Introduction
Dog Bite in Dream: Dreams are an interesting thing. That which is not present in reality is called dreams. They are present only in our thoughts and the mind. But still, we make all-out attempts to decode our dreams and become anxious about our dreams manifesting as reality.
Dreams are also studied and interpreted by spirituality, religion, astrology, and different cultures of the world.
Dreams are a form of mental experience that occurs just before sleep, called the Rapid Eye Movement stage of sleep. In this stage our brain is active, but not like in our waking state. Dreams also happen during our sleep. However, during sleep, if we have dreams, it won’t be intense and leave a memory of it when we wake up. As far as the duration of a dream is concerned, it can vary between a few seconds to several minutes. Again, how often we dream will also vary from person to person. Some may even dream daily!
So many dream theories have evolved. Let us look at some of them and understand what they say.
Dream Theories
Fundamentally, no one has, till now, established with certainty as to why dreams happen in the first place. It is the common belief that our suppressed desires, emotions, and fears in the subconscious take the shape of dreams and reveal to that extent our subconscious mind. In this sense, though dreams are not real, they are not false also. That is the reason we find it difficult to ignore when we have a dream and try to find out the what and why of it.
The Freudian Theory
According to Sigmund Freud, the founder of psychoanalysis, our dreams have two contents – one, the manifest content, and the other the latent content. The manifest content is the story that we see as a dream and the latent content is the hidden emotions, and suppressed feelings that are expressed in the form of manifest content.
Activation-Synthesis Theory
This theory does not assign any importance to dreams and discards it as a random activity of the brain during the REM Stage. Allan Hobson and Robert McCarley, two neuroscientists, who created this theory believe that when the higher regions of the brain try to make sense of the chaotic signals received from the brainstem, dreams happen. Hence, to them, dreams have no purpose or meaning.
Neurocognitive Theory
This theory holds the view that dreams are nothing but a trial, a practice session for a real-life situation that we may face in the future. The situation could be anything – good, bad, terrifying, favourable, unfavourable, likable, pleasant, etc.
Memory Consolidation Theory
This theory looks at dreams as a way of the brain’s mechanism to clean up the cluttered and congested memories and streamline them by keeping the important memories and throwing out unimportant ones. This theory also interprets dreams as a form of unlearning or reverse learning.
Must Read: Snake Bite in A Dream
Dog Bite in Dreams / Dog Bite in a Dream / Seeing Dog Bite in Dream
As we know, it is a common understanding that dreams are nothing but a reflection of our thoughts buried deep in our sub-conscious mind. As a result, whenever we have a dream, even though we acknowledge it as a dream, we can’t ignore it. We always want to know ourselves and our life better and dreams are one such possibility to do so.
When we experience, in our dreams, a dog biting or chasing, it creates a disturbance in us because it is an unpleasant experience. We want to find out the deeper meaning behind such a dream to understand what lies ahead.
The common interpretation for seeing a dog in a dream or a dog biting you in a dream is that you have suppressed some painful memories in your subconscious. This is often related to betrayal by someone close to you or your anger or frustration to a person who hurt your feelings or broken your trust. The dog in the dream is that person who has hurt you or betrayed you.
Another common explanation of a dog bite in a dream is that we are not open to new challenges or resisting changes that happen in our life. The dog symbolises the obstacle or threat that you may be trying to overcome or altogether avoid. The bite represent that you feel attacked by the challenge that you don’t want overcome or face. Dreams are a way of confronting your own suppressed emotions without any shame or fear.
Another way to look at a dog bite dream can be to imply personal transformation and growth to which you are making efforts to adapt and adjust. The dog may represent that part of yourself which you are trying to improve upon or integrate with another existing aspect of your personality. The bite may mean that you are experiencing some pains or difficulties during the process. The dream may be a message for you to stay calm and patient and stay committed to your goals.
You have to keep in mind that the interpretations are to be applied in context i.e., the location and the type of dog that bites you in your dream determines which interpretation is relevant to your dream. Your association with dogs, present or previous, may also determine the nature of your dream.
Dog Attack / Black Dog Bite in a Dream
Seeing a dog attacking in dream is not uncommon. And this can happen in many different ways and observations. Such dreams are an indication of a need for giving up resistance to change and personal growth. It also can be viewed as a signal from the sub-conscious mind as a way of helping you to understand your own struggles and challenges.
A dog attack dream, in general terms, could indicate your fear of something or someone, distrust, or anxiety. You get such dreams because you are not in a position or in control of these feelings and it gets into your sub-conscious mind. Dog is known for its loyalty. Therefore, the dog in the dream could represent someone who you trust in your waking life. However, the person on whom you have the trust, may not be having the same amount of trust in you or their behaviour may cause hurt to you. As a result, you may have a feeling of anger or frustration which expresses itself in your dream as dog biting you.
The above interpretation of a dog bite dream is too general in nature, as it is a common theory that dreams are nothing but surfacing of suppressed emotions and thoughts from the sub-conscious mind. Dreams are subjective in nature and, therefore, may vary from person to person. Hence, the above interpretation is not definitive and conclusive.
Conclusion
Dreams are highly subjective in nature and will vary from person to person. Therefore, any interpretation about a dream can only be general and not specific to the individual.
Dogs are known for their loyalty. Seeing a dog in your dream or experiencing a dog bite or attack, including that of a black dog bite or attack, in dream generally indicates your struggle to control your emotions of anger or anxiety or distrust or fear of someone on whom you have full trust in your waking life. It can also be seen as a positive thing where it can serve as a sign in advance and tell you to stop resisting to a good change or improve your personality. This sign can also help you to deal with your emotion of fear or anxiety.
