Inflating Past Problems for Attention
Dear Cynthia: My dream involves two plastic toys that turn into lifelike dinosaurs when I inflate them. I ride the T-Rex in an empty lot and marvel at its magnificent size as it runs toward a residential area. The Triceratops follows me around like a dog as I ride the T-Rex. People gather outside in fascination and reach out to touch the creatures, making me feel special. When I return home and deflate the animals, I am surprised to see them shrink to small pieces of plastic.
--LAURA
San Gabriel
Dear Laura: Plastic is associated with being fake, the tiny toys in your dream come to life only after you “inflate” them. You breathe life into them and make them huge. This extinct animal becomes your vehicle, getting you the attention you enjoy in public, one even tags along “like a dog,” dogs being symbolic of loyalty and friendship as man’s best friend.
Where in your life are you choosing to make two little things huge to get attention? Why do you need to create a spectacle to feel special? Since dinosaurs are extinct, perhaps these things are ancient history.
Sometimes we hold onto labels and traumas because they are the only way we know to get attention. People who engage in this behavior are living in the past. Oftentimes, they will tell you about their label or trauma when they are first introduced, as if it is the way that they define themselves.
Perhaps you have met someone like this. They might say, “Hi, I’m Mary. My parents were alcoholic.” Or, “I’m Mike. I was in a traffic accident.” Within the first few words spoken in meeting a new person they label themselves victims and make a big deal of something from the past. This ploy usually elicits sympathy and attention, which is what they need. Instead of letting go and moving on in their life they hold onto the traumatic title because they benefit.
If any of this sounds like it applies to you, you may want to ask yourself these two magical questions: What can I learn from my past trauma? And how can I grow as a result? Your answers can get you out of the past and into a productive and happy present.
*
Cynthia Richmond is the author of “Dream Power, How to Use Your Night Dreams to Change Your Life” (Simon & Schuster, 2000). Fax your dreams to Cynthia Richmond at (818) 783-3267 or e-mail them to in.your.dreams@worldnet.att.net. Please include your hometown and a daytime phone number. In Your Dreams appears every Tuesday and should be read for entertainment purposes only.