Kecia – In dreams you are in a totally different world than you know through waking life. Ancient people knew more about than we do today. For example, lots of snakes are a wonderful sign in dreams, but of course your felt fear instead of wonder. Even so you reverted to an animal roar, a sign that you have the animal instinct functioning.
Whenever we dream its images are not like real life, because a dream is nothing like outer life where things could hurt you, but is an image like on a cinema screen that even if a gun is pointed at you and fired it can do no damage – except if you run in fear; so all the things that scare you are simply your own fears projected onto the screen of your sleeping mind.
It is also important to realise that every image, every scary or terrifying thing, is taken place inside you, in your mind, as you sleep. This means that every awful animal, every scary thing or person, is created out of your own fears and must not be seen as outside you as happens in waking awareness. The problem is that we are often scared of or frightened of actually experiencing our emotions and so they confront us in our dreams. Avoiding them or controlling them is like running away from oneself – there is no escape.
In the dream world anything that is eaten does not die, but becomes a living part of what eats it – like integration. But your fear held you back from knowing the tremendous life energy of the snakes. I have a picture in
http://dreamhawk.com/interesting-people/tonys-photos-two/ of a thousand headed serpent making a bed for Vishnu, showing relaxation and love. It is at the bottom of the page.
Your feelings about your dad where probably also produced by your fear reaction. To try imaging the whole dream without fear. You may need to practice it a number of time to change your fear into pleasure. Try using
http://dreamhawk.com/dream-encyclopedia/secrets-power-dreaming/Tony