Shadow Man In Dreams?

[Acey]

Hello, My name is Acey and I'm new here.

I'm trying to see if anyone can help give me some sort of an explanation about this.

I've been seeing a Shadow Man in my dreams since I was around 5 years old...I am 21 now. This shadow man has no features, other than glowing eyes and sometimes an evil up-turned toothy/fang kind of smile...hard to explain. His eyes vary from blood red/glowing to REGULAR glowing (white/yellow).

I see this man every few weeks, I've seen him 100's of times already over my lifetime. In the dreams, He never says a word...I think he's mumbled something before, But I can't remember. Anyways, He tends to follow me around in the dreams, and stalk me. He can tell that I'm afraid and he seems to enjoy it. Some specific occurrences, that were within the last year, Were especially frightening:

In one dream, I am outside, I cannot remember what I'm doing for the whole dream, Anyways, I'm with my little girl, and we go into this house- we follow some people in. It's a quaint normal house- but it's very big. We go inside, I'm trying to get us away from something. We go in, and I see the Shadow Man following me/us. He only appears in the mirrors, or in glass...Anything reflective- And I try to avoid my reflection because he's there looking back at me, red glowing eyes, and grinning. I'm afraid, and avoid anything that he might be seen in.

Another dream, He is in full "human" form- But he's all shadow- like always. I get lost with my mother in an abandoned factory, And we are walking down a corridor, and I see him right as he sees me, and he starts coming after me- we turn and run, and he's so fast- But we end up falling through the floorboards, down to another level, and I don't see him again in the dream, because my attention is now focused on something else.

In another dream, I'm doing a photoshoot for some friends, and inside this room, and the Shadow Man jumps out of a cooking pot, of all places, and tries to strangle me to death...he is able to grab me this time, but I escape and run away.

THOSE are some examples of his behavior.

This Shadow Man ALWAYS scares me...he terrifies me in the dreams, and even when I'm awake, that feeling of fear still sticks with me...It feels like he's a part of me that won't go away...It's hard to explain. His demeanor is generally very creepy...Very calm, quiet...Just observing and watching...following me. Other times, he's angry and violent and attacks me...It varies.

Anyways, Sorry this is so long, but I'm hoping that there might be a meaning for this?? I've seen him 100's of times from 5-21 years old...so there must be SOME meaning.....

Thanks you

Acey

[White Crane Feather]

Hello, My name is Acey and I'm new here.

I'm trying to see if anyone can help give me some sort of an explanation about this.

I've been seeing a Shadow Man in my dreams since I was around 5 years old...I am 21 now. This shadow man has no features, other than glowing eyes and sometimes an evil up-turned toothy/fang kind of smile...hard to explain. His eyes vary from blood red/glowing to REGULAR glowing (white/yellow).

I see this man every few weeks, I've seen him 100's of times already over my lifetime. In the dreams, He never says a word...I think he's mumbled something before, But I can't remember. Anyways, He tends to follow me around in the dreams, and stalk me. He can tell that I'm afraid and he seems to enjoy it. Some specific occurrences, that were within the last year, Were especially frightening:

In one dream, I am outside, I cannot remember what I'm doing for the whole dream, Anyways, I'm with my little girl, and we go into this house- we follow some people in. It's a quaint normal house- but it's very big. We go inside, I'm trying to get us away from something. We go in, and I see the Shadow Man following me/us. He only appears in the mirrors, or in glass...Anything reflective- And I try to avoid my reflection because he's there looking back at me, red glowing eyes, and grinning. I'm afraid, and avoid anything that he might be seen in.

Another dream, He is in full "human" form- But he's all shadow- like always. I get lost with my mother in an abandoned factory, And we are walking down a corridor, and I see him right as he sees me, and he starts coming after me- we turn and run, and he's so fast- But we end up falling through the floorboards, down to another level, and I don't see him again in the dream, because my attention is now focused on something else.

In another dream, I'm doing a photoshoot for some friends, and inside this room, and the Shadow Man jumps out of a cooking pot, of all places, and tries to strangle me to death...he is able to grab me this time, but I escape and run away.

THOSE are some examples of his behavior.

This Shadow Man ALWAYS scares me...he terrifies me in the dreams, and even when I'm awake, that feeling of fear still sticks with me...It feels like he's a part of me that won't go away...It's hard to explain. His demeanor is generally very creepy...Very calm, quiet...Just observing and watching...following me. Other times, he's angry and violent and attacks me...It varies.

Anyways, Sorry this is so long, but I'm hoping that there might be a meaning for this?? I've seen him 100's of times from 5-21 years old...so there must be SOME meaning.....

Thanks you

Acey

Hi acey. I think it's time to confront it. I suggest going on the attack. These things are like dogs and bullies. Once you show them you are willing to fight it out, they back down. You have to be domnant in this situation. About for times s day repeat to yourself a short command to yourself. That the next time you see him you will attack with all your might and anger. Keep doing this until it's starts to happen in your dreams. Mske it your goal to end up on top if him pumeling him while reminding him how week and pathetic he is.

Evenchually you will gain lucidity in your dreams with him in it. You will gave done battles with him, you will stop fearing him, he will go away. If it's been with you this long it's not going away, so it's time to take matters into your own hands.

Good luck. If you try my sugestion keep us posted on what happens. If it still is a problem stay in contact and pm me I have some more complicated things you can try.

[White Crane Feather]

As for meaning there is never a clear answer. sevastial around here has a gift for dream meaning I'll see if I can get him to help.

One thing is clear though. This is a nagging challenge, I'm sure you are ment to confront it.

Edited March 29, 2011 by Seeker79

[SlimJim22]

Hey Acey, wlecome to UM. This sounds to me like a typical 'sensed presence' experience. It is thought to be linked to temporal lobe epilepsy though this may not be true in all cases.

The sensed presence is that feeling that there is some one or some living thing close to you, but when you turn to look, you don't find anybody there. There are several variations on the theme. In one,

This experience only occurs when a person is in an altered state of consciousness. To facilitate the state, it begins with paying attention to the breath. After the person has their attention drawn there, they are asked to imagine that they are experiencing a presence, and that the feeling is emanating from a point behind them, and to their left. The sensed presence is an amygdaloid experience. This only means that when a person is having this experience, their amygdalae will be found to be either the most active structure in their brain, or one of the most active.

Conversely, if a person has their amygdala stimulated, they are very likely to have a sensed presence experience. This has actually happened in several clinical and experimental settings.

If a person has a sensed presence experience, and their left amygdala is more active then the one on the right, the experience is probably going to be pleasant [although some people have this reversed, similar to left-handedness]. If the right amygdala is most active, then the experience is probably going to be unpleasant. Pleasant means anything from feeling mildly safe to being in complete ecstasy. Unpleasant means anything from mildly apprehensive to a feeling of impending doom.

When research subjects were asked to do this exercise, the most common sensation it created was a feeling of being safe and protected. The ones do were most prone to altered state experiences were also most likely to confabulate a visual image of the presence they were imagining.

Some of the images that appeared were angels, monks in hooded robes, knights on horseback in shining armor, spirit familiars, deities, aliens, and a variety of other images.

When people who have had near-death experiences do this practice, they re-experience fragments of their NDEs.

Most subjects experienced unpleasant feelings when they imagined a presence on the right side. A few experienced positive feelings on both sides. These latter individuals were all involved in regular, ongoing spiritual practices. This area of research is fairly new ground, but there is precedent in a study done in which students were asked to imagine holding a baby. Afterwards, they were asked what side of their bodies they imagined. 72% of the women, and 65% of the men had preferred their left side. (Nakamichi, 1995)

The rest of the article is worth a read but maybe the tactic of visualizing this image on your left side could be worth a try and you can see if the experience is more positive.

http://www.shaktitechnology.com/neuromed.htm

You are not alone in this sort of experience and I'd usually advise trying to confront this aspect as you might find it is part of you. Jung had some good theories on the Shadow.

According to Carl Jung, the shadow is that part of the personality one chooses not to see. Usually of a vulgar, shameful, or corrupt nature, the shadow is comprised of whatever one cannot uphold in one’s idea of oneself. Not being integrated or even acknowledged by conscious mind, the shadow sits and waits in the unconscious.

If Not Acknowledged

But never does the shadow evaporate or disappear; it simply goes underground where it continues to influence the person as complexes and neuroses. The solution from a Jungian perspective is not to repress but to acknowledge this material, to move closer towards it while disallowing its full expression in daily life.

A Life of its Own

Read on

Shadow Work in Eight Easy Steps

Carl C. Jung – Mystic or Psychologist?

Dream Interpretation – Carl Gustav Jung

Otherwise, the shadow can take on a life of its own, burst out in inopportune moments causing embarrassment or worse. These are the stories that hit the cable news channels by the famous and infamous. Mostly, however, one feels only gripped from time to time by the black dog of depression or malaise which seems to arise for no apparent reason.

Shows up in Dreams

Meanwhile, the unconscious continues to present this shadow material in dreams and daydreams or fantasy life. In this way the psyche is constantly being given the opportunity to become cognizant of its entire range and reconciled, at least in part, to its “unacceptable” aspects.

http://www.suite101.com/content/what-is-the-shadow-a60154

http://epages.wordpress.com/2009/04/29/throwing-light-on-the-shadow-carl-jungs-answer-to-evil/

http://changingminds.org/explanations/identity/jung_archetypes.htm

The Shadow sounds very similar to what you describe so I hope some of this helps.

[Internationalmanof mystery]

A psychological thing i would guess

[Sevastiel]

Slim provided (more than) adequate resources; superb as always

I'll give it a go nonetheless.

You cannot escape this shadow because, as the links/excerpts above point out, that shadow IS you.

It's a part of yourself that you are afraid of; so yes, you'll fear it. But like all fears, it can, and should, be confronted. I had a "shadow" of my own that, thankfully, only appeared in dreams. That is, until I finally learned to see it for what it was; and thus lessen & deny its unwanted influence. (My "overcoming" dream I've pasted into my blog)

The shadow can reflect varying elements of negativity towards oneself, and thus its actions (when this is the case) will often indicate the nature and/or the symptoms of this influence. Often the shadow represents our own perceptions of a specific individual in our lives who has caused these self-reflective feelings; usually someone we trusted. As I understand it (from a non-personal perspective), ill-fated experiences are apt to create the mental disconnect needed to manifest this sort of experience in our lives. This line of rationale indicates that something occurred in your life when you were 3-5 years old that caused you to begin experiencing this.

The odds are, when you experience this while awake, if you let go of your fear and try to become aware of the circumstances surrounding the experience itself, you'll be able to determine what opens you up to or "triggers" the experience. Some emotional response that preceded the experience or some particular situation that has the same "feel" to it that similar experiences in the past have had; these are what you should be aware of. It won't necessarily be easy, as these "shadows" tend to be well-ingrained into our individual psychs and we can often overlook their influence out of habit (they are negatively connected with the ego, and even stronger when "instilled" during our formative years...2~8 years old).

Every few weeks? Regularly/consistently? If there's an empirically measurable time frame that repeats itself, this could suggest physiological reasons (i.e. chemical/hormonal/neurological processes). Have you ever seen a psych about it, if not for any other reason than to ensure that it isn't physiological?

The dreams:

The first one, with your little girl and the shadow following (that's what you're eluding) and the mirrors.

It only appears in mirrors because you are trying to convey to yourself subconsciously that you need to "reflect upon this aspect of yourself". The little girl most likely (as is typical for everyone) represents the sensitive aspects of yourself, those parts of us that we all keep hidden and safe against the rest of the world. You wouldn't be alone in wanting to preserve your innocence against the intrusions of the world's perceived darkness and evil; this same fundamental concept is reflected in our species' inherent desire to care for our children and others who cannot defend themselves against the world's ill influences.

I'd be interested in knowing what the "something else" was that you were focused on in the 2nd dream because in problem-solution dreams, that's right about where you would be being given the solution to escaping the fear the shadow represented. The beginning part of that dream implies the usual comfort most of us feel with our mothers; safe and secure, cared for and nurtured. The abandoned factory reflects "empty purpose" or lack of specific direction, a sort of blunted anomie that nags but doesn't necessarily undermine us. "Going through the motions" or "trying to find our meaning/purpose" are phrases that fit the abandoned factory concept. Moving downward through a structure in our dreams indicates the same idea as "moving deeper into oneself". It's the same as saying "look within" or "pay closer attention to what's really making you feel/think/do the things you're feeling/thinking/doing". In other words, a call for self-introspection and self-reflection; a personal evaluation of yourself, conducted by your self (note the wording). So whatever it was that caught your attention there was significant (I've had similar dreams where, at the deepest levels, I began finding hidden treasures; chests of gold, silver, gemstones, etc and snakes began doing as they were bid rather than menacing ... which represent truth and ego, respectively).

Food, and the tools we use to prepare it, often reflects the values of the activities we engage in in our lives, and the manner we go about it. What nourishes in this reality is used to symbolize what nourishes in the other; that being the mental/spiritual arena. Consider what photos do for us. They provide us perspective and memory. They can also mislead us, indicating mere appearances or temporary states of being (also just an appearance). The 3rd dream appears to be a warning that your activities or friendships at the time were not as supportive as you either wanted or perceived them to be, and that continuing to indulge in them without really taking a look at what was "really there" or going on would result in inviting this same "shadow" experience back to you. In other words, things were not as they appeared. They needed to be contemplated for their worth before too much importance was placed on them by you and the resultant outcome was intensified as a repercussion (though it could also reflect your feelings that it would end up this way despite what you wanted...similar concept, different direction).

We all have "shadows", but we aren't all cognizant or aware of them. As scary and disturbing as they might be, they serve to teach us valuable lessons and steer us towards wisdom. But first we have to confront them.

Slim's links are a precise starting point to begin looking within.

Edited March 30, 2011 by Sevastiel

[MeepMcMeep]

As far as I can remember when I was young I dreamed of a shadow man with no discernible features surrounded by a red world and I saw him standing over an adult me and he looked at me all the while the only thing that I can feel is absolute terror