From car trouble to crashes, a dream about your automobile often reveals your progress in life. It can also symbolize your body and how you take care of yourself. The following dreams are vivid examples of how these types of dreams can offer insights into your life.
Janet in Denver, Colorado dreamed of an accident involving her parents:
Cortney, I had a dream of riding in my parents’ car, the one they drive in real life. My father is driving, my mother is in the front passenger seat, and I’m in the backseat. It takes place in a hilly area with snow-packed roads. My father is talking, not paying close attention, and I see a curve ahead. I tell him the road curves and it is slick ahead. He puts on the brakes, but the car slides and overturns. I remember praying that everyone would be okay. Then suddenly I am in a river, maybe knee deep, and I’m helping others get in a big wooden boat. I help my grandmother first (she is deceased) and then I help my mother, seating her next to my grandmother. I don’t put my father in the boat because I don’t see him in or by the water. Others I help get in the boat include a rabbit, a head (with no body) of someone, and other people I don’t know. I then hold the boat so it doesn’t start going down the river. Could you possibly tell me what this dream is telling me? Thank you!
The first thing to notice about Janet’s dream is that she’s in the backseat of her parents’ car. If you dream that you’re in someone else’s car, especially if you’re not doing the driving, if often means you’re not forging your own path in life. Janet may feel that outside forces, such as her family — particularly her father — are in control of her direction. With the best of intentions, they may be trying to influence her choices in life. What’s more, she might also be following an unconscious family pattern that she needs break free of.
If you take the Jungian view, her father could symbolize the male (take-charge) part of her psyche, but it’s a part of her that’s not fully conscious (not paying attention while driving). Whatever the case, Janet needs to get in touch with her inner guidance so she doesn’t veer off her path.
The river symbolizes the emotional element of breaking free of old patterns, like upsetting some family members if she goes her own way. Saving her family symbolizes her desire to “save” what she values about her family, even as she tries to take charge of her life (control the boat). Her father being hidden from view may represent the part of Janet she has yet to acknowledge.
As for the other survivors, the rabbit may be a highly personal symbol to Janet (if she had a pet rabbit as a kid, for example), or it might represent a fear of standing up for herself. The headless person symbolizes Janet’s resistance to thinking about her current situation. The strangers are talents she has yet to realize. So although she wasn’t the driver in this dream, she’s empowered at the end, which means she’s able to create her own path.
Being lost is a recurring dream for Nice in Tamale, Ghana:
I have had the same dream in two days. I am on a journey, not knowing where I am going. I lose my way, some of my luggage, my laptop, and my cell phone won’t work. The second dream is the same, except that someone sends a vehicle to pick us up, but it’s too small. However, when I walk closer, I see it’s a large and comfortable vehicle with big, strong tires!
Nice seems to doubt her ability to find her direction in life. She’s out of touch with her inner and outer resources (luggage, laptop, phone), which hinders her ability to make the right choices. The second dream might symbolize her resistance to outside help, feeling that other people would let her down (inadequate car). However, the bigger car reveals that help is on the way. Or perhaps it’s Nice’s inner strength, as symbolized by the strong tires, that’s come to the rescue, enabling her to move forward. I suspect she’s more empowered than she gives herself credit for.
Driving is an uphill battle for Nelvin in Fresno, California:
In my dream, I am driving a car up in the mountains, but before I reach the top, the car breaks down. It’s a recurring dream that comes to me just before I start doing something new in my life.
It’s intriguing that this dream accompanies new activities in Nelvin’s life. Fortunately, he’s the driver, so he’s in control of his direction. The mountains represent his goals. However, the breakdown reveals his fear of failure, of not accomplishing what he set out to do. Nelvin indicated he’s a Leo, the sign of courage. If he can access his inner Lion, he’ll have the strength to overcome any obstacles to reaching the top.
