Dreaming Q&A

Here are answers to some great dream interpretation questions I've recently received (questions posted anonymously, and with permission)

Q: When I have dreamt about the same house, room, parking garage, space, etc. many times or feel like I have, should I pay attention to the fact that "I've been here before" or try to look at the underlying feelings the dream brings up?


A: An enclosed structure (like a "room" or "space") in a dream is often your mind's way of describing itself! So pay attention to your feelings about the space, and try to figure out what facet of your mind is being shown in the dream. Any seemingly insignificant details about the room may actually be important clues...just the fact that you remember a detail from a dream (say, a particular piece of furniture or something on a table) means that it's probably a symbol your mind is using to tell you something.

Q: What about dreaming of either being pregnant, babies, or near people who are pregnant?-is it as simple as wanting that to happen in my life, or more like the old "something is about to be born" in my life.

A: You're right on both meanings. The Freudian "wish fulfillment" interpretation would be that you have a repressed desire to have a child (or another child). Think about your place in life and if it's an appropriate step for now, soon, or the future. Think about why you want or don't want a child.

Alternatively, the pregnancy could be a symbol for a life change in general, or even for an ailment. Recall how you feel in the dreams when you're pregnant, or when you see a baby or pregnant woman in the dream. If the baby or pregnant woman in the dream is actually a person in your life (pregnant or not), think about what it means for them to be going through this life change.

Often times, other characters in dreams are actually the different personalities of yourself, so seeing another person pregnant might be another way for you to see an aspect of your pregnant self. Similarly, seeing a child in a dream is a way to see your child self...either yourself as a young person, or the childish aspect of your adult self.

Q: I have dreams with terrible, horrible bathrooms and I REALLY have to use them in the dream.

A: It may be that you really do have to urinate in real life! If so, I'd avoid liquids 2 hours before bedtime, if possible.

Or like I said above, the bathroom may represent one aspect of your mind...sounds like a part of yourself that is "terrible". Urinating is a form of release, and holding it in is a form of physiological control your conscious mind exerts over your body.

Symbolically speaking, you want to "use" this part of your mind in your waking life. So perhaps there is a repressed part of your personality that should see the light of day from time to time...we all have a darker side. In fact, I was reading a book called "Mastery" not too long ago, and the author suggested that part of a successful well-rounded life is to harness that dark side we all have inside us. Something to think about.

Great questions, keep 'em coming!