Dream interpretation?

[ComeToTheEdge]

Anyone know what this means?

It's a recurring dream, have had it on and off over many years. I'm back visiting a place I used to live, with the group of people I used to be with there, but one of them is missing. It's odd because I seem to be the only person in the dream who thinks it's odd that this person isn't there. I'm always on tenterhooks waiting for the door to open and for them to come in and join the group, but they never do. No-one mentions their name either.

Recently I'm getting it more and more often.

I think people in dreams can often be aspects of yourself - would it make sense if an aspect of yourself was "missing" and you were the only one who seemed to have noticed? What's the person like? Are they the "fun" part of you, gone missing with the responsibilities of being an adult/parent? Or some other part of who you feel you used to be which doesn't get a chance to express itself any more?

That's interesting AMIS, I'd never thought of looking at it like that- obviously I keep thinking this person must be dead although they are only my age so it's unlikely.

I suppose over the last 10 years I have changed a lot, and maybe discarded or lost bits of me! I'll have a think about what and see if next time the dream comes that person is back!

Can't you try to find this person? In the age of Facebook, I would think this shouldn't be a mammoth task.

Our current understanding of the brain and the function of dreams in relation to memories indicate a much more literal approach to dream "interpretation" - this is probably about a real memory, half forgotten, where you were all together and this person wasn't there or left for an important reason that has marked you in some way (she was pulled from school because a parent died, she moved and you never heard from her again, etc).

I've looked on Facebook, and in phone directories etc (prompted by the dream) and can't find anything. Which obviously has increased my feeling of unease. Although people change names, move away, have different IDs on FB etc. Plus, being in my 40s I suppose there are still one or two people from my generation not on it!

Rather bizarrely, I had the dream again last night, and they were there!First time ever, in years, sitting in a pub opposite the bar where I was being served. I was about to go over and say "oh, so you're not dead!" and dh's buggering alarm went off!