The harder I try to move the worse it gets and I become very fnghtened. I can neither move nor wake myself up. Sometimes I feel as if I am leaving my body. But to deal with the fear I have learnt—it’s a recurring thing—to stop struggling, knowing that I will eventually wake’ (Susan Y). This is a common experience which may be due to the fact the body is paralysed during periods of the dream process; all brain signals to the voluntary muscles are inhibited. This is not sensed as a problem if we are unconsciously involved in a dream.
If enough self awareness arises in the dream state, then awareness of the inability to move may occur, along with the anxiety this can arouse. Another factor is illustrated by what Susan says—the harder she tries to move the worse it gets. Our unconscious is very open to suggestion.
If this were not so we would lack necessary survival responses. In a dimly lit situation we may mistake a shape for a lurking figure. Our body reactions, such as heartbeat, react to the mistake as if it is real, until we gain fresh information. Whatever we feel to be real becomes a fact as far as our body reactions are concerned.
The fear that one cannot move becomes a fact because we believe it. When Susan relaxes, and thereby drops the fear of paralysis, she can be free of it. This applies to anything we feel is true—we create it as an internal reality. [1]
The fear that paralyzes you in the dream may be symbolic of the fear that you are experiencing in daily life. You may feel somewhat unable to change a current situation which may manifest itself in your dream in a form of paralysis. In addition, this dream may be cautioning you to stay still and do nothing for now in regard to a real-life situation that is on your mind and may be problematic for you. In the dream you may be “frozen with fear” and it is up to you decipher what that fear is and what it represents. [2]
1- When paralysis is felt in a dream we are probably experiencing great fear or suppression. Feelings that are emotionally based are experienced as paralysis in order to highlight the physical effect those feelings can have.
2- Imagination can often play tricks on us, and we experience as real some kind of reaction we would not normally allow ourselves. Paralysis is one such reaction.
3- Paralysis can signify spiritual inadequacy, inability to create movement, and inertia. There is a condition which sometimes occurs during development when we are forced into facing our own fears, and this can be experienced as paralysis. [4]
(2) If someone else is paralysed, that person will almost certainly represent some aspect of yourself that you have not allowed freedom of expression. To discover which aspect of yourself that is, take on the role of the person in your dream: express his or her feelings and grievances, and work out a new, more positive future for him or her. [5]
If the paralysis was total, it is likely that you are fighting your con- science over something you want to do and feel you shouldn’t; if the paralysis was only partial, it indi- cates a fear of frigidity, impotence, or latent homo- sexuality. Alternatively this dream could arise from a repressed desire for free- dom from responsibility or from an organic malfunc- tion. In any case, medical or psychological advice would be beneficial. [6]
Feeling held back or self-sabotaged.
Feeling indecisive, ineffective, or overwhelmed.
The idea of acknowledging the true value of something that you’ve tended to take for granted.
A body part that is paralyzed can represent feeling less than fully functional in the area represented by that body part.
See also: the specific body part.
See also: Helpless, Can’t Move, Can’t Speak, Disabled, Numb, Nerves [7]
2. Difficulty in accepting changes, even healthy ones.
3. Feeling trapped by conflicts, sometimes domestic. [15]
To lovers, it portends a cessation of affections. [16]
If one’s left hand is paralyzed in a dream, it means that either his sister or his brother maydie shortly. Ifhis thumb is paralyzed in a dream, it means that he will suffer from hardships because of his children. Ifthe index or the middle finger are paralyzed in a dream, it means that one may suffer because of his sister.
If one sees his ring finger paralyzed in the dream, it means that he will suffer pain and difficulties because of an ailment that will befall his mother or a female relative.
If one sees his little finger paralyzed in a dream, it means that he may suffer because of a daughter. Any infliction in one’s hand in a dream represents one’s brothers, while any infliction ofthe fingers in a dream represents his children. Ifone sees his right hand paralyzed in a dream, it means that he will lose his source of income.
If one’s fingers are paralyzed in a dream, it means that he has committed an awful sin.
If one sees his right hand paralyzed in a dream, it means he has caused major losses to an innocent person.