Your dreams
PHONE CALL FROM BEYOND THE GRAVE
My dad passed away. In my dream, the phone rang and it was my dad on the other end. When I said I thought he was dead, he laughed and said he was just kidding around. I said I saw him lying in the casket not breathing and asked if he heard what I said to him. He said he heard and that he was only holding his breath. I asked why he faked his death, where he has been and where he is now, but a relative grabbed the phone and said I ask too many questions. What does this mean? Lana Stapleton, Brooklyn
Analysis:
Although dreams of the deceased are wish fulfillments that offer self-consolation, they also serve to vent anger over being abandoned. On the one hand, your dream draws comfort from dispelling the finality of your father’s death: He is still alive and able to contact you. On the other hand, your dream reveals a sense of rejection. Your father’s deception is cause for anger. The holding back of his breath is symbolic of denial or withdrawal of love. Your questions are a way of working through these issues.
RESTAURANT CHECK (AND OTHER DEBTS) LEFT UNPAID
I dreamt I was moving to a new apartment, walking there with my mother (who is deceased in reality). The apartment was near a restaurant I used to frequent. I left her and went there to eat. After leaving, I went to my luggage cart but realized I forgot to pay. My mother took the cart to our new apartment while I went back to pay my bill. Please explain this dream. Marsha Terry, Bronx
Analysis: Your dream reveals unresolved guilt: A debt must be paid. A mother/daughter relationship is not yet finished. There is conflict over wanting to lose the past or hold on to it. You leave all the baggage with your mother — the emotional history — but you direct her to bring it back to your new house. By doing so, you incorporate her into your new life. The restaurant reveals your wish to be fed emotionally.
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