With so Many Contact Lenses, It’s Hard for Her to Focus

Dear Cynthia: I have worn contact lenses for almost 20 years. During the past five years, I have had recurring dreams about them. In one, the lenses are as large as dinner plates, and I know I will never fit them into my eyes. In another, the lenses are triangular. In the last dream, an optician is trying to insert multiple lenses into one eye. Is there something I am not seeing?

GINA B.

San Diego

Dear Reader: Contact lenses and glasses are symbols for clear vision. Your first dream (in which the lenses are huge) indicates that you will need a lot of help to see a certain situation clearly. There could be many reasons for this--perhaps all the information isn’t available--but in any case, what you currently are seeing doesn’t fit with what you feel to be true. Something is really exaggerated. You could be blowing something out of proportion. But you are not in denial, since you are willing to put the lenses in.

In the second version, the triangle represents body, mind and spirit--an indication that you should consider all sides of the situation. In the third version, you again are being told that there is more than one way to look at something.

What new thing happened in your life five years ago? A new job or relationship? Whatever it was, you need to try a more objective approach when forming your opinions concerning this area of your life.

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Dear Cynthia: Is it possible to have dreams in color? My 20-year-old grandson, an art student, tells me he dreams in color and that, when he awakens, he can use those colors in his artwork. Is he putting me on?

PEARL BANK

Las Vegas

Dear Reader: Actually, most people dream in color (just as we live in color). It’s just that generally we don’t pay much attention to the colors in our dreams, since they tend to be normal. When a color stands out, or something in our dream is the wrong color, an unnatural color, we notice it.

Being an art student, your grandson is more aware of color than the average person; therefore the colors in his dreams are significant to him. Many artists use their dreams for inspiration. Salvador Dali relied heavily on his dreams to create his surreal and fantasy images.

Each color symbolizes something different. Here are some commonly accepted associations. White: innocence, purity, protection. Pink: beauty, youth, femininity. Red: passion, courage, sexual energy. Orange: springtime, acid. Yellow: thought, intelligence, stimulation. Green: nature, health, balance. Blue: spirituality, truth, freedom. Violet: royalty, wisdom, cleansing. Gray: neutrality, uncertainty, fear. Black: the unknown, the unconscious. Brown: foundation, rich earth. Gold: the sun, riches, divine awareness. Silver: the moon, spiritual connection, riches.

We all can use these to deepen our understanding of the symbols in our dreams.

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Dear Cynthia: I am in my home (not my actual home). I go from room to room and everything is familiar. But people I don’t know start coming into my home uninvited. They help themselves to my food and drink and talk among themselves. I ask them to leave, but no one pays attention to me. I get frantic. I end up screaming at them, “Get out of my house!” But no one does.

DIANE JOHNSTON

Ventura

Dear Reader: You feel invaded by interruptions and by people who make demands on you. They are nurtured by your resources but ignore your demands. Somewhere in your life, you are not being taken seriously. Who isn’t listening to you?

You feel like you are communicating--at least you are making a real effort--but it is not effective. Try to discover who the takers are in your life. Next, examine whether you are assertive enough. Improve your communication skills. If you don’t correct this situation, your resentment will build. You already feel like screaming!

You seem like a very nice woman who doesn’t want to hurt the feelings of others. Being polite is a good thing, but you can still be clear and direct in your communication.

(As with most dreams, there is more than one possible interpretation. If you have a weight problem or an eating disorder, these people who help themselves to your food and then ignore you could be the addictive forces that drive you to eat and that you can’t seem to control. If this applies, I suggest that you discuss your weight issues with your physician. With help, you can take back control of your body.)

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* 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, 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.

In two weeks: Understanding nightmares.