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Original poster

What are your recurring dreams?

91 replies

022828MAN · 07/10/2020 07:05

I have two regular themes that come up -

I'm at home (in the family home I grew up in, not my current family home) and there's hundreds of unwanted guests. As I manage to get one room clear I go into another room and there's just so many more. It's a real stress and anxiety and I can't get anyone to leave.

I'm drink driving, usually really struggling to control the vehicle and then being caught and so full of guilt and shame.

Both dreams seem to have the themes of alcohol and being out of control. Whenever I have either dream I wake up SO relieved they're not true.
I've also had a similar one, though not as frequent, that I'm drunk and cheat on DH. Again, a very stressful and anxiety causing situation and again, so grateful when I wake up and know its not true.

I am a bit of a control freak in real life and all these have a theme of being out of control - although I don't necessarily notice these anxieties in my waking life.

They're also all linked to alcohol - I have had a bad relationship with binge drinking in the past, although not for a long time now.

What are your recurring dreams/themes and where do you think they stem from?

OP posts:

WiserOwl · 07/10/2020 22:48

@022828MAN that first dream that is in your old family home is very interesting. Our old family home is very significant in dreams. Does your inner child feel overwhelmed and stifled?

WiserOwl · 07/10/2020 22:50

I used to have lots of dreams about handbags. I believe that that is linked to identity. I was almost always looking for my handbag and that would really make sense as my x had ground me right down to the point of no identity and I had no security either. Think handbags represent security too.

When something good happened to me (job wise) I dreamt that I had a handbag and when I opened it, tiny birds fluttered out. It was so nice!

Thiswillbeinteresting · 07/10/2020 22:52

These are all so fascinating

Mine is one I have had since I was a kid over 40 years ago. I still have it now, maybe 2-3 times a year and I always wake up at the same point.

I am around 3-4 years old, on one of those little toddler trikes. My foster parents, sister and I are at our allotment just beside a railway line. Foster parents and sister are in the dilapidated old land rover we had at the time, I am on my trike. They are driving up the steep lane away from the allotment as I try to keep up with them on my trike. A train pulls alongside and my birth mother steps off. As she gets closer to me I see she is holding a knife and waving it at me. I pedal faster trying to catch up to the land rover but the lane is too steep. Foster parents and sister are all laughing, I am crying and exhausted. Just as birth mum catches up to me and the knife is raised, I wake up.

WiserOwl · 07/10/2020 22:55

I also used to dream I was looking for my shoes! I'd lost them trying on a different pair, in a shop, then the shop shut, and so on and so on. Always some chaotic catalogue of misfortunes leading me to have NO SHOES!

I know that's another one that means fear of poverty, lack of security, confidence, feeling unimportant. That really makes sense for how I was feeling about a decade ago when I was having all of the awful dreams.

FamilyOfAliens · 08/10/2020 08:18

@Thiswillbeinteresting

These are all so fascinating

Mine is one I have had since I was a kid over 40 years ago. I still have it now, maybe 2-3 times a year and I always wake up at the same point.

Your poor thing, that sounds terrifying

Mrslafayette · 08/10/2020 18:56

I also have the driving dreams where the car is out of control and I'm sat in the back trying to climb in the front to control it and also often dream about a house that doesn't even exist it's got hidden rooms and its huge and I love it! I feel really happy and safe in this hidden house.

TristanFarnon · 19/10/2020 16:22

I'm living my usual life, but something urgent or unpleasant is happening. Enstone around me is acting totally normally, but when I try to walk faster or run it feels like the air around me is treacle. I'm straining all my muscles but I can't move above a snail's pace. I try to scream to attract attention but I can't make a sound. I'm gulping lungs full of air and trying as hard as i can but I make no noise.

The situations change but the trying to run and scream is always the same.

MuserOwl · 19/10/2020 18:59

@TristanFarnon

The situations change but the trying to run and scream is always the same.

I used to have dreams like that. 😓 They leave you so drained

CheeseAndOnionIcecream · 19/10/2020 19:17

I have several. One of my most frequent ones always involves water. Either I'm having a wonderful time in a huge swimming pool,or its not so nice and I'm struggling to navigate marsh land covered in vast amounts of filthy,muddy water and constantly ending up up to my knees in it.
Another recurring one is that I'm back at school and panicking because we have been told we need to hand in our exercise books for science/English/maths the next day and I have numerous assignments missing,for some reason.
Yet another one involves trains. I'm charging around a labyrinth of tunnels in a station,trying to find the right platform before my train arrives. If in the event I actually make it the right platform,the train door is either 6 feet up and I can't reach it,or its in the right place but when I enter the train,there is nowhere to sit (I am disabled and have a fear of boarding public transport and finding every seat taken).
Yes,my reccurring dreams are real fun.

CheeseAndOnionIcecream · 19/10/2020 19:23

WiserOwl Ooh I've had a 'handbag dream' a few times over the years! Always involves losing my handbag. Quite often,I'm in hospital for some reason,and I'm getting frantic trying to find my bag,but no one will take me seriously or help me. As you say,I think handbags are linked to security and identity. When I've had one of these dreams,it was always during troubled periods in my life.

WiserOwl · 19/10/2020 20:37

Oh definitely! When I moved in to the house I'm in now, it's small, it's shabby, it's on the wrong side of town (I'm making it sound awful, I like it here) I felt such relief. I had this dream that I had a small blue leather handbag. It was plain and modest. And I opened it and beautiful humming birds fluttered out, kind of like butterflies suspended in the air, hovering, not flying away. I was mesmerised by their colours and they way they moved. I felt such peace and contentment.

So! There are good handbag dreams too.

UncleBunclesHouse · 19/10/2020 20:44

As long as I can remember I’ve dreamt that I am flying around my parents back garden where I grew up, up in the air and low around the garden, my mum is hanging out washing and telling me to be careful. There are a few less frequent variations that all involve me flying.

HoxtonBonnet · 19/10/2020 21:00

A lot of my dreams involve houses!

I dream of being back in the house I grew up in. It has new owners, but I have sneaked in. The owners arrive and I have to hide.

Moving to a new house but it is infested with rats.

DH has fallen in love with someone else. He is very happy and doesn't understand why I am so upset.

CeibaTree · 19/10/2020 21:04

Mine is having to move suddenly and not have enough room to pack all my books! I have this dream a few times a month at least for the past few years.

AnneBoleynsHead · 19/10/2020 21:04

I used to have the teeth falling out one a lot - so vivid. Not had it for a couple of years now though.
My current recurring dream is the seaside. Places I've been on holiday & imaginary places but always huge crashing waves, cliffs and being unable to get across the beach or to wherever I want to be.

homemadecommunistrussia · 19/10/2020 21:30

Most often I need the loo and can only find horrible disgusting ones with no privacy.
Sometimes I dream that I had a hamster or guinea pig that I forgot about and now there are hundreds!
I am back in the house I grew up in and there are extra rooms that didn't exist-through cupboards or leading off other rooms stacked high with bunk beds and random stuff like the room of requirement.

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