[ingalot]

can phobias be 'created' by nightmares? ever since i had a horrific nightmare that makes me tremble at the very memory of it, i am terrified of tanks.... is it linked?

[*freak*]

It might be. But there's also another aspect to take into consideration. Dreams can be expressions of our inner fears. Nightmares are actually an attempt of our subconscious to resolve an issue we can't deal with in real life. So it might be that... you were always afraid of tanks but wasn't aware of it? :P It sounds weird, but I'm just guessing. It's a very interesting question though. Try asking Clyde (Clyde's Corner towards the bottom of the forum index), he will know. And his answer will also make way more sense than mine

Hugs
freak

[Callmebj]

There is also a dream section on forums.
bj

[missbelle]

I agee might be linked but usually a nitemare comes from something that might have already frightened you........you might have completley blocked it out but it comes out in the dreams...maybe a tank in a movie you saw that was horrible or did something horrible..related to wars or monsters etc

Minds indeed are funny things......

[lancetrot]

But phobias will give you nightmares.

[Rosie23]

the tank might not be a tank. But a representation of something that you fear and that you feel is much larger than you are. Or just to large to cope with.

[ingalot]

even a tank that crushes a random guy's head, while the other two watch and laugh - the guy thought it was a joke!

and i had to watch it all......

[Perna]

And you actually come in contact with tanks a lot? They are scary! If you are in a war. That's not a phobia; phobias are everyday things and situations that you avoid, that mess up your actual life because they are real and "in your way".

I had a horrible dream where I accidentally electrocuted my husband through not paying attention to instructions and he died in my arms; I came up out of that dream so fast (literally screaming, woke him and was shaking him to make sure he was alive), it if had been water I'd have died of the bends!

Dreams are part of our unconscious, stories we tell ourselves to help ourselves. Focusing on a single symbol in a dream and not looking at and working with the whole story is like worrying, which is always about the future, which we can never know. That was part of what I was trying to get across to myself in my dream, I'm worried about how it will be if my husband dies before I do, how I'll feel, how I'll cope. I won't know until I get to that actual adventure but there are a lot of things I can do now, while we are both alive, to make it a little easier for me!

Watching dreams instead of participating can mean we are watching things in life instead of participating. Are you watching other people get run over (intellectually, as it is a guy's head) and not stepping in to try and help? Are you afraid you aren't smart enough to stop a dumb old tank, a piece of machinery? It might be difficult, but eventually people triumph over the tanks they've made, the tanks aren't "free" so can't have agendas of their own.