I have recently been dreaming of waking in a panic with the sudden realisation - that I have lost my watch. The watch seems of enormous sentimental & monetary value & I am incredibly distressed until - an equally sudden - relieving insight comes: I don't wear or own such a watch. During the dream my family members usually come to mind as well. Particularly, my Father. I don't think the dream actually 'wakes' me. It takes a period of time before I reassure myself. I have had this experience at least 3 times in the last fortnight.

Age & Gender & Location {Required}: 39 - Melbourne

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Bird,
Is your location Melbourne, Fl. or Melbourne Australia? Not that it matters, I live in Cocoa, Fl. which is just up the road from Melbourne.

A short dream but as often the case a lot to consider and possibilities. Even short dreams possess an important message, often the explanation of the possibilities taking a lot more space than the dream.

All dreams, all dream images have at least two meanings/applications and I sense a bit of the two in this dream. One would have to do with foundations for your personality and early life experiences/influences and relationships. The other, which I can only speak to at best in generalities, would have to do with recent experiences involving the issues and relationships I will lay out in my analysis of your dream.

I believe the last part of the dream provides a valuable clue to what the dream message is. Reassurance or self confidence. The lost watch would have several applications with one being there something that is missing and/or issues to do with using your full potential in some aspect of your psyche/life. The lost watch would suggest there are unresolved issues to do with this aspect. The sentimental value would represent your emotional value and the monetary value representing your self worth, to include self confidence. Being distressed would symbolize this aspect will turn out better than you expected. That goes with the sudden realization you don't wear/own such a watch, which would suggest you don't allow this particular aspect of your life to control you, although there is a strong sentimental attachment to it.


That doesn't end the dream's intended message. family members come to mind, particularly your father. This would likely point to your father as being the issue the lost watch represents. The passage of time is also an application for the lost watch and that would point to your past and probably the relationship with your father. A third application for the watch would be life being too structured {early life with your father/family}. On the other hand being lost may suggest that was lacking. Which would fit? The only that does would likely apply to your whole family {since your family is a part of the dream}.


This early relationship has had an influence on your personality {a common sense thing since the environment you grow up in provides the foundations for your life}. The word lost is important because that more than likely suggests issues to do with aspects of your personality were 'lost' because of the father relationship. One aspect of that would have to do with self confidence/self assurance. It could point to a positive aspect involving self confidence/self assurance depending on what type relationship you did have with your father. {the positive is a possibility because there is a positive action in 'not wearing the watch'. Most likely the negative aspects, a too structured life with your father, is the issue but you will know that when tou give thought to it. The relationship has affected your personality but because you are no longer in that environment there is a 'realization' you don't wear/own such a watch. That could fit two ways. One, you are no longer in that environment, and two {it could be both}, you have come to realization it doesn't govern you any longer. That could be a result of not being in the environment or/and you have reached a plateau where you do not allow it to govern your emotional self/you.

Another application of the dream would have to do with recent personal experiences, something I can only suggest because only you can know of these. Have you had a recent contact with your father that would remind you of his 'father role'. Or a related experience that would have done the same? It could have been experience where your self confidence was brought to bare since that seems to be a prime message in the other application of the dream. Dreams don't usually come straight out and pronounce a particular personal experience but will only outline the possibilities as they are related to the application of personality, self worth, etc. The language of dreams is seldom literal but symbolic and metaphorical {the dreamer's house is a symbol for the dreamer as well as a metaphor, the house is the same as the dreamer, the house is the dreamer}. To take an image or action as literal in the context of the dream actions would be a mistaken approach to interpreting the images/actions. You derive the literal from clues from the symbolic images/actions. Because most all dreams have a stimulus {some experience or something that prompts an emotional response a few days prior to the dream} an analyst will look at the images/actions and read between the lines {actually sensory abilities are important in this aspect of analyzing a dream}. The dream outlines emotional issues/aspects and those are what come through to the analyst. Personal experiences, especially recent, can only be known by the dreamer because the dream will seldom reference the experience in literal terms. As a rule of thumb {strict} dreams are to be analyzed in a symbolic/metaphorical form because that is how the 'original' human psyche was developed from its genesis {think of the early Egyptians using hieroglyphics, symbolic images as their form of communication/language}.

Look to the relationship with your father in the past {early life} and in recent experiences. I sense this is what the dream is attempting to communicate, emotional issues related to that. There is the positive aspect of the dream with not wearing/owning such a watch as well as in the language in the 'relieving insight'. This experiences was -equally sudden' as well as relieving which suggests two aspects are occurring at the same time {which may merely be the two or more applications all dreams have}.


I do ask you provide some detail in your response. My analysis is free and all I ask is feedback to my analysis so to better understand how dreams function as well as the correctness of my analysis. It has been from the responses I have received from follow up responses that has allowed me to get a better understand of dreams and help me provide a better analysis. Every dream has a message and each is a learning tool.

Jerry

Age & Gender & Location {Required}: 65 Cocoa, Fl

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Thanks very much Jerry. Lots of great insight here.

I wasn't sure if you would prefer the life context alongside the dream in the initial outline, but it is most definitely a crucial key in this dream.

I am currently in the midst of an interstate move. (Melbourne, Aus, btw.) I am returning to my old company, in a different and better position, leaving behind a job that I was offered (and undertook for just over a year) that I was very unhappy in.

The role will be very demanding with lots of new things to learn. I am a little nervous about my capabilities, largely because there was some complications with my re-employment, stemming from my old Manager who tried to sabotage me by painting me in a very disparaging way (as mentally unstable!)

My Father is very influential in my life and I have been talking with him a great deal about the role, seeking advice on how I can prepare myself best etc. He has always been very career focused and I believe some of this may have rubbed off on me. He is always the first point of call whenever there are any concerns in my life.

Please feel free to ask me any other questions & thank you so much for your interpretation!!

Best, Anna

Age & Gender & Location {Required}: 39 - Melbourne

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Bird,
The 'reassurance or self confidence' I sensed seems to be one prime issue related to returning to your old employer. The lost watch may point to the past and having to start again where you left off but with the mentioned issues involved {lost time}. But the issues to do with structure are also a factor. This is where I sense the involvement of your father. Not only is he a major influence in your life but from the dream I sense you want to please him as well as asking his advice. He is a structured person and as you stated that has rubbed off on you {consciously as well as unconsciously}. This is where I sensed the early relationship. It has to do not only with structure but also approval as it has to do with your father. Th positive aspect i mentioned involve the positive qualities you take from that relationship {not wearing the watch}. But there may be a too great of an emphasis on the approval aspect. That could create an emotional conflict, worrying too much about his approval. And that could lend itself to the stress you have with the issue with returning to your previous employer {which would be a synonymous with your position as son and father}. The 'demanding role' would be about the new position but also an unconscious issue of putting too much demanding stress because of the need for approval from your father. Everything has a beginning, a root cause and although the issue with returning to your old employer and issues with putting too much stress on yourself because of the relationship with your father are related because it is an ingrained personality quality. Your relationship with your father may be a positive one but the structure he demands {and which rubbed off on you} is related to both job and father. The two aspects of the same issue but in different aspects of your life. If your relationship with your father, growing up in a structured environment as a child, were different then how you react to returning to your old employer and those issues would also be different {less demands and stress on yourself}. One has to do with the other.

Jerry

Age & Gender & Location {Required}: 65 Cocoa, Fl

Have You Posted Before? Date of Last Post {Use Search and Your Post Name to Help Find Last Post} Yes

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Thank you Jerry! Spot on!

Age & Gender & Location {Required}: 39 - Melbourne

Have You Posted Before? Date of Last Post {Use Search and Your Post Name to Help Find Last Post} No

How Did You Find the Dream Forum? Yes