In some instances, such dreams can reflect feelings of regret about actual events or people you have lost but more often they are a symbol for something missing in your life; perhaps direction, confidence or intimacy or even a sense of personal identity. Another explanation suggests that such dreams are a warning that you are in danger of losing something important. Perhaps you have not been valuing or appreciating an aspect of your life enough. Finally, a dream of losing something or someone important can also suggest lost opportunities, past relationships or, according to Jungian analysis, forgotten aspects of yourself.
Your personal associations to the thing you lose will give you clues as to the emotional meaning and possible interpretation of your dream.
Dreams that leave you with a sense of frustration or anxiety are very common; you will almost certainly experience this kind of dream at some time or other, especially during times of stress in waking life. The stress may be triggered by an exam, a job interview, a relationship breaking up or fears of failing; this stress can express itself in dreams of falling or being confined, or dreams of feeling frustrated by a machine that doesn’t work or finding yourself naked in the middle of a busy street. According to Freud, such dreams are inspired by sexual frustration or anxiety, but most dream analysts believe that they stem from deepseated feelings of inadequacy or frustration in all areas of your waking life, not just the sexual. Another thing to consider is whether the frustration in the dream was ‘because’ of something. In other words, did it happen because you took a wrong direction, because you went along with a particular person or because you didn’t listen to advice? If you are able to pinpoint a cause or reason try to define what the‘because’ factor is in your everyday life.
However, disturbing, upsetting or frustrating such dreams can be they are not meant to cause more anxiety. Your dreaming mind has conjured up these images to enlighten and strengthen you. Whenever you have a dream that leaves you with feelings of loss, regret or frustration, try to pinpoint exactly what caused you the most anxiety in your dream as this may hold the key to understanding the root of your fear.
If you are able to understand the message of your unconscious, you will feel that you are in a better position to face your fears or at least to find ways to manage it if you are unable to conquer it.
This chapter covers some aspects of loss and frustration but there are countless others. For example, you can lose weight, hair, teeth, vision, smell, possessions, friends, your freedom, your personality, your children, a body part or even your own life in a dream. Dreams of being chased, paralyzed, imprisoned or missing a train can all refer to stressful situations in your waking life. Refer to the relevant entry in the index for the significance of other dream symbols of frustration and loss.
See also: NEGATIVE EMOTIONS. [1]