Fears Can Manifest In Dreams

Dear Nancy: I’m 47 years old and have been married since 1981. I’m a reclusive person, preferring to stay at home when not at work teaching fourth-grade students. My father didn’t allow me to go places as a child, so I was always at home or at school. For the past 12 to 15 years, I’ve had two recurring dreams that really puzzle me. - Terry

I look down and find that I am nude in public. I try frantically, without success, to cover myself. I wake up in a panic. The other dream is that I discover my front door is unlocked, and I feel vulnerable and shaken.

Dear Terry: When exploring our dreams it’s important to note what the dream ego (that’s you) is doing and how it’s behaving. By observing our dream actions, we can determine what underlying attitudes and beliefs govern our waking life. If we’re frequently fearful in our dreams, then most likely we will be fearful in life. If we aren’t willing to ask to have our needs met when we’re sleeping, it’s doubtful we will do so in our waking hours. These recurring themes give us the clues we need to lead us to the next stage of our inner growth.

In both dreams you feel vulnerable and exposed. Is that like your waking life? Do these dreams occur after being around a particular person or situation that makes you feel uncomfortable? Or do they reflect your need for better boundaries (the unlocked door)?

Write your dreams in a journal; date and title them. Mention any important conversations or events that happened around that time to help you pinpoint what’s triggering them.

Naked-in-public dreams are usually either embarrassing, frustrating and scary, or liberating, expansive and playful. If we feel distressed at our nakedness, it’s often a sign of fear of showing people who we really are. What do we want to cover up? If, on the other hand, we feel comfortable and at ease in our nudity, we’re probably feeling comfortable with ourselves and are open and honest with others.

Since you began having these dreams about the same time you married, could it be that increased intimacy in your daily life is triggering them? Is your husband more outgoing and active than you, causing you to feel pressure to connect with others?

It sounds like you were brought up in an atmosphere of constriction and control. Were you taught that the world is dangerous or unhealthy? It seems like you are living a life similar to the one you lived as a child, always at home or at school.

Is this old conditioning, or is it what you really want for yourself? These recurring dreams may be asking you to look at this. I hope you soon have a dream in which you revel in your nakedness, abundantly secure, joyful and free.

Reader tip: With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, please send me your dreams of love and whether they were precognitive, wishful thinking or visitations from the other side. We’re all connected on a deep level to those we love, and our dream world often reveals our hopes, fears and most passionate desires.