ABDOMEN

Example: The people watching are saying “Kill her! Kill her! Kill her!” Then someone finds an extra bullet, puts it in the gun and shoots me in the stomach. I wake with my body completely straight with my hands on my stomach. I feel my whole body cracking up inside’ (Vanessa). Almost half the dreams on file which mention abdomen, belly or stomach show the dreamer being shot, as in the example. This is obviously to do with a particular type of hurt. When human beings learned to stand up, they exposed their vulner­able underbelly.

If we are hurt or threatened we tense the pelvic and abdominal area. Vanessa wakes to just such ten­sion, with a sense of her body being fragmented.

The opposite is to dream of waves of pleasure moving within us, which gives us a sense of integration within ourself and with the world.

In general the abdomen represents the potential of our fully active natural drives—hunger, longing to be held; desire to give of ourself.

If these are hurt, we tend to hold ourself back from active social expression or intimacy of feelings in relationships. Our abdomen is also our digestive ability, both physical and psychological. Stomach or abdominal dreams may refer to some dis-ease in the actual organs. We might not be able to stomach something we have met in the everyday world.

To vomit: a discharging of unpleasant feelings resulting from ingesting (hearing, reading, being told, experiencing) something unpleasant.

In her dream Vanessa was re-enacting the Hungerford di­saster, and feeling the fear it engendered. Shot in the belly, sex; painful response to relationship. Idioms: bellyaching; have a bellyful; eyes bigger than one’s belly, have a strong stomach; turn one’s stomach; butterflies in stomach.

If healthy it indicates the manifestation of your wishes.

If unhealthy be careful of accidents. It could be an indication of not so happy events surfacing. Also - A dream of contrary.

If you dreamed you had pain in this region, you will have success due to good health and vigor. But if you dreamed of your abdomen being exposed in any way, it is a warning of unfaithfulness or treachery on the part of someone you trust. Be cautious with confidences. Also, dreaming about any body part is a way to bring the dreamer’s conscious attention to it. When, in your dream, you are feeling pain or discomfort in this area or any other area of the body, consider how well that part of your body is functioning in real life. Being health-conscious is a positive thing and both psychological and physical factors need to be considered. At times our unconscious knows that something is wrong even before we have any symptoms. “Old wives’ tales” tell us that this is a dream of the contrary and that you will have lots of vigor and good health.

(or lower body)

(1) The abdomen may represent sexual feelings.

(2) It may also represent die unconscious. Naturally, (2) may include (1), and a dream in which the abdomen or lower part of the trunk plays a significant part may be trying to get you to pay more attention, and give more space in vour life, to the instinctive functions.

(3) The meaning may be more specific. For example, for a professional woman the message might be that she should allow her body the biological fulfilment of sex and / or motherhood.

(4) There may be some purely physiological reason for the abdomen featuring in a dream: perhaps a full bladder or indigestion.

(5) If there is, in the dream, a feeling of pain in the stomach, it mav represent a psychological indigestion, an inability to accept something. For example, it might be that there is some situation that you are refusing to face up to; or some lesson in life - or some word of wisdom from your unconscious - that you are not assimilating.