Disclaimer: I recently went through a relationship that culminated with the man in it becoming physically abusive. My "best friend" witnessed the first instance of abuse and, after I cut him off from my life, she has continued to see him. I only found out very recently, when she posted pictures of her being particularly physically close to him on a boat surrounded by his friends on Facebook. Before that, she promised me she would be loyal to me and not continue to see him because I told her it would threaten our friendship. I've found it difficult to deal with her decision and lying. That might have something to do with my dream.

The dream was as follows: I was jumping back and forth from being on the boat to being on a beach watching the boat. Everything was smooth sailing for the first part of the dream. It was a very beautiful luxury boat. Eventually another boat came close to the boat my friend and my ex were on with all of his friends and they navigated pretty close into shore. The boat started rocking wildly back and forth. I was on the boat suddenly and pirates started to come aboard and were violent and were tearing the party apart. I then flashed to being on a nice beach right in front of where all of this was happening and I was suddenly calm watching it all happen.

I'm not entirely sure what to make of this dream. Given the people on the boat and their importance to me I am not entirely sure I can simply respond to it like any other dream about a boat. I think something else I should note is some part of me still wants a relationship with him even though I know how bad he is for me and I am with someone else who is treating me really well. I hope you can help me

Thank you for including the waking life background of your dream, because that is exactly what your dream is about. The great thing about dreams is that they reveal how you really feel about what's going on in your waking life. Feelings in dream are never disguised, so how you feel IN your dream is how you feel about its subject in your waking life. Because dreams do so symbolically, let's start there...

boat: dreamdoctor.com/index.php?option=com_dre...&task=details&id=218

beach: dreamdoctor.com/index.php?option=com_dre...&task=details&id=168

ocean: dreamdoctor.com/index.php?option=com_dre...task=details&id=1312

violence: dreamdoctor.com/index.php?option=com_dre...task=details&id=1951

Your dream is a symbolic representation of the emotional turbulence and violence of your relationship with your ex. The boats, like cars, are symbols for the self. At the beginning of the dream, your life is cruising along smoothly. The fact that is a luxury boat reflects a healthy sense of self-worth and value... you are a "class act." Enter... your friend and your ex. They come too close as their relationship threatens to "crash into" you. Notice that their boat is rocking wildly... which is your way of telling yourself that you know that they and their relationship are threateningly "out of control." It's so out of control that you feel (in the dream) as if you are not on their boat... and then the pirates come aboard... a great metaphor for your ex and your friend... as they "pirate" and "hijack" your attention and the peace and calm that was your life before this all happened. It conjures up your memories of the abuse and the betrayal, which is nothing less than violent.

The great news about your dream is how it ends. You are suddenly transported to a nice beach, merely watching, and calm. That is your way of telling yourself that their relationship and all that emotional turbulence isn't your problem. You are not going to allow them to "board your ship" because you have moved on. You can see it, but you are going to remain safely "on shore"... and that brings you a sense of calm. The message of your dream is... don't allow them to upset or pirate your emotional calm.

Make sense?

Hope that helps!