Dreams Can Give Behind The Scenes Glimpse

Dear Nancy: I had this dream the night before the place where I worked burned down. I suspected the owner had set the fire but all my fellow co-workers seemed positive it could not have been him. Later, however, he was convicted of the crime. Could this dream have had something to do with this event, even though it occurred first? - Shawn

I’m in the hair care section of a drug store. I see a new product line packaged in bright purple, green and pink bottles. It’s “Charles Manson Shampoo and Conditioner”! On the label is a picture of Charles Manson, wearing nothing but pointed shoes and an elaborate feathered eye mask. I’m disgusted by the display and say so when a girl passes by me. She tells me that she sees nothing wrong with it. I tell her that he’s a criminal and should not have the right to make money off of the public. I look for the manager to tell him I will boycott the store if the new shampoo and conditioner line is not discontinued.

Dear Shawn: Dreams often give us “behind the scenes” information, and this one certainly could have been a symbolic glimpse of the crime committed at your workplace.

The criminal Charles Manson is trying to sell you a “bill of goods” that makes him look innocent and honorable. Likewise, your boss is proclaiming his innocence and trying to make money off of his insurance company.

Your dream may have consciously convinced you your boss was guilty of the crime, while everyone else thought he was innocent.

Let’s also look at the dream as if it were all about you with all the characters being different parts of yourself.

Stores in dreams represent our inner resources and the diverse attitudes and abilities available to us.

We all have our “shadow” side - parts most of us prefer to keep hidden, even from ourselves. We often view these characteristics as negative. An example is a person who represses his anger, when acknowledging and expressing it could be a great healing force for his life.

The shadow can also be positive attributes we don’t express, like an artist who does not paint, or a tender-hearted person who hides behind a gruff exterior.

In this dream, your “shadow” is the diabolical Charles Manson who wants to sell you his product. Shampoos cleanse the head and can represent the “cleaning out” of old ideas about yourself.

By buying the product, you would be recognizing and accepting these shadow parts of yourself.

One part of you says, “No! Don’t buy it,” but another side, as characterized by the passing girl, says there’s nothing wrong with it. You demonstrate this resistance by wanting to boycott the whole store because of one product.

Dreams also comment on social issues.

Did you happen to see an article or advertisement that featured someone you know to be dishonest or immoral? That could have triggered some outrage or indignation from you on an unconscious level.

It’s always a good practice to look at your dreams from as many different angles as you can. As you do this, you will find that dreamwork can be fun as well as being an adventure into your own inner-soul life.

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.

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