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"What We Fear"

Dreams So Good They’re Bad

…But recently I’ve encountered something worse than nightmares….

I can cope with fear. I’ve got rational categories and ironic perspectives all set up to deal with even the most disturbing nightmare or distopic vision. To be honest, I *enjoy* a good bit of white-knuckled terror because it wakes me out of the complacent greyness of my everyday life. But recently I’ve encountered something worse than nightmares.

In the past few weeks, I’ve had a couple dreams that were strikingly positive. In one, a white haired woman robed in white satin put her hands on my shoulders and told me “You are loved.” And for that moment, I knew wholly and completely that it was true. I felt a wonderful glowing sensation of peace and acceptance. But then I woke up. And I found myself in the same life of drudgery and boredom that I had before the dream. I’m left with an aching pain, a memory of that dreamworld that is just in such a paradoxical opposition to my daily life.

I have nothing insightful to say about this phenomenon other than it’s creepy in a way I haven’t ever expected.

How about you? Do you ever have these dream visions of overwhelming goodness, these “anti-nightmares?” If so, what’s the overall effect, that is, are you glad you had them or are you left feeling empty after such a vision of cosmic fullness?