What Does it Mean When You Dream of Choking?
Below is a dream submitted this past week:
I every once in a while have this dream. I am eating something sometimes, but there are other times it just happens. I get a string caught during swallowing and I have to loosen my throat muscles to pull it back out. When i attempt to pull it out, it is a never ending string that just goes on and on and on. I see myself and feel myself pulling for a long time. The thing that is weird is that I can feel this and I dread dreaming this. It is soo uncomfortable. Is this a common dream? What is your interpretation of this dream? Thanks!
I’ve read your dream through four times to try to get a really good handle on it. If you had just had this dream once I would have thought it was connected to something like flossing before bed. I have a tendency to floss too hard sometimes and if my gums bleed, I can expect to be harmed at some point in my dreams. Needless to say, I’ve started being more careful when flossing!
The fact that you’ve had this sort of dream more than once leads me to believe that there’s a little more to it than just this sort of “association” type of dream.
When I read your dream I get the feeling that your predominant emotion during the dream is frustration. Sure, it’s uncomfortable and the situation puts you in a bad position, but I think the most important thing to notice is that you feel frustrated by several things:
1. You’re frustrated that the choking occurs in the first place – as you said, sometimes even when you aren’t eating in your dream.
2. You’re frustrated that you have to contort your throat muscles in a manner to try to prevent the choking.
3. You’re frustrated that you pull and pull but can’t get to the end of the string.
In dreams that I call “Frustration Dreams,” you can usually expect to hear the dreamer use the following phrases:
- It went on and on and on…
- It seemed like it took forever…
- No matter what I did, I couldn’t…..
- No one would listen to me…..
- Never ending…
- Impossible…..
They also will frequently comment about something lasting a long time. When I read “…it is a never ending string that just goes on and on and on….” in your dream description, I knew we were dealing with a frustration dream of some type. It’s an absolutely beautiful example of this type of dream.
Usually frustration dreams are brought on by things in our day to day life that we feel powerless against. These things are either courtesy of other people (things others do that frustrate us) or they’re courtesy of our ourselves (things we, ourselves, do that frustrate us).
The fact that your frustration dream involves the face is very, very important. This is a key symbolism that means the frustration is extremely personal. When we dream about a part of our body, it means that that dream meaning is a very personal one.
The tricky thing is that this could mean one of two things, and only you will know for sure which one it is. Your dream is an indication that you are either:
- Frustrated by a habit or thought that you can’t quit doing or thinking. Many people have this sort of dream when they can’t quit procrastinating, can’t “get over” an ex, can’t stop a particular habit such as biting their nails or smoking, etc. I once had a string of frustrating dreams when I consistently failed to make time to exercise!
- If you aren’t frustrated with something that the person in the mirror is or isn’t doing, then the dream would indicate that you are frustrated with something someone else does. This person would be someone extremely close to you – someone who would be of the utmost importance to you. The symbolism of your mouth would indicate that it is probably someone you are connected to in a romantic way.
I want to mention something about choking dreams. If you had experienced an isolated dream about choking and your emotions were primarily fear and/or embarrassment, I would suggest that you had recently said something you regretted. However, you have had several of these dreams and you just don’t strike me as a person who puts their foot in their mouth on a daily basis!
Also, as I said before, the primary emotion seems to be frustration.
As for bringing an end to the dreams, my first suggestion would be to try very hard NOT to think about the dreams or their details. Before bedtime, think about anything and everything BUT these dreams – or about anything that frustrates you at all. Read a great novel, watch television, or take a blissful bubble bath.
Finally, if you can pinpoint where the frustration is coming from, you’ll double your odds of ending these dreams.
Best of luck!
Dreams About Lost Loved Ones – What Do These Dreams Mean?
Over the years, the most asked questions and requested Dream Interpretations consistently involve dreams about lost loved ones. I think there are several reasons for this.
- Some people want to know what the dreams mean.
- Some dreamers believe that their loved ones are trying to communicate with them.
- These dreams are often recurring and people want to know when they’ll stop.
- If the wounds are still fresh from having lost this individual, dreamers want the dreams to go away and are seeking advice on how to make them do just that.
First of all, having never been “on the other side,” I have no idea whatsoever if lost loved ones try to (or are even able to) communicate with their loved ones through dreams. However, I’ve lost a lot of loved ones – including my mom and dad, each who passed away far sooner (and younger) than anyone would have expected. From these experiences, I do know feel 100 percent that our loved ones communicate with us in the waking world. I’ve had far too many beautiful experiences to even begin to doubt this. However, I’ve never had a dream that I, personally, felt was from a lost loved one.
They weren’t dreams that left me happy or encouraged – they always caused me to feel sad. I KNOW for a fact my loved ones wouldn’t have wished that on me.
For this reason, I believe that when we dream of our lost loved ones, it’s a clear case of one thing and one thing only: Our brains are trying to find a way to deal with and come to terms with this most unthinkable situation. The grief, complete and utter devastation and helplessness that associate the loss of loved ones is almost too much for our brains to handle. The “WHY“s and “WHAT IF“s are overwhelming. We wonder why it had to happen, what we could have done differently (while they were living), what if something different had happened – something that would have kept them with us, etc.
If you think about it, that’s an unreal amount of information and grief for our minds and hearts to cope with. During the day, we “stay busy” and “keep our minds occupied” (in other words, we do what we have to do to keep from crying and/or throwing things 24/7). So, when we’re finally asleep, it’s as though our mind says, “Finally! They’re still. They’re quiet. Let me try to sort this out.”
You’ve heard of the saying, “I’m trying to wrap my mind around something,” right? In this case, it’s as though the mind is trying to wrap itself around something. Something that, frankly, can’t totally be wrapped around.
Unfortunately, these dreams are as much a part of the grieving process as tears are. Trust me, they do go away – and, fortunately, they don’t happen every single night for most people.
The only advice I can give is this:
- Try not to focus on the dreams. Don’t replay them in your mind over and over again – it’s sort of like a slow torture. The more we relive a dream, the more likely a similar one is to recur.
- During the day, try to keep your thoughts directed more on the loved one’s life than their death. Keep them alive in your mind and heart by thinking of things you did together, times they made you laugh, times you made them laugh, the sound of their voice, etc. A lot of people try to avoid these thoughts because they think they’ll make the dreams worse. They’ll actually help. By contrast, however, don’t dwell on the funeral, regrets, etc. Don’t take part in the typical (and understandable) conversations that ask what could have been done, “Why did this happen,” and so on. Looking for answers that don’t exist will only frustrate you mind further, which will lead to it trying to sort things out while you’re asleep.
- A word about regrets. Never, ever allow regrets to dominate your thoughts. Don’t let them rent a room in your mind’s chambers and NEVER let them move in! Think about it this way – what if it had been YOU who’d passed away? Would this loved one have things he or she would regret? Of course! We’re all human, capable of human frailties and faults. But, would you want them to be haunted by regrets or guilt? Of course not. You’d want to tell them, “Forget about that. I never gave it a second thought – I know you loved me. Only remember the good times. I don’t want to be remembered with tears or pain – I want to be remembered positively with laughter and smiles.”
Your lost loved ones soon become a normal part of the fabric of your dreams. They’ll often show up, just as though they were still alive and had never gone anywhere. My dad was in a dream of mine a few weeks ago, eating green beans biscuits, and chicken that I’d cooked for him. I woke up smiling because it was like a sweet little visit with someone who always made me laugh.
If you’re experiencing unsettling dreams, just keep reminding yourself that they’ll soon become dreams you look forward to rather than dread. Until then, bear down and get through this part of the healing process as well as you can. You’re in my thoughts and I’m truly, truly sorry for your loss.
How Well Do You Remember Your Dreams?
If you’re serious about dream prophesy, dream analysis, dream interpretation, and really getting to the heart of what your dreams mean, you’ll need your dream recall to be on the absolute TOP of its game!
- How well do you remember your dreams?
- Do you remember your emotions and feelings during your dreams?
- Do you recognize most of the people in your dreams?
- In the morning, can you recall at least one of your dreams?
- Do you recall the various “symbols” in your dreams?
If you feel that your dream recall needs a little work, I have the perfect solution: A Dream Journal. While you don’t absolutely have to run out and buy a new notebook or journal to serve as your Dream Journal – it would be a cool idea. You could use any notebook you have around the house, of course, but the more “special” you make the entire experience, the better.
Even if you simply go to one of those amazing stores where everything is $1 and buy a notebook in your favorite color – you’re making a point of taking the entire enterprise seriously, and that’s what’s important. My first Dream Journal was actually a wire notebook with colorful Lisa Frank dolphins on the front. Seemed appropriate enough!
Here’s another idea that adds to the adventure. Find a pocket folder (for mere pennies) to keep with your dream journal. I’ll tell you what it’s for in just a minute!
Get Started With Your Dream Journal
Once you have your dream journal, go ahead and enter a recent dream. Include the people who were in the dream, what you were doing in the dream (what you hoped to accomplish or were trying to avoid), the symbols (knives, snakes, balloons, candles, fire, clouds – anything that stands out) in the dream, and most importantly – HOW YOU FELT DURING THE DREAM. Also, list any and all colors that you remember. List only the top 3 colors you remember – 4 at the most. Oddly enough, this is very important!
A typical journal entry might look something like this:
I was driving an old beaten up red pick up truck. My beloved basset hound, Honey, was in the passenger’s seat. We were in a huge hurry to get somewhere and Honey could talk. In fact, she talked practially the whole time. Her collar, instead of being her normal hot pink one was white. I couldn’t make sense of that in my dream – though her talking didn’t shock me. I was confused as to why the collar changed colors.
We were in a huge hurry and I was driving really fast. We were on dirt roads and passed by a lot of farm houses and brown horses. At some point, my cat Lanie joined us and could also talk. He wasn’t in a hurry and wanted us to slow down and get something to eat. Then I woke up. Hungry.
Main Colors: Red, white, brown
Emotions: Rushed, confused, anxious, hungry!
The above dream is actually one of the first ones I ever recorded in a dream journal. This is actually the VERY dream that began my study of and fascination with dreams. When I was thinking about this dream the next day at school (instead of listening to my Algebra teacher!), I realized that, underneath it all, I was feeling many of the same feelings in my real life as I did in my dream. By the time the class was over, a lifelong fascination with dreams and heartfelt belief in the importance of their interpretations had taken hold.
Be sure that you enter your “feelings” as accurately as possible. Here are a few suggestions: joyful, sad, anxious, worried, depressed, helpless, surprised, ashamed, agitated, frustrated, curious, confused, powerful, unloved, ignored, furious, hopeful, optimistic, sexy, ugly, brave, etc. Even if the emotions seem to have NOTHING to do with one another, write them down.
Remember the Folder?!
This exercise adds even more fun to your dream recall and analysis. Cut out or draw/color pictures that symbolize your dream. If you have room in your dream journal to tape (or draw) them onto the pages, do so. If not, clip the images together with a paper clip, then add a little piece of paper with the date of the dream.
Having visuals of the colors and symbols can really help put you in touch with your inner feelings and emotions.
I have many more articles and exercises planned to add to the site that deal with Dream Journals and Dream Recall – with plenty more about images and, even, collages. So, please grab an rss feed and/or sign up for e-mail updates, so you’ll know what’s been added as soon as it’s here for you. I just wish I could open up my notebooks (and brain!) and pour everything out at once. Kind of impossible, though, so I’ll just take it steady.
I’m actually working on a downloadable Dream Journal template for the site, color charts, and a visual guide to dream symbols. So much to do!
Have a glorious weekend – if you need me, I’ll be right here, typing, thinking, and tweaking away with coffee and chocolate fueling me along.
Dream Analysis – A Dream Interpretation
Before getting to this particular post, I want to invite new visitors to read the first post HERE. It’ll let you know where we came from, where we are, and where we’re headed!
Here’s the first submitted dream we’ve received since the relaunch of Dream Prophesy:
“I have a recurring dream that I desperately need help understanding. Each dream has knives in it. In the first one, my son wanted to play his guitar but couldn’t find it. He opened the closet and a huge knife fell on him. Blood was everywhere and we were screaming. Then I woke up.
In the second dream, I was cooking supper and cut my hand off with a butter knife! The third dream was just about the same, except it was a steak knife and it cut off part of my plate.
These dreams are getting to me, especially the one about my son. I’m scared of what the next dream will be about and who will get hurt in it. Please help and thank you.”
I can see how these dreams would trouble you. The first thing you need to do is to remind yourself that these dreams aren’t prophetic. They aren’t signaling an accident or anything bad ahead. Dreams deal with what HAS happened, what IS happening, and your emotions and feelings. Some of these emotions and feelings the dreamer is fully aware of. Others, the dreamer doesn’t seem to be aware of whatsoever.
When I hear about people dreaming of knives, my first reaction is this: There’s something in their life that they want to remove, or “cut out.” These could include:
- A bad habit. Smokers who want to quit smoking often dream of knives. Their desire to “cut out” this habit weighs on their mind and presents itself in their dream world.
- Wanting to lose weight. Wanting to lose extra weight will also lead to knife dreams.
- Dislike of an annoying co-worker, fellow student, neighbor, or even family member. The dreamer doesn’t (of course!) want to harm this annoying person – but they wouldn’t mind AT ALL if fate cut them out of their life and put them in someone else’s!
- A desire to leave your job, school, home, community, etc. Wanting to separate yourself from a current situation or place can lead to knife dreams.
- A thought or feeling. Sometimes we feel things we wish we didn’t feel or keep having thoughts we wish would go away. We think, “Why don’t I just cut it out?! ” – But we seem unable to.
All of the above are instances that can lead to these types of dreams. When it comes to recurring dreams, more times than not, fully realizing WHY you’re having the dreams is enough to send them packing. Even if you haven’t arrived at the solution yet, your subconscious mind seems perfectly content with you just knowing the situation exists.
I truly hope this helps!
Thanks so much for submitting your dream. I’ve learned from experience (from the last time the site was up BEFORE disaster struck!) that people are greatly helped when they read other people’s dreams. So, know that you’ve helped others simply by sharing your dream.
“Dreams are road signs along the nighttime highway of sleep.” – Astrid Alauda
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