Sunday, August 24, 2008

Last nights dream





So, last night I had a dream that my teeth were falling out, again.  Ever had that fun dream?  Nothing worse then the feeling that your teeth are falling out, or looking down and there they are in your hand.  It wasn't a good dream and I woke up feeling a bit out of sorts.  I did some searching as to the meaning of the dream and was directed to bellaonline.com and then to their "dream editor" (who knew there was such a thing) Aisling Ireland.  Here is what she had to say.


"The next time you dream about losing teeth, before trying to figure out what it means, ask yourself how the dream made you feel. Oftentimes, it is not the dream of the teeth falling out that creates the disturbance to the psyche but the feelings that accompany the dream. There is often a feeling of helplessness, of powerlessness--the teeth are coming out and there is nothing the dreamer can do to stop the process. Sometimes teeth fall out, sometimes they are simply missing, sometimes they crumble away. Whichever way they make their exit, the dreamer is left with not only a gap in her smile, but a hole in her heart when she awakens. 

If feelings of loss of control, helplessness or powerlessness accompany your tooth loss dream, the dream is typically acting as a mirror of a situation in waking life. Dreams of tooth loss coupled with anxiety reflect a fear of change, fear of transition. Ask yourself if there is some transition that you are fearful of making. 

Sometimes tooth loss dreams point to a fear of failure or embarrassment. In waking life, when people lose teeth, they often cover their mouths when talking or smiling. Is there something you want to do but are afraid of undertaking because you fear you'll look foolish if you fail? Or is there something going on in your waking life that you feel you must hide or 'cover up'?

Losing teeth in dreams can also point to insecurity about finances. In physical waking life, teeth are what we use to take in sustenance, to keep our bodies fit and nourished, and they are often lost when malnutrition is present. In order to take in nourishment we must be able to 'support' ourselves. Are you worried that you will lose the ability to take care of yourself or are you already not taking care of your needs? Nourishing ourselves comes in many forms, not just our bodily needs--we must nourish our minds, spirits, and hearts as well as our bodies. Is there any aspect of your life that feels like an empty hole? 

Tooth loss dreams may also symbolize a fear of abandonment, of being left behind with no recourse. Look at your relationships and see if any of them are leaving you with feelings of insecurity. 

Another interesting way of translating tooth loss dreams may be a fear of giving away too much information, a spilling of secrets, or a fear of being lied to. 

While most of these translations sound pretty grim, keep in mind that these are all symbols of how you are feeling. They are not prophecies of doom, or omens that all of the fears you're carrying around are on the verge of coming to pass. These dreams, like all others, are report cards from the psyche, clues to how our consciousness and unconsciousness is handling the events of our waking life. Understanding their nightly messages helps us more successfully navigate our daily activities--even the ones that scare us or fill us with feelings of dread. "

Humm, "fear of change/transition", oh yeah I'm feeling that, hell yes. Don't get me wrong, I'm super excited to move to France, but it's a bit scary.  "fear of failure", yup, feeling that a bit too. What if things don't work out or I freak out and have to come home.   Now I know that won't happen, but what if it did?  "insecurity about finances", yes to that too.  We have budgeted for the year, but what if we run out of money over there and what about the business? We have someone running our classes for us (a good friend who is going to be great).  But what if everyone leaves and we don't have any students? We have rented out our house and have a property management company to handle everything, but what if, oh, I don't know, something happens.  Again, I know it won't, I really do, nothing will happen, everything will be fine.  "Fear of abandonment", nope, this one doesn't apply and neither does "fear of being lied to or giving away secrets".   

Boy, after reading what Aisling said it's no wonder I'm having dreams that my teeth are falling out.  Thank god dreams are not real or else I'd be toothless by the time we leave.  I'd be so attractive to the french!  I lost 3 last night.  We leave for France in 30 days and there are so many unknowns, a new life for us in France,  our new car that we already purchased (we have a picture of, but have never actually seen or touched it), new friends, a new language, a new house, flying the dogs over, selling our car in LA, driving to Chicago (which we are doing so the dogs only have 8 hours on the plane instead of 12 from Los Angeles), turning over our business (holy shit...we are turning over our business...I can't think about that anymore, everything will be find). I think it's amazing/scary/freaky the emotions you have during and after a dream.   

Anyone else ever had this or other crazy dreams?


19 comments:

La Belette Rouge said...

I hate the tooth loss dreams. Whenever I have them they stick with me for days and they make me up my flossing.

I think about losing teeth as a child as giving up something smaller for something more substantial and permanent. So, you are giving up something smaller but you will be moving into something bigger---there is unfortunately some empty space and time before the bigger and better arrives.

Megan said...

Oh god, I hate those dreams too. Either it starts with just one that falls out, then all of them, or else my teeth just sorta crumble in my mouth. (sudder). Anyway, welcome to Blogspot. Like your new template!

Julianne said...

funny you post about dreams. That was to be my next post about an awesome dream I had. I used to dream about my teeth falling out and crumbling when I was a little girl. I was too young to think about what it meant. I was just glad they were really still there. I have some really weird dreams. But I most times look forward to going to sleep so I can go on those journeys.

Bruce Anderson said...

LBR - flossing...that is something I just have a hard time remembering to do, just like taking my vitamins. It's such a strange feeling, seems so real, i always wake up feeling my teeth with my tongue, just to make sure it didn't really happen.

There was some movie, I wish I could remember the name about dreams and how this guy could enter other peoples dreams and he was killing people in their dreams and then they would die in real life. i don't think he ever pulled out their teeth though.

Bruce Anderson said...

Hi Megan - i have never had the crumble, i think i would crumble if that happend. it's not a good dream though. thanks for the warm welcome to blogspot...i like it.

Bruce Anderson said...

julianne - i can't wait to read your post about an amazing dream, it will get my mind off my bad one. I don't remember my dreams most nights. Or I'll get up in the middle of the night and know I had a dream and try and remember it, but it's gone so fast.

Julianne said...

I try to remember the good dreams, because they are like fantasy trips. The bad ones I'd rather forget, and the really weird ones I love to just tell everyone about.

La Framéricaine said...

This is just great! Just yesterday, Ali La Loca in Maputo, Mozambique does a fantastic dream post and now you're doing a fabulous one, too!

I know just what you mean about that losing teeth dream. Hey, I'm going to France, too!!! Duh...

Fear of change, fear of transition, fear of making the biggest mistake of my life, fear that I'm dreaming all this and I'm gonna wake up and find out I still live in Edmond, OK and don't really speak French at all?

Yep, that would be me!

Congratulations on a wonderful post! I am really happy for you and trust that your and Bruce's French adventure will be everything and so much more than you can imagine from your current vantage point.

Very, very nice new blog for your new adventure, too, by the way.

Chapeau!

Rowena said...

Hi Alisa,
I've never had any disturbing dreams where I remembered them beyond a day, or even several hours at best, but I can absolutely understand why you would have them. When I was going through the process of making the move you can bet that I never really had a good night's rest!

I'm excited for your move (and that it's to France!). Love the country but don't get to visit anywhere near as much as I'd like. Look forward to reading about your adventures [she says as she virtually hands you an icy glass of Ricard.]

Randal Graves said...

I've never ever had a dream about losing teeth. I've had dreams about zombie teeth ripping me to pieces.

Bruce Anderson said...

randal - that doesn't sound fun either. good thing dreams are NOT real.

Bruce Anderson said...

rowena - thanks for visitng and thanks for the wine, I got it and it's good! We will be visiting Italy during our year in France, I have been before but not my husband.

Bruce Anderson said...

LF - looks like dreams are a hot topic right now. Last night at dinner we were going over the checklist of things to complete, then I had a dream we completed them but on the last day found out they didn't get completed. That's all I remember about it. I don't normally remember my dreams but I guess the anticipation and excitement is making them stick.

Glad you like the new site. me too.

GeologyJoe said...

not to make you panic but my mom always told me that, that type of dream meant someone was going to die. But i think the 'transition' interpretation is better because it links back to when are young and losing out teeth as we transition out from youth.

Bruce Anderson said...

geologyjoe - well I'm not falling for that one...i just moved over to blogspot from typepad, my old blog www.thejuiycpear.typepad.com has all the info - but we lost our 16 year old pug in June, my father passed away in July and we lost our 4 year old betta fish in August, so I'm done with death.

islandgirl4ever2 said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
islandgirl4ever2 said...

Bonjour,

I just deleted my comment above because it sounded very gloomy and there are only good things on the way!! I did have a tooth (teeth) dream last week.. I never really dream about teeth either... I looked it up on google and found out that I am insecure about something-- my weight??!!! Okay.. that's normal... Also, that ever since I got my teeth cleaned in the States in May... I made a promise to go here in France every 3 or 4 months or so and I have been meaning to call the dentist lately to schedule an appt... I think before you leave for France, get your teeth cleaned...If anything... It's a wonderful feeling!!! Take good care, Leesa
PS... LOVEEEEEE the new blog and esp. the picture- beautiful!!

Lesley said...

Yes, me too. I once dreamt that I was drinking a bowl of soup and I could hear my teeth clink as they fell into the bowl one by one.

Bruce Anderson said...

Leesa - funny, I'm having my teeth cleaned on the 17th of September. How are the french dentists???

Lesley - yikes, falling into your bowl of soup. That doesn't sound fun.