DREAMCATCHER: Alex Hossack and Catherine Aubrey interpret your dreams

Today's dream from David: I was in the boat, not driving it, someone else was doing that, it may have been my partner. There was a sense of the boat moving very fast but I was comfortable with that.

I became aware that the back end of the boat was getting lower in the water. There was a danger of it filling with water and sinking so we pulled onto the banks of the lake and emptied the boat of water.

When we set off I was quite happy. Then I noticed the back end of the boat starting to dip into the water again. I didn’t seem to be concerned.

Dream Interpretation: The dreamer describes living in a passive state where he is being driven by external forces rather than his own motivations. He feels safe, secure and ‘comfortable’ with someone else taking responsibility and control of his life.

He is conscious of the potential for this status quo to destabilise his lifestyle, represented by images of the boat sinking, but takes proactive and evasive action to find a place of safety when he feels in ’danger’.

This repetitive behaviour appears to be subsiding in terms of its potentially fearful impact and he is happy with his disposition.

This dream could represent the elimination of previous fears in the dreamer’s life or it could suggest that the dreamer is ignoring underlying fears and anxieties as highlighted by the message in the dream.

To dream of a boat ride can be a representation of how we cope with our emotions, how we navigate our way through life and move forward. As a passenger in a boat the dreamer can feel carried along by circumstances, dealing with problems as they arise rather than planning ahead. Overall, the dreamer is happy with his disposition.

If the dreamer would like to provide feedback about the interpretation, please send it to ACDreamcatchers@mail.com.

Interestingly, we have found it is not always possible to interpret your own dream, probably because it often represents the sublimation of feelings or thoughts that we are trying to avoid in our waking lives. However, with a little assistance from the dream interpreter, the symbols and themes can start to make sense and help us to move forward.

If you are interested in having a particular dream analysed, please send us an account of your dream to the following email address: ACDreamcatchers@mail.com We only have space to interpret one dream a week which will be selected from those received. Please refer to the guidance provided to describe your dream as this will enable us to provide a full interpretation.

Guidance for the Dreamer:

• Record your dream in writing as soon as you wake up with as much detail as possible.

• First of all ask yourself who is in the dream.

• Where are you, what is happening to you and what is happening around you?

• Record how you are feeling about what you and/or others are doing.

• Are there particular symbols or objects in the dream that are unusual?

• Are there any sounds and is the dream in colour or black and white?

• Are you watching yourself in the dream or are you experiencing it first-hand ie: through your own eyes.

Alex Hossack and Catherine Aubrey are Public Service professionals with years of experience as practitioners and managers in the Criminal Justice System.