Veteran Fears Vision Foretells Deaths

Dear Cynthia: When I was in Korea during the war, I consistently had the dream that it was raining profusely. I would see myself lying in a ditch, unable to move. I would scream for help, but no one heard. When the water was about to consume me, I would wake up in a sweat. After therapy, the dreams went away--gradually.

A few years later, I started having dreams that I was in a desolate place, and off in the distance I would observe a shadowy figure hovering a few feet off the ground. As it moved closer, it enlarged in size. I would try to escape, but there was no place to run.

The screaming awakens me from my sleep. A few months later, my grandfather died. The same thing occurred when my grandmother died.

The last dream of this sort occurred about 20 years ago. I thought I was cursed, but my mother and sister passed without the dream.

Last night I had the same dream. I called my daughter to tell her about it and found that she was extremely ill. I am now truly worried.

--A. JOHNSON

Rialto

Dear Mr. Johnson: Thank you for sharing the recurring dream you had while in the military.

Profuse rain in a dream can symbolize emotional distress, something not surprisingly common in soldiers who are involved in combat. Having to remain in circumstances that include a daily threat of death makes stress management a challenge to be sure. But as you point out, once removed from the threat--and with some therapy--such dreams generally will subside.

Since the other dream also includes an ominous association with death, it may be a cousin to the old one. Often the subconscious will rewrite the dream, depicting different images that essentially mean the same thing.

But, since you have lost loved ones with and without experiencing this dream, I do not think that the dream necessarily portends disaster.

Instead, it may indicate some residual trauma from the past.

Since therapy was helpful before, you may find it reassuring to talk this over with a counselor as well. All my best wishes.

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.