Bad Dreams



I had 2 strange dreams lately.



Once, I was chased by zombies from across the street and tried to flee for my life but I began to slow down and was finally caught. There were not one but more than a dozen of those zombies.



I had this dream a few days after watching Dawn of the Dead so I probably would have guessed that I have brought the show into my dream.



OR



Doomsday is coming!



Another was that I dreamt about my best buddy, Salimie. We were sitting at my house balcony and we were chit-chatting away. But it was not that simple. He started calling me 'sayang' and I kissed him on the cheek! Salimie, if you're reading this, don't freak out! It's a dream that I dreamt. It's not going to happen!



*Sayang - Dear or Darling.



*****



We've all had them - those alarming dreams of being chased by something grisly, a loved one getting hurt or dying, driving a car without brakes, not knowing the answers to a test, falling fearfully through the air, appearing naked or half-dressed in public, or racing for the train that has just departed. These and other bad dreams that everyone experiences at some point in their lives are too familiar.



What most of us don't realize is that these very same dreams are universal. They have existed from before the beginning of recorded literature, and will occur tonight in every country of our planet. They cross different cultures and classes. They endure over time.



Some of the dreams that we may dream or dreamt are/were:



Injury or Death



You or another dream character (often a loved person) is injured, killed, or dies. Usually the cause is accidental. The villain or threat is not emphasized; injury or death just happens. This theme includes the common dream that your teeth are falling out.



Examples:



o My mother dies.

o My child is accidentally struck by a car. I am hysterical.

o I shrink. Someone comes along and squashes me.



Losing Valuable Possession



You dream that your pocketbook or wallet is missing, misplaced, or stolen. Variations include loss of some other valuable possession, such as a watch, a diamond ring, a wedding ring, a precious vase, artwork, and so forth Even your entire house, or part of it, may vanish.



Examples:



o I fall into a bog and my purse sinks with the airline tickets in it.

o My diamond slips off my finger and falls to the bottom of the lake.



Being in a House on Fire



You dream of being in a house or other building that is on fire. You may feel frightened, make efforts to escape, or try to save others.



Examples:



o My house is ablaze and my family jumps out of the window.

o I look out the window and see a beautiful garden with flowers. Then I realize my house is in flames.



Poor Test or Other Performance



You dream of anxiety-filled activity related to taking an examination in school, or of being tested in some way. There are several versions of this nightmare. You may arrive at the room to find the test has already begun; you may not be able to find the right room; you may be handed the test and realize that you do not know the answers or have never even read the books upon which the test is based.



You may not have time to finish. In any case, you are uncertain you are able to pass or to graduate. In another version of the same theme, you may be due to perform in a play, musical, sport, or other event and, as you begin, realize you have forgotten the lines, do not know the part, do not recognize the material or don't know what to do.



Examples:



o I'm handed the exam and glance at the questions. I realize with horror that I don't know any of the answers. I never read the books for this test.

o I'm standing on the stage in my costume. Suddenly I can't remember any of my lines. Am I in the wrong play?



Falling or Drowning



You dream of falling through the air, frightened. You may or may not strike the ground before awakening. A variant of this dream are images of drowning or near-drowning.



Examples:



o I am running when I trip over a stick and fall over a cliff, going down and down and I am about the hit the rocks below.

o I'm swimming when a giant tidal wave washes over me; I can't breathe.



Being Naked or Inappropriately Dressed in Public



You dream of being nude in a public place. You may also dream of being inappropriately dressed in public, for instance, showing up at work in your nightgown or pajamas. A variation of this theme is the appearance of some other dream character being naked or wrongly dressed.



Examples:



o I'm in the office when I become aware that people are looking at me in a peculiar way. I look down and am shocked to see I have no clothes on.

o My groom shows up at the altar wearing a weird outfit, a mix of an ethnic costume and a clown suit. I'm mortified.



Missing the Boat or Other Transport



You dream of rushing to catch a train, bus, ship, or other transport, and miss it. You may dream of arriving too late for a performance in which you are supposed to participate, and find that the play, musical production, sport competition, or other event, has already begun and you are unable to be involved.



Examples:



o I'm racing to catch the plane but just as I reach the gate the plane takes off without me.

o I hurry into the theater and get my cello out. I can hear the music playing--they've already begun the concert without me.



Lost



You dream you are lost, perhaps feeling desperate. You may be trying to find your way in a forest, in city streets, in a maze, or inside a large building.



Examples:



o I am in a strange part of town that looks threatening. I keep trying to find my way out but get more and more mixed up.

o I am in a hospital basement. All the corridors look alike - I'm lost.



Paralyzed or Stuck or Trapped



You dream you are unable to move, perhaps unable to scream or breathe. The circumstances vary. You may dream that you are buried alive, or that you are caught or trapped in some other way. You may feel terror.



Examples:



o I am buried alive. I bang on the lid of the coffin, but no one can hear me. (man who felt stuck in a marriage)

o I'm lying in a hospital with dead people on stretchers all around me. I'm alive but I can't move or scream. I'm horrified. (sexually abused teenaged girl)



Guided by the Dead



Some of the most powerful dreams we have are dreams about loved ones who have died. Men and women have changed their life paths, and sometimes their non-belief in an afterlife, based on dreams in which they felt they received direct messages from the departed.