Crab

This is about either a shell you have to protect your vulnerability, or that you have lost your protective shell and so are very vulnerable. Crabs can also sometimes indicate fear or strong emotion causing tension within, especially abdominally. This may be due to fear or guilt of sensual pleasure. It may also represent outer hardness or cynicism covering inner softness; or outer hardness and graspingness in life. If the crab is threatening someone it points to a desire to cause pain to others.

The shell of brittle emotions we guard ourselves with grasping or hurtful attitudes. Fear or strong emotion causing tension within, especially abdominally. Or a desire to cause pain to others; or a tendency to hold onto things, especially too long or in a manner that is painful to one’s self or others.

Claws are tenacious and clinging, which can indicate something about the relationships the dreamer is in, especially with the opposite sex.

Hadfield (1954) in his book Dreams and Nightmares suggests that crab, spider and vampire images represent the visceral objectifications of the bodily feelings associated with orgasm. The crab portrays the changes in visceral and abdominal muscles which produce a gripping sensation; the relaxed feelings following orgasm are represented by the sprawling legs and soft underbelly of the spider image; the washed-out feeling of fatigue, as though the blood had been sucked dry, is externalized by a vampire figure.

Lacking shell: Our naked vulnerability.

Being nipped by crab: Physical or psychosomatic pain or even illness caused by being too tight or self protective. See: shell fish under fish.

Example: I say to her, I don’t want fireworks. She continues to express with enthusiasm how wonderful fireworks are. I say if you want this, you buy it. I then ask her if she wants to hold the crab as it is trying to snip me. She says no thanks. I carry it looking for a place to get rid of it or put it down.

Example: I went upstairs, felt the need to undress completely, and stood looking at myself in the mirror for a minute or so. I looked as if I had been working hard – which I had in my sexual life of late, with such a lot of release. Looking at my arms I saw what huge appendages they are. I was reminded of the fiddler crab with its great claw. My right arm reminded me of a great powerful piece of equipment or tool I carried about. It looked pretty heavy.

 

Useful Questions and Hints:

What is my dream about the crab describing? See – Dream Action

Am I aware of feeling either vulnerable or of protecting myself against hurt?

What is the crab doing or being in my dream?

See Learning to Allow Yourself Techniques for Exploring your DreamsAssociations Working With


Comments

-Mouneswari 2018-04-05 0:29:52

There are lot of things happened in my dream
My family and I are going for treking and suddenly my mom said this the place where the crab had bitten the aunt then we saw it but there are no crabs
After traveling a distance we saw a group of crabs
She also said that it had bitten her then I asked why didn’t you take any action she said there are no medicine or action to prevent it then scenario changed I am in my home the crab came in from the kitchen door and I felt frightened and jumped on to the bed as it is coming toward bedroom I’m distracting it then it went to another room and came back there is a pot it had been stuck near the pot but also it came out and I took my dress and I’m trying to distract it then my dress had fallen on the crab then suddenly my sister in law came and saw the dress she dragged it forcely Iam searching for the crab and suddenly I found it in my mouth so I spit it out then I woke up

-Shirley 2018-02-08 12:32:17

I had the strangest dream I was with my boyfriend and there was very loud snoring so we were look for who was snoring, we kicked a box and out comes this really big crab with big leg it ran sideways and all of a sudden we had sticks and we hit the crab shell we wanted to eat it we were breaking it apart to eat it but before we ate it I woke up.

-Ksp 2017-09-10 12:33:53

I dreamt of a crab like green bug attached to my arm. I tried shaking it violently but clinged on. Then there became 3 of them and they started sucking my blood. Then 2 of them went away but the first one kept on sucking blood. I did not want to crush the bug and kill it. Also there was no pain in my arm inspite of the blood sucking. I remember being surprised by that. Then I woke up.

-Chanel 2017-04-14 14:00:07

I’m an Aries and i has a dream about trying to boil a crab but then it i picked it up with my hand and but then it was trying to pinch me with its claw so i got scared and ran away from it trying to hide.

-Jennie smith 2017-01-11 18:15:24

I had a dream this afternoon while napping on the sofa,it was very vivid,I dreamt I was with my sister and brother in law which I don’t see anymore as we are not speaking,but we were laughing in the dream and then I saw this massive crab which my brother in law was holding and this small crab,the massive crab then started to attack the small crab,i was trying to get the small crab out of the big crabs mouth trying to save it,it looked as thou it was sucking the life out of the crab,can you please let me know why I dreamt this please thankyou Jennie

    -Tony Crisp 2017-01-12 12:32:34

    Hi – I must take time to upgrade the dream dictionary, so must halt from answering your posts – I started revising the dictionary in 2006, and haven’t neared the end yet. I believe someone else may start giving interpretations.

    So, for a while I urge you to read http://dreamhawk.com/approaches-to-being/i-am-no-longer-interpreting-dreams/ – It describes ways that can help you. And often it would help too if you looked at http://dreamhawk.com/approaches-to-being/questions-2/#Summing

    Tony

    I wonder whether you have the birth sign is Cancer the crab? If so it would explain a lot. But even so two Leopold who live guarded lives within shells, are enemies, and you are trying to rescue yourself?

-Vivian elaine 2016-01-17 15:47:55

At first the dream started out as my family and I fishing. I went to go on this rocky area of the water and I didn’t realize it was slippery. Just when I was about to fall, I caught my balance and this strong wind kind of helped me and started guiding me toward shore as if I was flying suspended with the air. The next thing I know my family and a bunch of tourists start gathering around this guy and his two sons who had caught this poisoniness crab like thing and two irregular crab looking creatures. I sat right next to the other two crab looking creatures and all of a sudden the man of the two boys starts to let go of all the crabs as if it was a game. My first instinct was to fight it but I decided to run to a higher ground and get some semblance of rationality while it tried to climb towards me. As I was debating what to do the man just stared at me. Then all hell breaks loose, out from the sea comes
these even bigger and monstous crab creatures. That’s when everyone splits and starts running away. I too start running in the same direction but I saw some icebergs all of a sudden, climb into and it provided me with a place to run and shelter. I bypassed a lot of those crab monsters and all of a sudden there’s an opening where I see everyone has reached to higher ground. I then see three opening and I choose the second one the middle one, which leads me to a flight of stairs and somewhere higher. Not a lot of people were in this one but it felt like it was the best choice. I could see everyone and everything, as if the air itself kissed me. That’s when it ended, I felt has if I went through a lot of adrenaline.

-Kate 2016-01-13 8:05:39

Today I found a crab inside his crab washed up on the beach. I had been talking with spirit and praying in regards to a desired relationship.g. Just curious if this was a sign. It sure felt like it .what if other significance is there. Thank you in advance.

-Amber 2015-10-07 15:36:50

Last night I dreamt that I had a baby, which took the form of a crab. I didn’t seem to mind that it was a crab and loved it as you would expect.
I was trying to go about my life with my crab-baby.. doing shopping and other things and an unknown man kept messing with me… bumping into me and pushing me for an unexplained reason.
It was difficult to keep hold of crab-baby amongst all this and I dropped it a few times and felt quite flustered as I tried to keep hold of it and get away from him.
A friend of mine then gave birth today. Coincidence?

-kalpana 2015-02-27 17:59:08

After my Mom expired. i have seen my bad aunt is offering coconut shell with crab in it to my mom and mom refused to eat all good food due to it.

What could be interpretation of this dream. Is this related to bad things my aunt has done with my Mom and it lead to death of her.

-Renae 2015-02-10 18:18:32

I’ve had 2 dreams of crabs they both have woken me up during the night wondering what it means. 1st one can’t remember but lots of medium size crabs on me around me. 2nd dream I was trying to get away from people then I was walking along sea trying to get away from someone then I was in clothing store arguing over store lady trying to rip me off I win and then find my head itchy and tiny little crabs crawling and I start shaking them out and they are dead but still feel more crawling around front of my head I continue shaking them out.

-Cecelia 2014-12-17 12:34:50

Dear Jamie
I just had a very similar dream, though not quit as intense. I too was growing crab shell on my face and picking it off as they grew on.
Blessing to you in your healing process.
Cecelia

-Grant 2014-12-17 2:21:00

Had a dream that a bug burrowed into my arm I pinched it and it squished inside my forarm then crab spider like things started tearing through my arm flesh and I kept pulling them off and throwing them down. What’s this mean?

-jamie 2014-11-07 5:11:11

I have just uncovered at 40 that I have been living in a narcisstic nest of parents and a recent parter who aslo abused me etc. I thought I was going crazy and finally realised by researching and educating myself that there was more to it. The strange thing is I last night had a dream that my face became covered in shell like a crab, my entire head. It was painful and I knew I could not walk around like this and started to crack it open it took ages and finally I removed it and I was so injured underneath but at least it was exposed to air and could start healing as it was rather injured under the shell. I would like your thoughts on this and if there is a connection, it seems there is.

    -Tony Crisp 2014-12-18 11:11:48

    Jamie – I am sorry I missed your dream, unfortunately I have to skip so many, but yours was brought up again through another readers comments.

    Your dream suggests that as a protection against what has been happening to you, you have developed a false façade or personality. See http://dreamhawk.com/poems/ground-zero-the-psuedopod/

    The injury underneath shows your actual injured self which can be healed. See http://dreamhawk.com/approaches-to-being/lifes-little-secrets/

    In fact most of people in today’s society are living a false life because we live in a sick society.

    Tony

      -Jenny 2015-01-21 13:33:31

      I dreamt I was just outside my house seating on the sand with my aunt and cousin waiting for a lawyer (not sure what lawyer and why id b waiting for one) so we could go eat at some restaurant and take care of some papers. Then, we see one crab and i tell my aunt how afraid i am of crabs. She tells me not to worry and that they won’t hurt me if i stay still. My cousin takes off as more crabs start to come out of the sand (there were so many!!) but i feel petrified and can’t move, my aunt stays there and covers me with her body and keeps telling me I’ll be ok but i panicked and started screaming and one crab gets out of its hole in between my body and the ground so my aunt puts her arms around me even more tightly. Then my dream takes me inside my house and im being cleaned up by my aunt, she tells me i fainted from how scared i grew to be, she is upset because my cousin didn’t stay and help and now we’re late to restaurant. After I’m all cleaned up, my mom, sister and other aunts/uncles join us and get on our way to eat. So scary! ! Help??

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