Hi guys, found this website whilst searching the net for ideas and wondered if anyone had a take on this?

For years I have had a recurring theme of corpses either not being quite dead or not staying dead.

The people in my dream can vary but the basic picture is always the same. I'm attending a funeral (often it's a family member or someone I know, sometimes just a stranger) and the dead person is in a coffin. At some point, the corpse will start to move. The undertakers will 'shush' the person back down again and tell them to just go to sleep, they seem very unconcerned and say this is can sometimes happen when people wont die.

The corpse then usually 'wakes up' more and tries to get out of the coffin, often it makes it, sometimes it doesn't. In all cases, I am aware it wants me. I don't know if it wants to harm me or if it just wants to be with me. Either way, I am absolutely terrified and spend the whole dream in a state of fear trying to escape the corpse.

Last night's version was someone I went out with many years ago. He was in the coffin and was very determined to not stay there. He was 'shushed' down but would keep moving. Eventually the undertaker just screwed the lid of the coffin down and said he would settle. He didn't. he burst out of the coffin and it took 3 undertakers to struggle with him and get him out of the room. The other mourners looked on as if they were not in the least bit surprised whilst I was in complete panic mode and terrified.

Now, what I can't decide is whether these dreams stem from a fear I had as a child or if it's my subconscious trying to tell me something, it could be either.

When I was little, we lived in a flat that had a long hall with 3 corners in it. My Father used to teach first aid and he brought home the resuscitation dummy they used to teach mouth to mouth. Years ago, it was a full size life like doll with clothes, not like the little torsos they have these days.

Dad used to have it sitting out in one of the corners in the hall, propped up against the wall. I was terrified it would start breathing or moving by itself. I couldn't even go to the loo as I had to pass it on the way and I thought it would grab me. I was a constantly scared kid and Dad was very old school and army like in his parenting. We just had to 'get used to things and toughen up'. So, are my dreams a result of that fear 40+ years ago?

Or are they a symptom of my feelings about how I have no life and haven't had for years, and my concerns over my relationship that's on very shaky ground? The person I dreamt about last night was the first point at which my life took a wrong turn I think. If I hadn't met him/spent 5 years with him when I left school, I would have had a very different life up till now.

I've been feeling like I need to make changes recently, is the corpse getting up again a sign of me trying to make my life better? I have no idea.

Any thoughts? I'm getting a bit old now to be waking up in a cold sweat terrified at 5am, I'd like to lay this to rest whatever the cause is.

It is probably a mixture of different things.

Your childhoold experience was probably a part of it. Your unconscious probably uses your image of a rescusitation dummy as a symbol of something that is frightening. Since you were afraid of it suddenly coming to life, it could represent the idea of something getting out of control.

I've always found ventriloquists' dummies to be frightening because they seem to behave as though they are alive when they are not supposed to be. Maybe this is a common type of fear.

Death in dreams is often associated with change, so the dreams could have to do with making a change. They could have to do with needing to bury the past and move on, especially the dream about your ex.

They could also mean that you have to deal with issues you have been avoiding before you can move on psychologically.