectful way.

Horses can be symbols of freedom, power and sexuality. Have you felt it necessary to change direction or goals because of the challenges in your marriage? Has your sexual life with your husband died in some way?

What does the horse represent to you? Is it your marriage, your freedom, your sexuality? What would be such a great loss in your life that it brings you this grief?

Only you, the dreamer, knows the answer.

Be sure to continue the counseling. I wish you the best through these hard times.

Tips for Readers:

Water is always an important symbol in dreams and can reveal how we feel emotionally. Being overwhelmed by water or drowning in a dream can be symbolic of feeling overwhelmed by your emotional life.

Because water contains so much life underneath the surface, it can also represent the unconscious mind, the parts we tend to ignore or repress.

Some questions to ask of a “drowning” dream:

Have I been unwilling to allow myself freedom to be who I am?

Is there some way I feel unable to keep my head above the water?

Are my emotions overwhelming me?

Do I tend to let myself be pulled under by others emotions?

This column is intended as entertainment. But psychologists who work with clients’ dreams say dreams can hold a tremendous amount of significance; a particularly disturbing or repetitive dream may indicate the need to see a therapist.

, DataTimes MEMO: Nancy Huseby Bloom has studied dreams for 18 years. Dreams may be sent to her c/o The Spokesman-Review, P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210-1615, or fax, (509) 459-5098. Please send a short summary of the circumstances in your life and include your name, address and phone number. Nancy conducts dream groups on a regular basis. For information, call 455-3450.