Dr. Dream–April 18, 2021

Language of the ineffable and a nocturnal reminder of the world's kindness and beauty.

Dear Dr. Dream

Recently I woke up from a disturbing dream that stayed with me all of the following day. I’m hoping you can help me make sense of this. I dreamt that I was in a forest on a sunny afternoon and I was sitting with a group of women in a circle. Each of us was required to share either a song or a poem as we went around the circle. But when it was my turn and I tried to speak the only thing that came out of my mouth were weird sounds, sounds that didn’t even resemble a language. I felt so embarrassed because everyone was staring at me. 

Marsha T., Long Beach, CA

Dear Marsha

Here’s a secret about all dreams. Events that would embarrass us in waking life—like, say, appearing naked in a room full of people at a party, do not mean the same thing within the symbolic world of dreams. For instance, your inability to share with the other women in this dream because of the strange sounds you made, might indicate that you are not willing to present something familiar or common when it com…