Universal Landscape: Integration of the aspects of personality through violent, forceful means.
Dreaming Lens: Were you being raped in a dream? Were you witnessing a rape? Were you aware of who the rapist was? Were you the rapist? Was the rape a violent act, or was it an erotic pseudo-rape?
Personal Focus: Although it is conceivable that in the waking world, a woman could rape a man, the notion of rape as a symbol connects to the masculine principle. Women will sometimes dream of being the aggressor in sexual situations and may even have a penis in their dream, or perceive themselves as having one. Because the act of rape is sexual in structure, the symbolic meaning must reflect the same theme as sex that is consensual, which is the coming together or integration of different Character Aspects of the personality. However, rape is an act of violence and when this is combined with the absence of consent, it puts a very different spin on how to interpret it if it should appear in a dream.
When a dream includes something as heinous as rape, it is important to remind yourself—whether you are male or female—that dreams are symbolic, not literal. Rape in a dream is not like rape in life. It simply means that the integration that is occurring within your psyche is being experienced as so abrupt and potentially frightening that the symbolic expression of it appears dramatically. The unconscious will often use nightmares and frightening dreams to get our attention.
If you were raped in the dream, consider the rapist. If he was known to you, then use that person as a Character Aspect to see what part of your own personality is demanding to be dealt with. If he was not known to you, then consider the dream a precursor to a powerful shift that is going on under the surface and is not yet clear. If you cannot glean more helpful insight from this dream, trust that future dreams will inform you of whatever shift is taking place.
If you witnessed a rape, you must look inward to see what aspects of your personality are at odds with one another, for they ultimately need to be integrated and made whole. The rapist would be the part of you that is demanding to be recognized and the victim is the part of you that needs to accept the merging, but may be in resistance to the process. If you were the rapist in your dream, consider the victim as a Character Aspect that represents the part of you that you wish to subdue.
Rape fantasies are common for many people and can be quite erotic and satisfying when handled in an appropriate manner. If the dream of rape was erotic in nature, the meaning is the same, but the integration that is taking place has much lower stakes and may, in fact, be a source of pleasurable anticipation.