Portland 9/16/2015 1:52:00 PM
News / Education
Refugees In Dreams Can Symbolize Internal Shifts, Says Dream Analyst David Rivinus
“If a person has been relying on a certain view of life, it can be traumatic to suddenly realize that there are faults in his or her thinking,” he says. “In dreams, it is not unusual for such feelings to be expressed symbolically as homelessness or aimless wandering.”
According to Rivinus, an example might be a person who has been a faithful employee in a corporation, one whose mission he strongly believes in. The employee goes to work not only to put in the required time, but also because he passionately believes in the goodness of what the company is doing.
But then, if there is a discovery of corruption, or worse, the employee learns that the company’s approach is backfiring, that can be disheartening and can leave the employee floundering and wondering how to proceed. "In such a case, there would likely be a dream with a symbol expressing a feeling of aimlessness.” Rivinus says that the dreamer might dream of trying to steer a sailboat with a broken rudder. “But just as likely, he could see him or herself as a refugee whose home is in the middle of a terrible conflict and is being destroyed.” The image of drifting—on foot or otherwise—would then be central to the dream imagery.
Rivinus says that this is not necessarily a bad situation. “Someone who is a refugee from a faulty system can find himself far better off if he moves himself to a wholesome environment,” he says. Rivinus means this metaphorically as well as literally. “Suppose he or she ends up with a better job. In a case like that, the wandering would have paid off.”
The language of dreams is that of metaphor, Rivinus explains. Dreams often use poignant visual imagery to make a point, and they should rarely be taken literally.
David Rivinus is the author of the book “Always Dreaming” published by Ozark Mountain Publishing. For more information, visit www.teacherofdreams.com.
