QUESTIONS & ANSWERS:
Dreams Department
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Question
I rarely dream of violent acts, but one night I got it all. Violent objects
as well as acts including: gun, ax, rape, fire, and a tornado. Now the gun
was being shot at me but I eluded it. The ax was used by a stepfather on his
stepdaughter in which she was first raped and then was decapitated with it.
I did witness the decapitation and then the man turned on me and I felt my
throat being cut. Then I was suddenly outside and there was a brush fire
that spread quickly from the wind of the tornado in which I was unable to run
from fast enough.
All of these dreams happened concurrently and in that order in one night.
Could you please possibly give me some suggestions on why so much violence
could take place in the subconscious in one evening? Answer
Acts of violence are frightening whether they occur in waking reality or in
dreams, and can stimulate feelings of helplessness and vulnerability. The
cause of violence in dreams may be from many sources. To rule out drugs,
medications or illness as a cause, discussion with a physician is
recommended. If the violence is recurrent or reflects a waking aspect of
your life, discussion with a mental health professional is advised.
However, in general, violent dreams offer the same opportunity that other
dreams do, to investigate the symbols and imagery for life enhancement. The
challenge in the last few decades for the dreamwork movement has been to
teach a variety of methods that replace the old phase "It was just a dream".
In American schools systems, people like Jill Gregory and Ann Wiseman have
successfully taught children coping mechanisms that allow them to come into
relationship with the dream monsters and fears in a novel and related manner.
Generally the child is encouraged to draw the dream, talk with the
frightening characters, or fantasize changes in the nightmare. Children often
will draw magic circles around the monsters or put them in cages. Talking
with the monsters from a safe place leads to creative alternatives. Similar
approaches can lead to creative insights with adults as well.
In this sense, occasional violent dreams are gift, an opportunity to enhance
our life in an unexpected way. As Jeremy Taylor often restates (ala Jung)
about dreams, that they are a natural process and thus come in the service
of wholeness and healing.
Technically speaking, a whole night of disasters may be no different than
one or two. One image can often set off a whole chain of images that are
similar. When we get a night were there is a wide variety of disasters,
attacks and enemies, we also are getting a night were there is a wide variety
of opportunities to create new paths for exploration and insight. The key
seems to be in controlling the amount you want by being more confrontal and
assertive while you are in the dream.
Reference:
Nightmare help. A guide for adults and children by Ann Sayre Wiseman
(Ten Speed Press, 1986, 1989).
The Nightmare: The Psychology and Biology of Terrifying Dreams
by Ernest Hartmann (Basic books, 1984)
Counseling with dreams and nightmares by Delia Cushway and Robyn
Sewell (Sage publications, 1992)
The Nightmare: Psychological and Biological Foundations by Henry
Kellerman (Ed.)( Columbia University Press, 1987)
The Anxious Subject: Nightmares and Daymares in Literature and Film
by Moshe Lazar (Ed.) (Undena, 1983)
Dreams and Nightmares: A Book of Gestalt Therapy Sessions by
J. Downing and E. Marmorstein (Eds.) (New York: Harper and Row, 1973)
2/19/98
Richard Wilkerson is general editor for The
Internet Dream E-zine, Electric Dreams, and director of DreamGate, the Internet
Communications and Dream Education Center. He writes the Cyberphile column for
the Association for the Study of Dreams Newsletter.
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