Pregnancy Stands In for Project
Dear Cynthia: I dreamed I was pregnant, that the father was actor John Goodman (!), and that there was much excitement and anticipation among my family and friends. Suddenly in the dream, it occurs to me that I am not pregnant at all, and I am concerned about having misled everyone. So I go to Goodman, explain the predicament and tell him we have to get busy, which we proceed to do, so there will be a baby on the way.
SUZETTE SMITH
Eagle Rock
Dear Reader: Pregnancy in a dream is symbolic of a new creative project or idea you have conceived and is growing inside you. In your dream, you’ve told everyone you have something new brewing and then realize you don’t. You want the attention, support and encouragement of friends and family, so you let them believe your project is further along than it actually is.
What does John Goodman represent to you? How would you describe him to someone who has never heard of him? Consider those adjectives; you want to merge with those qualities to create your new project. Say, for instance, that you would describe Goodman as humorous and overweight. Your project would seem to require a humorous or light approach. Overweight symbolizes indulgence, abundance, ample portions, so you should be lavish when creating your project; do it in a big way.
PS: Glad John was so willing to help you out!
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Dear Cynthia: In my dream I’m in my bed, waking up--only it isn’t my bed. It isn’t my room. It’s a strange hotel room. Under the bedclothes I’m naked. I peer around. No suitcase. No clothes of any kind. I know I’ve got to be somewhere to teach a seminar. It will damage my reputation if I’m a “no-show.” My heart thuds. What should I do? Wrap myself in the bedspread? Patter down to the lobby and fling myself on the mercy of the desk clerk? Then I really wake up. I’m in my own room with a closet full of clothes only a few yards away.
WENDY HASKETT
Cardiff
Dear Reader: The big question is: Do you sleep in the nude in real life? (Just teasing. You don’t have to reveal your private sleeping habits to understand this dream.)
Nudity in our dreams means we are being honest, not covering anything up. However, since you need to be somewhere and don’t have your clothing, you feel unprepared, lacking the professional appearance or attitude you consider necessary. But this is happening in a strange hotel room, a temporary resting place--an indication that you don’t feel this way often.
Your dream indicates a mild anxiety about the way you are perceived professionally (in the dream, you are concerned about your reputation). You want to be yourself but feel you need to cover up some aspects of yourself to be regarded in the proper way.
But sometimes it isn’t appropriate or necessary to reveal all in the workplace. If some of your opinions could upset things and there is really no reason to discuss them, keep them to yourself, covered up. If the dream persists, try writing them down in a journal. Then you will have a record of them and can let go of them emotionally.
Should you go to an authority figure (the desk clerk) and hope to win his or her assistance? Seems risky.
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Dear Cynthia: For a period of years I had a frequent and incredibly vivid dream that all my teeth were falling out. Usually I could feel them in my mouth like a handful of Chiclets. I slowly spat them out, one by one. I dreamed I could feel the smooth gum line where my teeth had been. The tooth loss never seemed to be in response to anything. I hadn’t been hit in the mouth and wasn’t suffering tooth decay.
ADAM R. TSCHORN
Los Angeles
Dear Reader: This is a surprisingly common dream theme. Teeth represent healthy survival (animals cannot survive if they can’t eat). In a more modern context, losing teeth refers to losing power or a grasp on a situation. “You can’t sink your teeth into it.” Perhaps you didn’t have all the information needed to decide how you felt about something.
Your letter indicates that you haven’t had this dream recently. My guess is that after the last time you had it, something changed in your life to help empower you, or you gained understanding of your life’s circumstances and now feel more in control.
Celebrity Dream of the Week: I was very ill with a bacterial infection, which doctors said had been caused by exposure to contaminated water. The doctors said there wasn’t much they could do and that it would be up to my body to fight itself back to health. As my dream began, I saw what looked like an old film; I could see the sprocket holes, and everything was grainy and jumpy. As the images came into focus, I realized I was watching scenes from World War I, of soldiers battling in muddy trenches. Then various faces started flashing in front of me and suddenly I was looking at my late father’s face, smiling at me in a loving way.
JANE SEYMOUR
This was a healing dream; Seymour’s mind was reassuring her that her body was working hard to fight off her disease, and that her father’s love continued to support her emotionally. As an actress, Seymour’s frame of reference was film. Further interpretations of the war imagery: Seymour’s first movie (“Oh What A Lovely War”) was set during World War I. And her father, a physician, had been in the service.
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Many thanks to all who took time to send in their dreams. We were overwhelmed with the great response. While I won’t be able to answer every letter in this column, I will do my best to address the most common themes.
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* Behavioral therapist Cynthia Richmond’s column appears every other Tuesday. To contact her, write to “In Your Dreams,” Life & Style, the Los Angeles Times, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles, CA 90053, or send a fax to (213) 237-0732. Please include a daytime phone number. Letters should be no longer than 100 words and cannot be returned. “In Your Dreams” should be read for entertainment purposes only.