When I was a child I used to have the same reoccurring dream. I dreamt I was in the car with a parent (it alternated between them) and we stopped at a gas station to fill up. The parent would get out of the car, but forget to pull the emergency break and I would start to roll backwards into traffic. The dream never went any further than that, but would always freak me out.
Eventually I stopped having that dream. I never took the time to figure out what it meant or if it symbolized something. For all I know, I was just afraid of the literal — rolling into traffic.
I browsed “Dream Dictionaries” before and always thought they were pretty hooey. I don’t buy most of the symbolism that’s supposed to go along with it. If there’s deodorant in my dream, I’m pretty sure it doesn’t “represent your inner strength and your ability to rid yourself of harmful and destructive behaviors.” (Yeah, I looked that up.) I’m pretty sure it means I recently needed new deodorant and the process bugged me. (Side note: the new stuff is working out great. Thanks for asking.)
However, over the last few years I’ve had a new reoccurring dream and truth be told, I’m getting tired of it. I had it again last night and if it does symbolize something, I’d like to figure it out so I can deal with it and banish the dream forever.
I’m back in college. It’s the very end of my senior year and we’re all getting ready to graduate. Suddenly I realize that I either failed a class or forgot to take one (it alternates) and I’m not going to be able to graduate. The class is always either French or Math. In my waking life, both are subjects I did well in. In the dream, I panic. I’m not graduating. I have to tell my family. I’m not going to be able to get a job. All my friends are going and I will be stuck.
Then I wake up. Every time.
What does it mean??
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May 29, 2008 at 11:14 am
friendly
Most dreams contain messages that serve to teach us something about ourselves. Unfortunately many a times we forget what we dream about as we go about our daily routine. With recurring dreams, the message may be so important and/or powerful that it just will not go away. The frequent repetition of such dreams forces you to pay attention and confront the dream. The dream is trying desperately to tell you something. Such dreams are often nightmarish or frightening in their content, which also helps you to take notice and pay attention to them.
Recurring dreams are quite common and are often triggered by a certain life situation or a problem that keeps coming back again and again. These dreams may recur daily, once a week, or once a month, but whatever the frequency, there is little variation in the dream content itself. It usually points to a personal weakness, fear, or your inability to cope with something in your life – past or present.
The repetitive patterns in your dream can reveal some of the most valuable information on yourself. It may point to a conflict, situation or matter in your waking life that remains unresolved or unsettled. Or some urgent underlying message in your unconscious is demanding to be understood.
Following are some tips in overcoming your recurring dreams.
1. In understanding your recurring dream, you must be willing to accept some sort of change or undergo a transformation.
2. You must be willing to look within yourself and confront whatever you may find no matter how difficult it my be.
3. You must be able to look at the dream from an objective point of view. Try to get pass the emotional and reactive elements of the dream and get down to the symbolic images. Many times dreams are masked by elements that are disturbing preventing you to delve any deeper. This is a defense mechanism that your unconscious may be putting up.
4. Be patient. Do not get discourage if these dreams still recur even after you thought you have come to understand them.
5. Learn to accept yourself truly and fully.
Often times, once you discover what your recurring dream is trying to tell you, these dreams will change or altogether disappear.
Found this and thought it may help…..take care Molly.
May 29, 2008 at 11:17 am
Rose
damn… I think friendly up there did a good job of explaining. =)
May 29, 2008 at 11:27 am
penelope
I always have one of two dreams. 1. I am enrolled in a class and I don’t know it. So when I find out, I freak out. 2. That I am being chased/kidnapped and can’t scream.
The latter is not fun.
May 29, 2008 at 11:34 am
Audrey
It may just mean you have a stress in your life and you’re worried about not completing a task. (Your wedding, maybe? I know that has to be a constant source of worry. Did you order everything? What to do about the food, etc.) Sometimes it helps me to make a list of the current stressers in my life and go through them one by one to see what i need to work on at the moment. You seem to be a motivated and driven person, so I’m sure you have much that is stressing you out.
Good luck!
May 29, 2008 at 11:37 am
DevilsHeaven
I have almost the same dream! Although I’ve graduated but really don’t have a diploma because I never finished/attended some class (usually the astronomy class I took because I thought it would be easy, HA!) my brain fights with itself because it KNOWS I graduated and remembers attending class, but then the other half says will maybe it WASN’T THAT particular class, and I’m really not a college grad. It’s all very disturbing and I hate when I have it because I wake thinking I didn’t graduate and I’m really living a lie.
Maybe it means I should get my diploma framed and hung up?
May 29, 2008 at 12:12 pm
JenBun
Dreeeeeeeeeeeeeeam weaver, I believe you can get me through the niiight!
I will be singing that all day.
And I agree with Audrey– you are probably worried that you are not remembering to complete something important.
And/or you really miss highschool French and Math classes… perhaps there was a cute boy in one of them?
May 29, 2008 at 12:41 pm
bebecrys
Sounds like a fear of failure, I’m not a dream analyst though and have a limited knowledge of the subconcious. The French and Math may represent that even though you are good at them, there is still a chance at failure.
But I think we all have our bouts with that
Now can you tell me why I have recurring dreams of planes crashing into the ground when I’m trying to throw a party?
For. Real.
May 29, 2008 at 12:47 pm
K
I had a highly trained professional (cough, therapist) tell me that this dream pops up when there is something else in your life that you’re neglecting … aka, procrastination.
Your mind (?) uses this as an example because the fear and worry is very recognizable where as, in what ever real life issue/task you may be avoiding, the negative result might not be so clear.
So, she told me when I have any dream of this sort (mine is frequently about high school dance team, which I’m convinced makes me certifiable), to make a list of things I’m dragging my heals on. She was careful to point out that the goal shouldn’t be to cross all those off the list (because that would be stressful) but to recognize what you fear you’re avoiding.
I had this dream last week … and probably because I feel like I’ve been neglecting my work due to two very magical words – wedding planning.
Or maybe it’s because I discovered that I forgot to do my taxes for 2006 … whoops!
May 29, 2008 at 1:08 pm
littlespoon
I’m definitely going to go with it has something to do with the stress over planning the wedding. Your subconscious is just replacing your wedding with graduation which was the last “big step” in your life.
May 29, 2008 at 1:11 pm
bing
I think it could relate to stress about wedding planning. You’ve got so much on your plate with work and the wedding, your brain is freaking out and thinking you forgot or will forget something.
I never have recurring dreams…or if I do, I don’t remember them.
May 29, 2008 at 1:13 pm
notsojenny
i sometimes wake up totally freaked out from the same thing. in my dreams all of my teeth are falling out. just because i’m breathing. i’ll be sitting there with handfulls of teeth. or there’s a loose tooth, or whatever.
anyway, my point is that these dreams pop up every so often and one day i gave in and looked it up. it meant i felt out of control about something. and it’s always been right. so now whenever i was up out of these dreams i sit there and figure out what it is before i get out of bed. it doesn’t change anything, just makes me realize something i may be neglecting.
point being – you’re probably neglecting something that you’re not evern aware of. whether it’s a feeling or an actual thing or just something to do. i agree with everyone else that it’s probably wedding related. i suggest looking up the relevant elements and putting together what it might mean for you : )
May 29, 2008 at 1:25 pm
dreamgrrl
Ugh today is dream day i guess!! I hate when i can’t put my finger on what it is, but its probably relating to the wedding for this point in your life – forgetting something, not getting a task accomplished in time…. But you know it’ll be fine. the mind is a funny place, grrrr
May 29, 2008 at 2:21 pm
Kristen
I have the same dream all the time. The only difference in mine is that it’s a class I somehow forgot about for an entire semester, and only realize I forgot about the class when my guidance counselor points it out, a few days before graduation. Grrr! Thank goodness they’re only dreams!
May 29, 2008 at 2:56 pm
MG
Ooo…I’ve had the teeth one before. I hate it. I always wake up checking my teeth are still there.
I used to have the same dream when I had strep throat. I would have the dream and wake up with strep. It was very strange.
May 29, 2008 at 3:04 pm
Shaba
Hmmm interesting.
I don’t put much faith in trying to decode my dreams, like say the one about having a baby in a beach house and naming it George.
Because really, do I want to know the meaning behind that? I think not.
Good luck!
May 29, 2008 at 3:04 pm
Jennie
I have a very similar recurring dream, except mine is that I’m about to take a final for a class I didn’t even know I was enrolled in. I also frequently have a dream where I can’t find my college schedule to figure out when and where I’m supposed to be going to class. Perhaps my particular dreams represent a fear of the unknown??
May 29, 2008 at 4:28 pm
Chelle
Wow, thought I was the only one that had these reoccuring dream themes. The procrastination or avoidance comment seems to make a lot of sense to me as I look back on things or maybe even the fear of the unknown.
May 30, 2008 at 3:24 am
paarsurrey
Hi
The dreams are very important but these have to be interpreted. I am sorry , I don’t know how to interpret your dreams. The truthful MessengerProphet Muhammad used to ask from the children and other family members as to whether they have seen any dreams and then he used to tell them the correct interpretations.
Before Muhammad started receiving Word of Revelation from GodAllahYHWH he used to see truthful dreams and he mentioned that the dreams are 1/40 th of MessengershipProphethood.
We also see mentioned in Quran (and also perhaps in Bible) that Joseph s/o Jacob saw a dream which his father interpreted correctly and that dream played a very important role in his life, rather the dream played a central part around which all his life revolved.
Thanks
I am an Ahmadi peaceful Muslim
May 31, 2008 at 8:25 am
emmaenlighted
Maybe you’re anxious that you’re about to start a new chapter in your life, or you’re worried about making a big life decision (new job, big move, new relationship, the end of a current one (romantic or not), etc. ?