In my previous post, I wrote about a dream where I boldly split a whole cabbage with my own hands and ate it. Today, I’d like to share the follow-up story.
The previous article
Ghost in the Shell and a cabbage core. The brain is this easily fooled.
A friend who heard about this dream said the following.
“Are you okay? Could it be stress?”
To be honest, it didn’t quite register at first, but indeed, there’s a strong possibility that the distressing dream was caused by stress.
So, I decided to ask AI-sensei about it.
The answer I received was quite interesting, so I’m recording it here.
I wonder if dreams are some kind of sign.
I don’t usually remember my dreams.
The rare dream I had this time felt strangely real.
I dreamed of splitting a whole cabbage in half with my hands and biting into it.
Then the core got stuck in my throat, and no matter what I did, I couldn’t get it out—I panicked and woke up.
The weight of the cabbage, the sensation of splitting it—it all felt strangely real.
And so did the stuck feeling when the core caught in my throat.
That sensation continued even after I woke up.
I asked a Jungian psychologist.
According to what I learned, in Jungian psychology, everything that appears in a dream is interpreted as a “symbol.”
Cabbage is a vegetable with dozens of leaves wrapped around its core.
In Jungian terms, it symbolizes something with a layered structure.Human psychology is the same, isn’t it?
The face we show to the outside is made up of multiple layers, and beneath them lies our true self.So, what does the act of “boldly splitting it by hand” signify?
This is said to represent a “forceful breakthrough.”
Instead of peeling it off layer by layer, you’re trying to pry it open with sheer force.You’re trying to reach the essence of something immediately, on your own.
And in the middle of eating—that is, getting stuck in the middle of the process.The throat is a symbolic organ for “words, expression, and communication.”
Having the core stuck in the throat means…
You’ve realized the essence, but you can’t express it well in words.
The Jungian psychologist’s conclusion was as follows.
“You’ve realized something core, but you’re getting stuck at the stage of verbalizing or expressing it. Aren’t you rushing to do it all at once?”
…That hit me.
I asked a Freudian psychoanalyst.
Freud interprets it a bit more in the context of “desires, impulses, and repression.”
When a strong impulse to eat appears in a dream, in many cases, it indicates
a fundamental desire to “make something your own, to absorb it.”の表れ。
Furthermore, focusing on the roughness of “boldly splitting it by hand”: the energy you suppress in daily life is being released in the dream.
So, what does the experience of getting stuck represent? Freud interprets this as a metaphor for repression.
Something you try to swallow but can’t.
Something you want to accept but cannot.
Words you want to say but can’t.
The Freudian psychoanalyst’s conclusion was as follows:
“Are you suppressing something you really want to do somewhere inside? The stuck feeling in your throat might be a sign of ‘things left unsaid.’”
It perfectly overlapped with Jung’s interpretation.
I asked a sleep medicine specialist.
From here, we shift focus to the body.
In sleep medicine, there’s this way of thinking:
“Dreams are a device that converts the state of the body into a story.”
For example, if you get cold while sleeping, you might dream of being lost in a snowy mountain.
If your bladder is full, you might dream of searching for a toilet.
If there’s a sensation in your throat, you might dream of something getting stuck.
In other words, the body’s signals come first, and the dream is generated to explain them.
Specifically, it might be one of the following.* A mild episode of sleep apnea (temporary narrowing of the airway)
* Gastroesophageal reflux (stomach acid flowing back up into the throat)
* Dry air in the room (throat dryness causing discomfort)
The conclusion from sleep medicine was as follows:
“What matters more than the content of the dream is that you woke up in distress. If it happens repeatedly, you should seek medical attention. The dream may have simply added a narrative to those symptoms.”
A realistic perspective. But it’s saying something important too.
Even if a bodily signal was the trigger, the content of the dream’s story is chosen by the unconscious.
Putting together the three perspectives, here’s what I realized.
Putting together the three perspectives, here’s what I realized.
The three experts each interpreted the dream from different angles.
But in the end, what they were saying aligned in a curious way.
In other words.
“There are things left unsaid, building up around your throat.”
All three of them said the same thing.
Decoding your own subconscious.
Question 1: “What actions was I taking in the dream?”
In my case: I was boldly splitting it by hand. No tools, just my own strength, and in a hurry.
This could reflect my current behavior patterns.
Instead of building things carefully, I try to force them open with strength.
In a rush, I try to do everything all at once.
Your actions in the dream are a mirror of your habits in real life.
Question 2: “Which part of the body got stuck?”
In my case: the throat.
The throat is considered the part of the body that governs “words, expression, and communication.”
In Jungian psychology, Eastern medicine, and even the concept of chakras, the throat is linked to “self-expression.”
If it’s the hands that get stuck, it means “unable to act.”
If it’s the stomach, it means “unable to digest (not accepting).”
If it’s the throat, it means “unable to speak, unable to express.”
The body shows you where the problem resides.
Question 3: “What were you trying to achieve in the dream?”
In my case: I was trying to eat the whole cabbage.
Whole, all at once, in a single go.
This can be interpreted as a manifestation of the unconscious desire to “obtain everything all at once.”
Impatience. Perfectionism. The feeling that you have to do everything.
A thought pattern of “all or nothing” rather than “little by little.”
The “goal” in your dream reflects what you are truly pursuing in your waking life.
Question 4: “How did the dream end?”
In my case: It was distressing, and I woke up.
I couldn’t achieve it.
It ended without finishing the whole cabbage.
When a dream ends with an “unachieved goal,” Jung says it’s a sign that “your current approach won’t get you there.”
It doesn’t mean the goal is wrong, but a warning that your approach might be wrong.
What this dream wanted to tell me.
Through the four questions, I tried to put into words the message the dream was conveying to me.
“The destination is clear. But you get stuck because you try to force everything at once. If you have something to say, put it into words first. Don’t rush. There’s an order to things.”
Maybe that’s exactly it.
It’s strange, but I realized that I might have been under stress without noticing, since it was the time I was rushing to start something new after the three tough years of my “great misfortune” ended last year.
Let’s take a moment to calm down and think.
If you think, “It’s just a dream,” then that’s all there is to it.
It’s also okay to take it as a message from your own heart.
For my part, I decided to keep the dream’s message in mind and reconsider how I’m moving forward.
Whether you believe it or not…
I said that for dramatic effect, but personally, I found the interpretation strangely convincing.
If you’ve been having strange dreams lately, try these four questions.
Surprisingly, you might gain insight into your current state of mind???
That’s all for today’s article.
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