I am submitting this as a potential first step towards determining if counseling is required. Beginning at age 15, in a rather sudden and puissant fashion, I began regularly dreaming about vampires. This string of dreams and theme has continued steadily for eleven years. When I was a teenager, I attributed this to popular culture, hormones or teen angst. However, as a successful 26 year old, with two master’s degrees and a very happy marriage/sex life, I do not understand their continuation.

In the dream, I am rarely a vampire, and the other vampires present are always male, with dark hair. Sometimes, these vampires vaguely resemble people I know, or people I know very well suddenly reveal they are indeed vampires. I am always drawn to these residents of my dream and desperately want to be a vampire as well. On the few occasions when I have been a vampire, I have been male and female (my natural gender). I am fairly vicious and unfeeling. In fact, in one instance some eight years ago, a fellow character in the dream asks “where are your feelings” and I respond “I have none.”

These dreams are always in vivid color and I always remember every detail. They are enjoyable. What disturbs me is the accompanying bloodlust that accompanies my persona in these dreams. When I look around my life for latent hatred or violent tendencies, I find none. I do not feel someone is trying to drain the life from me in the “real world.” Nor do I feel out of control. But, nonetheless, there is this dark portion of my being that frequently reveals itself in my dreams as desperately needing to be a supernatural vampire or on occasion being a supernatural vampire.

If it helps, here is some supplemental information about the dreams and me.

Reoccuring vampire abilities: flight, immortality, yellow iris in the eye or extremely pale blue.

I am female, 26, married, 3 cats, two graduate degrees in business, I travel internationally often, very happy childhood in wealthy family and fairly happy marriage.

Most recent vampire dream plot: I am visiting a mentor from highschool. I am walking with him through the hall when I ask him if he believes in vampires. He looks at me and says yes indeed I do, in fact I know one. Quite suddenly two very small fangs emerge on his upper teeth. I am not shocked - but elated and state “finally, after so many years.” I offer forth my neck and am bitten. The “draining” is pleasurable, but I am not killed. The dream ends with the knowledge that a second bite is soon to come and that I am safe and fulfilled.

Any insight into this confusing eleven year pattern would be much appreciated.

--Amber, Age 26, Spokane, WA, USA

Hi Amber -

Would you entertain the idea that vampires may represent power to you - that you are attracted to the (supernatural) powers that they have - and that you also are attracted to the power that men have?

I believe your dreams are “animus rising” dreams - that is, the masculine side of your personality is being expressed through the metaphor of the vampire. Vampires are beings of transformation and metamorphosis. When they bite you - you become one of them. In your dreams the vampires always are male - and as you yourself write, you “desperately” want to become one. When you do, you adopt many qualities that can only be described as masculine. You become coldhearted and vicious. “Where are your feelings,” asks the fellow dream character? “I have none,” you respond.

Who is the feeling sex, and who is the un-feeling sex?

I think the joy (bloodlust) that you derive from being a vampire in your dreams reflects your own weariness, on occasion, with the burdens of “being a woman.” With two graduate degrees in business, you are competing daily in a “man’s world.” You may occasionally wish that you were male - in the sense that it might enable you to avoid some of the “gender gap” barriers that still lurk in the workplace - just as you may have - when you were a young girl of fifteen - had similar fantasies once you began to see how men’s and women’s roles are divided in this world.

I don’t think you need counseling at all for your dreams. To the contrary, I genuinely believe that your dreams are reflecting the healthy expression of the masculine side of your personality. I think it is refreshing for both men and women to throw off the stereotypes of gender and “acceptable roles” to play in this world - inherited from previous generations.

The goal of the unified personality, according to Carl Jung, is to develop, cultivate, and unify both the masculine and feminine elements inherent in us all. Just as men are restricted by Marlboro Man images of masculinity (tough guy, never shows feelings, big boys don’t cry) - women are constrained by “Stand by your Man” (obedient wife, perfect home, food on the table when Hubby gets home from work) images of femininity. I say let the vampire out of his box a bit - that “dark portion of my being” - and let him get some sun. Feel your masculine energy - allow yourself to think in new and different ways - allow yourself to develop according to your own inner voice. It’s a whole new world out there - thanks to women like yourself - and you seem very well equipped to deal with it.