20 Comments   
Dream interpretation and the 8 most common types of dreamasDear Kelly,

I had a strange dream I was on the Titanic! I was wearing a beautiful dark blue dress and was walking hand and hand with a handsome man I'd just met. We were kissing and talking about kids and marriage. I can remember every detail...it was a dark, beautiful night, and the stars lit up the sky. He told me his name was Paul, he pulled me close, and I laid my head on his shoulder. I was happy beyond comprehension.

Just then the Titanic hit something (an iceberg?) and we both fell on the floor. I was frightened until Paul reassured me everything would be all right, and then he disappeared before my eyes! Everything went black and I woke up feeling startled, heartbroken, and in a cold sweat.

The strangest thing is I remember having a similar Titanic nightmare like this last year. What does this dream mean and why do these bad dreams keep happening to me? I've never hurt anyone and I'm a good person. I spend my days focused on helping people and only doing positive things, so why me? What did I do to deserve these bad dreams?

Help!

Heartbroken on the Titanic

Dear Heartbroken,

Your timing is very synchronistic. Just today I was talking with my friend's son who was researching the Titanic for a school project! He asked, "I wonder what those people must have felt as the boat hit the iceberg?" Don't you love synchronicities?

First of all I'd put your dreams in the "venting dream" category whereby your subconscious mind is helping you to flush away your fears and doubts about your love boat sailing into the shores of your heart.

Nightmares (venting dreams) happen to everyone...even the best people on the planet. I'd bet a million bucks Mother Theresa had plenty of them! Consider you may be dreaming (venting) out drama for other people in your life with whom you are psychically connected. Think of it as doing laundry for a clueless friend.

You can, however, stop the spin cycle of your recurring dream. You can do this by practicing the art of IRT (Imagery Rehearsal Therapy), a process by which you:

A.) Re-envision your dream in the waking state.
B.) Imagine redirecting your dream to unfold in a way you would have preferred (i.e. you and Paul land safely on dry land, get married, have babies, grow old together, and walk hand and hand into the sunset after a full and happy life together).
C.) Repeat several times until the nightmare literally becomes a sweet dream.

For example, my niece Noel had recurring dreams of being chased by a vampire. She re- envisioned the dream and asked the vampire why it was chasing her. The vampire (in her newly imagined dream) told her he was lonely and needed a friend...at which point Noel put her arms around the pathetic blood-sucker and told him she would be his friend...from a distance. He agreed...and she hasn't had another dreamtime visitation from him since.

Back to your dream... I would suggest you open to the possibility of the Titanic getting hit as a sign for all your relationship baggage from the past going down (not your hopes and dreams). If a venting dream is allowed to do its job properly (without you continuing to recycle the pain) then you are left with a clean deck to create and "dream" up what you truly desire.

If I were you I would take heart in remembering Paul told you "Everything would be alright", which might be code for, "...even though this particular ship (burdened by all your past baggage) is going down, we are connected and as Celine Dion sang (and I paraphrase) 'Our hearts will go on'."


Thank you for sharing your dream with me...may there be sweet sailing tonight!

Kelly

Got a dream you want Kelly to interpret? Fan us in the Facebook box above, then send Kelly your dream on Facebook.Dream doctor Kelly Sullivan Walden is a Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist and the bestselling author of the book "I Had the Strangest Dream ... The Dreamer's Dictionary for the 21st Century" as well as "Discover Your Inner Goddess Queen ... An Inspirational Journey From Drama Queen to Goddess Queen." Kelly is featured regularly on Fox News as well as in Cosmopolitan, Elle, Bride, Seventeen and US Weekly. She is the creator/founder of The Dream Project, a nonprofit organization that bridges the gap between young people and the United Nations.