A dream

Last night, I dreamed of being in a semblance of the apartment I lived in from 7 to 17.

The dream was brief:

"I have two cats-juvenile, fluffy, one is mostly white with grey patches, and one I can’t remember. My dad is there too, as his today’s self. I am in a different room and both my cats and dad are out of sight. I intuit that they are in the same room. I am nervous and worried about my dad being with my cats. Moments later, I come into the living room. My cats are roaming free, playing, and my dad is on his way out. As soon as he leaves the apartment, I am relieved."

Seems like a rather mundane dream, except it’s not. You see, this dream carries a great deal of significance. My dreams used to be this recurring them. Every few months, I would have a terrible dream in which I would witness violence or negligence befalling my pets. And every time I woke up from such a dream, I would feel powerless and shaken up, blaming myself for the inability to save them. I knew these recurring nightmares were bubbles from my hidden psyche, my childhood traumas replaying themselves, calling for my attention to heal. Dreams reveal much of the unconscious mind. I am in the camp that believes that nothing in dreams is random. From plot to props, everything is a code to a better understanding of the self.

Animals frequent my dreams, and every time they do, I hold my breath, dreading the worst. For the longest time, I was discouraged that the dream kept happening, as an indication of my unresolved pain. But much to my relief is that animal abuse hasn't taken place in my dreams for the last 2 years. And in the dream last night, the most blatant representation of my pain, i.e. my father, and the things I am most eager to protect, i.e. innocent animals concurred uneventfully. It showed real progress. Their brief appearances assured and appeased me.

Have you had any significant dreams? What do you think they meant?