A Shocking Waking Dream About Dripping Water: Post #3

  photo courtesy of handymanhowto.com

I’m examining a waking dream in which a man committed suicide in his bathtub. He left water running which dripped onto the bed of the tenant in the apartment directly below.

It’s understandable that the tenant, who is relating this waking dream, is having difficulty separating himself from the emotional impact of the incident. But he has successfully isolated the symbols and made his own metaphoric associations. I’ve now reconstructed the dream making two changes. First, I have added phrases like “There is a part of me” to remind the dreamer that all symbols in the dream are facets of himself. Second, I have retold the dream in present tense.

Reworked dream

There is a part of me that is upset to the point of it affecting my physical body. I live in housing within myself with a lot of different residents who are all me. It’s a cosmopolitan area with high density. I am in a time of rest and recuperation. I am getting ready to release all the tensions, recover from fatigue and renew myself. It’s a time of reflection and rebalancing. I try to put myself back into neutral, to put things in perspective. I encourage a state of calmness within myself. I create an environment conducive to peace and calm and thoughtfulness—a state most conducive to renewal and cleansing. But something within me disturbs my peace. This wasn’t supposed to be there, and it is a clear signal that something is wrong. I have no control over it, because it is coming from some place above where I live. It makes me panic. I can’t stay where I am because I’ll get soaked, and for sure I won’t be able to sleep. I contact the part of me in charge, who owns where I live within myself, and who is responsible when things go wrong. It takes a while for me to learn all the details and circumstances. But there is a part of me that has killed itself. It has ended its life and died. It has used hot water to make the bleeding go faster so that it dies sooner. The disappearing life force is in actual physical contact with me and is hitting my most private and intimate space. I’m beside myself. I can’t go back there. Everything has changed, and I would feel completely uneasy and disturbed trying to pretend that nothing had ever happened. I can’t just go back to doing things the way I always had.

Comments

Even in the metaphoric retelling of this waking dream one can sense the dreamer’s anguish. But is it warranted? Let’s briefly examine some of his phrases: He has no control because the incident comes from “some place above where I live.” There is a part of him that has “ended my life.” This has left him “beside myself,” and he “can’t just go back to doing things the way I always had.”

Is that good or bad? We’ll ask the dreamer himself tomorrow.

ANNOUNCEMENT

On March 11 & 12 I will be participating in the Body Mind Spirit Expo in the town of Hillsboro, just west of Portland, Oregon. I will be lecturing and helping with dream interpretations. Click on the Events page for details.