Sarah's Dream Sand Tray Dream Analysis for Sand Tray Therapy

by Sarah
(Atlanta, GA)

The Chase

I struggled a bit with the dream/nightmare sand tray therapy dream analysis because although I know that I dream on a regular basis, I rarely remember my dreams. When I do remember them, it's only for a short time and then all I remember is generalities of a dream that I've forgotten. To make matters a bit more complicated, I don't have many bad dreams that I know of. However, I did have a dream the week before this tray was assigned and so I attempted to channel what I could remember in the sand tray. I believe that sometimes I have several dreams in one night because my memories are jumbled.

I chose to call this sand tray "The Chase" because from what I remember, I was involved in some sort of car chase in this dream. I believe that my boyfriend was with me in the car but I'm not positive. I don't know what I was running from but there were several vehicles behind me. I felt a sense of urgency in the dream and felt that I had to rush away.

I placed a watch in the sand tray because in the dream, I felt hurried. I wish I could remember where I was going or what I was running from. If I had to guess what this dream was about, I would assume that it had something to do with my current lifestyle, which is a bit hectic. I do feel like I'm rushing all the time, between work, school, internship, and then maintaining the important relationships in my life. To top it all off, I'm in the process of purchasing a home which just adds to the stress.

When I looked up "automobile" in the dictionary of symbols, I found out that because I was in the car, the symbolism was specific to me. The dictionary stated that good driving required control of the impulses, quick reactions and a sense of responsibility suggesting independence of the psyche and freedom from inhibition. The dictionary then went on to describe several car situations but none of them applied to me. The term "vehicle" was also in the dictionary and reflected different aspects of the person's inner life in relation to the problems of the ego's development. It appeared that the vehicle symbol was meant to be interpreted subjectively, which I was able to do when exploring my current life situation.