Meaning of dream about hitting father:
Dear Dreams 1-2-3:
I keep having dreams about my Dad. I get very angry with him and punch and hit him as hard as I can, but since I’m a girl he doesn’t hit back. My relationship with my Dad is not great by any means. What are these dreams trying to tell me?
Signed, Not a Daddy’s Girl,
Dear NDG:
The action of hitting and punching is a symbolic way of acting out your feelings of frustration and anger at your father. You are not expressing those feelings consciously, so your dreams are doing it for you.
When feelings are not consciously dealt with, they become fodder for dreams. Anything ignored or repressed will be given extra life in your sleep, because part of the function of dreams is to process your emotions and shine a spotlight on what’s going on inside you. Often, dreams exaggerate to get your attention and really show the dynamics of a situation. So while you might never hit your dad for real, your dreams show you doing because, in a sense, you want to do it!
I’m RadOwl, your teacher.
You shared with me during our online interaction that your father is a heavy drinker who used to hit your mom and go off on alcohol-fueled rages. You’re an adult now and moved out of your parents’ home but never really dealt with the situation, just left it behind. Well, you can’t run from yourself forever. You have an opportunity to heal the past.
You also shared with me that you don’t express emotions. Your emotions will find outlets one way or another, and I can tell you from experience that it’s better to do it consciously than unconsciously.
Someday you will need to come to terms with your dad and tell him how you feel about the chaos and fear he brought into your family life. In the meantime, I suggest starting off by writing “Dear Dad” at the top of a letter and just let it all out, say the things you haven’t said. Express the anger and frustration consciously instead of making your dreams do it for you. You will not only feel better, you’re likely to help lessen the frequency and intensity of the dreams about conflict with your dad.
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