Why Do We Dream The Same Thing Over And Over?

Having a great day at the park, I go home fully refreshed and happy only to go to bed and dream the same disturbing dream once again. There is no reason for it. Nothing has triggered a bad memory. Nothing is bothering me.

So Why do I dream the same dream over and over again?

There are various scenarios in dreams. If we are worried about a partner, or family member we may dream that we are lost or helpless in some way.

Sometimes we dream that the car is out of control or we can't find the brakes. Those are pretty obvious dreams. They can be literal or metaphoric.

The car may have had a small problem that day and our subconscious minds tell us it could have been worse. Or metaphorically we may feel out of control.

But to constantly have the same dream for no reason is puzzling.

Maybe our dreams are trying to tell us something much more important.

Many years ago, I lived in a horrible halfway house. This was because I moved out of my area and wanted a council house, or social housing. Back then the council would move people into something that I could only call appalling housing.

This was an old army training camp! The outside looked like the army barracks, surrounded by weeds higher than the roof. The area in front was broken concrete and weeds. The inside of the 'house' was on one level.

A very narrow passage with whitewashed walls over brick led to one room with a concrete floor, broken window sills and an old fire grate that had to be opened, stacked with wood then closed until it burned so that the smoke wouldn't choke us.

The bedroom was like a prison cell. White washed walls once again, painted over bricks. There were spiders crawling all over the ceiling, coming from a hole in the roof.

As you can imagine, it was a total nightmare. No wonder I had bad dreams back then. These days it wouldn't be allowed.

But why, 30 years on, am I still dreaming about it?

All that we see or seem is but a dream within a dream - Edgar Allan Poe

I have lived in my present house now for over 20 years. Its in a lovely area, back where I was born. But still, night after night I dream I am back there in that hovel.

Why?

My rent is secure. I am safe. I know even if we were kicked out we would be put somewhere nicer than that horrible cell like house.

Why does my mind keep churning up the picture?

I believe there are many different reasons why we keep repeating the same dream over and over.

Deep into that darkness peering long I stood there,

Wondering fearing, doubting dreaming

dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before.

Edgar Allan Poe

Sometimes in life we live through scenarios that at other times we would balk at the idea of it. The brain is a funny thing.

It lets you know that you can cope with horrible situations, but what its really doing is storing it away so that it doesn't constantly panic us by rushing through to our conscious mind.

To cope, we learn to live with the situation, and after a while believe that actually it isn't that bad at all. But underneath it has been pushing the thoughts deep down until they are firmly embedded into our memories.

The question is, why that dream in particular? There have been many situations over the years that, looking back, I am surprised that I coped so well.

So, what was it about that hidden memory that makes it so nightmarish?

They say a cluttered house makes a cluttered mind. Or vice versa. Like a crumbling psyche, the house in question was falling down around me. The walls were too close together, making me feel trapped.

The greasy walls felt alien to me, and as they became damp with condensation they felt clammy to the touch. As our minds do when we feel feverish.

Waking in the night to check on my baby, I noticed a dark mass on the ceiling. Reaching for the light I saw that the mass was in fact hundreds of tiny spiders crawling above my babies cot. This is the stuff of nightmares, but it was real.

After my husband killed them, we got back to sleep, eventually. Each day for over two years, I would check out the cupboards or under the bed.

The building itself felt sick. The toilet was creaky and old, the cistern leaked. I never felt safe. The house was a dreaded enemy.

Eventually we were moved to a real house on a real estate.

The meaning behind the dream shows me that the house is a symbol of my mind at the most vulnerable. Even though I was happy in the day, something tells me that I am always aware of things changing.

I have lived through some pretty hard times as we all have. Even though I don't believe that it was the worse time of my life, the vulnerability of living in these conditions spill over into my everyday worries.

Even though we tend to be happy on the outside, sometimes our subconscious minds churn up all the fear, hate and stress that is always under the surface.

The slimy walls of the house were my feverish moments of panic. The harsh bright lights shining on the start walls were translated into my being in the spotlight and wanting to hide.

The spiders on the ceiling speak for themselves, and I constantly dream I am in a cave full of spiders. But these in themselves show that I have many phobias and worries.

And of course the most important one, the fact that I had a tiny baby shows that I felt that I couldn't protect him properly at that time.

Maybe its in the tone of my sons voice when he phones. If I feel he is happy then I don't dream, but if he feels down or worried then the dream emerges.

Either way, its not pleasant, but at the same time it shows how far I have come.

Our dreams are always there to tell us something.

We only have to look.

• Dreaming of a tidy house is equivalent of a tidy mind. The more derelict the house the more you suffer from phobia's, OCD and mental problems.
• To dream of the Attic is another way to see whether your thoughts are in order. If the attic is cluttered then the meaning shows that you are taking too much on board. You need to clear your mind and try not to worry about every little detail in your life.
• Cellar - To dream of the cellar means that you are carrying around a burden or burdens that you have tried to forget. If you are descending the stairs it shows that you are ready to deal with those problems and get them out into the open.
• Dreaming of a spooky house can mean a number of things. If the house really does look terrifying and you really don't want to go into it, then there is something in your life you are avoiding. The house is the barrier to that problem. By opening the door and entering the property you are showing that you can face the ordeal that you dread.
  Of course it can also mean a forgotten memory of something that happened to you in the past. The house may look inviting, but your fear of it makes it seem ominous.
• To run away from a house tells that you are not ready to face your demons.
• To walk around a spooky house tells you to take notice of the things that bother you. Each and every piece of furniture, picture on the wall and even the doors into each room show you a symbol of a memory. Does the old fashioned chairs remind you of childhood? What happened back then? Do the pictures on the wall remind you of someone? Take note and try to write it down when you wake up. If you can put a memory to each piece then you may find the key that started the bad dreams.

Do You Have A Dream That Disturbs You?

I Would Love To Hear Your Stories.

Please Share It Below In The Comments.

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