Warning! Not for the faint of heart!

[steinberg4]

First of all, I am not someone who is or claims to be scared of clowns. My dream started out innocently (and weird, as usual) enough. It is a hot, gorgeous day, my stepmother is driving a car, and I am riding on top of the back part of the car, where the trunk of a sedan is. We are driving toward town on the road that I grew up on.There has always been a little pull off/cul de sac thing right before a bridge going this way on the road. In my dream, there is a bench there. A clown with a beigeish, unevenly cut mask is sitting on the bench with his head turned completely toward me, though I could tell he wasnt looking at me. he had the suit, the rainbow hair, the red nose, he looked like a totally normal, cute clown. I was surprised to see the bench, as well as someone sitting on it, so I looked closely and turned my head to continue looking as my stepmom drove the car past him. He, very rigidly, turned his head to look at me driving away. I realized he saw me, and waved to him. I am a person that does that sort of thing all the time. I grew up in a small town, and I have those friendly small town values regarding strangers. I ignore the clown, thinking he's gone, but a few seconds later, my stepmom starts to slow the car down just a little but and is looking with this curious, sort of morbid/bizarre look on her face. It made me think she was watching some really violent movie or something and really enjoying it in a sickening way. I looked back and I see the clown running, really fast, toward me. I realized that his mask was skin that was cut off from someone else's face, and he was wearing it. I knew he was going to torture and kill me in a cruel, disgusting way. I could tell my stepmother had an idea that he was going to hurt me, but in a sick, weird way she wanted to see it happen. She continued to slow down, ever so slowly, thinking I wouldn't notice. I did. I was screaming at her to "hurry up", asking her what was she doing, what was wrong with her, "this clown is going to kill me." She said things like, "Oh, relax, he can't catch up. He's not going to get you", things like that. I forced myself to wake up after I realized that she was going to let him get me. My relationship in real life with my step mom isnt perfect, but it isnt horrible either. She is pretty supportive ut I dont trust her. Her role in the dream makes sense to me. What I don't understand is the clown, and the mask, I have never dreamed anything so gruesome. I hardly ever have nightmares. What do you think? Thanks! [color=#BF40BF][color=#BF40BF][/color][/color]

[Domswallow]

Hi,
Surprise elements and unusual or unexpected events are used by the subconscious to get the brain into gear. In waking life we turn our hed when we see something unexpected happening. In sleep the subconscious uses them to make you move, change sleeping positions and to wake you up.
Your relationship with your stepmother is always a useful device to get your brain ito gear as you do not trust her. However she may bereally nice person. It was the separation from your biological mum that caused the problems.

[steinberg4]

Thank you for your interpretation. My stepmother is not that great of a person, but she certainly wouldn't let a psychopath clown murder me. I agree with the head turning and the unexpected/surprising element, (being the gross mask), in getting my attention to wake me up. In fact, once I read that, I remembered that my husband was sitting up in bed when I woke up from the dream. So I must have wanted to wake up out of concern for him. I'm still very, very freaked out though!

[foreverJung]

the first obvious feature is that the stepmother is driving/ in control - also that your father isn't present.
it's possible the clown represents someone in your waking life that you bitterly refer to or think of as a "clown," perhaps even your stepmother.
Both the stepmother character and the clown character seem to illustrate a sadistic strain - the stepmother, the passive aspect, the clown the active aspect.
overall the dream illustrates a feeling of powerlessness or one's safety and well-being being dependent upon those who don't take that well-being seriously and are more focused on their own fdark hedonistic satisfaction.
The stepmothers affirmations that the clown is not going to get you is similar to the juxtaposition of the clown appearance with the serial killer mask. The truth is plainlyl obvious, but there is an attempt to white wash things or pass things off as cute or safe, when clearly that is not the case (this denial and invalidation is tied back to the hedonistic satisfaction - what matters most is being denied so the curiosity or craving can be satisfied)

At a higher level this dynamic of ignorinig the truth that something is dangerous or harmful to one's wellbeing in order to satisfy a craving is a path that can only lead to misery and suffering - satisfying oneself that way is not loving at all.The dream illustrates the necessity to let go of statisfying cravings and desires which have no substantial merit and while seemingly cute and fun on the outside are secretely killer clowns. It is an encouragement to see things as they are, and to live according to that truth.

In a mundane sense it expresses feeling out of control; being subject to the impulse to satisfy cravings/desires/curiosities (the impulse being either your own or someone elses) is the cause of that feeling.