Anyone have a good analysis for my recurring dream?

Question

Often I will dream of myself lying in bed, when i notice a large freakish looking spider descending from the ceiling right above me. I usually end up swinging my arm trying to swat it and that's usually the point when i wake up. I always 'feel' my hand hit it, and that's why I'm always fooled by the dream. I am not arachnophobic. Any ideas of what it could mean?

Answer 1

The best person to interpret this dream is YOU. Never mind all the symbols that apply to other people for other reasons. I believe almost everyone was trying to help, yet I've never seen so many thumbs down since I've been on Q&A! (I'll probably get one, too!) First, I don't do "research" about dreams in GENERAL. They're subjective at best. I HAVE been researching MY dreams for decades & while there are many, many "categories" of dreams, the "recurring" dreams have the most significant messages. Is this the only recurring dream you have? If you have others, can you find any "patterns" that possibly have "links?" Focus on your EMOTIONS in the dream. What is your degree of "fear"--& certainly there seems some fear, the way that you described it. Yet, it interests me that you actually swing at it with your arm! You see, this is where "subjectivity" comes in. I'd NEVER do that; I'd grab something to hit it with (reinforcement) or try to get away from it (deny, escape, hide). But even then, you always wake as you "feel" your hand hit it.
You never actually hit it, & it KEEPS COMING BACK. What is your first emotion when you wake up? Frustration? Anger? Relief? All the things I've mentioned can help give you insights about YOURSELF. YOU & how YOU relate to that spider. For years, I had a recurring dream about having to drive up a dangerous mountain road KNOWING I would never make it, & I'd awaken just as my (invisible car--give THAT one a think!) started to fall at a sharp curve. This dream TERRIFIED me, every time. & then, for no reason (obvious at the time to me), I was on the road again, & saw a little side road leading to a meadow; I'd never seen it before. I took that little road, & never had the recurring dream again. In retrospect, I now understand the whole scenario. But this is about YOUR dream. It's truly possible to control your dreams, that is, to decide you're going to GET that spider before you wake up. HONESTLY. Ask yourself how you would FEEL if you smashed the damned thing & then woke up?
Perhaps the dream will solve itself in time. Or, perhaps, you can do so yourself. The very most important thing you can do is: examine your EMOTIONS all the way through, without any intellectualization. & next, "imagine" what your feeling would be if you actually GOT IT. You can get insights that are truly awesome.

Answer 2

Some people just don't realize how traumatic these dreams can be - whether it's a spider or something else, it really plays on our fears.

I had the same dreams myself. For two years - my mother would tell you - I had recurring nightmares about them. There was a ceiling lamp hanging over my bed and at night in my dream state i thought it was a spider descending onto my face as well. I would see them on my walls and all over the floor and I actually threw myself down the stairs to escape in my dreamstate terror on two occasions. I'm lucky I didn't kill myself.

But the good news is, while our dreams aren't always literal, they do have meaning. Nothing kooky or weird, but they are our brains way of working through everything we have seen that day. And they mean something different for everyone since we all think differently. While a spider sitting on a phone might mean something good for one person, it's not necessarily the case for another. We all interperet things differently, and our subconcious is very detailed and unique in its design.

My advice goes along with several others here - and that is you may have something that is going unresolved in your life and your subconsious is still trying to deal with it. It could be a relationship that went southward and it never had closure, or there is something coming up in your life that your personally feel anxious over and feel it "descending" on you.

Ignoring the dreams will not make them go away - even dwelling on them and giving them some attention can cure it. You never know.

How did mine stop? I held a tarantula for the first time. I was scared crazy - and then I calmed down. I haven't had that dream now for 16 years.

Answer 3

Taken from the book, "Dreams: Hidden Meanings & Secrets"
Under spider it says, "Encouragement is predicted by a dream of seeing a spider in it's web, for it is an omen that through industry & skill you will achieve the end for which you have been working."
Under Web it says, "Beware of getting mixed up with any kinds of intrigue after a dream of a spider in it's web"
A recurring dream usually represents something unresolved in your life. It could be that the spider is someone or something you need to resolve but dont want to, hense the swiping then waking up. Or it could be that you want to resolve it but something is stopping you -being the reason you wake up yet "feel" the spider hitting your hand, so close yet so far.

Answer 4

The dream itself reflects a feeling of uneasiness in your life. The spider hanging over you represents a sense of doom, always hanging over you, & closing in.
It could be brought on by pressures you are sensing at work, school, or in a relationship.

The part that concerns me the most is the swinging of the arm, to swat the spider.

Do you wake up because you are actually physically swinging your arm? If so, you are showing one symptom of a possible sleep disorder, & might want to have that properly investigated. Dreams occur during the REM stage of sleep, & you aren't supposed to be able to physically move your limbs during REM sleep.

If striking out at the spider only occurs inside of the dream, then I would guess that you feel threatened by what the spider represents, & lash out at it when it gets too close, or whatever your fears are become too much to bear.

Answer 5

From psych major & RN, Gestault trained, dream classes and personal interest: There are no pat answers i.e. dream book analyses. The answer is inside you. Start keeping a dream diary.......and find a Gestault group or someone that does dream therapy. Often the subject, in your case the spider, is a projection of yourself. Find a quiet place, center yourself and ask the spider questions. That is one way to start without a therapist. Since the dream wakes you up it is a very important message. Good luck and I would like to have you in my dream group.

Answer 6

Sometimes when we stress we will dream more often and it can be a recurring dream. It just may be an indication that you are stressed out in your life and need to make some adjustments. Stress can cause further problems in sleeping habits and create sleep deprivation. This is how a lot of people begin with sleeping disorders, as the constant waking up is depriving you of rest. The lack of rest, should it continue can create additional health problems.

Answer 7

Some where back there you have a fear of spiders because one actually bit you or scared you badly. You either reject the reality of what happened or else something else happened to you bad or something disturbing and you unconsciously use the spider dream which is not as bad as the real thing you are hiding.

I would think a good hypnosis would aid you in getting rid of the dream but you may be afraid to know the answer. That may be why it's reacuring. you want to tell something your mind is hiding or you really don't know it's hidden so deep in you.

Answer 8

Are you afraid of anything in your room? The day before I get sick all the time I have some kind of nightmare, they are the same each time i'm not going into details. Anyway I think most dreams are just dreams without any meaning. The reason dreams occur is that part of your mind is thinking about something but since your asleep you usually can't control anything. If you tell yourself that you won't have that dream enough before sleep then you won't have it.

Answer 9

Is there anything in your waking life that you are wondering about (aside from the analysis of your recurring dream)? ..Business prospects, anything like that?

Maybe an answer is almost coming to you.. Spiders are creatures of nature, and do good for humans (for the most part.. removing other insects which annoy us - such a TINY amount of spiders have the ability to do us harm).. Therefore, I am saying that the spider is a good 'omen' if you will.. Maybe you should not swat at it, but let it climb onto your hand (if you have that ability in your dream)..

Perhaps someone is annoying you with their crumby answer, when in reality it would be in your best interest to take it to heart.. (like this answer, perhaps) ;)

Good luck and be well! :)

Answer 10

I have experienced and people have shared the same thing where you can "feel" real things in your dream....I think it is freakish however cool at the same time.

Is there a possibility maybe deep inside you are afraid of spiders...I mean a spider crawling down from the sealing isn't something we want during the night.

But what do I know I am not good at interpreting dreams...I haven't even figured mine out yet.