Being lost or trapped In these highly common dreams, you're lost and feeling desperate. You may be buried alive or locked in a cage. Or you dream of not being able to move; you're powerless to scream or breathe. These dreams may occur when you feel confusion or conflict about how to act in waking life. The images are influenced by biological roots and experience. Feeling trapped or paralyzed also mirrors what occurs to the large muscles of the body during normal REM sleep, when they're paralyzed to prevent the body from acting out the dreams. Such dreams could reflect frustrations in waking life, such as feeling trapped in a relationship or a dead-end job.