Recurring dream

[palestine]

Hello,

I've been having this same dream for several years now. I remembered today that I had it not long ago, but unlike other times, I didn't remember it right away.

I'm in a city, it's daytime, and it's more like summer than winter. Suddenly, in the distance (the view is somewhat clear), on a hill or at the top of a street, soldiers appear. They form a kind of band, and I understand that they're not there to joke around and that I have to escape.

And then, at that precise moment, I head off in the opposite direction. It seems that more soldiers are in other places, which narrows down my options.

I've had this dream several times; I've gotten used to it and become familiar with this "emergency situation": since then, I understand that when the soldiers arrive, there's one way out—but only one. It's quite strange. I think there are others, but the main point is that I've made the wrong choices every time. I have been able to refine so that I now remember what not to do. Let me explain: in a situation like this, a person might think the best thing to do is hide in a cellar, or in a house nearby. Over time, I realized that was a mistake and that I absolutely had to get out of the city. If I remember correctly, when I go to hide in a house, a cellar, or anywhere else, the soldiers "find" me.

Lately, the solution has been to throw myself into a river and swim away. That works as an option.

Anyway, sorry for the description. So basically, it's about a sudden appearance of soldiers who imprison people in a city. I remember one of those dreams where it ends in a prison camp. Those soldiers aren't good people.

Has anyone else had this dream? Since it happens regularly, I tend to internalize it as a premonition, or a real event: if I wanted to interpret it, I lack perspective. This dream worries me.

 

[Ricardo]

One way to interpret it is , the only way "out " is to learn , as riding some sort of wave ? XD , my own terrifying similar one was going back to high school. fwiw

 

[Alma.Innovadora]

When they are dreams like that I just think, what do I want to hide from?what part of me do you want to hide?what do I feel insecure about? and the rest is to examine my illusory life about my false self, my self-image towards myself and others.

I know very well what I do not want others to know and my dreams translate into being naked in front of others, until I accepted it as part of me, it is who I am, I know that I must do certain things to stop "hiding" or that part of me that does not want to be discovered, keeps me in fear of being discovered. Acceptance of oneself.

If you feel cornered by being discovered, what do you want to escape from emotionally?in what circumstances of your life have you felt that emotional pressure? only you should go deeper into it, into your emotions.

There is a dream that Laura had about some wolves, I don't remember it exactly now but it helped me a lot to explore emotions from another perspective. If someone manages to have it on hand, it would be helpful.

I can't find, but this can also be related, but it's just my interpretation close to something similar, I hope it helps you to investigate more and you can self-discover it by your gutter.

A: Realizing one's blindness and ignorance can be shattering but with the breaking of the shell of illusion and delusion, one can be born into the light!

 

[loreta]

Hello,

I've been having this same dream for several years now. I remembered today that I had it not long ago, but unlike other times, I didn't remember it right away.

I'm in a city, it's daytime, and it's more like summer than winter. Suddenly, in the distance (the view is somewhat clear), on a hill or at the top of a street, soldiers appear. They form a kind of band, and I understand that they're not there to joke around and that I have to escape.

And then, at that precise moment, I head off in the opposite direction. It seems that more soldiers are in other places, which narrows down my options.

I've had this dream several times; I've gotten used to it and become familiar with this "emergency situation": since then, I understand that when the soldiers arrive, there's one way out—but only one. It's quite strange. I think there are others, but the main point is that I've made the wrong choices every time. I have been able to refine so that I now remember what not to do. Let me explain: in a situation like this, a person might think the best thing to do is hide in a cellar, or in a house nearby. Over time, I realized that was a mistake and that I absolutely had to get out of the city. If I remember correctly, when I go to hide in a house, a cellar, or anywhere else, the soldiers "find" me.

Lately, the solution has been to throw myself into a river and swim away. That works as an option.

Anyway, sorry for the description. So basically, it's about a sudden appearance of soldiers who imprison people in a city. I remember one of those dreams where it ends in a prison camp. Those soldiers aren't good people.

Has anyone else had this dream? Since it happens regularly, I tend to internalize it as a premonition, or a real event: if I wanted to interpret it, I lack perspective. This dream worries me.

Don't be afraid of nightmares; I think they're a very important part of the mirror. They come to us to signal us. They use drastic measures, a particular way of speaking, to wake us up. They are sometimes uncompromising, harsh, seeming mean, but in fact, they are only reflecting a part of ourselves; they illuminate us. We are all potential criminals, and that's how psychopaths and soldiers appear in our dreams. Other times, angels appear in the form of butterflies, of great beauty. That, too, is us.

Light and darkness. As for recurring dreams, they are an insistence on confronting a part of ourselves that we refuse to see. They are not malicious; they are precisely doing a job of awakening us. We should humbly thank them for this.

 

[BlueKiwi]

I has a similar recurring dream - not soldiers, but something nefarious chasing me. I got so sick of being chased every night, I finally turned around to face it, only for nothing to be there. And the dream never returned.

The fact that your dream almost every time ends up in capture is interesting.

It could represent lessons are to be learned in the classroom (in this case the city) and challenges will be presented over again until the lesson is learned.

Some people take many incarnations to learn one lesson, for others it may take only one life.

The way the militaries are typically structured is very typical of the structure of STS - Hierarchies in a pyramidal fashion, so maybe the dream is about how to deal with STS attacks ?

The other thing STS are good at sniffing out and feeding of is fear - is that how you feel in the dream - scared ?

I'm guessing you've contemplated other options : Blend in to look like one of them and then escape? become an informer and join the dark side and other things ? But then that would mean becoming more like them...

Good luck !

 

[T.C.]

Lately, the solution has been to throw myself into a river and swim away. That works as an option.

Anyway, sorry for the description. So basically, it's about a sudden appearance of soldiers who imprison people in a city. I remember one of those dreams where it ends in a prison camp. Those soldiers aren't good people.

Has anyone else had this dream? Since it happens regularly, I tend to internalize it as a premonition, or a real event: if I wanted to interpret it, I lack perspective. This dream worries me.

If you had absolute power, what would be the best outcome for you in this dream scenario?

Create a shield of protection around yourself? Vapourise them just by pointing at them? Have rays of light come down from the sky which trap them where they stand? Pull a little remote control out of your pocket and use it to freeze or rewind time? Press the teleport button on the remote control and magically appear back in your house?

What would you do?

 

[palestine]

If you had absolute power, what would be the best outcome for you in this dream scenario?

Create a shield of protection around yourself? Vapourise them just by pointing at them? Have rays of light come down from the sky which trap them where they stand? Pull a little remote control out of your pocket and use it to freeze or rewind time? Press the teleport button on the remote control and magically appear back in your house?

What would you do?

My conscience tells me that I would like to have this "army" stopped; not because I will die if they catch me, but because they intend to catch all the people (and hurt them).

So, I think that I would like those people to be stopped. When I get caught, I don't remember what happens. Things stop, and looking back, I suppose that I die - so the dream stops. Sometimes, I noticed that I ended up in a camp of some sort. And so, my own safety, or my own salvation is not much the matter, but on the moment I still feel an urge just to "save my skin".

So, it's difficult to answer your question because I am not wired to think in those terms, or at least I don't think of the possibility of gathering superpowers! But I can try. Hmmm this army is powerful, so I would think that I could gather forces with others and push them back. But those soldiers have tech, jackets and weapons. Hmm what could I do? I suppose that some supernatural power would help. I think that making a rock levitate and throw it through them could work, because it would disperse the "enclosure", which seems part of their plan. They just studied and closed all possible issues, so that when they appear, there are few chances of escaping. Those are scientists, and have meticulously planned their plan. They know what people think and they predicted most of the people's natural behaviours.

A teleporter would perfectly work.

Killing their boss may work, because it's a subjective project, that stuff. There is one guy heading the action. So, without him, could be that the soldiers would stop.

A flying carpet would be perfect. There seems to be something with being trapped physically "on ground", because encircled. And yeah, the main obstacles is that the city has walls and buildings and the interstices are just filled in with soldiers. So, a big problem seems "ground"-blockade related. Very odd.

Pull a little remote control out of your pocket and use it to freeze or rewind time?

This would work because once back I would know that the soldiers are about to appear. I would have time to leave, with calm, and get outside of the theater of operations, which seems to be the city.

Once, I had a dream about this totalitarian thing. I successfully escaped - well, to be precise I found myself "outside of the city" at the start of my dream (more or less, the matter is that in this dream I wasn't facing the emergency situation). I was in the countryside, the surroundings of the city, so I felt really more free here. Instead of starting with "soldiers appear and I am trapped", the initial context was different. And, to my surprise, I met, in this countryside, a colony of people, a long march, procession of people heading towards the city. I thought, and I told them: "don't go, the city is a trap!". But those people weren't receptive to this info, I understand that they had walked a long road, that they were acting as they felt was the best - and that they had escaped something (hence their errance). It could be that those were survivors of similar ambushes, at another place. But the main point is that they were free when I met them, in the countryside. And they were heading to 100% captivity and danger. This group was composed of normal people, big variety, foreigners, african with colourful clothes, kids, people, etc. This has been very vivid. As I could not convince them I left them, wishing them good luck, something like that. I was feeling free and that I could not prevent the harm of this world, so I left, a bit disappointed and sad, but happy to be free.

So I think that the matter of this dream is to avoid ending up caught by the soldiers. The soldier's in chief, the responsible for all of this - is my father. I saw him in my dream and this is very odd. It's like a game and he is pity-free. I am not a "son", during all of this, and the dad-son relationship is put on pause, for the priority of an agenda of some sort (rounding up civilians).

I think that the solution to this is that the boss would not carry on in the first place. That he be stopped before starting doing those things. Ultimately, those soldiers, putting their hands on civilians, is just STS opportunism. They do what others did in the past, disposing of others for negative purposes. And so, "not another one".

But I have this feeling that "it is too late", "now they are carrying on", "we would have had the time to solve this before", "but now that it starts it's not possible any more".

Thanks for the comments, of other users. I am thinking about it so I did not comment for now! But thank you!

 

[BlueKiwi]

There are so many levels to dreams that out higher selves give to us. The more you contemplate them, the more signals are revealed, I think.

Do you think that

the solution has been to throw myself into a river and swim away

Could be a metaphor for "Let nature take it's course" ?

 

[palestine]

There are so many levels to dreams that out higher selves give to us. The more you contemplate them, the more signals are revealed, I think.

Do you think that



Could be a metaphor for "Let nature take it's course" ?

Eh... I really did not train the introspection / meditation / emotional aspect lately, so I critically lack the ability to take distance in regard of those principles. It is extremely difficult for me to think in those terms, and then to provide an answer. Let's say that I never thought of the elements of the dream as having another signification, or that this dream is so engrained in myself (some fear, traumatic) that it's hard for me to reach such a consideration.

Hmm I don't think that the river means this. (If I was to tell you my feeling!). But this does not mean that it isn't. I would see it as the materialization of a way for escape. But I find it true to say that it's nature which pops up. But to be honest, this river was a canal, not really a river. You know, those rivers who have concrete instead of earth.

The way the militaries are typically structured is very typical of the structure of STS - Hierarchies in a pyramidal fashion, so maybe the dream is about how to deal with STS attacks ?

I think so. Feeling oppressed. And, on the forum we read all the time about this "concealed military-industrial cabal operating above the government"... "The carrying on of their ultimate project" :) :) "Oh! They did it the nasty people!"

The other thing STS are good at sniffing out and feeding of is fear - is that how you feel in the dream - scared ?

Hmm yes a bit scared but more triggered that word, how do we say? When we are put into traumatic emergency? Limbic response?

I'm guessing you've contemplated other options : Blend in to look like one of them and then escape? become an informer and join the dark side and other things ? But then that would mean becoming more like them...

Not that avenue, I would say. It's rather an immediate urge to get away because those soldiers are against the citizen. And, you know, I just pop up in midst of a street and the dream starts up. I don't have much room for thinking in such terms, it immediately goes to "let's leave", and I feel that there is a component which goes by "prompt reaction". Seeing people around who lack the prompt reaction, while I immediately know I need to leave and that there is danger. As people are just wondering what in the world is happening, I am already running away.

Well, I wouldn't have time to blend or to become an informant. This dreams is like "pure action" popping up.

I finally turned around to face it

That's a good idea, I am wondering if those soldiers would turn into paper people, suddenly! Sorts of scarecrows.

 

[loreta]

I think dreams are like fairy tales, and in reverse, fairy tales are like dreams. The elements of nature are always present: water, fire, iron, vegetal, air, the inhabitants of these elements—strange beings, small creatures or monsters, ogres, dragons, and from the animal kingdom: wolves, rabbits, insects, and so on. Water is important, I think. It's essential to life, like air. We are made of water. Water is movement, ripples, and Gods live in it, as well as mammals, like us, and water is connected to the moon. If water in your dream is the means of survival that saved your life, it's because deep down you discovered a part of yourself, and that's very positive. Water is also a mirror.

Going to the bottom of the water is going to the bottom of oneself.

 

[Sindy-S.R]

Hello,

I've been having this same dream for several years now. I remembered today that I had it not long ago, but unlike other times, I didn't remember it right away.

I'm in a city, it's daytime, and it's more like summer than winter. Suddenly, in the distance (the view is somewhat clear), on a hill or at the top of a street, soldiers appear. They form a kind of band, and I understand that they're not there to joke around and that I have to escape.

And then, at that precise moment, I head off in the opposite direction. It seems that more soldiers are in other places, which narrows down my options.

I've had this dream several times; I've gotten used to it and become familiar with this "emergency situation": since then, I understand that when the soldiers arrive, there's one way out—but only one. It's quite strange. I think there are others, but the main point is that I've made the wrong choices every time. I have been able to refine so that I now remember what not to do. Let me explain: in a situation like this, a person might think the best thing to do is hide in a cellar, or in a house nearby. Over time, I realized that was a mistake and that I absolutely had to get out of the city. If I remember correctly, when I go to hide in a house, a cellar, or anywhere else, the soldiers "find" me.

Lately, the solution has been to throw myself into a river and swim away. That works as an option.

Anyway, sorry for the description. So basically, it's about a sudden appearance of soldiers who imprison people in a city. I remember one of those dreams where it ends in a prison camp. Those soldiers aren't good people.

Has anyone else had this dream? Since it happens regularly, I tend to internalize it as a premonition, or a real event: if I wanted to interpret it, I lack perspective. This dream worries me.

If it helps, I've been doing an experiment and personal entertainment for several weeks now, and I'm using Grok to interpret my dreams.
The more details you give, the more effective the interpretation.
Remember, it's just one dream interpretation!

Here's what Grok told me about your dream:

Wow, what an intense and recurring dream! Thanks for sharing it with so much detail; that really helps me break it down better. Remember that dream interpretations are subjective—there’s no absolute “truth”—they can reflect your emotions, past experiences, current worries, or even the way your brain processes things unconsciously. I’ll use symbolic (inspired by Jung or Freud), emotional, and practical approaches to give you a balanced view. Let’s go step by step.

1. Summary of the dream and key elements​

• Setting: A city during the day, with a summery vibe (light, clarity). This suggests a “normal” or everyday context that suddenly turns threatening. The hill or high street implies a threat coming from “above” or from a position of power.
• Soldiers: They appear suddenly, forming a kind of band (like an organized group), and they’re not messing around—they represent imminent danger, control, or repression. They’re not “good people,” and one of the dreams ends in a prisoner camp, evoking themes of captivity, war, or authoritarianism.
• Your reaction: Attempts to escape, with limited options. You’ve learned through trial and error: hiding (in basements or houses) fails and leads to being “found.” The successful way out is throwing yourself into a river and swimming.
• Recurrence: You’ve dreamed this several times, you’ve gotten used to it, and you’ve familiarized yourself with this “emergency situation.” This indicates your subconscious is processing something repetitive in your life, like a problem you keep trying to solve over and over.

It’s like an oneiric “game” where you test scenarios until you find the “right exit.” It sounds stressful, but also empowering because you’ve progressed in “learning” within the dream.

2. Symbolic interpretation​

• The soldiers and the invasion: In dreams, military figures often symbolize external forces that control or threaten your freedom. They could represent oppressive authority (a boss, family, society, government) or even internal aspects like fears, guilt, or self-imposed pressures. Their sudden appearance suggests something unpredictable in your life—perhaps stress from unexpected changes, like work issues, relationships, or global events (think news about conflicts, pandemics, or instability). The fact that they form a “band” implies organization and inevitability, as if it’s a “system” you’re fighting against alone.
• The city and the escape: The city could be your “comfort zone” or daily routine, which turns into a trap. Escaping in the opposite direction but with reduced options reflects feelings of being cornered in real life—limited choices, like in a job, relationship, or personal situation where you feel there aren’t many ways out. You’ve noticed there’s “only one” good route, which points to a subconscious lesson: not all obvious solutions work.
• Common mistakes (hiding): Going to a basement or house symbolizes seeking refuge in the familiar or internal (like emotionally isolating yourself, ignoring problems, or “hiding” in routines). But it fails because the soldiers find you—perhaps your mind is telling you that avoiding or repressing doesn’t solve anything; on the contrary, it traps you more. This could relate to patterns in your life where you try to “hide” from conflicts (avoiding confrontations, procrastinating) and end up worse off.
• The solution: The river and swimming: This is key and positive! Water in dreams often represents emotions, the subconscious, or renewal. Throwing yourself into the river suggests “diving” into your feelings, flowing with them instead of resisting. Swimming implies active action, adaptation, and moving toward the unknown. It works because it takes you out of the city (away from the “rigid structure”) toward something freer and more natural. It could symbolize that the real escape is emotional or intuitive: letting go, trusting the flow of life, or even making a radical change like moving, switching careers, or facing fears head-on.
• The prisoner camp: This evokes loss of freedom, humiliation, or stagnation. If the dream ends there when you fail, it could reflect fears of negative consequences if you don’t act right—like “getting stuck” in a toxic situation.

In Jungian terms, this could be an “archetype of pursuit”: your shadow (repressed aspects) or the “animus” (aggressive/masculine energy) manifesting as soldiers. Freud might see it as repressed anxiety about authority or past traumas.

3. Emotional and psychological interpretation​

• Recurrent anxiety and stress: Recurring dreams usually point to something unresolved. Do you feel in real life an “imminent threat” that forces you to “escape”? It could be work stress, studies, relationships, or global events (like political/economic instability). The summer/daylight contrasts with the danger, suggesting the problem arises in moments of “apparent calm.”
• Learning and empowerment: The great thing is that you’ve “evolved” in the dream—from mistakes to success. This reflects resilience: your mind is training you to handle crises better. Maybe in waking life you’re dealing with important decisions and have learned from past failures (e.g., “I don’t hide anymore, I act”).
• Possible triggers: Have you experienced or seen something related to conflicts, like war movies, news about protests, or personal experiences of “persecution” (bullying, family pressures)? Or maybe it’s metaphorical: feeling “invaded” by responsibilities.

4. Practical advice​

• Reflect: What’s happening in your life when you have this dream? Keep a dream journal to spot patterns (e.g., after stressful days?). Ask yourself: “What ‘soldiers’ are chasing me in reality? What ‘river’ could be my way out?”
• Techniques for recurring dreams: Before sleeping, visualize a positive ending (swimming freely). Or practice lucid dreaming: in the dream, recognize it’s a dream and change the script.
• If it persists: If it affects you a lot (anxiety upon waking), consider talking to a therapist—it could be signs of generalized anxiety or even something like stress-related processing.

In summary, this dream seems to be shouting “Find the right way out and don’t hide!” It could be your subconscious urging you to face something directly, flow with changes, and leave behind what traps you. It’s a dream of survival and growth—not bad at all! If you want to add more details or focus on something specific (like a symbol), just tell me.

Or it could be a memory from a past life...

 

[T.C.]

It could be that there are lots of soldiers because you have lots of thoughts pulling you in different directions and conflicting with each other, evidenced by the difficulty you have in coming up with a single answer/solution to the thought experiment that I posed. You say that your father is the chief of these soldiers, and since you are born from him, that would also make sense.

For example, if I kept having that dream and thought of what I would do about it, then I’d probably say something like ‘Vapourise the soldiers with rays of light’. The fact that you are reluctant to explore the possibility of some sort of super-power or special power suggests to me that you feel like you are not allowed to have any agency in a realm that is, basically, your own mind.

You are allowed to imagine whatever you want. It’s your dream; it’s your inner experience.

I’m reminded of a scene in the story Pride and Prejudice. The main character of the story (L.) has gone to visit a friend of hers, with some of the friend’s family members (one of them is called M.). Whilst there, they meeting a very rich, grandiose and narcissistic old woman who tells people what to do all the time. After a couple of weeks they are leaving and L. finds M. unpacking her luggage in her room. L. asks M. what she is doing and M. says she’s re-packing her bags because the old woman told her the ‘only way to pack luggage’. L. says, “These are your bags. These are your clothes. You may pack them any way you like. (The old woman) will never know.”

You can choose, if you want, to not be so resistant to exploring the potentials of your imagination. It is, after all, yours. It doesn’t belong to your father or anyone else.