My husband shared with me a night dream he had yesterday and I think it is a classic example of childhood nightmares:
I see myself at my 12 years old self in my parents' bedroom watching Rosemary's Baby on TV at night. The house is dark and my parents are away travelling. I am all alone in the house, I feel scared to see the demon's eyes in the movie but somehow I feel I have to watch it despite my fear. I see a white folder of my wife's SRT materials explaining demonic possession and mentally I know that demons are not real. But I feel frightened seeing those eyes. The show ended and I have to go back to my bedroom. I feel scared just thinking to walk back in the dark, but I summon the courage to get out of my parents' room. There is a faint light somewhere while I walk towards my room, knowing that after I get there I will feel better with the familiarity of my own room.
And here is my opening of the dream:
As a secondary dreamer of the dream, I feel my inner child at 12 year old is stuck at my childhood home. I have been under the protection of my parents but I feel the urge to face my own demon despite my fear. Mentally I understand that demons are not real, they are just representation of my own fear but emotionally I am stuck with the image of the fear. Leaving the protection from my parents and being grown up and independent on my own is scary, but I summon my courage to take the first step and I am guided by a faint light, and I know that once I take back my own inner authority then I am safe and at ease.
Now that we know the message of his dream, we have to repair its necessity. I guided my husband to go back to his dream, and asked his adult self to sit with his 12 year old self. His adult self turned on the light of the house and he hugged his 12 year old self and they merged into one. Then he saw himself as an adult walking to his own bedroom with the light on and come back to our present house.
Our night dreams alway show us the most urgent things we have to face and resolve. If it manifests as a nightmare, it is great! The bigger and scarier the demon/monster, the easier it is for us to notice and catch it. Our subconscious uses imagination to speak to us, so we use imagination to answer and resolve the problem. So pay attention to your night dreams! Don't waste them!
