I keep having the same dream.

I dream I am always lost and cannot find my way home. I ask for directions from people in my dream and then I have trouble finding the parking lot where I parked my car.

Please let me know why I always seem to find myself dreaming the same dream over and over.

P.S. I do have a hard time with directions. However, I feel I have a pretty good memory.

--Grace, Age 69, Setauket, NY, USA

Hi Grace -

Your dream is a fairly common example of what we describe as an “anxiety dream.” You mention that you have a hard time with directions in real life. This difficulty probably causes you to worry about getting lost someday while you are out driving, and so you dream about this fear during the night. The fact that your dream often recurs indicates that you may be more worried about getting lost than you consciously are aware.

Have you thought about buying a cell phone so that if you ever do get lost and need help you can dial a friend, the police, or 911? You can get phones now that are designated as “emergency phones,” and they actually are quite inexpensive. That may give you some peace of mind when you are out driving.

As for losing your car in the shopping center parking lot, we all do that! The trick to remembering where we parked is to take note of our location - and look for landmarks that will help us to remember it - before we leave our car for the store!