Extremely Unnecessary Surgery

[John Updike]

The beginning of this dream was unclear, but something happened and I broke my foot. I was in pain, and in my garage. A team of doctors dressed in lay-clothes descended upon me and placed me on a table, injecting shots of anaesthetic into my thigh and prepping the foot. Then, one took out what looked to be some kind of complicated electric knife that one might use for cutting turkey or something, and began cutting my foot completely off. I didn't feel pain, just "slight discomfort" when they did this, and for a while afterwards hopped around on one food, marveling at what they'd just done to me. I was returned to a table shortly after, and they attached a whole new foot to my leg, so I wouldn't have to heal and could use this foot immediately. My family was getting ready to get in the car, and my dad bumped the new foot. I warned him to be careful, as it was a little bit tender still and would be for a while. I always thought that feet could be a symbol of sexual fetishes in dreams, especially since the one dream I had where I was carrying a bag full of severed feet to a girls' field hockey banquet while becoming a woman on the way, but in this dream it doesn't seem that way, maybe that I'm perceiving a threat to my mobility in some way in a symbolic sense? What do you all think?

[Inspirer]

This is all about the meaning of the foot, which might be differenct for you personally. I also cannot rule out enthnic tendencies in dream symbol meaning. But it's clear the foot is a natural part of you that was severed and replaced with an artificial one. I imagine the doctors are your culture, but as for the exact meaning of the foot I can only guess. But it was followed by you getting into a car with your family (control over life) and your father bumping your tender new foot. In a crazy way I'm imagining you were recently circumcised. Whatever it is, I can only hope you figure it out.

[John Updike]

I'm really hard pressed to think of anything relevant to the symbols in this dream, which Is why I was hoping there was a general wholesale interpetation of the foot and damage to it. For context, I will be a high school senior next year, college bound, I have recently been badly burned in a relationship (recently 6 months ago, but don't think this is relevant) and having a boring summer which can be characterized by the phrase "waiting for other people". I'm not sure if any of this helps, maybe there's a connection I'm not seeing but I don't think any of those things (probably the most major things in my life right now) are directly relevant to this dream, usually I find my dreams quite easy to interpret in the context of my life, but this one intrigued me and I can't figure it out. edit: I think I figured this out, the key being the fact that the therapy for the broken foot was so radical, instead of allowing a broken foot to heal, just cutting it off and replacing it. Perhaps I feel that I'm trying to hide the loss I feel by going ahead and moving on to the next thing without allowing myself time enough to heal, thanks for the help inspirer.

[Leo Volont]

Dear John, You know how they say "the journey of a 1000 Li begins with thge first step"... well such steps are taken with "feet". Feet are the doctrines and practices that we use in our spiritual journey. you are changing your ways. splicing on an inanimate foot, and you are promised you will be able to walk the same way afterward. But how can an artificial foot be as good as the real thing... you real foot. and then you worry that your father might obstruct the healing... bump your new foot. This sounds like a dream of self-alienation.