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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 24 of 24. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by gardenergirl on November 9, 2004, at 1:41:44
Okay, I was napping this evening and had the following vignettes in my dreaming. I'm not sure of the order, exactly, but all of these things were there and seem significant. By the way, I used to frequently dream that I am backing up my car and not able to stop using the breaks. Nothing bad ever happens, but I always feel out of control and helpless. I don't know if these are related to that dream theme or not.
Here goes:
I was on a bus full of people, some of whom seated near me were in conflict (perhaps it was Babble? :).....). Anyway, the bus had to make an unexpected, perhaps due to an emergency, stop. When everyone was getting off, I accused the people next to me of stealing my coat, because I couldn't find it.
My sister and I were "escaping" or "running away" from something in a big balloon. It didn't feel life threatening, more like making a get away. It zoomed very fast up and across the land. I said to my sis, "How will we ever stop this thing and get down?" Somehow, we kind of crash landed along a highway shoulder, skidding along the sound barrier. I think we were unhurt, but then it shifted again.
I was hang-gliding or parachuting or something. Whatever it was, it was designed so that you could do somesaults in the air while holding onto the two ropes. Clutzy me, I managed to get a shorter rope, perhaps a pull cord? tangled around a skinny branch of a tall tree with few branches. I came to a stop and was clinging to the tree with my arms and legs, wondering how I was going to get down. (oh, this just made me think of a prior dream with a similar dilemma..have to share this with T)...anyway, there was a man, perhaps my hubby, but it didn't look like him. I trusted him. He also was hang gliding, and he "landed" in the tree next to me and prepared to get to the ground somehow so that when I shimmied down, he could break my inevitable fall.
Last, I was driving my car off of my exit for home, and the knob for the gear shift came off. I tried to put it back on, and ended up breaking off the entire shifter at the base. (oh my, the images...). I magaged to shift the stub into third gear, but I was just crying and ranting at this point since I'd had such a bad day.
That's all I remember. About the only thing I can think of is that no matter what method I take, I am going nowhere!
But I welcome anyone else's interpretations.
Thanks,
gg
Posted by fallsfall on November 9, 2004, at 6:35:57
In reply to Dream analysis anyone?, posted by gardenergirl on November 9, 2004, at 1:41:44
And what associations do you have with those images...?
Posted by Daisym on November 9, 2004, at 10:12:51
In reply to Dream analysis anyone?, posted by gardenergirl on November 9, 2004, at 1:41:44
I want a shot at these when I have more time...but my initial hit is that most of these involved modes of travel, somewhat out of your control but not dangerous. I'm wondering how they link to your new internship and your feelings about the methods.
As far as the gear shift, oh my! How the unconscious works...
Posted by JenStar on November 9, 2004, at 10:58:42
In reply to Dream analysis anyone?, posted by gardenergirl on November 9, 2004, at 1:41:44
hi gg,
here's one interpretation:
In the dream, you are involved in a series of catastrophes, all of whose beginnings you cannot control. A bus, a balloon breaking, a gear-shift breaking -- these are things beyond your sphere of influence -- nothing you did caused them. Still, because you are in each situation, your job is to respond quickly & efficiently to fix the problem & avert disaster for yourself & the people with you. It's stressful to be involved in scenarios like this -- you have to think and problem =solve quickly & accurately, each and every time.
Maybe it's an indication of your new career as a CBT therapist. You get involved in other people's "catastrophes" -- you are in their bus, watching their broken stick shifts. You're lurched from one to the next as clients come/go.
Losing the coat is like losing a facade or a comfort zone -- people 'stealing' it could represent clients or even observers who can now 'see through' you. (Something I think each of us fears!)
Myabe the feelings of helplessness & despair in the dream come from an internal fear of failure or fear of the inability to help these huge, seemingly uncontrollable problems. It feels like an out-of-control journey in your dreams b/c each client's issue is monumental to them and to them is like an out of control journey.
In real life you're a good T, and you help your clients. But maybe the newness of it all has you a bit stressed? You're worried about being able to "land" each person's issues?
Anyway, that's my 2 cent analysis and probably way off. But it's certainly fun to try and interpret dreams! Your dream is certainly very interesting, whatever else it may mean. I bet you're a very creative person. AND a great therapist. :)
take care,
jenStar
Posted by sunny10 on November 9, 2004, at 13:28:57
In reply to Dream analysis anyone?, posted by gardenergirl on November 9, 2004, at 1:41:44
Wow, what fun- thanks for letting us "have a go at it" !!
> Okay, I was napping this evening and had the following vignettes in my dreaming. I'm not sure of the order, exactly, but all of these things were there and seem significant. By the way, I used to frequently dream that I am backing up my car and not able to stop using the breaks. Nothing bad ever happens, but I always feel out of control and helpless. I don't know if these are related to that dream theme or not.
>
> Here goes:
>
> I was on a bus full of people, some of whom seated near me were in conflict (perhaps it was Babble? :).....). Anyway, the bus had to make an unexpected, perhaps due to an emergency, stop. When everyone was getting off, I accused the people next to me of stealing my coat, because I couldn't find it.
>Wondering if you THINK you are blaming someone else for something that may simply be a misunderstanding? Maybe feeling guilty about it??
> My sister and I were "escaping" or "running away" from something in a big balloon. It didn't feel life threatening, more like making a get away. It zoomed very fast up and across the land. I said to my sis, "How will we ever stop this thing and get down?" Somehow, we kind of crash landed along a highway shoulder, skidding along the sound barrier. I think we were unhurt, but then it shifted again.
>Seems to mean that you feel you are asking questions of others here, but realize that the answers are within yourself - as she never answers you , but you come out unscathed.
> I was hang-gliding or parachuting or something. Whatever it was, it was designed so that you could do somesaults in the air while holding onto the two ropes. Clutzy me, I managed to get a shorter rope, perhaps a pull cord? tangled around a skinny branch of a tall tree with few branches. I came to a stop and was clinging to the tree with my arms and legs, wondering how I was going to get down. (oh, this just made me think of a prior dream with a similar dilemma..have to share this with T)...anyway, there was a man, perhaps my hubby, but it didn't look like him. I trusted him. He also was hang gliding, and he "landed" in the tree next to me and prepared to get to the ground somehow so that when I shimmied down, he could break my inevitable fall.
>Could you possibly feel that if you "get too tricky" with your new patients that your mentor will have to "stop the inevitable fall"?
> Last, I was driving my car off of my exit for home, and the knob for the gear shift came off. I tried to put it back on, and ended up breaking off the entire shifter at the base. (oh my, the images...). I magaged to shift the stub into third gear, but I was just crying and ranting at this point since I'd had such a bad day.
>Have you been putting in long hours at the clinic and perhaps shortchanging your sex life? Are you afraid of losing your husband just because of the stresses of becoming a T?
> That's all I remember. About the only thing I can think of is that no matter what method I take, I am going nowhere!
>
> But I welcome anyone else's interpretations.
>
> Thanks,
> ggWell, that's my idea of amateur dream interpretations with hardly any knowledge of the dreamer!!
I hope I wasn't offensive- and I'm not a T, so don't take anything I said too seriously- frankly I was just having fun with the exercise !
-sunny10
Posted by shortelise on November 9, 2004, at 14:26:55
In reply to Dream analysis anyone?, posted by gardenergirl on November 9, 2004, at 1:41:44
>I was on a bus full of people, some of whom seated near me were in conflict (perhaps it was Babble? :).....). Anyway, the bus had to make an unexpected, perhaps due to an emergency, stop. When everyone was getting off, I accused the people next to me of stealing my coat, because I couldn't find it.
Could this be a portrait of how you are feeling inside? Be the bus, think about these people as parts of yourself.
> My sister and I were "escaping" or "running away" from something in a big balloon. It didn't feel life threatening, more like making a get away. It zoomed very fast up and across the land. I said to my sis, "How will we ever stop this thing and get down?" Somehow, we kind of crash landed along a highway shoulder, skidding along the sound barrier. I think we were unhurt, but then it shifted again.> I was hang-gliding or parachuting or something. Whatever it was, it was designed so that you could do somesaults in the air while holding onto the two ropes. Clutzy me, I managed to get a shorter rope, perhaps a pull cord? tangled around a skinny branch of a tall tree with few branches. I came to a stop and was clinging to the tree with my arms and legs, wondering how I was going to get down. (oh, this just made me think of a prior dream with a similar dilemma..have to share this with T)...anyway, there was a man, perhaps my hubby, but it didn't look like him. I trusted him. He also was hang gliding, and he "landed" in the tree next to me and prepared to get to the ground somehow so that when I shimmied down, he could break my inevitable fall.
These two sound like things are "up in the air"
> Last, I was driving my car off of my exit for home, and the knob for the gear shift came off. I tried to put it back on, and ended up breaking off the entire shifter at the base. (oh my, the images...). I magaged to shift the stub into third gear, but I was just crying and ranting at this point since I'd had such a bad day.I don't know what these car dreams mean to you, but for me they come when powerful things in my life seem out of control, or when I am dealing with very powerful emotions or events. A car is a dangerous thing that I feel capable of controlling. It's useful, but potentially lethal.
Great dreams, gg!!
That's my 2 cents
Posted by gardenergirl on November 9, 2004, at 20:52:00
In reply to Re: Dream analysis anyone? » gardenergirl, posted by fallsfall on November 9, 2004, at 6:35:57
Oh lordy, you had to ask....well, as one of my prof's would say, anything longer than it is wide is a phallic symbol. And I broke one! Um, I tried to fix it....But Lorena Bobbit comes to mind. Yikes! Behave unconscious! Oh behave!
Actually, one image did remind me of a similar dream and similar situation when I was stuck in a somewhat perilous position and didn't know how I could get down. My hubby was mostly just watching me. It was kind of secure, but I wondered why he wasn't actively helping me.
I am starting to wonder if the other man hang gliding is my T...
Thanks for making me think...
gg
Posted by gardenergirl on November 9, 2004, at 20:53:17
In reply to Re: Dream analysis anyone?, posted by Daisym on November 9, 2004, at 10:12:51
Looking forward to more input from you, Daisy. >
> As far as the gear shift, oh my! How the unconscious works...
>
And yes, Oh my! That one seems fairly obvious, eh? (blushes)gg
Posted by gardenergirl on November 9, 2004, at 20:58:47
In reply to Re: Dream analysis anyone? » gardenergirl, posted by JenStar on November 9, 2004, at 10:58:42
> hi gg,
>
> here's one interpretation:
> Maybe it's an indication of your new career as a CBT therapist. You get involved in other people's "catastrophes" -- you are in their bus, watching their broken stick shifts. You're lurched from one to the next as clients come/go.Hmmm, I hadn't thought of that at all, but that makes sense, because it's a big part of my life at the moment. And I did just have a client with whom it was much harder to shake it off after she left. She was that sad and her story was so heartbreaking. Hmmmm.
>
> Losing the coat is like losing a facade or a comfort zone -- people 'stealing' it could represent clients or even observers who can now 'see through' you. (Something I think each of us fears!)Oh my...I absolutely fear being seen as a fraud. So yeah, the coat could be my protection. It was a rain coat, actually.
>
> Myabe the feelings of helplessness & despair in the dream come from an internal fear of failure or fear of the inability to help these huge, seemingly uncontrollable problems. It feels like an out-of-control journey in your dreams b/c each client's issue is monumental to them and to them is like an out of control journey.
>
> In real life you're a good T, and you help your clients. But maybe the newness of it all has you a bit stressed? You're worried about being able to "land" each person's issues?
>
> Anyway, that's my 2 cent analysis and probably way off. But it's certainly fun to try and interpret dreams! Your dream is certainly very interesting, whatever else it may mean. I bet you're a very creative person. AND a great therapist. :)Wow, thanks for your thoughtful reply. I think you did hit on some key issues for me, so perhaps there is something very significant in this dream. I recall the other night being distracted while watching TV trying to recall the other vignettes. All I could remember at the time was the last one. I KNEW there was more, but it took a long time to remember it.
Take care,
gg
Posted by gardenergirl on November 9, 2004, at 21:04:04
In reply to Re: Dream analysis anyone? » gardenergirl, posted by sunny10 on November 9, 2004, at 13:28:57
> Wow, what fun- thanks for letting us "have a go at it" !!
>
>
>
>> ... I accused the people next to me of stealing my coat, because I couldn't find it.
> >
>
> Wondering if you THINK you are blaming someone else for something that may simply be a misunderstanding? Maybe feeling guilty about it??Hmmm, I do guilt really well, internally, so could be.
>
> > I said to my sis, "How will we ever stop this thing and get down?" Somehow, we kind of crash landed along a highway shoulder, skidding along the sound barrier. I think we were unhurt, but then it shifted again.
> >
>
> Seems to mean that you feel you are asking questions of others here, but realize that the answers are within yourself - as she never answers you , but you come out unscathed.Hmmm, you're right, I knew she was there, but she never said or did anything. And I feel that way in therapy sometimes, too. Okay, insight, shminsight...now what do I do? And of course he never says...
>
> > I was hang-gliding or parachuting or something. Whatever it was, it was designed so that you could do somesaults in the air while holding onto the two ropes. Clutzy me, I managed to get a shorter rope, perhaps a pull cord? tangled around a skinny branch of a tall tree with few branches. I came to a stop and was clinging to the tree with my arms and legs, wondering how I was going to get down. (oh, this just made me think of a prior dream with a similar dilemma..have to share this with T)...anyway, there was a man, perhaps my hubby, but it didn't look like him. I trusted him. He also was hang gliding, and he "landed" in the tree next to me and prepared to get to the ground somehow so that when I shimmied down, he could break my inevitable fall.
> >
>
> Could you possibly feel that if you "get too tricky" with your new patients that your mentor will have to "stop the inevitable fall"?Wow, how clever! It could be...cause CBT at times does feel like tricks or too technique-y for me.
>
> > Last, I was driving my car off of my exit for home, and the knob for the gear shift came off. I tried to put it back on, and ended up breaking off the entire shifter at the base. (oh my, the images...). I magaged to shift the stub into third gear, but I was just crying and ranting at this point since I'd had such a bad day.
> >
>
> Have you been putting in long hours at the clinic and perhaps shortchanging your sex life? Are you afraid of losing your husband just because of the stresses of becoming a T?Oh my...well, I think I'll not answer that one, except, yes at times I stay late working on paperwork and then I'm tired at home later. (blushes)
>
>
> Well, that's my idea of amateur dream interpretations with hardly any knowledge of the dreamer!!
>
I think you did great...definitely made me think. I'm glad you had fun with it!gg
Posted by gardenergirl on November 9, 2004, at 21:06:57
In reply to Re: Dream analysis anyone? » gardenergirl, posted by shortelise on November 9, 2004, at 14:26:55
> >I was on a bus full of people, some of whom seated near me were in conflict (perhaps it was Babble? :).....). Anyway, the bus had to make an unexpected, perhaps due to an emergency, stop. When everyone was getting off, I accused the people next to me of stealing my coat, because I couldn't find it.
>
> Could this be a portrait of how you are feeling inside? Be the bus, think about these people as parts of yourself.Oh, I know that is a good way to do this, but I'll need to take some time with it. I started thinking like this while driving home, but I figured I'd better pay attention to the road given my dream-driving history. :)
>
> >
> These two sound like things are "up in the air"Very true...and I have left certain things and people kind of twisting in the wind recently. And the longer I don't deal with them, the worse I feel. Good observation.
>
> > Last, I was driving my car off of my exit for home, and the knob for the gear shift came off. I tried to put it back on, and ended up breaking off the entire shifter at the base. (oh my, the images...). I magaged to shift the stub into third gear, but I was just crying and ranting at this point since I'd had such a bad day.
>
> I don't know what these car dreams mean to you, but for me they come when powerful things in my life seem out of control, or when I am dealing with very powerful emotions or events. A car is a dangerous thing that I feel capable of controlling. It's useful, but potentially lethal.Hmmm, didn't realize that others had car dreams, too. Ever dream you can't make it stop? I HATE that feeling!
Thanks for your 2 cents. It's much more valuable than that...
gg
Posted by gardenergirl on November 9, 2004, at 21:22:16
In reply to Re: Dream analysis anyone?, posted by gardenergirl on November 9, 2004, at 21:06:57
Posted by shortelise on November 10, 2004, at 1:20:58
In reply to Re: Dream analysis anyone?, posted by gardenergirl on November 9, 2004, at 21:06:57
I have lots of out of control car dreams.
Dream analysis while driving a car, esp the highly emtional gestalt thing where you try to be the things, is a very bad idea, unless weeping improves your driving. I tend to do better dry eyed.
Glad you found it helpful. I dreamt I was talking to a man on the phone and I could hear him farting in the background. That must be profound.
ShortE
Posted by sunny10 on November 10, 2004, at 8:07:16
In reply to Re: Dream analysis anyone?, posted by shortelise on November 10, 2004, at 1:20:58
sounds like you heard my SO while you were dreaming....
yikes !
Posted by shortelise on November 10, 2004, at 13:17:55
In reply to Re: Dream analysis anyone? » shortelise, posted by sunny10 on November 10, 2004, at 8:07:16
what's an SO?
ShortE
Posted by sunny10 on November 10, 2004, at 14:47:22
In reply to Re: Dream analysis anyone? » sunny10, posted by shortelise on November 10, 2004, at 13:17:55
Posted by JenStar on November 11, 2004, at 20:39:47
In reply to Dream analysis anyone?, posted by gardenergirl on November 9, 2004, at 1:41:44
It was fun to analyze a dream! Do you have any more that we could all "work" on? Or does anyone else want to put a dream up here for some ad hoc analysis?
I'd put one of my own, but I can't remember any recent ones. Is that weird? Do most people remember dreams every nite?
JenStar
Posted by Skittles on November 11, 2004, at 21:47:08
In reply to Re: Dream analysis anyone? » gardenergirl, posted by JenStar on November 11, 2004, at 20:39:47
I have this just about every night and often times more than once. So you could say I'm pretty much tormented by it.
In my dream, it's night and I'm lying in bed and I see the doorknob turning. The room at this point of the dream is always whatever room I am actually sleeping in. So if I'm away at a hotel, I see the hotel room. Also, I am me at my current age. Anyway, the door slowly opens and I see a shadowy figure that I know is my father. I can't actually see him, but I know it's him. I immediately feel terrified and take off running. He chases me through several places that are a part of my past. A nature trail he would sometimes take me through. The school gymnasium where he'd drop me off very early for school when I was in kindergarten. The bathroom of the trailer home we lived in until I was 5. Finally, he catches me by grabbing my hair. We are in my childhood bedroom and I am 6 or 7 years old. Next thing I know he's got me pinned to my bed with one hand on my chest/neck and the other over my mouth. And then I wake up. Terrified and sobbing.
Posted by daisym on November 11, 2004, at 22:00:20
In reply to Here's one for you » JenStar, posted by Skittles on November 11, 2004, at 21:47:08
Skittles,
Do you remember this happening? My therapist always reminds me that dreams are often what we are afraid happened, not necessarily what happened. If you don't have memories of abuse, this dream doesn't have to mean you were. On the other hand, if you think you were, but can't remember the pieces, this might be a dream full of them.
If you take a dream as all parts of you, your father in the dream could represent your gate-keeper trying to keep you from going back and telling. It is interesting that as you run you get younger and younger. Going back to safer times? or going deeper into your hidden self?
I'm sorry it comes so often and it terrifies you. One of the techniques we've tried is to visualize another ending for the dream. How about when the handle turns, the door is locked. Or, you stand up on the bed and yell at him to go away. I assume you've told your therapist about this and are getting help?
Hugs from me.
Daisy
Posted by daisym on November 11, 2004, at 22:23:11
In reply to Re: Dream analysis anyone? » gardenergirl, posted by JenStar on November 11, 2004, at 20:39:47
it isn't unusual to not remember your dreams, especially if you are taking medication. I use to dream every night, but if I take sleeping pills, I don't remember them as well. I try to remember to write them down early now, before the day gets in the way.
I have lots of falling dreams and many, many therapy dreams. I have to be careful to not mix up what I dreamed I told my therapist and what I actually told him.
Last night I dreamed that I blew into his office, totally ready to let my younger self unload. Just as I took a breath to let it all out, he stopped me and said, "I don't know how to tell you this, but I'm moving. So you might want to hold those thoughts for my replacement. He'll meet you next week and decide if he can work with you." And I was a perfect lady about wishing him luck and I was totally understanding about it all. Then I left and went home and called my mother (who doesn't know I'm in therapy) and told her I had changed my mind and I would cook Thanksgiving for everyone. I don't remember anymore about it except I could feel (still can) myself holding in all the incredibly hurt feeings and making it OK for him to leave me.
Posted by JenStar on November 11, 2004, at 22:27:37
In reply to Here's one for you » JenStar, posted by Skittles on November 11, 2004, at 21:47:08
Skittles, I'm sorry you have such a terrible dream on a regular basis! I'm crossing my fingers that it stops soon.
This one is more sensitive to interpret than gg's, I believe, because of the father figure & the abusive situation in the dream.
Please forgive me if I say anything offensive - I truly don't mean to be.
It DOES seem that you have something unresolved going on in your psyche, something that is bothering you. You haven't told us whether there is abuse in your past, and I respect your privacy. As the other poster suggested, if you don't remember abuse, the dream doesn't mean there was abuse -- it could be something more visceral: a fear of death, a fear of failure, a fear of past mistakes catching up to the current you.
The other thing I was thinking about is more of a theoretical "thing." I know memories seem very ephemeral and dreamy, but the truth is that our neurons fire chemical messages when we think and remember things. If you had the dream once and it strongly affected you...and then you had it again...and again... I wonder if the dream is now "hard wired" into your brain? I sometimes think that certain neural pathways are VERY strong in my brain; I have some recurrent (obsessive!) thoughts over and over again.
I wonder if there would be a way to "cleanse" the dream from your psyche, be it thru meditation, medication, hpynosis. I really don't know much about this -- I'm just thinking aloud.
Have you ever had success thinkign about dream adjustments BEFORE you fall asleep, and then being able to alter the dreams when sleeping? I've not been able to do it, but it sounds like a very cool thing!
Anyway, I hope you dream better tonite.
let us know.JenStar
Posted by Skittles on November 11, 2004, at 22:29:25
In reply to Re: Here's one for you » Skittles, posted by daisym on November 11, 2004, at 22:00:20
No Daisy, I have not told my therapist about this. It's part of the subject matter that I just can't seem to open up about.
I don't have any specific memories of abuse, but I do have some gaps where I know something happened, but just can't remember what. I do think it's possible, and maybe even likely, that I was abused. But I'm definitely no expert.
Another thing about this I find interesting is that I started having this dream when I was travelling with my father. He had gone above and beyond to help me with some things over the summer and to thank him, I took him on a trip. I couldn't explain it at the time, but when I was making arrangements, I was really uncomfortable about the whole sleeping situation so I got two rooms. They were adjoining and the first night, I couldn't take my eyes off the door between us. Didn't sleep a wink that night. The next night I pushed a desk in front of the door and I was able to get some sleep, but then the dream started. I was always afraid to go to sleep when I was a kid too.
Would it be okay if I babble mailed you sometime?
Posted by Skittles on November 11, 2004, at 22:50:30
In reply to Re: Here's one for you » Skittles, posted by JenStar on November 11, 2004, at 22:27:37
No offense taken to anything you said. I knew it would be a sensitive thing when I posted and maybe I shouldn't have done it. I guess it's been weighing so heavily on my mind lately that I just couldn't help myself.
I am very interested in the suggestion that both you and Daisy had about trying to readjust the outcome. It's something I hadn't even considered and will certainly try.
Posted by daisym on November 11, 2004, at 22:53:51
In reply to Re: Here's one for you » daisym, posted by Skittles on November 11, 2004, at 22:29:25
Skittles,
It sure sounds to me like you have a lot to say...I hope you find the courage to tell your therapist soon.
Please feel free to email me: Babbledaisymm@aol.com.
This is the end of the thread.
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