Dreams & Predicaments
Dreams & Predicaments can often seem unrelated to each other but their link is much deeper. We are often caught up in life situations that contain varying degrees of tension that can not be resolved immediately. What defines a predicament is the tug of war between opposing pulls when we feel we are in one. For instance, do encounters with authority figures at work evoke compliance or defiance? Is the impulse towards assertiveness strong enough to cope with whatever challenges might come up ? Or the sense of safety in depending on others more attractive? Does the need for power & achievement competes with family demands, togetherness & happiness?
One of the best ways to find out something about them is through dreamwork. Dreams hold a spotlight on our emotional sore spots & tell us how they come about. Let’s look at one of the common human predicament & see how it was dealt with.
The dreamer begins by saying he had a strange dream & he cannot make any sense. “I am driving a car that is spinning out of control. I cannot locate the brakes. It is going to crash for sure. It is going round and round. I am not sure whether my children are in it. After 6/7 rounds, I realize to my horror that I am left with only my steering wheel and body of the car is not there. Where are the brakes?”
Learning from Dreams
The dreamer had set up a Coaching institute 5/6 years ago. Initially things were fine but lately he had lost a number of tutors as well as helpers. He felt extremely stressed, exhausted, burnt-out with ever increasing workload of running the administration, managing the classrooms all at once. Not functioning at his best, he was fast losing his sense of well being, Life felt one tracked, and out of control. Achieving work life balance was getting more & more difficult . He felt guilty for not being able to give time to his family, specially neglecting his children as a result of his demanding work. He realized he needed to stop, apply brakes to the “life in the fast lane” and actually take a “break” to spend time with his family. It was only after the dream work, he could establish a connection between his dream and the life context. It led him to reevaluate his priorities resulting in taking much needed, planned holiday with his family. ( I have discussed Dreamwork & Dream Interpretation in detail in my book Daring to Dream.
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