Could Be Sign Of Changes In You
Dear Nancy: I had this dream the night of Nov. 19, 1996, when most of our city was without power because of the ice storm. It terrified me. - Mary
I am looking at a city full of tall buildings, like skyscrapers. One by one they collapse and fall until all of them are in bits and pieces on the ground. A male announcer says, “Unbelievable.”
Dear Mary: We can look at this dream in several ways. The most frequently used approach would be to view the dream as if all the parts are you.
Buildings can represent foundations and stability. Your dream buildings are large skyscrapers which suggests you have a lot of energy and potential. Do you feel your life is falling apart in some way? How do you feel your foundations in life are crumbling?
This is not always a negative thing as the old is sometimes destroyed to make way for the new. It may represent a breaking down of old ideas and belief systems to make room for a more authentic and personal view of yourself and your potential.
Because you had this dream during one of Spokane’s most traumatic times leads to the possibility that this dream is related to the ice storm. Without electric power, the inner structures and workings of the city were certainly falling apart.
Our environment can affect our dream life and you may have been tapping into the larger emotional climate of the people of Spokane. We are all connected with each other on a subconscious level and these connections can show up more frequently during crises.
I hope I’ve given you some ideas to think about, Mary. Remember, only you can interpret your dreams, but through some introspections of your current life experiences and situations, I’m sure you can gain meaning from this and all your dreams.
Tips for readers: Dreams mirror not only the physical situations and events in our lives but also our feelings and deeper insights about them.
A classic psychological approach to dreamwork is to view the dream as if all the parts, whether they are people, animals, or objects, are a part of yourself. As an example, let’s use a dream which portrays you walking through a dark forest and coming upon a mother bear and her cubs.
The dark forest may be a symbol of your unconscious or that which is mysterious and hidden within you.
The mother bear might be a powerful and instinctual part of your nature. She may symbolize the “Mother” part of you - protective, nurturing, intuitive.
The cubs may be that which is newly born in your psyche and soul - new life, new creativity, new ideas or energy. The mother is present not only as the giver of life but also to protect and nurture that new life.
All these dream figures are you and it is important to note how you react and respond to them in the dream. Do you view them with wonder and awe, or with fear? Do you run from or befriend them?
By befriending our dream figures we integrate these qualities within ourselves. We accept our own power, our natural instincts and the new life within us. This is the dreamwork that can make profound changes in our lives.
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.