Monday, February 11, 2008

My Dream Analysis

I always have this dream and it happens so often that during the dream I know it is not real. I am always walking around somewhere when it's dark out. As I walk, I keep hearing footsteps and I will turn my head around to see if anyone is there, and of course no one is there. I then start to speed up my pace and then when I turn around Freddy Krueger is there in all of his glory. I begin to run from him and he bolts after me. After a few seconds of running I always fall and must literally pull myself through the grass. Basically, I am running on my hands and legs, like a dog, and for some reason that is faster than actually running...go figure. After a few moments of running like an animal, Freddy eventuay catches me and stabs me either in the back or chest. Sometimes I wake up at this point and feel the pain in my back or chest. The other times I try to fight him off but everytime I punch him it is like I have the strength of an infant and his body feels like concrete. Then I die, but, like I said earlier, sometimes I know I am dreaming and don't really care that he has mortally wounded me. 1, 2, Freddy's coming for you; 3, 4, lock the door...sorry. Got into it.

My analysis of my dream is that I am still kind of afraid of the dark. I was always scared of it as a child and I hate being alone in a house/room at night and I will never go into a basement at night. Furthermore, when in a dark room, I will quickly run up the stairs, if there are any, to quickly get out of the room. Plus, Freddy Krueger always terrified me as a kid. These pretty much set up the basis of the dream.

Due to the fact that I was almost kidnapped as a kid while at a friend's house, feeds into the hysteria of always feeling like someone is waiting to get me. [While I was at Jacob's house, a man came up to the backyard and opened the fence door and told us he was looking for his dog. He then ran at us and Jacob and Christina (another friend who was over) both ran through the neighbor's yards and I only lived two blocks away and my instinct was to head home. I luckily made it to my front lawn screaming "fire" and "help me" and my mother came outside and saw the man trying to grab me. She grabbed me and he ran off, and then she called the cops and they got the weirdo. Basically, this is the catalyst of my fear of being chased.]

In regards to my falling and running on all fours, the only thing I can think of is that I have this constant stigma that I need to be perfect and this is a way for me to realize that no one is perfect and there is always something we will fail at.

Finally, I believe the weak punching scenario stems from me feeling like I will never be able to take care of myself on my own. My parents have always given me everything I have ever wanted and I have been spoiled since my childhood and I always feel like I am entitled to everything because I am so used to getting what I want. My extremely weak and insufficient punches are a way of showcasing my fear of being on my own without the strength of my parents and their huge bank accounts once I leave college.

4 comments:

Joel Harker said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Joel Harker said...

A dream is a challenging object of analysis because it is resistant to direct interpretation. Consider the objects in your dream as metaphors, or symbols acceptable to your ego because their true significance is not apparent at first glance.

That said, let us consider your dream in the broadest sense. You are being pursued by a popular icon which symbolizes selfish intent and sadistic apetite. Furthermore, Freddy's recognizable symbol is his hand, the fist being a universal of power and a most natural and convenient means of self-gratification.

To complicate this symbol further, Freddy's hands are recognizable because of the presence of knife-like extensions. By extension, Freddy therefore becomes a dangerous arrestor if your dignity and body, presumably for his own pleasure. In your dream, you are the victim of penetration by his hands, this symbol of power and authority. This is nothing obvious to your psyche, because it is the usual means by which Freddy disposes of his victims, and therefore the reason why of all figures Freddy was the one to manifest in your dream.

The connection to your childhood, a state of helplessness and futility of action was an obvious statement made by yourself, but it can be taken further. By recognizable association, you find yourself defenseless and without a means by which to control yourself. It is also worth noting that Freddy is a deceiver, and an enabler of dark, primal fantasies which he uses to orchestrate the demise of his victims. In your dream, you are accordingly humiliated, reduced to crawling on the ground like an animal, lulled into a false sense of security, yet too desperate to even pull yourself out of this deplorable position before being penetrated. Freddy is a disfigured and miserable wretch without apparent any apparent appeal; your sense of self-importance is therefore compromised by this fatal rape, but this is a wish, and Freud would say this is something you actually want (deny it though you may). Like a rape, you resist to no effect and the scenario subsequently ends.

The significance of this dream as a wish fulfillment is a move only you can truly make and not one I really care to explore. Take this analysis as you wish, but remember that the most covenient and surface interpretation of these symbols that appear in your dreams is always a deception.

Roger Market said...

Very interesting. I too have had dreams where I have to fight something off but feel like an "infant," as you put it.

Joel Harker said...

Dreams of helplessness in which one relinquishes all of their power and control to an authority figure or persons with which you may have relationships of particular tension are quite common.

You will find examples of this in Freud's work, and his superior analyses may help you understand your own dreams.