Understanding dreams about losing control

Crazy things happen in dreams… In real life, you’re not likely to find yourself in the back of a suddenly driverless car, or about to give your keynote presentation when you realize you don’t have notes with you, or other essentials. Thank goodness for that, life itself is less random, and the kind of logistical mistakes we make are usually less dramatic—and largely of our own making.

Here’s the key – when we dream about lost tickets at the airport, our subconscious mind is presenting to us our underlying fears, about something we feel insecure or out of control. In many typical scenarios, this is a big event: your first day at a new job, or an important family event, something you would plan and meticulously prepare for in real life. But this degree of attention which intricate planning requires, disturbs so deeply in your mind–so, in the middle of the night, it reflects upon you in your dreams: Yes, I remembered the cake, and the present, and the flowers, and the drinks, but oh my God, I somehow forgot to get dressed in this Morning, and now everyone’s staring at me… Because they’re staring, I can’t bring myself to walk, talk, or do anything they expect me to do, and the shame, stress, and interest level are increasing by the second… I’ve completely lost control.

People who frequently experience this type of dream often have an overwhelming amount of responsibility in their waking conscious world — complex personal and professional responsibilities, often combined with a poor sense of being on top of things and successfully managing their obligations. This is difficult because life is so complicated for many of us, and keeping all the dishes turning requires constant vigilance. We probably can’t change this external reality (although a review of commitments certainly doesn’t hurt), but what we can change is how we manage and respond to those commitments.

You can use this type of ‘losing control’ dream as a warning that you’re becoming stressed and overburdened, take it as a sign you need to call a time-out, see why your subconscious mind is telling you that the painting is in danger of collapsing to the floor (and even allowing you to rehearse how you feel about it). That, if you allow it). Your dreams are direct messengers from your subconscious, and if you are suppressing the growing anxiety about overload in your conscious mind, you need to learn to listen to the rest of your mind and seek advice.