Being Chased Could Indicate Anxiety

Dear Cynthia: Three years ago, we took a young lady (age 14 at the time) into our home as foster parents.

She is a beautiful, charming and intelligent young lady who was placed in the “system” because of mental and verbal abuse from her father.

Shortly after she arrived, she told me she had a dream that she was being chased. (She is a cross-country and star track runner; I am one of her coaches). As she was escaping these would-be attackers, she ran to me for safety. However, when she got to me, I had a syringe with a needle and I gave her an injection.

This dream is recurring, and each time the injection is designed to harm her. We currently have full guardianship of this lovely girl--she is in a safe, loving and very supportive environment.

Why would she continue to have these dreams? Thanks for your help.

--Fred, via the Internet

Dear Fred: Chase dreams are considered to be anxiety dreams wherein the dreamer feels pursued by something or someone who creates pressure or means them harm. The thing could be a deadline, an addiction, an imagined or an actual foe; it is an understandable one in the life of a young woman removed from an abusive situation.

In the symbolic language of dreams, needles--which penetrate or sting--can represent feeling invaded. Being poked or needled could mean that something is annoying or irritating.

For some dreamers, nocturnal images of needles dispensing drugs or medications indicate a health warning or concern.

Perhaps her dream refers to a fear that you won’t turn out to be who you appear to be, that her trust is misplaced (as it was with her father).

Could it be that you are “killing her with kindness”? That her desire to please you may create a pressure or stress? Could she be scared of disappointing and thus losing you?

You sound like a wonderful, caring person, and I believe you are right to take her dream seriously. Perhaps a conversation can clear up any fear she may have that your love and support are based on her performance.

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Fax your dreams to Cynthia Richmond at (213) 237-0732, or e-mail them to in.your.dreams@worldnet.att.net. Please include your hometown and a daytime phone number. In Your Dreams appears every Tuesday and should be read for entertainment purposes only.