[Archived] Childhood Nightmares

[S15]

Oops.

Edited April 15, 2010 by shillito15

[BPF]

FALLING

Falling dreams are another theme that is quite common in the world of dreams. Contrary to a popular myth, you will not actually die if you do not wake up before your hit the ground during a fall.

As with most common dream themes, falling is an indication of insecurities, instabilities, and anxieties. You are feeling overwhelmed and out of control in some situation in your waking life. This may reflect the way you feel in your relationship or in your work environment. You have lost your foothold and can not hang on or keep up with the hustle and bustle of daily life. When you fall, there is nothing that you can hold on to. You more or less are forced toward this downward motion without any control. This lost of control may parallel a waking situation in your life.

Falling dreams also often reflect a sense of failure or inferiority in some circumstance or situation. It may be the fear of failing in your job/school, loss of status, or failure in love. You feel shameful and lack a sense of pride. You are unable to keep up with the status quo or that you don't measure up.

According to Freudian theory, dreams of falling indicate that you are contemplating giving into a sexual urge or impulse. You maybe lacking indiscretion.

Falling dreams typically occur during the first stage of sleep. Dreams in this stage are often accompanied by muscle spasms of the arms, legs, and the whole body. These sudden contractions, also known as myclonic jerks. Sometimes when we have these falling dreams, we feel our whole body jerk or twitch and we awaken from this jerk. It is thought that this jerking action is part of an arousal mechanism that allows the sleeper to awaken and become quickly alert and responsive to possible threats in the environment.

According to biblical interpretations, dreams about falling have a negative overtone and suggest that man is acting and walking according to his own way of thinking and not those of the Lord.

BEING CHASED

Chase dreams are one of several common dream themes, stemming from feelings of anxiety in your waking life. Flee and flight is an instinctive response to a physical threat in the environment. In these dreams, the scenario features you being pursued by an attacker, an animal, a monster or an unknown figure, who wants to hurt or possibly kill you. Consequently, you run, you hide or you try to outwit your pursuer. Your actions in the dream parallel how you would respond to pressure and cope with fears, stress or various situations in your waking life. Instead of confronting the situation, your dream indicates that you have a tendency to run away and avoid the issue. Ask yourself who is chasing you, so that you can gain an understanding and insight of the source of your fears and anxieties.

The pursuer or attacker who is chasing you in your dream may also represent an aspect of yourself. Your own feelings of anger, jealousy, fear, and possibly love, can manifest itself as the threatening figure. Or the shadowy figure can also symbolize rejected characteristics of your self. You may be projecting these feelings onto the unknown chaser. Next time you a dream of being chased, turn around and confront your pursuer. Ask them why they are chasing you. Perhaps you are running away from something. What are you trying to run from?

If you are the one doing the chasing, then the dream may highlight your drive and ambition to go after something you want. Or perhaps the dream suggests that you are falling behind and having to catch up with everyone else.

Consider the distance or gap between you and your pursuer. This indicates your closeness to the issue. If the pursuer is gaining on you, then it suggests that the problem is not going to go away. The problem will surround you until you confront and address it. However, if you are able to widen the gap between your pursuer, then you are able to successful distance yourself from the problem. In essence, the problem is fading away.

A more direct analysis of chase dreams is the fear of being attacked. Such dreams are more common among women than men, who may feel physically vulnerable in the urban environment. These dreams are often brought about by the media, who magnifies fears of violence and sexual assault.

TEETH DREAMS

Dreams of falling teeth are the most common dreams that Dream Moods receives. The typical dream scenarios include having your teeth crumble in your hands, fall out one by one with just a light tap, grow crooked or rot. Such dreams are not only horrifying and shocking, but they often leave you with a lasting image of the dream. So what does it mean?

One theory is that dreams about your teeth reflect your anxieties about your appearance and how others perceive you. Sadly, we live in a world where appearance and attractiveness matter and your teeth help to convey that image. Teeth play an important role in the game of flirtation, whether it be flashing those pearly white, kissing or necking. Thus, such dreams may stem from a fear of rejection, sexual impotence or the consequences of getting old. Additionally, a dream research found that women in menopause have frequent dreams about teeth. This further points to teeth dreams as being related to getting older and/or feeling unattractive and less feminine. Teeth are an important feature to your attractiveness and how you are presented to others. Caring about how you look is natural and healthy.

Another rationalization for these falling teeth dreams may be rooted in your fear of being embarrassed or making a fool of yourself in some situation. These dreams are an over-exaggeration of your worries and anxieties. Perhaps the dream may be a result of you being unprepared for the task at hand.

Teeth are used to bite, tear, chew and gnaw. In this regard, teeth represent power. And the loss of teeth in your dream may be from a sense of powerlessness. Are you lacking power in some current situation? Perhaps you are having difficulties expressing yourself or getting your point across. You feel frustrated when your voice is not being heard. You may be experiencing feelings of inferiority and a lack of self-confidence in some situation or relationship in your life. This dream may be an indication that you need to be more assertive and believe in the value of your own opinion.

Traditionally, it was thought that dreaming that you did not have teeth, represent malnutrition which may be applicable to some dreamers.

Other Perspectives

A scriptural interpretation for bad or falling teeth indicate that you are putting your faith, trust, and beliefs in what man thinks rather than in the word of God. The bible says that God speaks once, yea twice in a dream or a vision in order to hide pride from us, to keep us back from the pit, to open our ears (spiritually) and to instruct and correct us.

In the Greek culture, when you dream about loose, rotten, or missing teeth, it indicates that a family member or close friend is very sick or even near death.

According to the Chinese, there is a saying that your teeth will fall out if you are telling lies.

It has also been said that if you dream of your teeth falling out, then it symbolizes money. This is based on the old tooth fairy story. If you lose a tooth and leave it under the pillow, a tooth fairy would bring you money.

EXAM / TEST / UNI DREAMS

To dream that you are taking an exam, indicates that you are being put to the test or being scrutinized in some way.�Such dreams highlight your feelings of being anxious and agitated. You may find that you cannot answer any of the questions on the test or that the test is in some foreign language. Is time running out and you find that you can not complete the exam in the allowed time? Or are you late to the exam? Does your pencil keep breaking during the exam? Such factors contribute to you failing this test. These dreams usually have to do with your self-esteem and confidence or your lack of. You are worried that you are not making the grade and measuring up to other people's expectations of you. You may also experience the fear of not being accepted, not being prepared, or not being good enough. You feel nervous, insecure and tend to believe the worst about yourself.

These dreams also suggest that you may feel unprepared for a challenge. Rarely, are these dreams about the content of the test, but rather the process and how you are feeling during the exam taking process. Generally, you feel distressed and frustrated. These feelings may parallel how you are feeling in a particular challenge or situation in your waking like.

Dreams of this nature are also an indication that you are being judged and this dream is a signal for you to examine an aspect of yourself that you may have been neglecting and need to pay attention to. You may harbor some guilt because of your neglect in preparation for a school exam, meeting, business project, or some challenge. Most of the time, though, people who have such dreams are unlikely to fail a test in real life. This dream goes back to their fear and own anxiety that they may not meet other's standards of them. They are afraid to let others down.

FLYING DREAMS

Flying dreams fall under a category of dreams known as lucid dreaming. Lucid dreams occur when you become aware that you are dreaming. Many dreamers describe the ability to fly in their dreams as an exhilarating, joyful, and liberating experience.

If you are flying with ease and enjoying the scene and landscape below, then it suggests that you are on top of a situation. You have risen above something. It may also mean that you have gained a different perspective on things. Flying dreams and the ability to control your flight is representative of your own personal sense of power.

Having difficulties staying in flight indicates a lack of power in controlling your own circumstances. You may be struggling to stay aloft and stay on course. Things like power lines, trees, or mountains may further obstruct your flight. These barriers represent a particular obstacle or person who is standing in your way in your waking life. You need to identify who or what is hindering you from moving forward. It may also be an indication of a lack of confidence. You need to believe in yourself and not be afraid.

If you are feeling fear when you are flying or that you feel that you are flying too high, then it suggests that you are afraid of challenges and of success.

In reality, we cannot really fly, of course. Thus, such dreams may represent that which is beyond your physical limitations. In your mind, you can be anybody and do anything. Another way of interpreting flying dreams is that these dreams symbolize your strong mind and will. You feel undefeatable and nobody can tell you what you cannot do and accomplish. Undoubtedly these dreams leave you a great sense of freedom.

[American]

Have flying dreams a lot. Usually I'm running through the air, and it is a great sense of freedom.

[roversandy]

i had a lucid dream a couple of nights ago, i was in my bedroom and something was pulling me and strangling me, i 'woke up' in my dream and could feel myself being strangled and having my arm pulled, i couldnt move or shout for help, i was pretty frightened i can tell you, i told myself over and over its just a dream. I was a bit scared to go back to sleep.

[Clitherover]

i had a lucid dream a couple of nights ago, i was in my bedroom and something was pulling me and strangling me, i 'woke up' in my dream and could feel myself being strangled and having my arm pulled, i couldnt move or shout for help, i was pretty frightened i can tell you, i told myself over and over its just a dream. I was a bit scared to go back to sleep.

I used to have this exact dream quite regularly, i believe the monster in the dream is called an 'incubus'.

The dreams stopped when i stopped smoking cannabis.

[Tom]

I used to have bad night terrors about count duckula and big bird from the muppets one day I thought I woke up and big bird was in a bed blocking my door, I scrambled under and then he saw me.

I've always sleep walked but not for a long time till last week when for some reason I ran downstairs and was in a panic trying to get out of the front door, good job I didn't as I had been sleeping in the buff. Weirdly I later found out that the guy I bought the house off died that night.

[Sandiway Blue]

Dreams about flying are widely believed to be an out of body experience,they can often end in waking up feeling very achey.This is a sign that you have `re-entered` your body too quickly....

Heavy stuff,i know....

[broadsword]

I had an out-of-body experience last time I had a curry.

[Sandiway Blue]

I had an out-of-body experience last time I had a curry.

[Rovermatt]

First one is I dream that I've not done the homework due for the next day, or totally forgotten to revise for the exam the following morning. Please bear in mind I'm 37 and last proper exams I did were at University in 1990!

Blimey. I have almost exactly the same one which extends to my not attending classes for a course I'd forgotten I was signed up for.

I've also been having an unpleasant dream in recent months where the girl of my dreams (who is a real person rather than some fictitious recurring character) is getting married to the guy she's going out who I hate, which is the reason my relationship with her disintegrated. This dream probably has something to do with me thinking about her every second of the day.

Another recurring one I'm prone to having is finally getting a chance to do something I've been wanting to do for ages (play for Rovers, drive a Porsche, win Olympic gold, whatever) only for me to miss a bus, a flight, a lift, an appointment etc. This is probably linked to my waking obsession with time and punctuality.

I also suffer from the obligatory falling dreams too.

The chase dreams stuff mentioned above is very interesting. My chase dreams always involve me running from an unknown (though very threatening) pursuer. No matter how many times I break the line of sight and regardless of the twists and turns I take to shake him, he always tracks me down. A couple of nights ago I was being pursued and ended up running onto the set of Neighbours (no, seriously). I haven't watched Neighbours in ten years I'm sure. It was ok though, they weren't filming.

Edited May 7, 2010 by Rovermatt

[thenodrog]

Well I never! It's revealed here that the majority of parents don't think smacking does any harm.

I don't think anyone's been on here complaining of nighmares re: a sharp smack on the legs either.

Yet here we have some bloke who is CE of the Childrens society (ffs!) Bob Reitemeyer who reckons he knows better than the nations parents.

http://www.parentdish.co.uk/2010/07/08/results-of-an-anti-smack-charity-poll-show-parents-support-smack/?icid=main|uk-ws-bb|dl6|link3|http%3A%2F%2Fwww.parentdish.co.uk%2F2010%2F07%2F08%2Fresults-of-an-anti-smack-charity-poll-show-parents-support-smack%2F

Edited July 8, 2010 by thenodrog

[Claytons Left Boot]

A few years ago, I was sleeping in the stern of one of the round the world yachts, somewhere off the coast of northern Norway. Sleeping arrangements spartan to say the least. It must have been a short while after a trip to Disney World because I was dreaming about being on a similar ride to one at Disney where you're inside, in the dark, in a boat meandering round a course. Up ahead I see a skull above a doorway that's alive and looking at me. As I get nearer the doorway the bloody thing is still gawping at me. As I went under and through the doorway, I let out (in real life now) the most bloodcurdling scream you've ever heard. Naturally I woke myself up and the guy next to me thought I was trying to kill him, with those towards the front of the yacht thinking we were being attacked!

[gumboots]

don't do recurring dream but as a child I was convinced the devil lived under my bed and would drag me under if I left a leg trailing as I climbed in so had to jump into bed rather than climb. Even now, after dark I won't sit on the edge of a bed, and I get in, if not with a flying leap any more since age and weight mean I'd probably do some damage to the bed or myself, as quickly as possible making sure I don't leave my leg dangling in mid air for more than a split second. I never fling arms or legs over the edge of the bed in sleep like lots of people do. I'm too scared.

[Billy Castell]

That's just odd Gumboots. It wasn't the devil, it was Freddy Kruger.

[Amo]

don't do recurring dream but as a child I was convinced the devil lived under my bed and would drag me under if I left a leg trailing as I climbed in so had to jump into bed rather than climb. Even now, after dark I won't sit on the edge of a bed, and I get in, if not with a flying leap any more since age and weight mean I'd probably do some damage to the bed or myself, as quickly as possible making sure I don't leave my leg dangling in mid air for more than a split second. I never fling arms or legs over the edge of the bed in sleep like lots of people do. I'm too scared.

Such paranoid fantasy. There's nothing to worry about...

[T4E]

Sometimes I've dreamt that I'm reading some meaningless drivel, which just endlessly repeats itself, going round and round in circles - I then realise that I've clicked on the latest transfer thread on the main board. It's a scary place!

This one is just as relevant, 4 years later.

[Redrose49er]

A few nights ago I dreamt I was being pursued by Darth Vader, seriously spooked me

[Amo]

...

Edited July 19, 2010 by Topman

[T4E]

A few nights ago I dreamt I was being pursued by Darth Vader, seriously spooked me

Weird. If I were you I'd Luke in to that.

[JC4LAB]

Daleks that can climb stairs!..Dreamt I was plucking a chicken..The wife woke up bald (Good old TC!)

[Billy Castell]

I once dreamt that I had 3 cocks, and I'm not talking about poultry.

Actually that is a lie . I wonder what the Freudian interpretation of such a dream would be?