How come I struggle to walk in my dreams?

[Mojambo]

I've never been able to figure it out. When I walk in my dreams it always feels like an epic struggle, like I'm walking hip deep in molasses. My legs feel like they weigh hundreds of pounds. I can inch forward with tremendous effort, but I can't stride along normally.

In some dreams I end up turning around and walking backwards to try and make progress, but then I always lose track of where I'm going or fall down.

Does anyone else have dreams like this?

[Deja Q]

1. Yes

Struggling to walk; lacking the strength...

[Mojambo]

3. Yeah, not strong enough

But only going forward.

It's like I can only go in reverse.

[Floogeldy]

2. You might be astral projecting,

You don't know how to use your astral body, yet. Stop trying to walk with your legs, rather, "think" walking and walk with your spirit's will.

[Mojambo]

4. "Think" walking.

I'll give it a try.

[Fox Mulder]

5. You should get a dream interpretation book.

I'm going to buy one this week. :hi:

[crim son]

6. I have that dream all the time.

My guess is that it is an expression of the feeling I've had much of my life... that I haven't the power to create for myself the life I want... that I'm stuck in place and progress is next to impossible.

[YellowRubberDuckie]

7. I have trouble keeping my eyes open in a lot of my dreams...

It ruins dreams all the time.

[ThingsGottaChange]

19. I used to have those dreams, too

Mine were where I was desperately trying to stay conscious but my eyes were so heavy and it was like I was totally drugged or something. And I could barely see what I was doing. I never could figure out what that was all about. Maybe reliving my youth in the 70's????????

[ThingsGottaChange]

8. You have a difficult time getting where you want to go

in life. Turning around is you not wanting to see where you are actually going and ultimately getting lost or completely failing.

I always have dreams where I'm driving a car but, it's very difficult. I'm either trying to go thru deep snow or mud or really steep hills. The good part is that I'm doing the driving. So, I'm trying real hard to get "somewhere". If I was the passenger that would mean I had given up control to someone else.

This is a wonderful book:


Not all Freudian like some others. It really makes sense in a very logical way.

[Mojambo]

9. That seems to be a pretty sound interpretation.

Anything in that book about dreaming that you're trapped on really, really tall stilts?

Cause I have that dream all the time too.

[ThingsGottaChange]

10. I don't have the book at hand

and I don't remember anything specifically about stilts. But, I would guess the stilts are just the means to keep you up away from things. Could be being afraid of heights? Something that prevents you from being on the same level as everyone else? OK. I'm just kinda making this shit up as I go!

If you remember most of your dreams - like I do, and I hate it because they are mostly anxiety ridden - try to get that book. It's available at Amazon. It really helped me to understand what was happening in my life that was either holding me back or enabling me to go forward.

My best friend for all my life always wanted me to write down all my dreams. We're talking high entertainment here! But, I either wanted to forget them or I knew I would have new, more bizarre ones the next night anyway!

Do you have any problems with depression or anxiety? That seems to cause people to have more vivid dreams.

Done blathering now...

[badgerpup]

13. Could you give me some insight then on a recurring theme here?

I'm in a car.
I'm either in the back seat, or passenger seat, trying to control the car from those positions, but can't...quite...manage to get into the driver's seat.
I know, pretty elementary.

Sometimes I AM in the driver's seat...then the sucker is ALL OVER THE ROAD. I can't control it, won't go where I'm steering it, and I'm clipping other vehicles and wake up just before I broadside somebody. :scared:

Just for the record...my life is pretty orderly and quiet.
I'm rather a hermit, except for my fur children. :shrug:

[ThingsGottaChange]

20. I thinks that's another one of those dreams where

you don't feel like you are in complete control of all aspects of your life. YOu certainly want to be but, perhaps something is holding you back. Confidence? I don't know for sure. You really should get that book. It is just awesome!

[marzipanni]

11. Maybe you are the reincarnation of someone

who experienced this:
http://edp.org/molasses.htm

[Mojambo]

12. I may never sleep again. n/t

[GirlinContempt]

14. because you ate pickles and ice cream before bed

[Mojambo]

15. Yeah, I'm never buying that flavor of toothpaste again! n/t

[vixengrl]

16. I've never had this dream--but I have had many dreams in which

I found myself aware I was in a dream, because I'd been in a certain situation before--and in my dreams, I can fly. I can either wake myself if a situation in a dream is bad, or try to change the dream if I don't like what I see. Maybe if you feel you're in this sluggish situation, you can try to remind yourself that this is the dream scenario--and try to make yourself float. I find that there is a little room for change in the dreamworld. Most of my dreams lately have been okay--

Although I have had negative dreams, about losing my teeth and my hair--very weird. But not lately.

Also, has anyone heard the notion you can't read wordd in a dream? Because I have had literate dreams--like with credits rolling and such. (Or is this just beccause I watch too damn much t.v.?)

[ThingsGottaChange]

18. Look up Lucid Dreaming

I think that's what you are doing. It usually takes alot of practice to get into that state. Where you are aware that you are dreaming and can change the dream. That is very cool that you can do that!

I laughted out loud when you mentioned credits rolling. I have always had very long, involved dreams all my life. My friend always used to ask me if credits rolled at the end!

[av8rdave]

25. One of Freud's interpretations of the "flying" dream

is that it's actually a dream about having an erection (I'm not making this up!). It does not, however, adequately explain what the meaning is for females. One of many holes in Freud's interpretations.

[BluePatriot]

17. Try some other way of moving

Floating, sprouting wings, teleporting to where you want to go. I find hovering easier than walking.

Have fun!

[Gidney N Cloyd]

21. No problems walking, but >

often I try to run (not sure if it's toward or away from something) and I just can't summon the coordination. I get all tanglefooted and I eventually wind up running sort of sideways or sometimes in a sort of gallop.

I also can sometimes fly but only right along the beachfront. If I go too far inland I ditch.

[Mojambo]

23. I used to get that running thing ALL the time.

During my highschool years mostly.

Haven't had it for a while, it's mostly the mollasses walk these days.

I've only had one flying dream in my entire life. It was... extraordinary.

[Just Me]

22. Respectfully acknowledge that, your dream, carries you through,...

,...a life far beyond what is, outside that dream of horrors that is.

I don't know your dream. I only know my own. I have no desire, whatsoever to impose it upon others but know, for a fact, that my dream is possible because there is not a human being on earth who doesn't hold the very basic hopes for themselves, their family, their community, their world,...even the sickest, most awful deliverers of horror who MUST be contained/retained/separated (not executed).

I have two dreams: one is a humanity without desperation, the other is a humanity without gluttonous greed. Put those together.

[ellie]

24. OT, but I

had a dream last night where I was in a meeting with Karl Rove and George Bush! How fucked up is that?

[av8rdave]

26. I used to have a very similar dream, although it involved speaking

I would have something terribly important and time-critical to say (though I can never remember what it is when I awake) and I just can't make the words come out intelligibly.

Come to think of it, that might be an accurate reflection of my waking life!

[Broken_Hero]

27. I don't know, but I get the same feeling

when I have fights in my dreams...like, when I throw a punch, it feels like I got a weird sort of restraint holding me back...I don't fight often in my dreams, but when I do, its like you said "being in molasses." I experience the same thing when I try and run in my dreams...a lot of running, that goes no where, and seems extremely forced...