Gah.  It was horrible.

Outofbodydude started a thread not long ago saying he was stabbed in the heart by a sword.  He didn't die immediately but walked around with the sword in his body for a while and then his dream faded out before the actual death happened.

So death in your dream represents rebirth or spiritual awakening?  

Well, what if I told you that my biggest fear of death would be by drowning?  It's always been my biggest fear.  I know how to swim, ski, wakeboard, body surf and all that fun stuff.  I'm as comfortable in the water as I am out of it, but why am I so scared to drown to death?

Last night's dream I was in one of those really fast ski boats with a friend driving.  She was going way too fast and was turning corners like mad, and I was petrified we'd catch air and flip over.  She rounded a corner of land and there in front of us was another boat just like ours with a girl driving it and BAM.  We hit each other head on.

Blackness... it enveloped me.  I could hear the sounds of being underwater.  I calmy started doggie paddling my way to the surface but somehow I knew I wouldn't make it and then I faded out.

Was my mind playing off my fear of drowning?  I never think about this fear unless I'm going to the lake - I don't know when I'll be going back right at this minute. :-?  Did I die in another life like this?  

This one sounds most unpleasant for you but there is a positive element to it, Kate.

I also have had a fear of drowning all my life, although I taught swimming lessons as a teenager.  However, my latest dreams regarding water are very calm.

What I see is a feeling of maybe not being in control...of some aspect of your life, or in this case, of your death.  The worst case scenario does happen but then comes the good part.  

You are calmly swimming toward the surface. This is the part where you have control.  Because you still have an underlying fear of death itself your mind would not allow you to experience the moment in which you ran out of air.

However, I can tell you that you were making a very good effort to stay alive, and you were calm. Two really good points.

Next time, if you can become lucid enough, simply breathe.  You will be able to breathe underwater.  I can assure you that in our dreams we can fly AND we can breathe underwater.

There's nothing to fear.  I had a dream last year in which I knew it was my last breath.  I was just above the water.  I felt an incredible calm.  That, indeed,is supposed to be the actual experience of drowning, once the person stops struggling and allows themself to breath the water.  A calmness descends at that point, and it is not a terrible feeling after that.  People can also see what is happening outside their body such as other people trying to save them.  This is from numerous near death experiences that people have reported after rafting accidents, etc.

So, see if it repeats in some way.  See if you can get lucid.  There's really nothing about it to fear there in the water. Not even our own deaths.

love, blink :)

wrote on Apr 2^nd, 2007 at 10:36am:

This one sounds most unpleasant for you but there is a positive element to it, Kate. I also have had a fear of drowning all my life, although I taught swimming lessons as a teenager.  However, my latest dreams regarding water are very calm. What I see is a feeling of maybe not being in control...of some aspect of your life, or in this case, of your death.  The worst case scenario does happen but then comes the good part.   You are calmly swimming toward the surface. This is the part where you have control.  Because you still have an underlying fear of death itself your mind would not allow you to experience the moment in which you ran out of air. However, I can tell you that you were making a very good effort to stay alive, and you were calm. Two really good points. Next time, if you can become lucid enough, simply breathe.  You will be able to breathe underwater.  I can assure you that in our dreams we can fly AND we can breathe underwater. There's nothing to fear.  I had a dream last year in which I knew it was my last breath.  I was just above the water.  I felt an incredible calm.  That, indeed,is supposed to be the actual experience of drowning, once the person stops struggling and allows themself to breath the water.  A calmness descends at that point, and it is not a terrible feeling after that.  People can also see what is happening outside their body such as other people trying to save them.  This is from numerous near death experiences that people have reported after rafting accidents, etc. So, see if it repeats in some way.  See if you can get lucid.  There's really nothing about it to fear there in the water. Not even our own deaths. love, blink :)

Blink,

Thank you for your interpretation.  I can't remember the last time I had a dream where I died so this one really threw me for a loop.  I'm really glad my dream faded before I ran out of air.  Geez - that's scary.  :-?  The next time I have a dream like this I'll try and become lucid.

Thanks again!
Katie  :)