2 dreams from my childhood

It's been several years since I've had these dreams, but they're the only dreams that have stayed with me distinctively. I just want to know what they might have meant at the time.

I am a 17 yr. old Mexican-American girl. I can't recall exactly how old I was during the two dreams, but I'm think I was around 5 to 7. I was a very socially awkward girl. I had friends, but many of them just used me as the butt of their jokes. My teacher even thought I was autistic, but parents believed she was wrong (I'm fine right now, so I'm guessing she was wrong). I was very close to my parents (my dad more than my mom), but I had a bit of a strained relationship with my siblings. i was the middle child and looked a bit different from them (I had darker skin, was a bit hairier, and was mistaken for being Indian). They would constantly make me cry by telling me I was found in a trash can and that my real parents were monkeys. Harsh, huh? Weird thing was, I always forgave them since they would always apologize to me afterward.

That was a bit long, but I am aware that I should at least describe a bit of myself when asking for interpretations.

The first dream was on a mountain in the forest. It was my parents, my big brother, my little sister, and myself. The dream terrified me. We were hiking and almost immediately I became lost from them. I wandered around before I came upon them. They were cornered by a bear, and my dad was yelling at my mom and siblings to run, but then he ran with us. The next thing I remember we were separated. I didn't see my sister again. The bear was running after my brother. I watched as the bear went for my brother and ran when he began to attack. I could hear my brother scream. Then I came upon a giant square pit with snakes at the bottom. There was a log that allowed you to cross and my mom was on the other side calling for me. My dad was walking across the log and told me to follow him. I was so scared, but the bear was behind me, so I began to crawl my way across. I began to cry terribly because I was afraid of falling. My dad encouraged me to keep going, but when I looked up he began to wobble. He fell into the snakes below. I stopped and started crying harder, gripping onto the log. My mom was yelling that if I didn't make it, she would leave me behind. I woke up right here and I began to cry. I went out and found my mom in the kitchen. I cried when I told her what happened in my dream and she hugged me and gave me some milk before sending me to bed. I never had that dream again, but it's always been in my memory.

The second dream can be seen as a bit silly, but it still scared me as a child. It should be known that I have a tendency to easily become terrified and paranoid of anything I find unsettling. Right now, I have what can only be called xenophobia and a fear of the paranormal. At the time, I was terrified of puppets. And not just any puppets, here's the kicker: I was afraid of Sesame Street's Grover. Yeah, the blue one with the pink nose. The dream started with me waking up from a nightmare. Usually when I had a bad dream (at that was a lot at this age), I would go into my parents' room to sleep with them. When I crawled of my bunk to leave I looked into my brother's bed (bottom bunk). And it was Grover. He looked at me and screamed like he was the one surprised by me. I screamed and ran out into my parents room. When I crawled into their bed however, they were replaced. By two other Grovers (the "mother" one wearing a pink nightgown makes me laugh when I remember). They screamed and I screamed even louder, crawling away from them. When I turned around there was a tv there with Grover on it. When I looked around, it was a room of Grovers. I proceeded to freak out until I woke up in a cold sweat. I didn't leave my bed that night.

Does anyone have some light to shed on what these dreams could have meant?

There are a few dreams from my childhood that I remember quite vividly as well. I don't know why our minds hold on to some memories and not others, but I think it is intersting none the less. I think the first dream may just be a reflection of the childhood fear of abandonment (or even a memory of it), which lots of people have even as they get older, especially as one becomes aware (consciously and/or unconsciously) that they are a seperate entity from their parents and have to become independent and take care of themselves. I think that is shown when you are on the log and you father and brother are gone and your mother is threatening to leave you - you subconscious was saying "you are on your own now" or "you will have to get out of this on your own," which is a scary prospect for a child who is used to having parents take care of their every need.

To me the second dream is kind of how fear itself can be silly and surprising. From what I have read about dreams and nightmares, sometimes the mind will present you with images that cause fear to encourage you to face that fear. Too get the point across the scary image may appear multiple times or in great quantities (like the room full of Grovers) to force your unconscious mind to face the fear (or problem you need to solve) until you have overcome it. It's a part of the learning process that the human psyche is continually engaged in, night or day. I think dreams are a great place to face your fears because if you learn to become lucid than you know that you can face them without fear because the situation is not happening in the "real" world and therefore cannot hurt you.

I hope that helps. Take care. :)