A Dream About A Thirsty Dog: Concluding Post

A dreamer dreamed about finding her thirsty, dying dog. Her efforts to bring him water were unsuccessful.

We have been through the various steps of the dream interpretation process, and we’ve reconstructed this dream in its metaphoric form. You can scroll down to my last post to read the poignant themes that came clearly into focus. They included themes of loss at what seemingly could not be recovered. The dreamer expressed, metaphorically, the anxiety that certain protections that she had relied on in the past were no longer functional. There was a sense that, in the new “reality,” the dreamer was, nevertheless, not alone. Above all, there seemed to be sadness at having to let go of aspects of her life that she had held dear for a long time.

Even with all of this information and insight, the only person who can really tell us what this dream is about is the dreamer herself. What follows is what she had to say.

The dreamer tells her story

Look at me! I’m crying all over again, just like after I woke up from the dream. What you and I pulled out of the dream is so relevant, it’s hard not to feel overwhelmed.

I guess you could say this dream strikes me on many levels. The first one has to do with my own health issues. The theme in the dream about the “guardian of the physical plant” warning me that it needs more water strikes a chord right there. I know that seeing the dream that way is probably taking the message a bit more literally than you are comfortable with, but I wonder if I’ve been a bit dehydrated. I have been taking supplements for some long-term health imbalances, and I suspect I have not been drinking enough water. So I’ll correct that right away.

But on a more metaphoric level, I think this dream is about some conflicts I’m experiencing as I transition into my new marriage. The marriage itself is fine; my husband and I are both happy. What I find a struggle is how to deal with his enormous extended family. I was an only child and a “latch-key-kid” to boot. I spent a lot of my growing years by myself. Now, as an adult, I love how I am fulfilled by solitude. The downside is that I never developed the social skills that come with the give and take and squabbling one has with siblings. Many of his family members have a perspective on life that is different from my own—spiritually, in terms of work ethics, educationally. I feel like a fish out of water when I try to relate to them. I feel vulnerable. My old safeguards no longer work, and I am so afraid of offending someone. This dream really helped me express that—both to myself and my supportive husband. And maybe those safeguards are also less powerful when I need solitude and an occasional break from my new relationship.

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