Crash
G, 32, graphic artist, Houston, Texas
Spring 1997

I drive along the expressway 'til I approach an accident scene. I see a man on the ground, dead.

He's lifelessly pale, young, with short-cropped sandy hair. His eyes are open, and he looks surprised.

Scattered on the pavement are the remains of a red Honda scooter and a motorcycle. I slowly move on through the accident scene. These are people and emergency workers on the scene.

I see another accident victim, this one alive, in pain, in shadow...

I don't see his face, but his leg has been severed. He's crying out, reaching into the air with one hand. I am afraid to touch him. I shrink away and edge my way around him. There's wreckage and carnage everywhere. I'm fascinated. Several more victims, many with severed limbs, are scattered about the roadway (they're all males).

G's Interpretation

I had this dream about two months after I separated from my then-wife. I felt conflicted and alone, and I was still getting used to being on my own. Many of the assumptions that I had made about my life and my future were no longer valid, and my dream reflected that disarray with its scene of destruction.

In the dream, I was afraid of touching the injured man who was crying for help. At the time, I was staying away from the most painful emotions associated with the separation, and I believe my dream-self's action was a direct reflection of that avoidance.

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