Dream about Rapist and getting revenge
Dear Dreams 1-2-3:
This dream is about my rapist. I walk into a grocery shop and happen to find him lying on his back trying to fix something (in real life he fixes cars). I shoot him right there and walk away. I don’t feel panic-y or anything. I just walk away and grab three shoes on the way out to buy so I don’t look suspicious.
My rapist is my best friend’s brother, so in the dream I have to go to his funeral. I don’t cry. I’m only afraid of being caught. I tell everyone I am buying three puppies, and stick next to my friend and play along with being sad.
At the funeral his fiance gets up and shoots three people. The whole time I am worried about someone finding evidence of me at the crime scene. I wake up thinking he is dead.
What do you think this means? Does the recurrence of the number three mean anything?
Signed, Revenge Served Cold
Dear Revenge Served Cold:
I think the recurring groupings of three mean you are trying to get your wholeness back. Three is a number of wholeness and strength, as expressed in the Trinity. On the other hand, groupings of three can mean something is missing or unwanted, as in “three is a crowd.” In archetypal psychology, the psyche is viewed as being composed of groupings of four.
The most obvious interpretation of shooting your rapist is it’s a way of expressing your anger. By killing him in the dream you could be trying to rid yourself of the lingering affect of what he has done to you. Being raped can make you feel like a part of yourself has been forcibly taken. You don’t feel like yourself anymore. You need something back that your rapist has taken. In the dream he is fixing something when you shoot him, which could be a way of saying that you are fixing yourself, fixing the damage he did to you. However, thoughts of revenge can get in the way by keeping you tied to the past.
Grabbing the shoes might be a way of saying that you want to get on with your life like it was before. You want to move forward, walk away from the past. Or perhaps you’re being told you are ready to move on with your life. The funeral in the dream could be a way of saying that you’re ready to put that time of your life behind you.
Being worried about getting caught might relate to catching yourself dwelling on the rape or nurturing your anger, or hiding your feelings. This theme comes up twice, once when you take the shoes and once at the funeral. After a rape people will tell you that you have to move on with your life, but if you aren’t ready to do that you can feel resentful. You hide your feelings so that people don’t know you’re still hurt and angry. Or you no longer want to be treated like a victim. You act like everything is ok when it isn’t. In a sense, you don’t want to get caught dwelling on the past.
The reference to buying puppies might symbolize getting back your playful and carefree side. Puppies are playful and carefree. That’s often the part of yourself that is lost to rape. It takes your innocence.
I was a newspaper reporter in college and reported on rapes around campus. One of the themes that came up a lot was ‘trying to find the old you,’ getting back zest for life and sense of personal safety. There are some good signs in this dream that you are ready to move forward. Waking up thinking your rapist is dead might be a way of saying “dead to you.” If he’s dead to you he no longer matters. What’s done is done. Otherwise, how much more of your life is he going to take?
I hope I’ve given you some ideas to work with. The purpose of your dreams is, at heart, to benefit you. So having this dream at this time must be a way of helping you heal. I hope that happens for you and this guy gets what he deserves. Karma will make things right. Back off the vengeful feelings and let karma take care of it.
Note: This post is taken from my interaction with a subscriber at Reddit Dreams. Her reply: “Thanks. That actually made me feel really good. I agree with a lot of what you said.”