Dreams That Empowers With Confidence and Strength

Daniel is wrapped up in self-defeat

Daniel continues to have problems finding the confidence to make something of himself in his chosen career in the creative arts. He thinks of himself as a failure.

He felt defeated and purposeless. He felt unloved, alone and just about ready to give up, when his second dream came along to help make him feel empowered.

Listen to all six episodes by listening to the podcast below:

Part 1: Daniel is given a vivid dream image to help rehearse his skills and find his inner resources to be successful.


Part 2: Daniel receives a boost to his confidence and shows that he can be lovable just at the time he is feeling defeated. The same dream rescues him when he is at a new low three years later.

Daniel wants it all and has to split himself in two

Part 3: Daniel is caught between wanting an easy life and being fulfilled as a lovable person. His third dream shows that he can have both, without having to split himself in two pieces. Once again the same dream bails him out some 34 months later when he is faced with a seemingly impossible choice.

Part 4: Daniel's fourth dream shows him how easy it is to get a good high paying job without the grind. He also learns that he doesn't have to buy love and loyalty in order to succeed.

Daniel pretends that outer image is all that matters

Part 5: Daniel learns an important lesson from his fifth dream - that his concern with his outer image is preventing him from finding happiness and love. He learns how to tune into what is really important, and re-learns the same lesson when he gets caught with a similar problem years later.

Daniel finally gets to have the life and love he deserves

Part 6: The sixth dream in this series helped Daniel appreciate that he had the world at his feet and could shape his life to fulfill his wishes to have a loving family and a meaningful career. But he didn't have to throw out his ugly past to do so. Potent dream images helped Daniel focus on his future and came back to remind him several months later -that he still had his life canvas to paint, if he just picked up the brush!

Copyright, Jeanette Raymond, Ph.D.

Can dreams get you unstuck and improve your relationships?

Daniel was unhappy with is life and couldn't get  past his need for approval from his family before he did anything and made a success of his life.

Find out how Daniel's dreams helped him get in touch with his inner resources and find a way to get what he wanted in life, feeling good about himself.

Each episode tells you about a blockage Daniel faced and how his dream helped him move out of his stuck place, on several different occasions.




 
Listen to the full six episodes above

Dream Interpretation and Analysis Service
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Copyright, Jeanette Raymond, Ph.D.

Donna's dream helps her reclaim her lovable qualities

Donna is confused by feelings of anger, sadness and resentment
Donna has gone through some major life changes since she worked on her last dream. Her stepmother died after a long illness leaving Donna with a mixed set of emotions.  Despite some sadness, there was a lot of rage about this woman stealing her father away from Donna. Not to mention the deep hurt she harbored about her father choosing another woman over his daughter.

It  made her feel unlovable. Her mother’s  preoccupation with work and other relationships doubled her sense of feeling unwanted and unloved.

Feeling wanted is a strange uncomfortable experience

After the funeral Donna finally told her father about the anger she had been holding in since she was a young child. She was scared that it would ruin the relationship she had with him, and was surprised when it brought them closer. At the same time she noticed that as she shared her feelings with friends and colleagues, they too drew nearer. Guys were showing an interest in her and she couldn’t understand why. What was going on? It scared her. It felt like pressure to keep the relationships operating at this pitch and that was unbearable. Donna drew back. Feeling alone and unloved was familiar and comforting despite the sadness it evoked.

The dream comes to correct her false beliefsThen she had a dream which helped her begin to change the way she thought about herself.

The dream: I am in Canada at a courtyard with my mother  trying to find a table. She wanted to tell me that my stepmother had died. It was a secret and I didn’t tell anyone.

This fragment of a dream had a profound impact on Donna as we worked on it together. Donna had made peace with her stepmother before she died. In fact there was a playfulness about their relationship that made Donna feel welcome, cared for and believed in. Donna had never felt that warmth and acceptance coming from her natural parents. She had grieved the loss, so why was she being told about the death again in her dream?

 In the dream Donna’s natural mother shares a secret. The secret was probably that Donna was lovable and had been all along. Donna had to keep this information from another part of herself-  from the part of her that held onto the belief that she was unlovable - the part that felt pressured and uncomfortable if she thought she was wanted and loved. Telling Donna about the death of her step mother was a reminder of the relationship with her stepmother, where she experienced a sense of being valued and loved.

Donna's dream interpretation helps her hold onto her lovability
The dream analysis came to help Donna  hold onto the reality of being loved and wanted despite the passing of her stepmother. The message was clear - you are lovable whether or not your stepmother is here to show it. It’s a quality that exists naturally in you, and you can now own it with pride.

The scene in an open courtyard suggests that Donna can be open and own her lovable nature. The word Canada has the word ‘can’ embedded in it, giving her permission to reclaim her attractive qualities and be desirable and enjoyed. It was time for her to ‘find a table’ - eat and enjoy her sense of self-worth and attractiveness with significant people in her life.  Donna’s dream is inviting her to let them know that she wants, deserves and expects them to show their regard for her as she is now doing for herself.

Copyright, Jeanette Raymond, Ph.D.

A Dream of Power and Control Comes to Boost Donna's Confidence

Why Can't Donna Have The Relationship She Craves?
Recently Donna has felt hopeless about her love life. She was resigned to being single and without children even though it was one of her cherished dreams. She wanted to believe that it could come true but was scared to pin her hopes on it. She kept her dreams safe in her fantasy world where reality couldn't spoil her image. She had relationships with men that were either friendships or sexual liaisons, but never both. She had never experienced the closeness and intimacy of a relationship that had it all.

Reckless Behavior Stuns Donna
At about this time Donna had been taken in by a gypsy in an upscale part of town and gave her $1000 to hear something hopeful about her future. A day or so later it dawned on her - the magnitude of what she had done! She was astounded that a wish to believe in her fantasy just for a moment could make her so reckless and give up her common sense and self-protection. She had given money to friends to help them out, but never just thrown such a large sum on a whim!


A Disturbing Dream Haunts Donna
A couple of months later Donna's next dream startled her. She hated theme parks but there she was in her dream at a fair ground theme park with a friend. She saw a gypsy who promised to tell her important things about her love life.

Donna's friend stayed and took notes, making her feel more comfortable. Donna put her hand on the table and asked the gypsy the cost of the experience. The gypsy said $200, but Donna wouldn't have it. She banged her hand on the table and demanded that the price be no higher than $100. The gypsy backed down as Donna's adamant voice ruled the moment. Two large buzzing things like insects were around her ears making loud noises drowning everything out. Then Donna blacked out. When Donna woke up she saw injection marks all over her arms and wondered what they were.

Donna likes things clean and orderly, so why a seedy dream?
In her waking life Donna never goes to theme parks and fairs. To her they are dirty, seedy and unhygienic places where the low life hang out. The location of the dream represents Donna's emotions that she hates to deal with. To her they are messy and best pushed out of sight. They just cause trouble!! But in her dream she finds out that she can take charge by forcing the gypsy to work on Donna's terms. This suggests that Donna is beginning to realize that she does have a say in how her emotions affect her. They don't have to wipe her out.

The friend in the dream who takes notes is probably the part of Donna who needs to monitor her rash, reckless and impulsive self that just gives herself away, gets robbed and is left with nothing but 'holes' - just like the injection marks on her arms at the end of her dream.

Donna gets a glimpse of her dark, messy side
The gypsy in her dream may be the part of Donna that just aches to make her wishes come true by magic. It is the part of Donna that doesn't want to have to do the work of getting to know someone in all ways and creating a relationship. She had split intimacy, friendship and sex in order to feel safe but ended up unsatisfied and dejected. The gypsy gives her injections as if they were the magic cure, but all she finds are holes.

The dream tells Donna to love her messy side
The message in Donna's dream is that she can survive the pain of the 'injections' which are probably her intense emotions. She doesn't have to black out. She does have a good caretaker part of her that she can rely on, like her friend in the dream. She is being guided to see that the buzzing noise that she hears when emotions get to her is survivable, and makes her strong. She can listen to all parts of herself without being hung out to dry. She can trust her instincts and allow herself a relationship that has it all. She doesn't have to safeguard her dream in a fantasy any more.

If Donna listen's to her dream her future looks brighter and more hopeful
The dream is saying that life and relationships have both the seedy and magical qualities. Donna's acceptance of this unifying reality will allow her to be ready to invite and respond to men who can give her the stability and security she yearns for. If she can accept all her qualities, good and bad, she will be able to share them with a man who will do the same. That's when the intimacy, sex and friendship will mesh together and give Donna peace. But she has to be willing to do the work!

Copyright, Jeanette Raymond, Ph.D.
From fear and frustration to fulfiling and flourishing relationships.


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What would you give to keep only the best bits of your past?

As life continues to pose problems for Donna, her dreams continue to guide her to act in her best interests and to make peace with her past.

Thoughts of holidays and family made Donna's heart sink
As 2009 came to an end, Donna was struggling with the lack of motivation she felt at the thought of the same old Christmas and New Year rituals with family members. She didn't want to go through these meaningless experiences just to feel part of a family.

Donna wanted to shake things up and have more choice in how the holiday time was spent. She also wanted to get away from pretending to feel grateful for whatever her parents had planned. Her desire to make some choices of her own and do things her way made her antsy. How was she going to organize it without upsetting the apple cart?

Donna is caught between keeping the old and wanting something new
There was also the complicating factor of an upcoming loss of her family home. Her parents were selling it and moving to a smaller place with no room for visitors. Donna was caught between wanting to enjoy the family home before it was gone forever, and her wish to celebrate the holidays in a wildly different manner.

A dream gives Donna her wish - something old and something new
Then came the dream that helped her with her conflict. Donna dreamed that she was walking into her family home and into her old bedroom. There was a huge box in there. When she opened it she found some old clothes, jewelry, candy, books, scarves and pizza pieces. She began to sift through the items and pick out what she wanted to keep. She found pieces of pizza and candy that looked edible. She discovered some retro jewelry that she had loved and some clothes that she had bought to go with her unusual and precious jewelry pieces. The rest of the stuff seemed stale, and not part of her any longer. She felt a sense of peace and comfort at finding these things that she had forgotten about.


Donna gets to select from her past and make new relationships out of them
Donna's dream gave her the opportunity to go back into her childhood and retrieve things that were important and meaningful, like the pizza and candy she had never been allowed to eat. Now she could give herself permission to eat it without worrying about being judged and ridiculed about her weight. Now she could dress as she pleased rather than please her mother. Now she didn't have to put her choices and desires on hold.

The wounds of the past are fashioned into fresh connections of equality
Just as she went back to her childhood room in her dream, the message to Donna was to do so in real life before the family home was sold. Donna was being encouraged to go back, take the memories she wanted, bury the ones she no longer needed to hold onto, and create new ones over the holidays. She was being shown that she had a choice in how to remember her past by digging through the box of painful childhood and adolescence and closing the wounds that still had the power to sting.

Fear of loss is transformed into more meaningful family life
Donna used her dream to great advantage. She took the lead and invited each family member to do something with her that was unique and special. That old ways were being buried in the box of the past. Donna was going to create new connections, having the courage and entitlement to eat what she wanted, wear what she liked and be what she felt was true to herself. She also returned to her old room and collected things that she wanted to keep including family photographs and her art work that she was now ready to reacquaint herself with again.

Donna was energized by the message of her dream. Instead of feeling sad about the loss of the family house, she let it go with her bad and sad memories. She decided to build new memories with her parents as they transitioned to their new home. Donna realized she could establish new and more equal connections with her folks as she was no longer bound and trapped by the rigid roles of the past that the house represented.

Donna's dream sets her free and in charge of her emotional life
In 2010 Donna emerged with new convictions about her right and freedom to have the type of relationships she wanted to have with her family. She makes the suggestions about where they will meet and what activities they will share. She wears the bits of the past that are meaningful and creates new webs of interaction that make her feel good about herself. She remains surprised as to how readily her family have responded to her taking charge!

Copyright Jeanette Raymond, Ph.D.

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Ever Watched Yourself Explode Into Tiny Pieces in Your Dream?

Why dream of destruction when everything is going so well?
Donna's next dream was really scary. She was watching herself get blown up and bits of her were flying all around. What a way to wake up? It came the night after she got a job doing some interior decorating for a big name company. So why such a nightmare?

You remember Donna who's dream about letting her inner security guard be a little more forgiving? That dream came true when she allowed herself to experience being liked no matter what she looked like. Well this next dream was really showing her how her life was changing.

The dream is full of crashing and burning, but Donna stays peaceful
Donna dreamed that she was driving a plane that looked like a pod, in the dark. It had no wings. She had no idea where she was going. But she wasn't alarmed. Something told her she was going where she needed to go. She felt she could trust the journey. Her plane rose to the top of a hill. She drove the plane down the hill and saw a huge bi- plane crash on top of some orange metal pipes which were shaped in the form of an 'x'. She slammed on the brakes and her pod circled the crashed plane before landing.

Donna and the pod exploded. She watches herself explode. Bits of her jaw and teeth were flung away!

Donna rises from the ashes stronger, more trusting and true to herself
Donna's dream is about her personal journey of growth - full of fire, destruction but also rejuvenation. She came to a make or break point in her life where she needed to slow down and choose a healthy pathway. Her pod reaching the top of the hill was this critical moment. She circles the old parts of her represented by the bi-plane, giving it the last rights. She knows that her old self was the false or 'wrong' her, just as the Orange 'x' shaped pipes indicated. She watches the old false self explode. But she isn't upset.

She sees bits of her teeth and jaw scatter. Teeth and jaws are symbols of determination and will power. In the dream she is giving up her hold on the old ways of her life that brought her little happiness or peace. She doesn't need to die with the old stuff, but to get rid of all the old heavy junk that wasn't very useful. Now that she is rid of the burden of the old ways, she is free to be her real self.

The dream is helping her realize that the interior design job is one of the new things in her life that she created because she dared to trust herself and go with her instincts. It is encouraging and validating.

The first signs of disease or a lowered immune system can be found in the mouth. Unhealthy gums, teeth and tongue are indications that your health is poor. Donna's unhealthy teeth and jaw were ripped from her in this dream. She gets to let her strong permanent teeth come through and thrive in a mouth that is clean, and smells good. Tune in to her next few dreams to learn how she decided to be healthy, wealthy and wise.

Donna's relationships were not satisfying because of the negative way she perceived herself.
Find out how your relationship style impacts your connections at http://drjeanetteraymond.com/how_likely_you_are/

Copyright, Jeanette Raymond, Ph.D.

Should Donna Give Up Or Keep Trying ?

Donna's Dilemma
Donna was heartbroken that all the time and energy she had devoted to building a relationship with her father seemed to end in tatters. Now she was angry and no longer willing to do anything to please him, just to stay on his radar.

She didn't want to lose him completely either. She had a dilemma that troubled her. Should she give up on him and move on with her life, or should she just see him occasionally and keep her feelings to herself?

Donna's Body reacts To The Stress
A week ago they had fallen out. Donna's feelings were a mess. One part of her wanted to sever the ties altogether and punish him, while another part of her longed for the dad she always hoped to have, the kind of dad her best friend enjoyed. Her feelings were so chaotic that she broke out in a rash, all over her chest and arms, her face and neck. The rash expressed her conflict, the red raw anger that she didn't know what to do with.

A Dream Comes To Help Donna Solve Her Dilemma
The night before she was to meet her father after their last blow out, Donna dreamt that she bought tons of wax and removed all the hair from her legs, arms and other places. It didn't hurt and it felt good. The wax was warm, like honey and comforting. It came off without stinging her, making her feel strong.

What Message Is The Dream Giving To Donna?
Body hair is a protective shield. It protects against the cold, and shields the skin from the sun, preventing dehydration and wrinkles. So in her dream Donna was able to remove that protective layer without feeling any sting or pain. She was being shown that she was strong enough to stand up to her father's stinging remarks, and coldness. She didn't need to protect herself against him. Nor did she need to protect her father from her rage, disappointment, and hurt.

Making Use of Her Dream
The meeting with her father was not as bad as she had imagined. Donna was able to express some of her feelings without fear of losing her father for good. He didn't walk away or shut her up. Donna's dream gave her a wonderful image of strength and power, that no longer had to be a solid ball of anger inside her. Like the wax in her dream, it melted and with it took away the fears that had chained her for so long.

Now she has a better chance of having a more honest relationship with her father, on her own terms.





Copyright, Jeanette Raymond, Ph.D.

Is Your Dream About Being Lost The Same As My Dream About Being Lost?

Tiffany's Dream. Tall, slim and friendly Tiffany had a busy life with her charities and community work. She had good friends and was involved with helping her neighbors. She was in the third quarter of her life which seemed to be going well. There was nothing particular she wanted to do, no special ambition or dream to fulfill. Regrets were few and far between. She was puzzled that she would dream over and over again about being lost. In her dream she would set out on foot and then all of a sudden feel completely lost. She could hear the traffic on the freeway and see roads around her, but she didn't have a clue where she was or where she was supposed to be going. There was no resolution in the dreams, and she woke up feeling confused.

Marsha's Dream. An articulate and forceful personality Marsha, also in her golden years knew exactly where she wanted to go, and made every effort to get there in life. Her constant and frustrating dream involved trying to get to a specific place in the city at night. The darkness was countered by street lights. Each time Marsha saw a door or a corner of the street that appeared to be a sign post for the pathway towards her destination, she would rush to get there, feeling energized that she was on the right road. But as soon as she reached the corner she would realize that it was not the right one, and feel lost.

Both ladies were on journeys and both experienced a sense of being lost. What do these dreams want to tell the dreamers?

Tiffany's focus on other people is fulfilling to some extent. Enough to make her life reasonably comfortable. But she has not asked herself what her purpose in life is. She has not discovered where her journey is to take her, and what path she should follow to get there. As her life is coming into it's final phase, Tiffany's dream is begging her to search inside herself for something to complete her as a person. It is inviting her to stop focusing all her energies on other people as that is merely an avoidance of herself. That is why in her dream she doesn't know where she is going, and feels lost. She has LOST herself. She is being given a big hint to find herself and take one of the roads towards her life's purpose to bring true meaning into it. Whether it is a freeway to fast track her journey, or get back on the right road while on foot, she needs to find out what she is here on earth to be and do before it is too late.


Marsha on the other hand knows exactly what she wants and knows precisely where to get it. Or she thinks she does!! The darkness of night in her dream suggests she is not looking at the objects of her desire with a clear lens. She gets false signals and she gets her hopes up, only to find them dashed. Marsha idealizes the things she wants. They become much grander in her mind than they really are, and she is badly let down when the promise isn't delivered. Her dream is telling her to see more clearly, to use the daylight of reason, rather than the darkness of her ideals which skew the reality.

Marsha's frustration that her expectations are not met is due to her wanting something unreal, something perfect. Her patient and returning dream reminds her to balance her ideals with reality so that she will not be so disappointed and actually feel like she is getting something useful. Marsha has LOST her earth wire, the one that grounds the energy when you put on the switch. She will either explode with anger and disappointment or keep being frustrated if she doesn't begin to see things the way they really are and enjoy them accordingly.

So two dreams about being lost have two very different meanings for the dreamers. Yet both women are 'lost'. Tiffany is lost because she has never examined herself and discovered the purpose of her life. Marsha is lost because she she is trying to find something that doesn't exist.

COPYRIGHT JEANETTE RAYMOND, Ph.D.