# Recurring Dream of Me Driving With No Brakes



## Ununderstood

Every now and then I will dream about being in a car driving and when ever I get to a stop sign or red light I push on the brakes but I can't ever seem to stop in time or efficiently. It is as like the brakes either don't work at all or it takes too long for them to brake. Every time I end up just going on past and missing an exit or I end up crashing.

I've had this type of dream probably more than 4 times and it's always an issue with the brakes. Just today I was dreaming about this and cops where chasing me all over the place.

Anyone know what this may mean? .


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## vegetarian

You probably think your inadequate in some way. Like everything you do just isn't good enough in some way; first its the brakes, then the next night you somehow miss the exit, and so on


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## Stormclouds

I looked up "driving with no brakes" on some dream interpretation sites. Here's a link to one:

http://en.mimi.hu/dreams/brake.html

Hopefully you will find it helpful, or at least entertaining.


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## JamieHasAnxiety

I get the same dreams where, I press a number on the phone, but I keep messing up the phone number, or dreams where I'm driving, and I'm not driving properly, almost wreckless, and I'm afraid but I still try to drive. I also get dreams where I punch someone, but my swing is real slow, and weak.

It doesn't help I know, but at least take comfort in knowing that your not alone in that dream. I have the same one too.


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## Ununderstood

Thanks y'all. Really helpful responses and links. Yeah, I can definitely see some possibilities that could be the real meaning of this dream. Hard to point out though, *vegetarians* explanation seems like a reasonable meaning. I do feel inadequate and not good enough while in social situations. Could definitely be.

I used to have (haven't had them in a long time) recurring dreams where I am at school without a shirt, or pants, or no shoes or flat out just in my underwear. I was talking about this and an acquaintance told me without hesitation that it meant that I have low self-esteem. I personally would of never known that that was the real meaning but he was pretty sure about it. He was absolutely right though, but it goes to show sometimes dreams aren't as literal as they seem.


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## Stormclouds

JamieHasAnxiety said:


> I get the same dreams where, I press a number on the phone, but I keep messing up the phone number,.


I have that one a lot. Weird, eh? Maybe it means we want to be able to communicate, but can't somehow.


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## LostPancake

Ununderstood said:


> Every now and then I will dream about being in a car driving and when ever I get to a stop sign or red light I push on the brakes but I can't ever seem to stop in time or efficiently. It is as like the brakes either don't work at all or it takes too long for them to brake. Every time I end up just going on past and missing an exit or I end up crashing.


Man, I have that dream all the time, especially over the last 10 years or so. Or I can't quite reach the brakes for some reason - I wind up barely touching them with my toes.

Same with the gas pedal - I'll be pulling out in front of somebody and I can barely touch it to accelerate, or else the clutch isn't engaging properly, and I can barely get the car moving.

I guess it's a reflection of being bipolar - either I have too much energy or not enough.


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## Ununderstood

LostPancake said:


> Man, I have that dream all the time, especially over the last 10 years or so. Or I can't quite reach the brakes for some reason - I wind up barely touching them with my toes.
> 
> Same with the gas pedal - I'll be pulling out in front of somebody and I can barely touch it to accelerate, or else the clutch isn't engaging properly, and I can barely get the car moving.
> 
> I guess it's a reflection of being bipolar - either I have too much energy or not enough.


Damn dude its tripped out right? I mean if you think about it, if that was to happen in real life it would be extremely dangerous and just plain cruel.

Oh, now that you mention it. What also happens is that when I accelerate it will keep going up until I release the gas pedal. Once that speed is reached and I release the gas pedal it stays at that velocity all the way until I crash into something cause the damn brakes won't work. It doesn't slow down ever. I consider myself bipolar as well, although I haven't been "medically", or "properly" diagnosed as such I am pretty sure I am.


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## LostPancake

Ununderstood said:


> Damn dude its tripped out right? I mean if you think about it, if that was to happen in real life it would be extremely dangerous and just plain cruel.
> 
> Oh, now that you mention it. What also happens is that when I accelerate it will keep going up until I release the gas pedal. Once that speed is reached and I release the gas pedal it stays at that velocity all the way until I crash into something cause the damn brakes won't work. It doesn't slow down ever. I consider myself bipolar as well, although I haven't been "medically", or "properly" diagnosed as such I am pretty sure I am.


Yeah they're really annoying - not quite nightmares but they do cause a lot of anxiety.

I only got diagnosed bipolar recently, and just started on a mood stabilizer last week. Hopefully if I start feeling more stable these dreams will stop.

Anyway, if you think you're bipolar you should get a diagnosis and get on meds, as apparently it tends to get worse over time if untreated. And generic lamictal is pretty cheap, and is a bit of an antidepressant also.


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## wjc75225

I used to have the "brakes not working" dream a lot. I haven't had them in a while. It's weird how dreams works. I didn't know other people had this kind of dream.

Of course, it actually happened in real life. My engine shutoff, brakes failed, and I couldn't steer =/.


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## Ramondo

Ununderstood said:


> Every now and then I will dream about being in a car driving and when ever I get to a stop sign or red light I push on the brakes but I can't ever seem to stop in time or efficiently. It is as like the brakes either don't work at all or it takes too long for them to brake. Every time I end up just going on past and missing an exit or I end up crashing.
> 
> I've had this type of dream probably more than 4 times and it's always an issue with the brakes. Just today I was dreaming about this and cops where chasing me all over the place.
> 
> Anyone know what this may mean? .


There's a great technique from Gestalt Therapy. 
Every part of a dream is part of yourself. So to figure out a recurrent dream, pretend you are a certain element of your dream and find out how that element feels. So, pretend you're the brakes. What would they say?

Examples:
Brakes: "He doesn't have control over me. He gives me the wrong signals, or too late. I do my best, but he just doesn't communicate properly with me."
or
Brakes: "He gets moving so rarely that I don't want to stop him. He tries to use me too often. He really needs to use the accelerator more."

Only you will know what your brakes are saying in your dreams. Try it out.


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## Ununderstood

Ramondo said:


> There's a great technique from Gestalt Therapy.
> Every part of a dream is part of yourself. So to figure out a recurrent dream, pretend you are a certain element of your dream and find out how that element feels. So, pretend you're the brakes. What would they say?
> 
> Examples:
> Brakes: "He doesn't have control over me. He gives me the wrong signals, or too late. I do my best, but he just doesn't communicate properly with me."
> or
> Brakes: "He gets moving so rarely that I don't want to stop him. He tries to use me too often. He really needs to use the accelerator more."
> 
> Only you will know what your brakes are saying in your dreams. Try it out.


Interesting, I would do this while awake right?



wjc75225 said:


> I used to have the "brakes not working" dream a lot. I haven't had them in a while. It's weird how dreams works. I didn't know other people had this kind of dream.
> 
> Of course, it actually happened in real life. My engine shutoff, brakes failed, and I couldn't steer =/.


Damn that is horrible, I hope nothing bad happened to you or anyone that might of been with you....now you got me scared..



LostPancake said:


> Yeah they're really annoying - not quite nightmares but they do cause a lot of anxiety.
> 
> I only got diagnosed bipolar recently, and just started on a mood stabilizer last week. Hopefully if I start feeling more stable these dreams will stop.
> 
> Anyway, if you think you're bipolar you should get a diagnosis and get on meds, as apparently it tends to get worse over time if untreated. And generic lamictal is pretty cheap, and is a bit of an antidepressant also.


Who would be able to properly diagnose me? Is a general practitioner okay? Or would I need to see a psychologist?


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## Indianapolis Jones

I have a sort-of similar recurring dream, in which I'm looking for something but I CANNOT find it, and I just spend the whole dream looking until I wake up. I guess it stems from feelings of inadequacy / low self esteem.



JamieHasAnxiety said:


> I also get dreams where I punch someone, but my swing is real slow, and weak.


Haha, same here.


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## wjc75225

Ununderstood said:


> Damn that is horrible, I hope nothing bad happened to you or anyone that might of been with you....now you got me scared..


Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. I don't believe dreams predict what will really happen. Thanks for the concern for me and others!

My left hip was hurting for a good amount of time. It must have been a pulled muscle or something because they did x-rays and the whole bit. I had a big bruise there where the seat belt goes around your lap. Thank goodness for seat belts and airbags! My nose hurt for just a day or two because it hit the airbag. I did get addicted to pain killers, which was my own doing, but I'm not doing that anymore. My car was totaled, but it could have been a ton worse. The woman I hit said she was ok, so that's good, too . I'm not sure if her car was repairable, but it looked pretty bad.

Sorry .. Didn't mean to hijack the thread or anything with this tangent.


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## Ramondo

Ununderstood said:


> Interesting, I would do this while awake right?


Ideally, as soon as you wake up from such a dream, while it's fresh.
Focus on the element in the dream that you _feel _is the most important. Don't think too much. For example, if you chose the car, it might be:
Car: I'm not important. I have to be here. (ie. it's your body; it's how you get around).
Cops: We have to stop this guy who thinks he can just drive like he wants to 
(possibly people in general who you feel inhibit you doing things when you go out.)

I don't think there's any absolute meaning in dreams. But I've learnt quite a few things about myself using this technique. It works best with recurrent dreams, especially nightmares. You can also talk back to your brakes, your car, etc. - challenge their opinions. Whatever happens, your next dream of that type will probably be different in some way.


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## SilentWitness

I've had the same dream many times also. I've been the driver and can't manage to reach the breaks or steer where I want to go. I've had a few dreams where I'm the passenger in a car with no driver, yikesl :afr I've dreamed that I am driving backwards and out of control and then off a cliff. 

The most disturbing dream I've had of late is feeling guilty about murdering someone. I have no idea who I've murdered and I don't actually act out the murder, but I know within the dream that I have committed murder. 
I looked this one up in a dream interpretation online and supposedly it is a common dream whilst having depression. I want to kill a part of myself. :sus


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## vegetarian

I used to have dreams all the time where I was at school or something with out a shirt on too, or any clothes. But most of the time I have pretty morbid dreams but thats probably because I always watch scary movies. Like last night I had a dream someone was trying to stab me in the forehead and a few nights ago I also dreamt that my ex boyfriend was in a bad car accident and I watched him die. Most of the time I lucid dream though, so I can just wake myself up or kill myself somehow so I wake up.


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## LostPancake

Ununderstood said:


> Who would be able to properly diagnose me? Is a general practitioner okay? Or would I need to see a psychologist?


I think you'd want to see a psychiatrist - it might be more expensive, but they know more what they're doing, and have experience with the different meds available. Maybe a GP could do it also, if money is an issue, but I'm not sure.



Ramondo said:


> There's a great technique from Gestalt Therapy.
> Every part of a dream is part of yourself. So to figure out a recurrent dream, pretend you are a certain element of your dream and find out how that element feels.


I like that - I have a bazillion dreams recorded - someday I'd like to analyze them.

Some movies also make more sense when you analyze them that way.


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## ShyViolet

http://www.dreamforth.com

To dream that you are applying your brakes indicates that you are progressing too rapidly in your work or home life. You need to advance more gradually and be cautious and attentive.

To dream that your brakes failed suggests that your life is unorganized and you need to take more control of issues and situations. Research all of your options before you enter into a new venture. This endeavor may result in failure.


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## coldsorehighlighter

Ununderstood said:


> Every now and then I will dream about being in a car driving and when ever I get to a stop sign or red light I push on the brakes but I can't ever seem to stop in time or efficiently. It is as like the brakes either don't work at all or it takes too long for them to brake. Every time I end up just going on past and missing an exit or I end up crashing.
> 
> I've had this type of dream probably more than 4 times and it's always an issue with the brakes. Just today I was dreaming about this and cops where chasing me all over the place.
> 
> Anyone know what this may mean? .


This dream is the only recurring dream I've ever had. I'm driving a vehicle, approaching a stop sign or red light, and so I step on the brakes. They work, but they don't _stop_ the car, they just slow it down...so it creeps out into the intersection while I'm stomping on it as hard as I can. I always wake up at that moment.


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## suril

That's so weird because I get this kind of dream a lot! I just had one last week. I generally fear driving, and I suck at driving...but I always assumed these dreams were more than just about my driving anxieties.


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## PickleNose

Don't feel bad. I have this one where I'm driving with no car.


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## ShyGirl123

If u have a recurring dream, the more u talk about it the less and less you dream it...


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## PickleNose

^ That's not true, I talk about my dream where my teeth fall out every time someone asks and I still keep having it.


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## ShyGirl123

^it's in our health books


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## mezzoforte

Maybe you feel like you're not in control of your life?


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## crookedsmile

I've had similar dreams as well! I'm always driving down the same road and crashing into cars :/


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## snowyowl

I have almost the same dream actually, and I've had it a few times, except I'm sitting in the passenger seat and the car starts to drive on its own ... I try to get in the driver's seat but I can't control the car and I end up crashing or going into a ditch ... I can't drive though, so I doubt that helps.


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## anvp

This is so weird! I've been having similar dreams since November! I dream that I'm driving and coming up too fast on the car in front of me. I slam on the brakes, pump the brakes, or just keep my feet down on them but I can never manage to slow down. The dream always stops or changes before I can get into an accident with the car infront of me. I feel like a decent interpretation of these dreams is that I lack control/don't have control. And that's true, in regards to the way social anxiety affects my life.


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## MobiusX

It can a warning dream. I had a dream 3 times that the car was in a car accident and the 3rd time I had it on the same day I found out that there was something wrong with the steering wheel that could have resulted in a real car accident, it was fixed.


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## cheerup01

*Sorry I'm late to the party*

When I was very young (before I started driving) I used to have a recurring dream that I was in the passenger's seat of a moving vehicle with no one in the driver's seat, the car careening out of control, and all I could do was jerk on the wheel as my attempts to get into the driver's seat were met with resistance. I later discovered this was a feeling that I wasn't in control of my life (which at that age, who is). I also had a recurring dream of being totally naked, in a department store with clothes all around, but not being able to put any of the clothes on&#8230; still haven't figured that one out.


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## arnie

I've had dreams like that. Where I try to press on the brakes but they respond really sluggishly or I can't press them down all the way.


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## millenniumman75

Usually, the brake issue in this case is just that - something is going too fast or is out of control in waking life, or it is the perception that things are out of control.


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## ryobi

I've had the same dreams


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## Mourn4UrSelf

I don't know what it means but I have actually been in a situation where the brakes on my car failed.


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## ryobi

^so have eye


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## Beamer

It's not quite the same, but I used to have a recurring dream where I was in the passenger seat while my friend was completely wasted and driving like 90mph. It was always the same friend, and i would always be desperately trying to control the steering wheel and keep us on course. I think in my case the meaning wasn't very cryptic at all; this particular friend (and another mutual friend) had almost made a sport of drunk driving at that point in his life, and while I never actually got stuck in the car with him during those times (I was away at college), I did worry about him quite a bit. More generally, while I for the most part followed a similar lifestyle in that I smoked weed constantly and drank fairly often, I was always being very paranoid and cautious about it; but whenever I hung out with them, their way would usually win out and I'd wind up going along with them to smoke out in public places or on the road, get drunk and then stand around nervously while they did some stupid things and pretty much begged to spend the night in the drunk tank. 

Thankfully, they've wisened up a bit since then - not before getting into some trouble with the law, though. I've stopped smoking weed and rarely drink nowadays, and I haven't had these dreams in a few years.


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## wires

i have a recurring dream where i'm in a car and i have to drive it without crashing it but i can't drive. - raised eyebrow -


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## OMGallthenamesaretaken

I used to have a recurring dream where i was with a bunch of people in a field and a tornado was approaching. Everyone would run but i couldn't run, in fact i felt so weak all i could do was shuffle away from the storm. The panic would usually wake me up.


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