Cindy described a horrifying dream of watching two racers plunge hundreds of feet from a towering roller coaster. She soon realized that the horror elicited by her dream mirrored her horror at overhearing a recent conversation. The strong negative feelings in her dream brought her back to the same feelings experienced in waking life, provoking her to address them and take action.

The Dream

I’m watching an extreme game show live, with a man and a woman racing in modified shopping carts. The race takes place on a roller coaster up in the sky. In the end, they have to plunge down hundreds of feet onto only a blow-up mat. The girl wins but is in a coma because of the intense fall. Needless to say, I woke up horrified.

The Discussion

To begin, I offered, “The first thing that strikes me is that you are playing the part of an observer in this dream. You describe waking up horrified. Is there anything you observed in the last day or two that unsettled you?”

Cindy responded, “I have definitely seen things going on with my husband that have me concerned of late, so yes. I heard him tell a male neighbor that he used to be a marine. It’s a lie.”

I reacted, “Wow. How did you feel when you heard him lie?”

Cindy admitted, “Honestly? I felt horrified.”

“Did you say something to him after?”

She answered, “No. I didn’t say anything because he doesn’t know I saw him. I know why he lied—well, I presume anyway—because he wanted to feel like he belonged, as this neighbor is ex-military.”

I reflected, “In the dream, there’s a race. A competition made you think of this situation with your husband. In addition to wanting to belong, do you think he may have been feeling a sense of competition?

“I wonder also, do you think your husband’s lie exposes you in some way with the neighbor?”

Cindy responded with a resounding, “Yes! You’ve nailed it.”

Looking back on her dream, I said, “The game in your dream takes place on a rollercoaster in the sky, where it presents a big risk.”

Cindy agreed, “Yes. His lie has a big risk of getting found out, and I happen to like these people. His lie risks both of us having a big fall; myself in particular since I wasn't even supposed to hear it or know about it.”

Thinking back to Cindy’s dream images, I observed, “So there's no mat below for you to soften the fall, and since he lied without your knowledge, you had no choice in the first place.”

Cindy connected. “Exactly!”

Looking for possible solutions inside the dream I wondered, “Your word ‘horrified’ catches me as the most important aspect of the dream. A dream that leaves you feeling horrified will grab your attention. Why are you having dreams that force your attention to this situation?

“After all, you describe feeling horrified when you witnessed the scene with the neighbor. What might you do with your feelings? Are you supposed to hide what you saw and heard?

“That brings to mind another question. If your dream really did happen in waking life, if you witnessed a woman plunge hundreds of feet onto only a blow-up mat, landing in a coma, what would you do?”

Cindy was thinking aloud, “Hmm. If this did happen in waking life, I would be screaming and protesting. Why do you think my dream wanted to grab my attention? Perhaps I’m meant to do something to speak up or protect myself.”

She continued, “I actually thought of another scenario from last week that I was debating speaking up about. Both subjects fit this dream and call for speaking up, so maybe my brain is pushing me to say something!

“There’s a different neighbor who saw me walking my dog. He found a pile of dog poop near his driveway and instantly accused me of not picking up my dog’s poop. I told him it wasn’t me, but he didn’t seem to believe me. I was very hurt by the way he behaved and have been thinking of ways to respond when I see him again.”

I exclaimed, “Your dream is a perfect trigger to help you reach for your voice. Will this kind of conversation with your neighbor give you difficulty?"

Cindy confirmed, “Yes, I find it hard most times to speak up.”

I offered, “It starts with slow moves, and you have here two circumstances to practice. One at a time. Situation by situation. Husband and neighbor. Speaking to your neighbor about your dog will be a good starting place to practice using your voice.”

What We Can Learn

If you’re not vocalizing what needs to be spoken, you might have a “horrifying” dream that can help bring the sound up and out. Not necessarily to yell, but to pull you away from silence.

Cindy’s dream was pushing her to speak out in two situations that required a considered response. She might not find it easy, but her dream encouraged her to acknowledge her need and take action.

If you determine that your dream is prodding you to express yourself over a situation that preoccupies you in waking life, pay attention. You can express thoughts and feelings to yourself in your sleep that you might be trying to suppress while you’re awake.

This deeper self-knowledge can help you tap the full range of your thoughts and emotions while handling the more difficult situations in your life.