Last night I had many strange fragmented dreams which woke me up many times during the early morning hours. I keep thinking back to one in particular.
It was an unusually long dream so I will break it into two parts for easier reading/interpretation.


Dream Pt 1:
I am standing in long, very green grass, in a place that seems to be the edge of a residential neighborhood. I have a feeling of anxiety, I feel the urgent need to leave the place I am in (which was supposed to be where I lived).
I know there is nothing that is following me or being predatory.
I turn away from the grassy place and begin to run through the neighborhood as fast as I can. After I've run a few blocks, I come to the startling realization that I've been running on all fours! Curious about what has occurred, I try to run upright instead but automatically go back down on all fours the moment I break into a run. The urgent anxiety gets a bit stronger and I decide to keep moving, unconcerned that I must run like an animal (reminds me of a horse). Cross a field and end up inside my old elementary school, and I am moving so fast I have to scramble to keep my hands/feet under me as I slide across the hall floor. There is a large camera-tripod type structure blocking the final hall to the front doors of the school...I can't stop in time so I jump to the side and narrowly dodge it. One of my old teachers is walking out of the gymnasium and calls my name in the shock of seeing me leap and gallop past.
Finally, I am out of the school, and I feel relief that I did not stop to see any of the familiar people there. The feeling of urgency/anxiety surges over me in an immense wave and I become afraid of the feeling, my eyes are wild and I'm breathing hard from fear. I force myself to run harder, leaping (inhumanly) high like a gazelle up the paved path to the hill and then down the empty road.
When I finally slow my pace, I have traveled many miles and I'm on a highway through the forest. Much farther down the road...the fear/anxiety has extremely lessened and I reach a new city by the sea.

I will move on to the second part of the dream after some interpretation of this first part, which seemed to be very separate from the calmer ocean-oriented second half of the dream.

interesting thing is you are anxious about your neighborhood and you want to leave. maybe some new bills the prices on your house went up. or there was some recent crime. that or it could be your minds way of saying "I need a VACATION!!!!!!!"

I reach a new city by the sea...
Tall buildings made of pale stone, streets made of blue mosaic tile, palm trees...the ocean waves actually wash onto the street at the edges of the city!
The sky is blue with some large soft clouds and bright sunshine that makes the whole city gleam! It is incredibly beautiful! I am calm, walking through the streets, watching people pass by. I think of the person I currently adore and wonder if they would join me here.
I have a moment of doubt, but as I continue to watch people I decide he would probably like it here. I keep walking and reach a beach/harbour.
I notice a boy my own age watching me...not wanting to be confronted by anyone, I turn and begin walking to the other side of the city, where there is another harbour. The boy follows me and walks beside me, inviting me to join him on the ferry that is going to sea. I don't want to, but since I am new to the city I decide I might learn something from the boy while on the ferry.
(I would like to note that if I was awake, I would need to be FORCED onto a boat!)
After boarding the small ferry with a crowd of other young people, I sit down and watch the sea. The boy sits next to me and I start to feel uncomfortable, like he's trying to get too close to me. I think of the boy I believe I DO love and immediately wish he was there instead. I walk to the other side of the ferry to avoid the boy and I notice MY FATHER had been sitting only a few seats away from where I previously was.
He greets me like meeting his runaway daughter riding a ferry in a foreign city was the most normal thing ever. I feel slightly suspicious. I sit down again, turned away from the strange boy, but he pulls me into a sideways hug. I resist him but his hold is too tight, so I give up and let him hug me. The last thing in the dream was me; stuck in an embrace I don't want, pining for the boy I love.

For Part I

Running is a pretty common way to express anxiety in a dream.

The fact that you are running on all fours could mean that this anxiety is related to something very basic and instinctive. (There have been a number of recent posts here related to running on all fours in dreams - it seems to be common.)

Standing in a long grass also has a primitive feel to it. (I'm thinking of the African savannah).

The fact that your anxiety is related to being near your old school also makes me think that this anxiety is related to something in your past. It could have to do with something that happened to you in your past that is affecting the way that you feel about a situation that is going on in your life today.

The tripod-type structure that is blocking the school could be a physical representation of the protective mechanism that is blocking these painful thoughts from your conscious mind (maybe not blocking the memories completely, but stopping you from feeling the full weight of all the emotional pain).

The gymnasium in the dream could represent energy and strength. Maybe a message that you have the energy and strength to deal with whatever problems you are facing.

It's interested that you are relieved that you didn't stop to see any familiar people. That also seems like an indication you are trying to avoid something from your post or something about yourself that you find uncomfortable.

Here is some information on dreams about school that might interest you.

The sea is a common dream symbol of the unconscious and the emotions, while a highway can represent a path in life.

Part II

A city in a dream very often represents your hopes for the future.

In waking life, a city is just a piece of land until people try to make it into something better by building homes, shops, adding transporation, etc.

It is often the same in a dream. A city is what you/your life could be if you used your talents and skills to make your life better.

I think finding the beautiful city near the sea is a message that if you can get in touch with what is going on in your unconscious and with your emotions , and if you recognize and use your strengths, you can make your life what you want it to be.

I think the boy child represents a part of you that is strong and knows what you should do. I'm guessing from your name that you are female. If so, since the boy is your own age, I think he could represent the "masculine" part of you - the part of you that is strong, assertive and determined.

The fact that you and he go on the ferry together - something that you would never do (I'm guessing because of fear) - further indicates that he is the part of you that makes you strong.

When you start to feel uncomfortable being with boy and wish you were with the boy you do love instead (a real boy in waking life), it makes me think that you are having trouble with reconciling being in a relationship with someone else and developing your own strength and independence.

At the end of the dream you give up and let your father hold you too tightly. It sounds like on the one hand, you want to have more control over your own life, but that you don't know how to gain control. It's interesting that at that time you are pining for the boy you love. It does seem like you are trying to learn how to balance independence with being in a relationship.

It would be helpful if you described a little bit about what your relationship with your father with like. Was he very controlling or was he easy-going? Did you rely on him for advice and guidance?

Maybe my description wasn't super clear...It was not my father hugging me at the end of the dream, it was the strange boy.

You're right. I did misunderstand your post. I still think the dream has to do with you feeling uncomfortable with or unsure about choices you are making and being worried about how you are developing emotionally.