What your car dream is telling you
Do you dream when you sleep? And, if so, do cars ever feature in them? If not, you are - apparently - in the minority. How do we know? Well, a recent (ish 2016) UK survey revealed that 81% of men and 29% of women can recall having at least one dream involving a car or cars in the last previous months. On average, then, over half of us dream about cars occasionally.
This, of course, raises an obvious question: what – if anything – does this mean? And it’s not an easy question to answer. For a start, there is some controversy over the cause and meaning of REM sleep (the phase of sleep in which dreams occur). Secondly, most psychiatrists agree that dream analysis is highly subjective. Despite this, though, there are experts whose views on dreams are highly respected, and one of these experts is Dr. Angela Jenkins, of the University of St. Andrews.
˜Dreams about cars can be symbolic in several ways,˜ says Jenkins, who encourages people to think of the car as a reflection of themselves, “and can reveal how you’re getting through life.” In fact, according to Jenkins, a car can – depending on the context of the dream - symbolise a wide range of things, from our physical body to our social status. The context of a car dream reveals how much power and control we have (or think we have) over our lives, in addition to how successful we are at progressing from one stage of life to another.
So – what specific lessons can you learn, the next time a car, anything from a Vauxhall Meriva to an Aston Martin Vulcan, pops up in a dream? That’s a tricky question to answer in general terms, because a meaningful dream analysis usually depends on a wide range of specifics about your life, and answers to many context-dependent questions. But, according to Dr. Jenkins, it is possible to draw some significant general conclusions by asking yourself a few key questions.
One of these questions, for example, is: where are you in the car? Are you sitting, and – if so – where? If you’re driving, then you have – or are attempting to have - control of your life. If someone else is driving, it’s possible that this person is really controlling your life and that you have a passive approach to reality. If you’re in a rear seat, it could mean that you prefer others to take decisions on your behalf - that you like to take a ˜back seat˜ in specific situations, or in life generally. It’s important to bear in mind that other people are often just symbols – they don’t represent themselves but, rather, an aspect of your character that you associate with the person concerned (for instance, your always-angry friend may symbolise your negative attitude to something).
Another key question is: how was the ride? This often reveals what kind of obstacles and difficulties the dreamer is encountering. Traffic signs that indicate danger, for example, or a bumpy and uneven ride, can mean that you’re currently finding life tough – whether you’re consciously aware of it or not – and that you’re experiencing, or expect to experience, problems.
You should also ask: how was the car? Has an important part of it failed, like a tyre? If you have a flat, it could mean that you feel as though your life is going nowhere that you’re in a rut. Or perhaps the engine was overheating. This could mean that you feel you’re working too hard - expending too much energy for too little return. You may be taking on too much and may need a break to re-evaluate.
And: are there other cars around you? If so, the chances are that they represent other aspects of your character that you are either unaware of, or are repressing/ignoring. If they’re driven by people you know, they could represent traits or behaviours that you associate with them, and that you want to possess. If you dream that you’re in traffic, it could mean that life is crowding, or even overwhelming, you.
There are many other questions you could ask. For example: how do you feel in the dream? Driving fast, with a sensation of elation signifies something very different to driving fast with a feeling of fear. And what colour is the car? Colours can symbolise different things to different people, but many colours have a general meaning for everyone. But that’s a whole topic on its own!
Basically, car dreams can be a useful guide to your psychological state, and/or the state of your life. So, if you’re looking for a way to stimulate a car dream or two, remember that, here at Desperateseller.co.uk, we have a fantastic range of used cars. Why not have a browse now!
