{"id":1863,"date":"2014-12-13T10:09:20","date_gmt":"2014-12-13T18:09:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/?p=1863"},"modified":"2019-04-27T09:55:40","modified_gmt":"2019-04-27T16:55:40","slug":"what-dreams-tell-us","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/2014\/uncategorized\/what-dreams-tell-us\/","title":{"rendered":"What Dreams Tell Us"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"<\/a>

From Life Magazine September 1995. Photograph by Bill Binzen<\/p><\/div>\n

I\u2019m a believer in what dreams tell us. I grew up in a house where dreams were discussed over morning coffee. My mother and baba would get out a tattered dream book to find out what their dreams meant.\u00a0 For them, everything in a dream was symbolic of something else.<\/p>\n

There were many times as a child, when I was about to go to school, that my mother would say, \u201cBe careful today. I had a bad dream.\u201d Often, that meant that she had been laughing or singing in her dream, which to her meant that the opposite would occur and she would soon be \u00a0crying over some disaster. She believed that dreams foretold the future, even though I could not remember one time when she was right.<\/p>\n

I do remember one time that could be true. It was when my husband, Rob, dreamt his mother and aunt were sitting together in hooded cloaks. It was a scary dream as they weren\u2019t talking; they were silent. A few days later, we learned that his younger brother had passed away. Was the dream foretelling the tragedy, or did my husband dream that because his younger brother, who was sick with cancer, was on his mind? I think the latter, though dreams like that do give you pause. It seemed that Rob had connected with his family across the miles.<\/p>\n

\"Film<\/a>

Film Noir Wikipedia<\/p><\/div>\n

For twenty-five years, I worked as a clinical social worker and saw many people in therapy for all kinds of problems. One of the subjects that would crop up from time to time were dreams. Some recurring dream or nightmare that plagued the person who came to see me.<\/p>\n

One client told me she was afraid to go to bed at night because she kept dreaming about a spider crawling on her. She would wake up in terror. In my interpretation, the spider was symbolic of how she was feeling about her life. She wasn\u2019t in control. She was allowing others to dictate how she should be. I suggested she could change the outcome in her dream. She could tell herself that the next time the spider appeared she\u2019d be ready with a slipper to shoo it away. That conscious thought could seep into her unconscious and make a difference. She went one step further. When she returned to see me, she told me that she had put a slipper under her bed and after that, she didn\u2019t have the nightmare again. She also began to feel stronger in life.<\/p>\n

I also had recurring nightmares as a child. \"Night<\/a>In my early elementary school years, my parents would take me once a week to a double feature at the cinema. I saw many film noir<\/a><\/strong><\/span>\u00a0movies, the kind that featured John Garfield, Richard Widmark<\/a><\/span>,<\/strong> or Robert Mitchum. They were black and white stories about killers on the loose. Tall shadows loomed large on the screen. Is it a wonder that I dreamt of some man\u00ad\u00ad\u00ad\u00ad\u2014with his shadow\u2014climbing up the staircase to my bedroom, getting closer and closer until I woke up in a panic just before he reached my door? I continued to have those nightmares until I took karate lessons in my early twenties. Once I had some fighting skills, those nightmares went away.<\/p>\n

So with that kind of background, is it surprising that I\u2019ve featured dreams in my debut novel, A CRY FROM THE DEEP<\/a><\/strong><\/span>. Catherine Fitzgerald, an underwater photographer, is bothered by nightmares after she buys an antique ring at a flea market. In her case, her dreams have nothing to do with her reality or do they?<\/p>\n

What about you? Have you been ruled by dreams? Do you have some dream that has stayed with you? What do you think dreams tell us?<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I\u2019m a believer in what dreams tell us. I grew up in a house where dreams were discussed over morning coffee. My mother and baba would get out a tattered… <\/p>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1864,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[82,88,86,1,4],"tags":[609,78,670,667,362,668,669,67],"class_list":["post-1863","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-film-2","category-life","category-therapy-2","category-uncategorized","category-writing","tag-a-cry-from-the-deep","tag-diana-stevan","tag-dream-book","tag-dreams","tag-film-noir","tag-nightmares","tag-richard-widmark","tag-therapy"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/dreams.jpg?fit=1200%2C1600&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1LuVB-u3","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":4806,"url":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/2020\/writing\/crazy-covid-dreams\/","url_meta":{"origin":1863,"position":0},"title":"Crazy Covid Dreams","author":"Diana Stevan","date":"3 \u0416\u043e\u0432\u0442\u043d\u044f, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"I don\u2019t know about you, but I\u2019ve been having crazy covid dreams. But before I get into them, I just want to say, I can't believe I haven't blogged since June. My head has been occupied with my latest manuscript (more about that soon). And Robert and I celebrated another\u2026","rel":"","context":"\u0423 "Writing"","block_context":{"text":"Writing","link":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/category\/writing\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"covid dreams","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/dreams-e1601734268349.jpg?fit=500%2C281&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":814,"url":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/2012\/uncategorized\/dreams-that-work-overtime\/","url_meta":{"origin":1863,"position":1},"title":"Dreams That Work Overtime","author":"Diana Stevan","date":"23 \u0421\u0456\u0447\u043d\u044f, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Do you ever feel as if your life has taken a dramatic turn, as if you are part of some cosmic shift? That\u2019s the feeling I woke up with late this morning. My body felt as if I\u2019d been hit by a wall of water. My eyes were heavy and\u2026","rel":"","context":"\u0423 "Writing"","block_context":{"text":"Writing","link":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/category\/writing\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/ba.jpg?fit=900%2C1016&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/ba.jpg?fit=900%2C1016&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/ba.jpg?fit=900%2C1016&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/ba.jpg?fit=900%2C1016&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":842,"url":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/2012\/uncategorized\/the-power-of-dreams\/","url_meta":{"origin":1863,"position":2},"title":"The Power of Dreams","author":"Diana Stevan","date":"18 \u041b\u044e\u0442\u043e\u0433\u043e, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"As I continue to wrestle with sleep, the power of dreams is on my mind. The fact that I don't have enough of them lately attests to a sleep disturbance. Or maybe not. There are many who can't remember dreams. Their stories vanish not long after they arise. I'm like\u2026","rel":"","context":"\u0423 "Life"","block_context":{"text":"Life","link":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/category\/life\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/DSCN3179.jpg?fit=1200%2C918&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/DSCN3179.jpg?fit=1200%2C918&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/DSCN3179.jpg?fit=1200%2C918&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/DSCN3179.jpg?fit=1200%2C918&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/DSCN3179.jpg?fit=1200%2C918&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1007,"url":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/2012\/uncategorized\/following-your-dreams-or-what-i-learned-from-watching-nick-wallenda\/","url_meta":{"origin":1863,"position":3},"title":"Following Your Dreams or What I Learned From Watching Nik Wallenda","author":"Diana Stevan","date":"22 \u0427\u0435\u0440\u0432\u043d\u044f, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"One Man's Dreams I learned a lot about following your dreams when I watched Nik Wallenda cross Niagara Falls. It was a nail biting experience, even though I watched the program after discovering he\u2019d made it. Here he was, crossing a thin two-inch wire in elk-skin soled shoes hand-made by\u2026","rel":"","context":"\u0423 "Life"","block_context":{"text":"Life","link":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/category\/life\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"following your dreams","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/Nick-Wallenda1.jpg?fit=615%2C408&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/Nick-Wallenda1.jpg?fit=615%2C408&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/Nick-Wallenda1.jpg?fit=615%2C408&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3272,"url":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/2017\/writing\/7-ways-writing-can-be-therapeutic\/","url_meta":{"origin":1863,"position":4},"title":"7 Ways Writing Can Be Therapeutic","author":"Diana Stevan","date":"31 \u041b\u0438\u043f\u043d\u044f, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"After being away in New York, I am slowly getting back into my writing mode. Writing revives me. If I don't write, I feel as though something is missing. Writing is also very therapeutic. Over the years, I have filled many journals with my private thoughts and feelings. One of\u2026","rel":"","context":"\u0423 "Writing"","block_context":{"text":"Writing","link":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/category\/writing\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"therapeutic","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/IMG_4846-300x225.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":3599,"url":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/2018\/writing\/an-authors-nightmare\/","url_meta":{"origin":1863,"position":5},"title":"An Author’s Nightmare","author":"Diana Stevan","date":"19 \u041b\u044e\u0442\u043e\u0433\u043e, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"I had no ordinary nightmare. It was scary, as all nightmares are, but in the aftermath, I found it hilarious and telling and not entirely surprising, given that I had just sent off my manuscript for my third novel\u2014historical fiction\u2014to an editor. Writing a novel is only half the battle.\u2026","rel":"","context":"\u0423 "Writing"","block_context":{"text":"Writing","link":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/category\/writing\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"author's nightmare","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/book-2929646_1920-2.jpg?fit=1200%2C704&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/book-2929646_1920-2.jpg?fit=1200%2C704&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/book-2929646_1920-2.jpg?fit=1200%2C704&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/book-2929646_1920-2.jpg?fit=1200%2C704&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/book-2929646_1920-2.jpg?fit=1200%2C704&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1863","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1863"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1863\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1864"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1863"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1863"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1863"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}