What do dreams mean?

[hoi polloi]

I dreampt someone killed a grizzly bear and it was dead and blocking the road. I went up to touch the dead bear and much to my surprise it was alive. It got up and started walking, stumbling at first and then started running away from me, then he turned back to attack me. I had no where to save myself. Then I woke up.
What do you think this means?
And what are your dreams and interpretations?

[LearnedHand]

1. NOT a dream interpreter, but...

...a dream therapist once told me that with one exception, ALL dream imagery is intensely personal (houses was the one exception -- that almost always indicates interior work).

So, what do grizzes mean in your life? With what do you associate bears? Is the bear you (part of yourself), or is it someone else or something else?

[hoi polloi]

2. I see the bear as

a representation of being beseiged. However, I am asking for you to post your dreams, not just interperit mine.

[Catamount]

3. Some people believe that dreams are the keys to your subconscious...

and provide you with ways to solve the problems of your waking times.
To me your dream could be alerting you to a big problem facing you, which will not be easily solved. You may think you you have - as suggested by the dead bear- but then it escapes only to threaten you instead. Since you wake up before it gets you, might suggest you have time to sort this out, before anything negative happens.
This is not to be taken too seriously, it is not a professional opinion, simply a guess.
You should check out the millions of books available on this subject,
I'm sure if you google it, you'll see something you'll like.

[havocmom]

4. I do dream work. Some dreams are lessons you need to practice.

Or safe ways to experiment with actions you would not generally consider in your waking life.

Some are intuitive ways for the mind to get the conscious to become aware of something you are missing. This can be helpful in matters of your health, the mind can use metaphor to try and get your attention to something that isn't right and needs to be addressed.

Some are responses to stress going on in daily life. We all have those sorts of annoying dreams where our progress is hampered (like your bear in the road?) Or relieve stress of a different sort; most of us are lucky enough to have those ;)

Some will incorporate themes to explain away real outside noises/stimuli and let you sleep through what might otherwise disturb your rest.

Some are precognitive. Some are just bubble gum for the resting brain. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.

I occasionally have dreams which are precognitive. I generally recognize them as such and discuss them with a friend so when the event comes to pass, I can have validation and check my accuracy. If it doesn't come to pass, I can be teased, but it helps me to learn to discern better.

Many dreams will use symbols which only make sense to you personally. I have certain dreams which will mean specific things to me. Some symbols can be more collectively understood, whether cultural, religious, spiritual, or just human.

I love the ones that are just my brain playing tiddly winks. Many are like old movies. They're just fun and I let them play. Like staying up and watching the Late Show in the summer when I was a kid.

Some are ways to solve problems you are too distracted in your waking activities to see the answer too. I keep paper & pen by the bed. Come up with great solutions sometimes!

The fun is to work on becoming a lucid dreamer. When bad stuff happens in dreams, you can be like a movie directer and yell "CUT!" and then re-do a 'scene' more to your liking. Have experienced that bringing around a better sense of empowerment in my waking life. Helped get out of a life threatening clinical depression with dream work like that.

[seriousstan]

5. Dick and all.