Cardinal and unexpected changes in appearance – up to the point that we ourselves do not recognize ourselves in the reflection – can cause anxiety and fear. What does such a dream say and what clue does our unconscious give us?
Dream
Vera, 45 years old
“I came to the hairdresser – it is in the basement, all the chairs are occupied. They tell me to come in an hour, they write me down. I’m out on the street again, it’s night there, at least it’s dark. I walk under the lanterns and behind the trees I see the sign of another barbershop. She’s in the basement too. I go down – only three or four chairs, only one is occupied.
I sit down, the hairdresser is not visible, then as if time slips – and now I’m already looking in the mirror. It’s not my face, but I recognize myself in it. The one in the mirror has bright red, almost red hair that sticks out in all directions. In reality, I could not imagine anything like that, but in a dream I am very pleased.
After waking up, I still had anxiety, although the dream was rather pleasant. Why do I see myself as a woman who does not look like me, and not only externally, but clearly and in character?
Interpretation
Stanislav Raevsky, Jungian analyst
“In this dream, the main thing is a change in appearance and, possibly, character. Appearance is something that always worries us. In adolescence, many worry about the shape of the nose or the size of the ears, later – about the size of the chest or waist. From the age of 30, anxiety appears about age-related changes in appearance.
By the age of 45, we are either forced to accept them, or we try to fight them with endless cosmetic procedures. But 45 is not only the age of external changes, it is also the central point of the midlife crisis. At this time, a profound transformation is taking place with us.
Our appearance and character, Carl Jung believed, are reflected in the Persona archetype.
A persona is a mask worn by ancient actors during a performance. But the persona is not only our image, the image that we show to others, it is also what we consider ourselves to be. The persona consists of what was once imposed on us.
For example, in childhood and adolescence, you may have heard more than once that you need to be obligatory or have a decent appearance. And we gradually begin to consider these installations as our own. But in order to find and realize our life path, to go through our process of individuation, we have to separate from the imposed ideas and hear the messages of our soul.
The soul communicates with a person in the language of dreams. Vera, the dream tells you to leave the room where there are a lot of people and all the places are occupied, and leads you to another hairdresser where there is a place for you, and not even one, so you have the opportunity to choose.
Cellars indicate that this process does not take place on the surface, but in the depths of the unconscious
Then you miraculously turn into another woman. What is her character? Perhaps we can figure it out. After all, red hair is a symbol of solar energy, strangeness, originality. A dream is a space where it is much freer than in the prison of our ordinary restrictions.
In a dream, you are pleased, but after waking up, anxiety appears – this consciousness is trying to protect its usual ideas. The dream offers you a new persona, a new behavior, where you can stop binding yourself and allow yourself more freedom.