Tag Archive: fire

Chased and shot by a laser gun…

laser gunDream: I dreamed I was running through the forest being chased by a person with a laser gun. I ran into a building covered with exercise mats. When I came out the other side a wheel of fire was rolling at me. I dodged it but the guy with the laser gun shot me and I disintegrated. 

DreamsMaster: Wow, what a powerful dream! First question that comes to mind is whether or not you play a lot of video games or watch a lot of adventure movies. Or, maybe you recently engaged in a game of laser tag? If so, you may have borrowed some of these dream images from those games and movies.

What you dream about most often has something to do with what was on your mind when you went to bed. For example, since this dream has multiple themes of trying to escape from danger, think about if there’s someone or something you’ve been feeling “threatened” by in your waking life. It could even be a part of yourself (more on this later). The feelings in the dream can help point the way to the dream’s interpretation. For example, if you felt afraid in the dream, think about where in your waking life you’ve recently felt a similar sense of fear or unease.

Since each dream is unique to the dreamer and what’s going on in the dreamer’s life, only the dreamer can truly interpret their own dream. I can offer ideas about what the dream means, but ultimately it’s up to you to decide on the true meaning. That said, here are some ideas for you to consider. As you read through them, pay attention to what feels like a fit. If something feels way off base, think about why that is and what might fit better. User your imagination in the waking world just as your dreaming mind used its imagination in the sleeping world, and see what conclusions you come to.

Running through a forest: A forest is made up of trees and other untamed growth. In dreams, a forest may represent our own personal growth, both physical and mental.

Building covered with exercise mats: When I picture this, I imagine the mats laid out in such a way as to soften the impact of a fall. Since they are exercise mats, think about what “exercise” means to you. If it were my dream, I might describe exercise as a way to get stronger in body and mind.

Wheel of fire rolling at me: Fire is often symbolic of transformation. It may also represent intense anger or rage. The fact that it’s a “wheel of fire” reminds me again of adventure movies such as Indiana Jones. You dodged this danger as you’d successfully dodged danger through the forest, which shows how capable you are at dealing with challenges.

Shot by the guy and disintegrated: Other people in dreams are often extensions of ourselves. In other words, dreams are like theater – where the dreamer plays all the roles. So in this dream, though one part of you was shot and disintegrated, another part of you pulled the trigger. Looking at the dream this way, think about if there are two sides of yourself in conflict these days – maybe a more aggressive side of you that’s trying to get rid of a more passive side. Or, perhaps the growing young man that you are becoming is causing the child in you to “disintegrate.”

A single dream can have many layers of meaning. I hope my ideas have given you some ideas of your own!

Pushed into the fire…

Fire, pushed into fireDream: My 12 year old daughter has been having the same recurring nightmare for the past week and I am having trouble coming to terms with it and why she is having them or what it actually is trying to tell us.  Her dream consists of a fire and she is in the fire and sees everything but she sees herself as being dead. Then she sees a black figure who is pushing her into the fire.  She feels like the black figure is controlling her and making her do what it wants. I hope you can help us interpret this.

DreamsMaster: Fire is often a symbol of transformation or destruction. Seeing herself as being dead may represent a part of her that has died. A thought that comes to mind is that your daughter is at that age where her child self is dying off as she crosses the threshold to womanhood. Has she begun menstruating yet? It’s not uncommon for a girl to feel “pushed into” womanhood with the onset of a changing body and the accompanying unfamiliar feelings, both physical and emotional. Adolescence is a time in the lives of both boys and girls when there’s the sense of feeling out of control in both mind and body.

Work with your daughter to try to pinpoint what was going on for her at the time she began having the dream. Does she identify with the sense that her body is changing? If so, how does she feel about these changes?

If this physical angle doesn’t fit, is she having a difficult time at school in one of her classes, or perhaps being exposed to some bullying? A dark figure could represent the perceived bully, and the fire could symbolize her rage.

An effective way to deal with a recurring nightmare is to consciously go back into the dream and change the ending. This particular dream ends with “a black figure pushing her into the fire.” When I project myself into the dream, I feel powerless and fearful of the unknown, so I need to think about what action I can take to regain my power and sense of control.

If your daughter is game, sit down with her with paper and something to draw with (e.g., crayons, colored pencils, markers), and tell her to draw a picture of the black figure. Encourage her to draw it with as much detail as possible. Then, tell her to add to the picture whatever it needs in order for her to feel in control of the scene. For example, she could draw a heavy-duty steel cage around the dark figure, or an image of herself that’s 10 times larger than it, whatever fits for her. Then, when she feels like she’s put everything into the picture that she can think of and starts feeling less scared of the image, you can cap it off by having her manually shred the piece of paper — tear it into as many pieces as possible — and invite her to vocalize anything that comes to mind while she’s shredding. At this point it might turn into sort of a game, where you both can shout whatever you want at the figure to prove who’s in charge now!

The primary goal is to help her gain a feeling of power and control by defusing the imaginary threat. Once she feels empowered, then you can start talking with her about what threats exist for her in the waking world (i.e., the symbolism of the “dark figure”). Once the two of you have unlocked the mystery, the dream will no longer reoccur as a nightmare.

P.S. Your daughter is fortunate to have a mother who takes her dreams and nightmares seriously.

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