What to Make of Nightmares |
Amelia was filled with fear and disgust by the maggots appearing in her dream. The disturbing image penetrated her waking life, and, upon exploring the dream, she recognized how it pointed to a deeply distressing fear she was experiencing. However, the dream also led her to a way to manage herself through a challenging situation.
“I dreamed about maggots on the walls of my boyfriend's room,” Amelia reported. “There were so many of them, and we were feeling disgusted while holding each other for safety. I have no idea what this dream means.”
"When did you have this dream?" I began. "I understand you felt disgusted. Did you feel anything else? And can you tell me what comes to your mind when you think of maggots?"
Amelia responded, "I had the dream during the day while I was resting a bit at work at my desk. I felt disgust, like something was smelling. A very bad smell. I felt like vomiting."
She added, "To answer your question about maggots, they are these small, whitish, wormy-looking things. You would usually see maggots in a garbage, or on food that's rotting. I know maggots can be found on dead bodies, too. Gross.
"I was both nauseated and afraid of them, but then my boyfriend distracted me because he didn’t want me to feel afraid."
I observed, "So we could be looking for a situation in your recent life that has you feeling disgusted and afraid. It may not be something very scary, but tell me........