Fear of Dreams

I think that the fear of dreams and the messages they contain is one of the main reasons most people ignore their dreams. People exhibit what is commonly called the ostrich syndrome. They think if they ignore their dreams and mentally stick their heads in the sand, they won’t have to deal with the issues they reveal. They fear bad news and think if they ignore their dreams any bad news will just go away. Occasionally, a dream will be remembered due to its intensity. If it is a nightmare, it may leave the dreamer terrified of having further nightmares. The dreamer then tries hard to suppress any further dreams and worries that evil from the subconscious might spilling into the waking state.

Even if there is not a paranoid fear of dreams, many will think they are suspect and worry that they will receive news they won’t like. If someone has a dream about a person that is a prospective mate, and the dream is a warning that the person is not right for that role, the warning is not likely to be enthusiastically received. People tend to reject answers that don’t coincide with conscious desires, and fault will probably be found with the dreams and not the dreamer’s choice. Now in such a case, there would undoubtedly be signs that the conscious mind ignored that this person would not work out as a mate. The dream serves to bring them to the conscious attention of the dreamer, often in a way that cannot be ignored.

We can mentally stick our head in the sand, but that simply means we are less prepared for situations we encounter in our lives. The problems or events revealed are still there, even if we refuse to look at them. Unresolved issues will continue to affect our lives until they are faced and resolved. We can pretend they are not there, and for a time that might bring us relief. However, they usually are very apparent to family and friends, who may wonder when we will wake up or deal with a situation before it becomes a crisis.

I am reminded of Penney on the TV show The Big Bang Theory who ignores the check-engine light on her car, much to her friends’ dismay. She thinks if she ignores it, everything will be okay. In one episode, she talked about putting a piece of tape over it so she wouldn’t see the light.

Dreams are for our benefit and not just a way for the subconscious mind to contaminate our conscious state. The theory of the subconscious simply being a reservoir of repressed unseemly desires and sexual frustrations is quite outdated and no longer considered valid. Sexual dreams do occur, and their frequency will depend upon the age, sex, and character of the dreamer. However, even dreams that appear to be sex dreams often are not. The sex act is used by the subconscious to depict a strong intercourse or bonding between individuals, which may be purely mental.

Dreams are not to be feared but are to be embraced. By working with our dreams, we are opening up to another aspect of our individual natures, the other half of ourselves. If we ignore our dreams, we are living partial, incomplete lives and a large part of who and what we are will remain closed off. If we sincerely seek help and guidance, our dreams will respond accordingly, and an immensely rich and fulfilling world will unfold.