Dreams

By the end of one's lifetime, that individual will have spent a quarter of his or her life dreaming, absolutely spinning in fantasies. The rest of his or her waking hours will be spent entirely on the external world... When s/he reclines and submits into what feels like a dreaming oblivion, the brain will try to decipher and interpret external stimuli in the waking world. Dreams are essentially the random firing of neuron cells into the brain. It is the brain's attempts to make sense of information (that we are already aware of) by processing emotional memories, integrating new experiences with established memories, creating new strategies or methods of completing tasks, simulating threatening events to help us develop defense mechanisms against them, or reorganizing and consolidating memories. Bearing this in mind, this sometimes gives us greater insight or it is completely nonsensical. Acting as an indication of our mental health and connecting us to our subconscious mind, dreams help provide meaning for our past, present, and future by keeping us in tune with our emotions.

If my dreams are a mirror of myself and my troubles, that makes me wonder about what my dreams are telling me about myself. I've had two dreams that are troubling me. Both seem to be out of the ordinary.

In my first dream, I dreamt of a young boy. Every time he got close to someone, that person would die. As it turns out, the spirit of a young girl stuck close to him and killed people. To stop her killings, the boy had to put her spirit to rest. In his case, he had to kill her father, who turned out to be a serial killer. He completed an investigation with a female friend of his and found the serial killer's house. For some reason, I was suddenly with them, helping them out with the investigation. Inside the house, they found mutilated bodies and dismembered body parts. The serial killer saw us and gave us time to escape so he could have some "fun." The boy and his friend were running in front of me and I couldn't keep up with their pace, so I ended up hiding behind a bush. The serial killer released his vicious dogs. Doberman Pinschers, to be more specific. My dream ended with the serial killer chasing them, along with his dogs, and with me behind the bush, waiting for a chance to escape.

As for my second dream, I dreamt of a man talking to an inmate in jail. They were left with the task of fixing or watching a metal hand. At the sight of the metal hand, the man had a flashback about his son. He cut off his son's hands with a pair of blunt scissors and I'm not sure if he killed his son. After telling this story to the inmate, he went out to throw out a black bag full of trash. Upon returning, the other man stabbed him with the metal hand. Attached to the metal hand was the man's son's decaying hand.

I looked up interpretations of themes in dreams:

Chasing: 

"This extremely common dream is thought to indicate that the person is under tremendous stress in the waking world. It can also mean that the person is feeling attacked and threatened – either by a person or by powerful emotions that the dreamer finds hard to contain and control."

"Psychologists tend to think that 'chase dreams' occur when we are unable to cope with our fears and have trouble facing reality. Once ignored, these thoughts and images manifest over time in our unconscious mind, then is released during sleep in the form as a chase dream. These fears include stress, anxiety and phobias that we have overlooked and now it rearing it’s ugly head."

Killers: 

"To see a killer in your dream, suggests that an essential aspect of your emotions have been cut off. You feel that you are losing your identity and your individuality. Alternatively, this dream may represent purification and the healing process. You are standing up for yourself and putting a dramatic end to something."

"Killing in your dreams does not make you a closet murderer; it represents your desire to 'kill' part of your own personality. It can also symbolize hostility towards a particular person and the desire to see them suffer."
 
Stabbing:

"To dream that you have been stabbed signifies your struggle with power. You are experiencing feelings of inadequacy and defensiveness. Alternatively, the dream suggests that you are feeling betrayed as reflected by the popular phrase, 'being stabbed in the back'."

"To dream that you stab someone indicates your fear of betrayal and your untrusting nature. You are being overly defensive."

What am I overlooking?