[don'tknowagoodname]

I was walking along the beach with my father and a friend of mine Anna. It was night time and the beach was dark but visible, the sky and water were pitch black. Anna pointed out some alligators crawling under the sand and I told her those were baby alligators. Then I walked away from the two of them and I saw Ted Bundy. Ted and I were talking for a few moments when I showed him the scars I have on my arm from when I used to cut myself, then he kissed them and I pulled myself away from him. I saw the sun rising then I woke up.

[don'tknowagoodname]

Can no one see this thread?

[MusicMike]

The first step is for you to list your associations to each dream image. So for instance, your friend Anna.

The beach: is this by the ocean? What do you feel about beaches? like them? not like them? what do you expect to find at a beach? any specific beach that matches this dream?

What is Anna like? Are you really good friends? How is she like you, or not like you?

Your father: what is your relationship with him like? is it typical for him to come along on a trip with Anna?

baby alligators: what do they make you think of? do you like them? fear them? want to take care of them? do they belong here?

it is nighttime. what do you feel about the night?

what does Ted Bundy mean to you? A dangerous serial killer and rapist? do you have a particular interest in him or the events of his life? what is your attitude in relation to him?

showing your scars: is this an act of intimacy? of trust?

kissing your scars: is this an act of tenderness? of love? any sense why he kissed them or what he was trying to achieve?


-Mike

[don'tknowagoodname]

Originally Posted by mike1127

The first step is for you to list your associations to each dream image. So for instance, your friend Anna.

The beach: is this by the ocean? What do you feel about beaches? like them? not like them? what do you expect to find at a beach? any specific beach that matches this dream?

What is Anna like? Are you really good friends? How is she like you, or not like you?

Your father: what is your relationship with him like? is it typical for him to come along on a trip with Anna?

baby alligators: what do they make you think of? do you like them? fear them? want to take care of them? do they belong here?

it is nighttime. what do you feel about the night?

what does Ted Bundy mean to you? A dangerous serial killer and rapist? do you have a particular interest in him or the events of his life? what is your attitude in relation to him?

showing your scars: is this an act of intimacy? of trust?

kissing your scars: is this an act of tenderness? of love? any sense why he kissed them or what he was trying to achieve?


-Mike

I'll give it a try, thanks.

[MusicMike]

If you post your associations I'll use them to get a better feel of what the dream is saying.

[don'tknowagoodname]

Originally Posted by mike1127

If you post your associations I'll use them to get a better feel of what the dream is saying.

That would be wonderful. Thank you so much.

[don'tknowagoodname]

The beach: It was by a lake in my dream. I feel as though beaches are very social places. I like them well enough. I expect to find half naked people wandering around, sand and water. A beach that matches the one in my dream is probably one from an Archie comic I remember. The water being black frightened me because I realized I didn't know what was in it but I knew to keep away from it.

Anna: I think she's a ditz. We're alike in our sense of humor, we both laugh at jokes about violence or destruction of public property. We're not alike in the fact I think I'm a much stronger person in general, I feel as though I have more to offer in conversation and views than she does. She's a typical teenager, not very bright or interesting, easily manipulated and a pushover.

My father: He and I have a good relationship. It would be typical for him to come along seeing as I'm not really allowed to go anywhere by myself.

Baby alligators: I think baby alligators are sweet looking but are still dangerous, I know it would be best to keep my distance if I saw one.

Nighttime: At night I feel eager to do things, wander around and cause trouble mostly.

Ted Bundy: I've always felt a connection with him in some ways. I look up to him and think very highly of him in general. I think of him as a father figure, a lover and almost an actual part of who I am.

Showing my scars: I think that would mean showing them off, bragging that I caused them. Attention seeking, wanting to feel loved.

Kissing my scars: An act of intimacy, love, wanting to take care of me. Understanding me, I guess.

[MusicMike]

Here are my thoughts. I try to stay away from a full interpretation, because I want to leave room for your own thoughts and feelings about it.

It is likely that Anna represents a part of yourself, a part which has those qualities you mentioned. Do you ever find yourself acting like her?

Ted Bundy was charming yet dangerous. A kind of similarity to the baby alligators, in a way.

You mentioned that Anna is easily manipulated. Ted Bundy was good at manipulating women to get them into a vulnerable place.

In the dream, Ted Bundy draws you away from Anna and your father. This "Ted Bundy" side of you may be something that takes you away from other social connections. Yet you feel love and concern there, and an appreciation for your scars, love in the presence of the scars (love there, in midst of the way you have hurt yourself).

Do you still self-harm? Does the wish to self-harm ever draw you away from healthier social connections and into a private world?

-Mike

[Eyes of Blue]

Walking along a beach would indicate a situation in which you might need to draw a line between what is actually rational (ground) and what is purely emotional (water). The nighttime scene is an indication of being “in the dark” – lacking in knowledge and information in a situation – as well as not using the intelligence of the Lord (no sunlight). While the nighttime is noted, the special mention of the sky and water being “pitch black” would emphasize the very great absence of light and intelligence in a situation. Here you appear to be using a way of thinking that was designed for your protection and a feeling that you could see as working in your favour. ( with my father and a friend of mine, Anna) Because the friend has been named in the dream, this feeling would be important to the True Self – although in reality you may not be overly impressed with it. (you refer to Anna as a ditz)

Where your feelings could work in your favour, you may need to point out to yourself the existence of an instinctive aspect of your own emotional nature, represented by the alligators. The alligator can indicate an emotional nature that can give you the inclination or motivation to speak very sharply or harshly to others, and also to yourself, in a way that can cause emotional pain. This ability may have become somewhat hidden over time (crawling under sand). As the alligators are under the sand, it might also suggest that in your mind, this ability has been found justifiable over time. By seeing baby alligators, it is implied that this feeling appears rather innocent and thus not very strong or dangerous. Yet if there were several alligators, the feeling has acquired some intensity and does have the potential to become much stronger and more intense.

In this scene, you walk away from helpful thoughts and feelings to give all your attention to Ted Bundy. Ted Bundy would represent an aspect of your mind and a way of thinking that is particularly emotionally devastating. (he was a serial killer) You find there is something to be said for this type of thinking, (Ted and I were talking) The scars you have - which indicate the self inflicted emotional damage you have done to yourself (represented by cuts to the body) – need to be seen by the mind. (showed him the scars) When you realize that mentally you actually love the damage you have inflicted upon the body and yourself emotionally (he kissed the scars), you will start to pull away from the type of thinking through which you inflict pain upon your own emotional nature (which is represented by the body) At this point the light is dawning, you have come to understand something and intelligence is being used (saw the sun rising).You come to a greater state of awareness. (I woke up)

[It is important to be aware that going very hard and harsh on yourself does deaden feelings. This often necessitates self cutting just to “feel” the pain which has not been recognized as caused on an inner emotional level by the harsh words and thinking about the Self. You may need to learn to think more kindly about yourself.]

[don'tknowagoodname]

Those are both extremely good answers and definite possibilities to the meaning of my dream. Thank you both.