In this guide you’ll explore three Dream topics: Feelings, Self-Esteem, and Motivation by paying attention to three elements in your dreams; Water, Houses, and Vehicles of Transportation. Just by noticing when one or more of these three elements are present in your dreams will give you invaluable information about You!

Let’s begin………..

1. Dreams with Water: Exploring Feelings
   
   To use your dreams to explore your feelings:
   
   
   • First notice when your dreams contain water – in any amount - since water is often an indicator of the emotions that are currently present in your life.
   • Second, notice the size of the body of water in your dream. Small bodies of water, like puddles or drips, usually indicate small, manageable emotions, while large, deep or ominous bodies of water usually indicate overwhelming feelings that can sweep you away.
   • Third, think about what emotions you might be experiencing in your daily life because every one of your thoughts, feelings and actions has meaning in your life. Take that idea one step further and consider that every one of the thoughts, feelings and actions in your dreams has meaning in your daily life.
   • Use the Four Feelings Box below to help you identify what you could be feeling when you see water in your dreams. All feelings fall into one of four categories: Happy, Sad, Angry or Scared.
     
     

     Feelings Box
     Happy	Sad	Angry	Scared
     Content    Peaceful Blissful Relaxed Confident Ecstatic                      Satisfied                 Bored Pleased  At ease  Delighted	Disappointed Depressed   Hurt Pained Regretful   Ashamed Dissatisfied Disenchanted Disillusioned Guilty Embarrassed	Frustrated Disgusted Aggressive Enraged Jealous Oppositional Annoyed Irritated Annoyed Bothered   Discouraged	Worried Anxious Stressed Tense Cautious Harassed Fearful Apprehensive Timid Frightened Nervous

   Consider this example of water in a dream from Michele:
   
   Michele dreamed about being on an island with a vast expanse of deep, dark water separating her from the mainland, where she could see other people in the distance. She recalled feeling isolated and fearful, overwhelmed by the task of getting off the island with no visible means of transportation.
   
   This large body of water was meaningful because it indicated she was having BIG feelings about something in her life. Her fears were indicated by the fact that the body of water was deep and dark – she couldn’t see the bottom of it and she couldn’t find a way over.
   
   Michele asked herself what was happening in her life that felt emotionally overwhelming to her. She realized that she was feeling overwhelmed at the prospect of delivering her second baby within two years. Her BIG feelings were carrying her away. She recognized that she felt emotionally isolated from her husband and even family members (represented by the people in the distance on the mainland in her dream) as the prospect of caring for two babies loomed closer and closer.
   
   Michele worked on seeing the upcoming birth “right-sized”, and keeping her emotions in perspective. She understood that she was feeling overwhelmed but she asked herself if she was actually feeling a lack of support from her husband and extended family and the answer was “no”.
   
   Michele knew she was not alone in meeting the demands of having two small children; she had a supportive husband and a caring, interested family. She also recognized that she was organized and ready for this challenge which further reduced the intensity and drama of the BIG feelings she was unconsciously attaching to it.
   
   Michele’s dream helped her to recognize the BIG feelings she was experiencing. She was able to understand them and to see them realistically. She felt relieved and ready to take on the challenge of expanding her little family with the birth of the new baby.

2. Dreams with Houses: Exploring Self-Esteem
   
   To use your dreams to explore your self-esteem:

   • Visualize your ideal house. Is it a cabin in the woods, a mansion on a mountainside, a beach house by the sea, a 3 bedroom home in suburbia with a white picket fence? Picture it and just keep it in mind as you read on.
   • Houses represent your view of yourself.
   • If your dream contains a house, think of how you would describe the house, e.g. beautiful, stately, run down, practical, pretentious, in a state of disrepair, bright, cheerful, well lighted, polished, or well cared for.
   • Chances are those same descriptors are ones that you could apply to yourself in your life at the time of the dream. For example, if you are taking on too many tasks at work and feeling tired and run down, your dream might contain a house that is literally falling apart, and you might see yourself as inadequate or insecure.
   • If you are in love and feeling cherished and cared for, your dream might contain a house that is the showpiece of the neighborhood with spacious rooms, many windows and beautiful furniture. Thus, you might see yourself as lovable and positive.
   • Keep in mind that all representations of objects in dreams are products of your own personal filter. If your idea of a beautiful home is a cabin in the woods, then that is what you will dream of to represent a positive identity. If the previous description of the “showpiece” house communicates arrogance or wastefulness then you are feeling arrogant and wasteful about yourself when you have that dream.
   • Notice the houses in your dreams to see what insight you can discover about how you feel about yourself. What traits would you use to define the house in your dream (see trait box below for some ideas)?  
   • Do these traits signify how you feel in your waking life? If so, are you satisfied with these descriptors? Is this how you want to see yourself, and how you want others to see you?  What is your reaction?
     
     

     Trait Box Active, adaptable, adventurous, aggressive, analytical, apathetic, artistic, assertive, athletic, attentive, astute, calm, caring, cautious, charitable, cheerful, compassionate, collaborative, competent, competitive, concerned, condescending, confrontational, congenial, creative, critical, curious, decisive, depressed, detached, dexterous, diplomatic, direct, discreet, dynamic, easygoing, emotional, empathic, enthusiastic, extroverted, firm, flexible, foresighted, forgetful, forgiving, friendly, frivolous, fun-loving, generous, giving, happy, headstrong, hedonistic, honest, humorous, impractical, impulsive, intellectual, intense, introverted, kind, logical, loving, magnanimous, moody, negative, open-minded, opinionated, organized, outgoing, patient, pensive, perceptive, persistent, persuasive, positive, practical, rational, respectful, responsible, rigid, sad, self-centered, sedentary, selfish, sensible, serious, sophisticated, spontaneous, stingy, strong, stubborn, thoughtful, thoughtless, tolerant, truthful, uncaring, understanding, uptight, vigilant, vulnerable, whimsical, witty.

   
   Consider this example of houses in a dream from Jack:
   
   Jack dreamed of a house that was literally falling apart. The floor boards were not stable and the windows were falling out. When he stepped on a floorboard it flipped up and he struggled to keep his balance. No matter where he stepped the floor was weak. He felt anxious and worried.
   
   In his waking life Jack was trying to figure out what he wanted to do in his career. He had lost his job in the recession – he had been employed in marketing, and his company had gone under. One the one hand he saw his job loss as an opportunity to try something new and different, something less business-oriented and more creative and artistic. He was struggling to find a balance between needing a steady job with a secure paycheck and benefits, along with his need for more creativity, inspiration and imagination in his work. He was literally seeking balance and this played out perfectly in his dream.
   
   Once Jack could understand his struggle, he was able to find some answers. He became less anxious because he could see the dilemma he was in. He needed to find a secure job that allowed him to use his imagination and not just his analytical business skills.
   
   
3. Dreams with Vehicles-of-Transportation: Exploring Motivation and Drive
   
   To use your dreams to explore your motivation and drive:
   
   
   • Notice what vehicles of transportation: cars, trucks, buses, trains, bicycles, are in your dreams?
   • Do you walk, instead, to get around in your dreams?
   • With whom do you get places in your dreams, by yourself on a bike or car, or with others in a group mode of transportation like a bus or train?
   • If you’re in a group, do you know the people or are they strangers?
   •  If you’re in a car are you the driver or the passenger? Are you in the backseat or the front seat?
   • How does your vehicle work, e.g. the brakes?
   • Do you reach your destination? If not, what kind of interference do you encounter?
   • All of these pieces in your dream tell you how you are feeling about your ability to make things happen, to reach your goals and find success in your life, in “real time.”
   
   Consider Tammy’s dream of cars:
   
   Tammy dreamed of driving alone in a small car that was running well. She rode along until she came to a steep hill and instead of continuing in her car, she parked it and began to walk laboriously up the hill, huffing and puffing.
   
   She walked partway up the hill and then turned around to look at her parked car. She wondered why she had decided to walk rather than stay in her car and simply drive up. She walked back, got in her car, and drove quickly to the top of the hill.
   
   Discussion revealed that Tammy perceived that she often made things harder for herself than she needed to. She missed out on important opportunities that undermined her ability to meet her goals. She felt motivated and driven when she focused her efforts and maximized on the opportunities that were available.

Consider starting a dream journal with the information you’ve read about here on Water, Houses, and Vehicles of Transportation. Work on making associations from “dream time” to events in “real time.” Pay attention to your dreams and discover valuable information about your life.

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