recurring dream

[Brooklynluv]

Hello. The night before last I had a nightmare that I have had about three times over the course of a few years. In the dream I was shopping in the mall when I see my father sitting in a chair. (My father passed away about three and a half years ago) When I see him I am completely taken aback with shock at seeing him alive. When he sees me, his reaction is more like dreadful surprise that I have discovered he is alive.
Then I am at his new house and I find out that my father never died, but he faked his death to get away from me. He could not stand to live with me any longer because he felt that I was too unstable to live with (I do have a temper in real life). When I find this out in my dream I am very hurt but instead of acting hurt I totally flip out and go crazy. I try to break into his house and I am screaming and crying. He does not talk to me at all in this dream and every time I seem to catch up to him and try to talk to him he runs away.
Can anyone help to shine some light on what this dream might indicate? Thanks.

[MichaelMN]

Just my guess

I think your brain is trying to guilt trip you.  You have a feeling of loss at the death of your father and feel that you could/should have done something more; been with him more, been kinder, done just that one thing that he'd asked, whatever.  It is by no means an uncommon feeling, I think most people deal with something similar when someone close dies (I sure have).  
I think your dreams may be suggesting to you that you are having problems dealing with his death in your waking life - perhaps there is some minor depression involved.  If you are repressing some feelings in your 'real' life, they could just be breaking through in your dreams.  
But then again, you've only had the dreams a relatively few times.  Maybe there is something that happens in 'real' life that pushes a button for the dreams - something that reminds you of your father, or even just an outburst at someone that you feel regretful for, and then transfer guilt over that to the father dream.

[Brooklynluv]

I think you might be right with that last paragraph. I had the dream after having a pretty awful day and I was irritated in general. There were a few people I lost my patience with and really they did not do anything wrong.