A Dream About A Thirsty Dog: Post #3

A dreamer dreamed about finding her dog dying of thirst. Her efforts to bring him water were unsuccessful. She awoke from her dream crying.

We have isolated the symbols and reconstructed the dream using the dreamer’s own comments about the symbols. What seemed a fairly strange dream plot has become a clear, focused narrative. We have inserted occasional phrases to remind the dreamer that all facets of the dream are parts of herself.

Reconstructed dream

There is a part of me that is moving along rough, challenging terrain within myself. I am encountering hostile terrain with a lack of life-sustaining resources. I am finding obstacles, although they can be useful at times, too. I am with another part of myself. I don’t know his identity, but it is reassuring to have company and help if it is needed. I arrive at a place within me that takes more work to get to, but once there, I have a more expanded view of the horizon. That’s where I encounter my guardian of my physical space. In addition to providing companionship, this part of me has the job of protecting me. It has a strong sense of the perimeter of my physical plant, and it watches out for intruders. This part of me was unconditional in his loving, and he was totally faithful. He was fun-loving and caring. I could tell that when I hurt, he also hurt. But he has changed. He is now dark, lifeless and a bit foreboding. He uses a higher form of communication to make his wishes known to me. He is in need of one of the primary, life sustaining elements. We are looking for the vessel within us that holds this indispensable nourishment. We come to where I live within myself, where I keep my stuff, my home base. But it’s really an old part of me; I’m no longer there, and the nourishment I am looking for is absent. I’m reliving a memory of pain and loss. I’m cradling this part of me with love. But I feel unable to help him. I’m so sad. We go to another part of me from my childhood. This part of me was unselfish, almost naively trusting and caring of others. The nourishment isn’t there, either. I have a feeling that the nourishment will be in a place within myself that is unsavory and unpleasant. There are parts of me there who are uncomfortable to be around. Maybe a bit threatening.

Initial thoughts

Ultimately, the only person who will be able to tell us what this dream is about is the dreamer herself. But there are certainly themes that we can begin to ponder. Perhaps the theme that predominates is one that seems to be about loss—loss of what used to be important and helpful, but which no longer is. There is sadness, but there is also hope: In her third sentence, she says she has support and companionship. We’ll have the dreamer tell her story tomorrow.

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