I am exiting a room into a darkened hallway. There is a large shape of a man, very tall and wide and I can't get around him. He begins to back up and I put out my hands and when I touch him, I am being pulled into him. I pull away, but he continues to back up. I put my hands out to his back again. Again, I am pulled into him. It is frightening but I am not panicked. I feel that if I am pulled entirely in, I will cease to exist. I wake before that happens.

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Barson,
The 'dark man' is most likely a 'Shadow' aspect of your psyche. There is a need to embrace this vital aspect that has been rejected/ignored/repressed. The pulling away indicates you are pulling away from this inner resource {>font color="#c99663">anything in the back is often symbolic of the unconscious}. Your true self, as addressed in your previous post Maghadi , may be part of that true being.

Jerry

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There seems to be an underlying theme to my dreams, however different they may seem. Lately (and suddenly) I have been going through a huge improvement in my job. I even have my bandmates eager to be creative and record and despite that, I have been waking almost daily with a feeling of doom, that I'm missing something important, somehow. I have always felt unworthy, despite having many artistic talents and many (many - I am very loved and very fortunate) friends and an ability to make people laugh and feel good. I am very afraid of my Shadow. There is something in my very early life that triggered this and I'm afraid to know what it is or could be, I guess. I'm grateful for your time and interpretations, they are making (allowing?) me to address what is haunting and impeding me.
barson

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Barson,
If things are going well in your life there could be several reasons for those feelings of doom. One could be current conditions in your present life. Although things are going well your full potential has yet to be realized. I am in that position, not due to not knowing or understanding my potential but because I am not able to fully engage that potential {my desire to be able to work with dreams and my MDS website fulltime which is limited because of my responsibilities to business/work}.

Another possibility could be there is something within your past, emotional conflicts from those early days of childhood that are unresolved. Although one can live a productive life while having such emotional conflicts {residing within the unconscious} the influences of childhood experiences, i.e. psychological and/or physical trauma, retain some control over the emotional self. I did not realize what those influences in my life were until I was deep into my using Jung's Individuation Process. Since then, and becuase I have put those childhood influences in their proper place, my concentration, and soul's desire, has been to work with dreams and the exploration of the deeper psyche. Personally things have been very good for me this past year {business has been great even with the great recession}. But my life lacks that harmonious feeling, the social dragon being the one thing that keeps me from my bliss. There are sometimes feelings of 'doom' although brief and minor. As long as I, or anyone who seeks that bliss place in life, have to constantly confront the dragon as a daily routine there will be that lack of complete harmony.

Have you resolved all issues that may be left over from childhood? The Individuation of oneself begins with recognizing and eventually resolving such conflicts.

A third possibility, one that is becoming more recognizible and accepted, is an imbalance of chemical hormones within the body. I would look at this possibility as a last alternative since it is often used as a substitute for self actualization, confronting and resolving emotional conflicts through disciplined self help. This requires medication and although a great many do well and need medicating, I believe it has become an easy way to avoid facing up to life's experiences.
I believe any medication is something one should avoid for the health of the body and mind. I personally take only asprin, a fiber supplement and a daily vitamnin. Of course physical fitness has been a part of my lifestyle for the past 30 years and the ailments most 60 year old men must endure are not a problem for me. {as a footnote: it was the losing of 40 lbs when I was 30 years old and the discipline it took to do so that has helped me with other disciplines in my life. I have kept that phsyical routine ever since}.

I would first look to childhood issues. The darken hallway in the Dark Man dream often is a good indication there is a 'shadow' still following you in your life. Often that comes from childhood influences even though they can be exacerbated throughout life. At the same time, as is required in analyzing your life to attain individuation, look at the circumstances of your life in the present. Are you where you want to be creatively, spiritually? If you do not have unresolved childhood or earlier life issues {including experiences such as traumatic physical or psychological injury} then current circumstances may be the reason for those feelings of doom.

In addition to every one's psychological health is the current condition of the economy, the dire nature of the planet's health, even day to day news of impending doom such as recent hurricane possibilities. These are unconscious fears but do have some affect on on our psyche. Doomsday predictions are rampant {December 21,2012 being the most recent} and I believe we all have a fascination with such things. Most are unbelievable when thoroughly examined but most people do not give such examinations and let the emotions run wild. Another product of our ego centered lives.

Jerry

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