Door Holds Key to Hidden Treasures
Dear Cynthia: I was in my house, but at the top of the stairs there was a door and hallway I had never noticed before. The hallway led to more rooms, filled with beautiful things, such as I have found among my grandmother’s things: old, special, favorite, beautiful antique stuff. I thought it odd and amazing that I had never noticed the door and hallway before, when all this good stuff was waiting for me.
What does this mean?
P.W.
Newport Beach
Dear Reader: Yours is a lovely dream with many possible meanings. A house, in the language of dreams, can represent your physical body, since the body is home to your consciousness and spirit. So your dream could be showing you that you have hidden resources--beautiful, time-tested qualities to bring out and use. If you think about your grandmother and write down some of her positive traits and characteristics, you may find that you possess them too. There is more to you than you may have realized!
*
Dear Cynthia: For years I’ve had a recurring dream that I am choking. I wake up, sit up in bed and try to cough something up. I upset myself and my husband.
What does this mean, and can it be stopped? Thank you for taking time to answer me.
AILEEN KRUPKA
Los Angeles
Dear Reader: This is a dream that should be taken to your physician. It is possible that during sleep, your airway is actually closing; the choking sensation wakes you up so you can change positions and breathe. Your doctor may want to run some tests or observe your sleep in a monitored sleep clinic.
Our minds will take stimuli around us and incorporate them into dreams. I once had a dream about sitting around a campfire singing, only to be awakened by my father telling me to run outside because the cabin we were staying in was on fire!
So be safe and have this checked out by your doctor. And please let me know the results. Best wishes.
*
Dear Cynthia: I have this dream only when I sleep with my body over my arms and hands. I feel someone trying to pull me out of bed. Sometimes I hear him breathing next to me. I think it is the devil. It stops when I get one of my hands or arms free.
This is very scary and has been going on for many years. What do you think?
GREG LOPEZ
Norwalk
Dear Reader: Your dream, like Aileen’s above, sounds like the reaction of your mind to a physical stimulus. When you fall asleep with the weight of your body on your arms and hands, you may be cutting off your circulation. When that happens, the arms can become “heavy” and temporarily incapable of moving on their own. They can sting and (especially to a half-asleep person) feel as though they are being pulled, resulting in fear and panic. Indeed, the breathing you hear is likely your own heavy breathing, a result of the panic.
Do you believe in the devil? Is he the scariest image in your subconscious mind? That would explain why you think of him when you experience this phenomenon.
It can be very hard to train yourself to sleep in a new position, but I suggest you try to sleep on your side or back; experiment until you decide how you are most comfortable. Get some extra pillows and prop them up behind you if you are on your side, or under your knees if you are on your back. These pillows will act as subtle bumpers discouraging you from returning to the old position in your sleep.
To relieve the spiritual aspect of your anxiety, perhaps a beautiful picture of a guardian angel kept by your bed will make you feel protected.
*
Dear Cynthia: At nearly 60, I have had variations of a recurring dream for as long as I can remember. I am lost in an elegant hotel full of strangers and can’t find my way back to my own room. I wander halls, stairs, bathrooms and even wade through pools, knowing I am late and that someone (usually my husband) is angry that I am not on time. Please help.
N.F.
Orange County
Dear Reader: Many cultures, religions and philosophies allow for the belief that the spirit or soul can and does leave the confinement of the physical body while it sleeps. The purpose of these explorations can be recreation (just the pure fun feeling of freedom) or there may be an actual destination. Some report visiting loved ones or checking on those who are ill. Others feel as though they have attended classes or received instruction while asleep.
Philosophers write of the “silver cord” that connects the spirit to the body. No matter how far away we roam during sleep, we are always connected to our bodies through this lifeline.
Your dream sounds like you are out on one of these “field trips” enjoying the surroundings when it is time to wake up (or your husband wants you to wake up) and it takes you a little longer than usual to make the transition back to your body. Your dream is taking place in these last few minutes of sleep, when you are aware on both levels of consciousness.
It is nothing to worry about. But if you would like to learn to control your dream travel, there are many good books that can help you. One I especially like is “The Lucid Dreamer: A Waking Guide for the Traveler Between Worlds” by Malcolm Godwin (Simon & Schuster, 1994).
* Behavioral therapist Cynthia Richmond’s column appears every other Tuesday. To contact her, write to “In Your Dreams,” Life & Style, Los Angeles Times, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles, CA 90053; send a fax to (213) 237-0732, or e-mail her at cynthrich@aol.com. Please include a daytime phone number. “In Your Dreams” should be read for entertainment purposes only.