Serial dreams
Many people report recurring dreams, but these are of two types. One is the dream that recurs much the same in every feature. The other – serial dreams – are those that slowly change and evolve. Serial dreams might be about something like learning to fly in a long series of dreams; or exploring territory or a house that you only slowly penetrate. Sometimes they are about a relationship in which developmental changes occur.
Such dreams usually reflect changing attitudes and skills in yourself. For instance a man who was confronting his own fears concerning sex, experienced a series of dreams in which he at first had difficulty getting close to and loving a woman. The dreams evolved into ones in which he satisfying made love.
The theme of these serial dreams usually gives a clue to the area of your personality the changes refer to. Common themes are gaining of confidence; learning skill in relationships; developing courage to go beyond usual boundaries of anxiety and thus take risks such as starting your own business; discovering latent potential in yourself. See: recurring dreams; Series of dreams – working with.
Series of dreams – working with
Looking at a series of our dreams often gives us insight into aspects of ourselves that considering a single dream does not. For instance there may be a theme running through the dreams, or a character or animal. So noting the changes in the dream series in regard to the animal or person, gives information about what changes are occurring in connection with that aspect of our life.
To helpfully work with a series of dreams you can use the techniques described in
Techniques for Exploring your Dreams and Secrets of Power dreaming.
Something else that is useful is to define what difficulties, barriers or fears appear in the series and consider or imagine by visualising, ways of dealing with the problem. Also, look back on your dreams and life to see if you have met this problem in the past successfully. If you have, define how you dealt with it and see if this will work with the present dream situation.
Comments
I recently had a couple dreams recently iin which I had been offered a promotion. It was impressed upon me the level of responsibility and the seriousness of the position. In the second dream I somehow failed and was traveling to be evaluated by a review board. During the ride to the review, which was very convoluted and circuitous, I remembered I had had a dream a couple days previous of being offered the job.
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
Very seldom do such dream refer to an outer job, but often about your life purpose, the work you do on yourself and what that leads to in outer life activity. For instance, I suffered crushing depression and decided I needed to do something about it. I found a way, not through medical drugs, by by working on the causes in me. That led to a complete change in me and my life. See http://dreamhawk.com/approaches-to-being/lifes-little-secrets/ and http://dreamhawk.com/approaches-to-being/opening-to-life/ also http://dreamhawk.com/dream-encyclopedia/integration-meeting-oneself/
I’ve had these since I could remember… it would span several lifetimes in my dreams, and they’re not random. I.e. I start off living in a cave, then progress to a grassland, then village, then to proper houses, and have a few months back (in my dreams) just shifted to a condominium. I’m never alone in these dreams, there’s always a family / community where, in the dreams, they’re so familiar, but when I awake, I can’t remember the name or looks of the person. These dreams span several lifetimes, but I’ve only lived decades.
I’m Asian, and some elderly people have told me that these could either be memories of my past lives, and some have told me that I actually ‘visited’ my ancestors in their after-life / purgatory.
It’s up to every individual’s interpretation, I guess.
Dear Pauline – We always bring ourselves when we explore a dream and so that implies that different people will see different things in dreams.
Because every dream is multi layered and a wonderful creation, the either/or approach; as in it either means this or it means that does not apply.
Because you are the creator of your dreams, you are in a way the only expert to work with it, to explore it and to see a story in your dream that can assist you in your inner healing and moving towards expressing more of your potential. http://dreamhawk.com/dream-dictionary/potential/
The “story” I see in your dream is that it is about individuation – in this life and in past lives – http://dreamhawk.com/dream-encyclopedia/individuation/
The family/community I see as a symbol of the values, attitudes and emotional and/or social responses you have absorbed from your family and from the culture you were raised in.
I believe that you cannot remember the names or the looks of the people, because you cannot be aware of everything that is part of your inner world.
See http://dreamhawk.com/dream-encyclopedia/the-conjuring-trick/
In a way all that is part of you influences every decision you make and that is why you choose in your dream to live in a condominium; http://dreamhawk.com/dream-encyclopedia/the-house-in-your-dream/
Although I see your dreams as a progressing movement from a cave towards a condominium, I also feel it is very important to be aware that in your inner world you are always everything.
So you are also the cave – http://dreamhawk.com/dream-dictionary/cave/ – and the grass – http://dreamhawk.com/dream-dictionary/grass/
Well, that is “my story” and I wonder what you make of your dream; for instance how does it feel to “be the cave” and “the grass”, “the village” and “the proper house” and “the condominium”; http://dreamhawk.com/dream-encyclopedia/acting-on-your-dream/#BeingPerson
and
http://dreamhawk.com/dream-dictionary/practical-techniques-for-understanding-your-dreams/
Anna 🙂
I have lately experienced a disturbing dream pattern that I call serial dreaming, but it is different than described here. My serial dreams occur as I wake from a dream briefly, then return to the same dream, wake again, then return.
These are typically disturbing dreams and the overall effect is a terrible night’s sleep.
I can’t find any description of this kind of dream.
I have been diagnosed with RBD and these serial dreams are usually accompanied by acting out behavior, so especially unpleasant.
I posted this on Facebook earlier today, and this prompted me to take another search for serial dreaming. It’s been a few years since I’ve searched for serial dreams, and was very happy to find this page. You will see that the dream I had last night fits the themes you mention. I feel very blessed to dream in this manner. I hope you enjoy my narration. 🙂
“I have serial dreams. Individual, long-running dreamatic™ productions that begin episodically where they last ended. There’s a broad variety of these dreams that randomly “drop in” and “play” during my sleep. I’ve never kept track of them all & when they show up. (Noted..will now.) Some have been with me since childhood, some are newer. Some are set in this era, some from a different time period, Some are in the US, some reside in a different country. None have the same “cast” of characters.
My first realization of serial dreaming came after my sister died and I had a dream of her returning to swim with me in a seashell-shaped pool that was just outside of a pinkish-terra-cotta, stucco house where we lived (in my dream). This dream was not new to my 5 year old self, as she & I & mommy had swam in our seashell pool numerous times in my dreamland. I always wore an emerald green, one-piece swimsuit, intricate with embroidery, chiffon, & sequins, reminiscent of Ethel Merman, and Sissy (Karla) & I both swam like mermaids in our seashell pool. On that night, she had returned to swim with me, and I was delighted! Once awake and seated at the breakfast table, I announced that Sissy had come to swim with me last night in our seashell pool; I described how mommy was watching us from the opposite side, Sissy & I were on the deep end, and it was the same day as my last dream, only later, and we were waiting for daddy to get home so we could eat peanut butter & jelly sandwiches! I learned then that not everyone has dreams that continue where they left off. I called them continuation dreams until, maybe, middle school, and by then, I didn’t tell too many people I had such types of dreams. #weird #weirdthennotnow
I digress.
In some dreams I’m younger, rarely the age I was when that particular serial dream sequence began (exception is the seashell pool dream…I’m always the same age & Karla is always there), in many there’s age progression and I’m my current age. I’m always, ALWAYS, the most beautiful and grounded portrayal of my Essence (although sometimes it’s à la Superhero style!), but always the best of myself, which, for my awaken self, is validating, pointedly insightful & inspiring. The dreams are thoroughly detailed, and run like the best well-scripted, talent-casted, set/costume designed series you might watch on the screen…but better…because it’s dreaming, and we all know dreams are woven with intricately detailed & beautifully textured threads of past/present/future.
In some dreams my friends are there, in some it’s strangers, and every once in awhile I’ll meet, in real life, people who were friends in my serial dreamworld, and often we will become good friends (ya’ll know who you are, although some may have forgotten because we’ve been friends for a few decades). I’ve also met a handful of “villains” from my dreams. I’ll just say, we don’t become friends, and I usually clash with these people. Some people I remember immediately from my dreams, some I don’t remember until some time later, usually when the next episode of that particular serial dream “plays.” The “meeting people I dreamed about” freaked me out when young. Now..eh, non-applicable.
I digress..again.
Serial dreams, yes. So in one of last night’s serial dreams, my Life Coaching business was flourishing. My creative & artistic endeavors were flourishing. I was stylish and beautiful, and fearlessly powerful (n a live your best life way). I had a beautiful apartment in the city (NYC), in a pre-war building (think Ansonia), with a building-shared mahogany library, draped in deep, patterned, teal upholstery, with lead glass windows & antique ironwork. I was invincible, unstoppable, and doggedly resolute with confidence and ease. I awoke realigned, inspired and reminded that my life is my own to design and create as I desire. I awoke reacquainted with my authentic self, and reminded that where I live does not define me. SC never felt like home when younger, and it still doesn’t feel like home and I have been struggling with that. #onlychildandfamilymatters But this place will not diminish my spirit and have me forget who I am intrinsically. #newprojectsonthehorizon #Idecidehowitgoes #itsjustlife #smile #liveyourbestlife Cheers, to serial dreaming, and much gratitude.”
Debra – Wow, what a dreamer. I wonder where you got it from so young. I salute you – Indian style. I had to move a lot of boulders out of the path of my life before I could begin to see a similar landscape of dreams.
If it is okay with you I would like to quote what you wrote in the Forum and maybe in the piece about serial dreams.
Tony
So cool to find this page. I’ve had serial dreams since early childhood. I have a number of them that appear randomly, always beginning where they last ended, I’ve met people in real life, that first appeared in my serial dreams, three of these people have become really good friends. I’ve searched for information, and others, who have episodic serial dreams, and have had little luck. So cool to see there in some information out there in the world.
Have dreamed twice that I am watching an Asian woman running from a man trying to hurt her in a club he chases her down the street and through a restaurant the girl is pregnant . She eventually gets to a half done house and goes inside the tiles on the floor are all loose and she opens a door which leads to a bathroom with a pool sized spa bath the bath has a few naked asian men in it the make the girl get into the spa because the water is supposed to make her conceive their baby but when they find out she is already pregnant they turn on her and she begins running again . Please explain