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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Go Back, Open Door, Face The Fear

Nancy Huseby Bloom

Dear Nancy: I am a single mother with three children and a full-time job. Sometimes I feel I have no life of my own. I have had this recurring dream for years and I always wake up terrified. Sometimes I’m afraid to go to sleep at night. Can you help? - Debbie

I enter a huge, old mansion and find myself looking at a bedroom door. I am filled with horror as I realize there is something truly evil in that room. I want to get away as fast as I can and I’m terrified that whatever it is behind that door will get me. I wake up in a panic.

Dear Debbie: Houses and buildings in dreams usually represent ourselves. Because a mansion has so many rooms, it suggests you have lots of potential, many different talents and many aspects to your personality or life.

Each room also represents a part of the self. The room you are afraid of is the bedroom, places of intimacy. Are you not allowing anyone to get close to you? How about sexual intimacy?

You shared with me you had an uncle who attempted to molest you at a young age. Have you repressed or “closed the door” on these memories because they are too painful to bear?

You also mentioned you often feel overwhelmed and exhausted because, being single, you are the one who has to keep everything running smoothly in your family. The evil in the bedroom in your dream may signify your fear of losing control if you rest. Could the evil behind the door be your own negative thoughts about yourself? When you do things for yourself, do you feel guilty?

I would suggest going back into the dream, opening that bedroom door and seeing what is there. This will enable you to face your fear and give you an opportunity to resolve this nightmare.

Do this by finding a quiet place and quieting your mind. I would also suggest you create some protection for yourself, asking that an ally, a protecting angel, or whatever you are comfortable with to be with you.

Allow the dream to enter your consciousness - be in the dream again. Open the door and invite whatever is in that room to come out. Then ask that person or energy what it is doing in your dream. What does it need to tell you? What does it want from you? Ask any questions that come to mind of this dream figure. You can also do this process on paper.

By facing the fear and refusing to run, you are signaling to your psyche that you are ready to look at these scary issues. This type of dream comes to us only when we are ready to confront a problem and this can lead to resolution.

You may want to have a friend, pastor or therapist help you through this process. Good luck, Debbie.

This column is intended as entertainment. But psychologists who work with clients’ dreams say that 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 16 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.

Nancy Huseby Bloom has studied dreams for 16 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.