“Dreaming has a meaning, like everything else we do.” ~Sigmund Freud

The dream made her afraid of falling asleep. “What does it mean?” She asked herself and others this question but without the reward of an answer which made a positive difference. She shared the dreams in therapy and learned that she had a villain showing up at night in different dreams.

Dreams can be a way for our subconscious mind to work on problems our conscious mind hasn’t yet resolved. The villain in her dream may represent a living person in her current life who is a threat to her personally, emotionally or socially. However, the content of dreams can defy understanding. In his book, Dreams, Jung said, “…with ‘unconscious’ manifestations there is no directed or adapted language in our sense of the word-there is merely a psychic phenomenon that would appear to have only the loosest connections with conscious content.”

Having a villain show up in your dreams can mean that someone or something is overpowering you. It can also mean that you are not taking good care of yourself and not setting good boundaries with others. An additional interpretation includes bullies from your past and/or perceived oppression in your near future.

No matter why the villain appears in a dream, when one is present, the first step to end that negative dream sequence is to start being more assertive in real life.

The dreamer mentioned at the beginning of this article made a few simple adjustments to her daily routine. By moving on with her life, she set the precedent that she is first. There is no villain to push out of her way when she doesn’t passively give her power away to anyone or anything (like pleasing) during the day.

One Thing to Do: Write down how you want to use your power more effectively, daily. Making someone disappear from a bad dream starts with you showing up for yourself in your own life as the most powerful person in it.

Dawna Daigneault, Eds, LPC

Dawna Daigneault, Ed.S., LPC.

Zest of Life, LLC. Professional Counseling.