Can’t Reach My Boyfriend
Hi, my name is Afreen. I keep having these dreams about being chased. Each night it is a different dream but it has the same general principles.
I’m being chased by someone or by a group of people. And I’m always running towards my boyfriend. In my dream I feel like he is the only one that can protect me from the chasers. However, I can never reach him in my dream.
Sometimes I’m running away from a jail, sometimes my father (who by the way doesn’t even look like my real father), and another time I was running away from one of my friends. These dreams are very disturbing to me, and I want to understand why I can’t reach my boyfriend even though I try so hard. Any input would be GREATLY appreciated. Thank you.
Signed,
Afreen A.
July 21, 2000
Dear Afreen,
Recurring chase dreams often represent avoidance of difficult feelings, emotions or situations. Pay particular attention to what is happening in your waking life when you start having these chase dreams. Is there something that you are not confronting or trying to avoid? Let’s take a closer look at what you are running from.
You run from jail. The jail could be symbolic of your home life. You may feel that you are a prisoner of your own home and are trying to escape. A situation or obligation may also make you feel that you are in the confines of a prison.
You run from your father. Your personal associations with your father is important in deciphering this meaning. Typically, the father is the enforcer of the rules of the house and the authoritarian figure. And thus you may be running away from his strictness and authority. Deeper meanings may come into play as you look at your own personal relationship you have with your father.
You run from a friend. Again the personal relationship you have with your friend is important. At the particular time that you had this dream, did something happened between you and this friend? Were there words that were left unsaid?
In all these dreams, you are running to your boyfriend, who is the protector figure. He offers comfort and security. Being with him may give you a sense of being shielded from having to face the difficult feelings you are running from. However, you awaken before you reach him. Though your boyfriend may be wonderful and supportive, he may not be necessarily the answer. Instead of running to him you should turn around and face your problems – face your father or face your friend.
Another perspective on why you may wake up before you reach your boyfriend may have a physiological basis. Our body has a instinctual, natural and involuntary way of responding to threats in the environment. The “fight or flight” comes into play here. This is the mechanism that awakens and quickly alerts us in response to possible threats in the environment. When you dream of being chased, your body may going through involuntary muscle contractions as you really believe that you are being chased and are running as fast as you can. This may cause your body to respond in such a way that it really thinks that it is in danger. So thus causing you to awaken before you can reach your boyfriend.
Best Regards,
Jade
