We welcome Claudia Anderson for a second time to Life, for instance! Claudia, who blogs here tells a story we can all relate to at times. Do you pay attention to your dreams?

I woke up in a mild panic this morning.  The dream that I had been experiencing right before waking had left me feeling distraught and anxious.  I’ve been in the midst of a really incredible project for my dental practice and it, and all of its obstacles, have pretty much consumed me for the past two months.  Because of that, my dreams have taken on a life of their own.

Last night I dreamed I was back in my old house with my first dental office (which was in the lower level of my home) and we were creating a new office within that home.  Many of the materials that I am, in fact, using in my real life office conversion were incorporated into this dream.  But the house and the office were dilapidated and almost haunted looking.  And, the horror intensified when I saw water seeping out from under the door that led to the basement.  Upon, opening that door (it was a dream, after all….I had to open it!) water flooded my entire house and my “new office” was completely destroyed.

A couple of weeks ago, I had a dream in which I wanted to show some friends my new office space.  I was in the right building but I couldn’t find my suite.  I looked everywhere and I “felt” embarrassed in the dream because I appeared to be foolish in not knowing which office suite was mine.  I walked into numerous office suites only to encounter looks of irritation and anger.  When I finally found my suite, it wasn’t finished.  I had thought I was going to be showing my friends my finished new office and instead, the space was raw and a complete mess.

Hmmmm….do you think the stress of my new project is taking its toll on my dream life?

Typically, I have difficulty remembering my dreams.  If I don’t relate them immediately upon waking, they are often forgotten within a very short time.  I think I dream mostly in color although these past few dreams seemed to take on a rather dark theme and so color seemed unlikely. I am fascinated by dreams…mine and others.  There is a whole “science” that revolves around dream interpretation and analysis. Carl Jung, the famous Swiss psychiatrist believed that our dreams reveal things about ourselves, our relationships and the way we handle life situations.   I believe that there is a certain amount of truth to that.

I think our subconscious speaks to us powerfully in many ways and one of the most intriguing ways is through our dreams.  We just need to listen and to be open to the message.

What do you dream? How do your dreams affect you?  Do you interpret your dreams?

photo credit: Rainbow Gryphon