I have a dream husband. I'm not talking about the flesh and blood man currently sitting on the couch arguing with the television. He may or may not be dreamy. No, I'm talking about his imagined counterpart I meet from time to time in my dreams. That dream husband.
Surely you know what I mean? I enter Dream Land happy and content with my marriage, but somewhere between finding a missing classroom and rearranging furniture, I have a run in with Mr. Dream Husband. He proceeds to do something so horrid and unacceptable that I become instantly angry/offended/sobbingly sad. The reasons behind the emotion often remains hazy, but from my reaction I know they're terrible (the ones I do remember I would never share for your public Jungian* interpretations.)
I've screamed, I've raged, I've cried in frustration. And then I wake up, still seething. I remember the first time I met this dream husband, I was steaming all morning long. Poor real life guy couldn't figure what he'd done wrong. All these years later, I still wake up from time to time in the middle of an argument with dream husband, but I've learned to not take it out on poor flesh and blood laying next to me. I punch a pillow instead.
Do you ever wake up mad at someone because of what they did in your dream?
* I know that I put Freud in my title and then referenced Jung. Really, I thought the title was funny but Freud's ideas a little bizarre. I've read Jung's Man and His Symbols so I relate to his ideas on dream interpretations better.
I've never understood why dream husband starts fights, but I have always made a point to (try) not to take it out on real husband. I usually blame bad clams for my bad dreams, but sometimes it might just be the alarm clock ringing a little too early!
ReplyDeleteI get in enough trouble myself without this Dream Husband guy framing me in the subconscious.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I ever have dreams where Hubby does something to me- the are usually always me doing something and being terrified he would find out. Except once. I will always remember it- the night I had Addie I was asleep in the hospital and had a dream that Barlow told me he didn't love me, never had, and was leaving. I woke up, sobbing, and totally panicked. Luckily I can blame that one on the pain meds.
ReplyDeleteOn days when I am unreasonably impatient and annoyed with DH I always blame it on PMS, but maybe now I will start blaming "Dream Husband".
I have for sure woken up pretty ticked off before. It is so weird. I actually almost never remember my dreams- maybe one a month. It just isn't my gift, I guess.
ReplyDeleteYes. My Dream Husband ignores me.
ReplyDeleteThinking about it makes me mad.
Not at my real husband. At that evil Dream Husband. What a creep.
My answer is "often".
ReplyDeleteI do hate when that happens. I thought it was just me but now I can see I am normal.
ReplyDeleteI've done that before, but usually it's the other way around...Cory wakes up mad at the dream version of me!
ReplyDeleteI can't say that I have, but I will admit that I RARELY dream about my real husband. I admit this because, he often dreams about me, or so he says. I wonder why that it is?
ReplyDeleteThis is funny. I have had Dream Husband come and visit with me...and those residual feelings do linger! So how weird is that?!
ReplyDeleteYou and your nerdy terms. I wake up mad/sad at my hubby all the time. Luckily for me he never remembers his dreams.
ReplyDeleteYes, this has happened to me! I wake up in a terrible mood, remembering the shards of betrayal. And, yes, I have taken it out on my real life man. Which I realize is not entirely fair. I think it is fascinating to comb through our dreams, to try to figure out what purchase, if any, they have on our waking lives...
ReplyDeleteThrilled to have found your blog!
This totally happens to me. I wake up in a terrible, horrible mood. Usually I can't put my finger on what happened in the dream. But the closet person to (sorry Hubby) usually gets the brunt of my mood. Funny how dreams work.
ReplyDeleteWhen things like that happen to me, I am just mad at every one, not just the person from the dream. I take it out on everyone I come in contact with
ReplyDeleteOnly when I'm pregnant does he do awful things. When I'm not pregnant, it's usually me who is running off with someone . . .
ReplyDeleteThere is a whole army of these dream husbands (and/or wives) out there I guess! Our poor spouses.
ReplyDeleteI have done that, Charlotte, but far more troubling to me is the dream pig-outs when, in real life, I'm dieting or something! Then I wake up and am all depressed till I realize calories don't count in a dream, nor does an argumentative dream husband.
ReplyDeleteI have in the past....back when I dreamed, but lately, I swear I do not dream anymore! Any dreams I do remember involve me being back in high school standiing in front of my locker and I can't remember the combination, or back at work and either I can't find the patient I'm supposed to take care of, or I forget about one all night....not good when it's a baby on a ventilator!
ReplyDeleteI rarely remember my dreams, and rarely have dreams with my husband in them. He, however, dreams almost nightly of me leaving or cheating on him. Wakes up heartbroken, then clings to me and is nearly in tears that I'm still there. His mom and sisters have frequent dreams about the same thing. Weird, huh?
ReplyDeleteWhen I first started reading this post I was like...where is she going with this. lol My dreams are like that all the time especially when I'm pregnant.
ReplyDeleteYes, Mr. Dream Husband has appeared a few times in my dreams. Luckily, Kent and I can both laugh at my ridiculous anger, and real husband is quickly forgiven. Although if he keeps cheating on the dream version of me when he's asleep, that forgiveness might come slower and slower!
ReplyDeleteWhat I find more interesting is that you dream about rearranging furniture. Kent used to laugh at me for watering the houseplants in my dreams. I guess the people we wish we could be (me gardener, you interior designer?) sometimes show up in the unconscious.
Hey everyone,
ReplyDeleteI truly appreciate this blog, continue the great work!
Let me know what you think of my writings regarding hypnotherapy!