tourists
-if you're the tourist and are anxious that you'll offend local customs: too self-conscious or timid in waking life
-being a stranger in a strange land is an accurate metaphor for the experience of dreaming
-see also "strangers" and "foreigners"

Charles Bonnet syndrome
-a syndrome where a part of the visual field (receiving no sensory input) is filled in with various images;
--tessellated or branching patterns (trees?)
--small figures: especially with hats and costumes
--cartoon or sketched-like figures
--just a face or faces with distorted features
--landscapes
-lack of visual input in dreaming may explain some characteristics of dream imagery

Capgras syndrome
-misidentification of a familiar face as an imposter's:
--"He looked just like Bob, I knew he wasn't the real Bob"

Fregoli syndrome
-misidentification of an unfamiliar face as a known one:
--"I knew it was Bob, though it didn't look like Bob"

polyopia
-things seen in multiple copies, typically in rows
-common in visual hallucinatory syndromes and in some dreams
-may result from automatic filling in or persistent afterimages when sensory input is absent

paliopsia
-persistent afterimages, especially in the peripheral visual field
-may result from automatic filling in when sensory input is absent from parts of the visual field
-could result in tunnel-like imagery or a centrally focused visual pattern

micropsia
-images perceived as microscopic
-dreams where the size of some elements is altered might result from persistent afterimages being 'projected' into a new visual context where they are out of scale

achromatopsia, hemi-achromatopsia
-lack of color in the visual field or in one half of the visual field
-sometimes the result of damage to cortical areas that process color
-some dreams' lack of color may result from deactivation of these same areas

hypnogogic or hypnogogic hallucinations or images
-visual imagery that you see while falling asleep or while waking up
-usually described as a series of isolated images

compensation
-Jungian theory that the function of dreams is to balance excesses of the waking personality
-if you're an arrogant bastard during the day you'll have dreams of humiliating situations at night

REM
-rapid eye movement sleep
-sleep state characterized by active or alert looking electroencephalogram, skeletal muscle paralysis (atonia), sweeping eye movements and twitching at the extremities
-although dream reports can be elicited from wakings in non-REM sleep and late stage non-REM dreams are nearly indistinguishable from REM dreams, many dream theorists continue to treat REM-sleep and dreaming as identical

dreams, dreaming
-a kind of mental activity that occurs during sleep (though "sleep paralysis" might be described as a dream that occurs after you've woken)
-usually requiring hallucinatory activity (but not necessarily visual hallucinations, as the congenitally blind also dream)
-usually with at least some of the following;
--the presence of the dreamer - or at least a point of view on the action,
--other characters,
--one or more settings,
--emotions,
--movement,
--motivation, goals or a plot,
--acceptance of the dream as a real experience (though lucid dreams might be an exception)

hypnic jerk, myoclonic jerk
-a sudden unwilled movement of the body which usually occurs at sleep onset
-often accompanied by dream fragments which incorporate the movements as when small kicks of the feet trigger images of feet slipping on ice or tripping on pavement
-sometimes refered to as phasic neuromuscular events

sleep paralysis
-these experiences usually occur after the dreamer is awake but REM-state motor paralysis persists
-often results in a deep feeling of fear, a sensation of pressure on the chest and a hallucination of a sensed "presence"

homunculus
-an explaination of how the mind works which posits another equally complex mind, entity or agent "inside your head" which does all of the work.
-these types of explanations only replace the original problem with the problem of explaining the activity of the homunculus.
-in dream theory the unconscious, the subconscious, the collective unconscious are often accused of being examples of homunculi.

taste, scents, smells, odors
-much rarer than visual and auditory experiences in dreams
-a survey by Nielsen found women had significantly higher number of dreams with these senses

behind, behind my back
-dream events that unfold outside of your field of vision, behind your back or over your shoulder may indicate denial
-deception
-metaphor: the past is behind you, the future is in front of you
-if there is an interruption of the visual aspect of dream generation then you may confabulate reasons for why you can't see what's going on
-see also "followed"

settings
-indoor settings may reflect internally directed concerns: see also "buildings"
-outdoor settings reflect public, external themes
-men have more outdoor settings than women
-transitions from indoor to outdoor may reflect applying knowledge from one domain to another
-a change a setting might indicate an attempt to distance yourself from what was happening in the previous setting
-changing from day or night may reflect a change in mood from positive to negative

explanations, background information, confabulations, assumptions
-you are suddenly given background information or an ad hoc explanation about some puzzling aspect of a dream
-a Freudian might suggest that such "revisions" indicate censorship of psychologically unacceptable latent dream thoughts
-confabulation is sometimes explained as resulting from a state of mind where some information is missing and some information persists after its source is removed
-dreams seem to be constructed "on the fly" and their plots often run into incongruities. since the dreamer is working under the assumption of being awake, even a bad explanation is easier to accept than the idea that "everything you believe is an illusion"
-in many of my own dreams I'm flying and realize that this is rather unusual - that I must be dreaming, but then convince myself that the quality of my flying isn't the same as in a dream!

recurring dreams
-one traditional theory is that recurring dreams are a message that you are ignoring. once you understand its meaning the dream will stop recurring or change to something more pleasant
-people who have undergone a traumatic experience often dream repeatedly of it. some claim that such dreams help the individual "process" the trauma, others say that the recurring dreams simply reflect that the person is preoccupied with the experience: they think about it all the time while awake as well as when sleeping.
-some elements of a dream may so catch your interest that you simply pay more attention to dreams that feature them
-see also "typical dreams" and "kindling model".

incorporation
-though the REM sensory blockade is in effect, external stimuli are sometimes incorporated into dreams
-these often only partially reflect all of the features of the stimulus
-Hartman describes a woman with a sore throat who dreams of a pink stairwell, covered all over with scratches
-I once dreamed of squeezing past another, annoyed, character in a narrow hallway, only to awake from an episode of sleep apnea a moment later
-(note that both examples show how the body is sometimes represented as parts of a building in dreams)

neurotransmitters
-lower levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin are associated with sleeping and REM sleep in particular
-low levels of serotonin are associated with depression. perhaps this accounts for the high percent of negative emotions found in dreams
-low levels of serotonin are associated with obsessive compulsive disorder. perhaps this accounts for dreams with anxious, repetitive sequences like searching for lost keys

executive disfunction
-associated with damage to the frontal lobes
-indecisiveness, inability to switch attention form one task to another
-inability to plan ahead
-impulsiveness
-acting in a socially inappropriate manner
-decreased activity in the frontal lobes is characteristic of all stages of sleep
-perhaps this explains some characteristics of dreaming;
--dreams of waiting
--dreams with repetitive sequences
--embarrassing dreams where we do things that shock our waking moral sense
--the usual lack of anything like a satisfactory resolution of the dream's plot: the dream as a story with too many loose ends

denial syndrome
-following stroke (on right side of brain only) patients may completely deny the resulting paralysis on left side of their body
-interestingly, a "reversal" of the denial may be brought about by induced nystgmas (sweeping eye movements brought about by vestibular disturbances: usually by the irrigation of the left ear with cold water)
-the patient will then admit that the paralysis exists until vestibular equilibrium is restored
-since nystgmas resemble REM, Ramachandran has suggested that REM dreaming allows us to temporarily face the disturbing thoughts that we normally suppress while we are awake
-but people with neglect syndromes involving their left visual field show lower numbers of left-directed REM saccades
-(note that vestibular dis-equilibrium might be a better explanation for "fictive motion" than the activation of "motor programs")

horses
-power, strength, freedom
-sexual, phallic symbol

cats
-wise, aloof
-see also "babies"

dogs
-loyalty, friendship, companionship
-see also "babies"

animals
-may represent primitive drives and emotions
-something that can't be tamed or controlled
-more common in children's dreams than adults
-more common in rural and hunter-gatherer societies
-see also "dogs", "cats", "horses", "snakes" and "bugs"

travel, missed train, missed flight, packing for a trip
-course of life issues
-need change, but can't cut the ties that bind you
-carrying too much "baggage"?
-a missed train equals a missed opportunity
-lost or forgotten items suggest you're unprepared for change
-inability to plan for a trip is characteristic of dorsolateral prefrontal cortex inactivation: executive disfunction
-motor programs activated with low overall brain activation so you confabulate reasons for not ever getting anywhere
-see also "waiting"

snakes, serpents
-phallic symbol?
-a frightening poisonous threat
-there may be an instinctual fear of snakes: chimpanzees will kill a snake but won't eat it (according to Steven Pinker)

swimming, diving into water, drowning
-"diving in" means taking a chance or getting to work
-"in the swim" means you are capable or involved in life
-"drowning" means you are overwhelmed
-possible apnea if you are drowning
-lack of sense of gravity: variation of "flying"

bodies of water, lakes, ponds, oceans, seas
-symbolic of the unconscious
-symbolic of female, mother
-see also "underwater"

foreigners
-afraid of being different?
-feeling out of place, like you don't belong?
-afraid of what other might think
-a self characteristic your not comfortable with
-foreign characters as displacement of self-characteristics you'd rather not own
-dream characters ignore you or are unresponsive because your brain is unable to generate a convincing personality or dialog for them - easier to dream them as foreigners
-see also "strangers"

lost, lost in a strange city, lost in a building
-metaphor for loss of goals, motivation, purpose, loss of direction in life
-dreams often feature stereotypical places (and other elements) that aren't sharply specified in all of their details. It is natural to feel lost when in such a strange place.
-you may simple lack access to some memory sources while dreaming
-see also "confusing paths" and "turned back"

ignored, invisible, unnoticed, unheard
-not getting the attention you think you deserve?
-feeling invisible?
-actions speak louder than words
-dream characters ignore you or are unresponsive because your brain is unable to generate a convincing personality or dialog for them - easier to dream them silent

ghosts, supernatural, specter, vampires, shadow, monsters
-shadow figures as negative self-aspects
-negative emotions predominate dreams

criminals, thugs, gangs, villains, threatened
-shadow figures are negative self-aspects
-negative emotions predominate dreams

catastrophe, cataclysm, calamity, disaster, armageddon, tidal waves, volcanos, storms, tornados, hurricanes, typhoons, cyclone, plane crashes, holocaust, nuclear war, nuclear bomb, hydrogen bomb, terrorist attack
-is it really the end of the world?
-afraid you'll be swept away?
-loss of control of your life?
-metaphor: emotional discord is a storm as in: a 'flood' of emotions

thirst, drinking
-you drink a lot of cold water but you still feel thirsty
-symbolic of desire for various psychological, emotional or spiritual needs?
-did you wake up thirsty?

wasteland, desert, barrens, desolate
-a reflection of your life/emotional/spiritual situation?
-a place of solitude

paralysis, paralyzed
-you can't escape or run away from your problems
-tacit awareness of REM sleep motor paralysis especially if you manage to move your physical body a little

climbing, ladders, elevators, escalators
-issues with ambition and status
-struggle for achievement or recognition
-did you reach the top?
-symbolic representation of the process of waking

chased or followed, pursued
-is there something from the past that you'd rather forget or can't face or that you want to "run away from"?
-you can't escape responsibility for the consequences of your actions
-see also "paralysis"

winds
-"winds of change"
-emotional turmoil?
-incorporation of snoring or breathing sounds?
-see also "storms"

dirt, digging, excavate, excavation, archeology, unearth
-"digging for gold"
-uncovering the past
-see also "treasure" and "underground"

cults, aliens, drugs
-fear of loosing control
-desire to loose control
-loss of power or convictions
-an excuse to not be responsible for dreamed actions

authority figures, old man, old woman, father, mother, police, guards, soldiers, boss
-these may reveal your attitude towards authority as established through your relationship to your parents
-enforcers of self-imposed or societal norms
-sources of wisdom

church, temple, mosque
-symbol of spiritual authority
-negative aspect: dogma control
-positive aspect: community

farm, plowed fields
-symbolic of nourishment, mother earth
-plowed fields: sex, fertility
-readiness for change

flowers
-symbolic of genitalia, sexuality or fertility
-may just indicate intense activation of visual system

school, university, college, back at school, unprepared for test or school exam
-you may feel judged or self-conscious
-unprepared for some upcoming event
-a simple dread of being unprepared
-life as a trial
-memory of schools, where a significant period your life was spent
-we dream the most of what we are most familiar with
-you're really not prepared for that test - you just dreamed it up - so your anxiety is justified

letters, messages, telegrams, reading and books, written words
-knowledge, understanding and information
-difficulties in reading mean you are rejecting someone's advice or denying something you know to be true
-do letters change when you try to read them for a second time?
-messages sent from afar might indicate displacement
-Carl Sagan speculated that the language area of the left hemisphere of the brain was inactive during dreaming and that this was why he had few dreams of reading or difficulty with reading. This passed, untested, into popular dream folklore. Studies by Hartman and others confirm that reading and math are rare (but not completely absent) in dream reports.
-see also "mechanical problems"

phone, telephone
-a message from a distant source (faint of hard to understand) may indicate displacement
-see also "mechanical problems"

comets, star, shooting stars, meteors, fireworks, celestial objects, moon, planets
-stars: fixed points, eternal, truths
-planets: motion, recurring large scale cyclic events, fate
-shooting stars: wonder, inspiration, brilliance, the ephemeral
-meteor crashing into the earth: see "cataclysm"
-bright objects on a dark background indicate phasic (low activation) REM or NREM dreaming
-similar to isolated hypnogogic or hyponopompic images which appear with little context

sky
-"looking up" means optimism
-as mirror of emotion state
-another relatively undifferentiated field to serve as explanation for lack of activity/input from visual areas of the brain

river, stream
-symbolic representation of time or course of life
-symbolic representation of fictive motion

stairs, stairways, staircases
-changes of status
-transition
-symbolic representation of the process of waking (climbing up)
-symbolic representation of the process of entering deeper stage of sleep (climbing down)

trees
-symbol of knowledge
-metaphor of relatedness, ancestry, cause and effect, hierarchy, stability, endurance

car, automobile, bicycle, bike, vehicle, drive, driving, car out of control
-movement, transportation: change as movement
-car out of control means some aspect of your life is out of your control
-are you a "control freak"?
-being in a car: a reflection of "interior" concerns or preparation for coming dream activity
-getting out of a car: becoming more active in the dream
-fictive motion: loss of sensation from you body combined with activation of motor programs mostly confined to the horizontal (unless you drive over a cliff!)

street, road, path, ave, avenue, alley, highway, corridor, aisle, hallway
-well defined course of progress or behavior
-movement or effort channeled towards a goal
-confinement of possibilities: are you in a rut?
-symbolic representation of time or course of life
-fictive motion represented as a path
-see also "confusing paths"

confusing paths, mazes, labyrinths, detours
-feeling indecisive?
-not sure how to proceed with something?
-in a rut?
-theories, arguments, reasoning as path-like;
--"he 'arrived' at a conclusion"
--"this 'line' of reasoning 'leads nowhere'"
--"I can't 'follow' your argument
--"she's talking in 'circles'"
-activation of motor programs combined with confused and conflated memories of similar places

gifts, presents, awards
-a need for awards, flattery or acknowledgement
-with gifts come obligations
-did you get what you wanted?
-did you decide not to take the gift?
-did someone trick you out of the gift?

unprepared, on stage, public performance
-put on the spot
-feeling unprepared or overexposed?
-we all have to improvise at times!
-do you generally feel the need to be well rehearsed?
-do you lack spontaneity?
-you really aren't prepared: you're dreaming!
-if you perform well and the audience loves you: good self-confidence
-see also "unprepared for a test"

naked in public, nude, pants down
-you may feel exposed, embarrassed, ashamed or self-conscious
-insecurity about revealing yourself to others
-are you hiding something? ("caught with your pants down")
-tacit awareness that you really are inappropriately dressed (since you're in bed) for a public appearance
-one variations is to just be shoeless
-see also "private/public"

body, head, hands, face, feet, eye
-the most common body parts reported in order are;
--hands: including fingers
--head: including face, teeth, mouth and eyes
--arms
--feet
--legs
-genitalia aren't mentioned very often
-in general upper body and extremities show up most in dreams
-extremities are least affected by REM-stage motor paralysis so maybe their movements are noticed and incorporated into the dream
-some idiomatic expressions about body parts; hands, head, eyes, feet, arms, legs, face, teeth, heart (sorce: Cambridge International Dictionary of Idioms)

houses, homes, buildings, rooms, building
-house as symbolic of self, mind or body;
--attic or roof: head, brain, mind, memories of the past
--bedroom: comfort or sex
--bathroom: bowels
--kitchen: nourishment, stomach
--basement: bowels, the unconscious, something hidden
--door: mouth
--windows: eyes
-see also "secret rooms", "under construction" and "incorporation"

apartments, apartment buildings
-lack of commitment or control: because you rent an apartment rather than own it
-pun on "apart"
-independence: if first place you lived on your own
-large, multiple-apartment building: compartmentalization
-rediscovery of old apartment: desire to return to the past

secret rooms
-looking for new possibilities?
-untapped potentials
-trying to make a breakthrough?
-something forgotten or that you've lost track of
-is it an exciting place or a "forbidden room"?

money, coins, finding money, treasure
-hidden potentials and discoveries
-all that glitters isn't gold
-sometimes you can find something of value in an unlikely place (coins dug from the ground)
-finding money is a child-like delight, a expression of positive emotions (or the wish for them) in a dream
-if the coins turn out to be nearly worthless foreign currency, "play" money or counterfeit then this suggests a pessimistic attitude (or maybe you're just tacitly aware that you're dreaming and, at some level, know that the money is unreal)
-similar to the theme of finding a secret room
-you may feel disappointment when you wake up!

bathroom problems, pee, piss, urine, restroom
-maybe you need to go!
-is there something you need to get rid of?
-you need to urinate but tacit awareness that you're asleep causes you to confabulate reasons why you can't use a bathroom

house under construction, demolished, demolition, renovation
-a new phase or new start
-a need for revision of plans
-feelings of incompleteness or a need for change
-something in an unfinished state

detached view
-seeing the dream action from a distance or as if watching it on television
-something you'd like to "distance" yourself from?
-psychological displacement
-try to be more involved
-not fully active in the dream because not all of the brain areas required for the generation of a full dream experience are activated
-as an alternative to "detachment" being an indication of psychological displacement see also "artificial". perhaps things that "just don't feel very real" are symbolized as being seen on television: so no denial or censorship need be involved

vision problems, visual problems, distorted vision, blind, zoomed in point of view, broken light switches
-something you'd rather not acknowledge?
-have you "lost your focus"?
-are you "looking the other way" about something?
-seeing is understanding
-so angry you can't see straight
-emotions "cloud your vision"
-zoomed in: can't see the forest for the trees
-are you missing the bigger picture?
-activation of visual areas of the brain drops off so you confabulate darkness, broken light switches, etc.
-tunnel vision: reflects the actual pattern of activation of the visual system? (suggested by Blackmore)
-tonic REM phase produces more input than you can deal with: you are dazzled or blinded by brilliant intense light sources
-see also "micropsia"

television, tv
-if you're watching something on television this may indicate a need to distance yourself from what is being shown
-see also "detached view"

movie, film, stage, theater
-if you're watching a movie this may indicate a need to distance yourself from what is being shown
-see also "detached view"

loosing teeth, crumbling teeth, tooth, dentures
-weakness, loss of potency or strength
-unsure about your abilities?
-loss of something valuable
-feeling "used up", "worn out", old, frail?
-worried about your appearance?
-regretting something you said?
-memory of loosing baby teeth
-loosing your baby teeth marks transition to adulthood: so the dream may symbolize maturation in some domain or the need to "grow up"
-a small reminder of your mortality
-incorporation of nocturnal bruxism

death, dead, died, fatal illness
-course of life issues
-a major change in your life?
-something you're done with or need to be done with?
-are you depressed?
-low levels of aminergic neurotransmitters mimic depression
-loss of limbic connection may mimic Cotard's syndrome (feeling like you're dead)

mechanical problems, buttons, dials, keyboards, malfunctioning machines
-life too complicated?
-loosing your grip?
-too hurried in waking life?
-symbolic of a process that operates own its own
-the context of an ongoing dream calls for button operated machines, reading or other items, but the functional areas of the brain that are involved with these activities aren't fully activated

fences, walls, barriers, gates
-restrictions on motion or access as in forbidden areas
-symbolic of self-imposed or societal limitations, prohibitions
-the desire to escape such limitations
-self-defense mechanisms
-see "private/public"

private/public, restricted area
-dreams where access to some area is denied: you find yourself in an exclusive club, afraid someone will see that you're not a member: feelings of low self-worth
-dreams where others have access to a place where you would expect privacy: your bedroom is located in a shopping mall: feeling self-conscious
-do you need to establish boundaries?
-do you feel violated?
-symbolic of how you present yourself in public versus how comfortable you feel "being yourself"
-see also "naked in public"

lucid dreaming
-just by being familiar with the sort of things that happen in your dreams you may realize, while dreaming, that "this is just like one of my dreams!" This realization usually results in waking, but it is possible to continue dreaming and even influence the course of the dream.

dream within a dream, false awakening
-you may sometimes dream that you have woken up only to wake up (for real) a little while later.

strangers
-it is sometimes argued that if dreams all source from recall of internal memory sources then you can't dream of anything you didn't experience while waking. Following this "recall only" argument, you shouldn't be able to dream of up a completely strange face, building, setting, etc. This is not taken seriously by most dream researchers.
-see also "artificial" and "foreigners"

real/artificial, counterfeit, fake, forgery, fraud, imitation, imposter, phoney, pretender, unreal, sham
-not everything is what it seems
-feeling inauthentic?
-is someone deceiving you?
-are you deceiving yourself?
-tacit awareness that you're dreaming
-brain can't come up with required dream element because some functional areas are at low levels of activation
-lack of match between emotional and visual memory: something like a generalized Capgras syndrome

condensation
-similar things tend to get conflated in dreams:
--streets become corridors, cars become bicycles, workplace mixed with school, composite characters, etc.
-elements of condensations are usually of the same class
-condensations may be conceptual blends

celebrities, celebrity, fame, famous
-craving attention?
-living off of someone else's glory?
-feeling "out of you league"?
-modesty if a displacement of self-feelings
-if these represent "aspects of the dreamer's personality or psyche" then they are strongly "displaced": not just "some other character" but someone very removed from everyday experience (unless you're a celebrity!)
-or instead, another indication that the dreamer is tacitly aware of the unreality of the dream

metaphor
-understanding something (usually abstract) in terms of something more basic to everyday experience
-metaphors highlight some features of the thing being explained while hiding others
-see the works of Calvin Hall, Lakoff and Johnson, and Kelly Bulkeley

babies, baby, infants, fetus, pregnancy, pregnant, small animals
-the feeling of a burden or responsibility, especially if baby is carried around
-a new start or new project
-feelings of vulnerability
-symbolic of feelings of dependance or neediness

food, eating
-symbolic of fulfilling various needs;
--hunger for knowledge, spiritual, emotional and sexual satisfaction
-you could just be hungry

waiting
-waiting for a train, waiting to be seated at a restaurant or waiting for the bill, etc.
-what are you waiting for?
-time to take action
-take charge of your life
-lower brain activation levels (phasic REM or NREM) so dream action decreases and you confabulate reasons to stay put

metamorphosis, transformations
-what changed?
-how are the two things similar?
-what is allowed/not allowed after the change?
-a dreamed object is not an object of continuous sensory perception and is not "refreshed" in memory every time you look at it (as it would be if you were awake). if you loose track of an item you may substitute a similar object for it.

marriage, marry, weddings
-a joining of forces
-a synthesis
-the unification of opposites

security, locks, barricade, fort, castle
-feeling under siege?
-maybe you need to "open up"
-building walls to protect your insecurity?

shopping, stores
-symbolic of fulfilling various needs
-did you find what you wanted?
-were the clerks helpful or surly?
-you can't buy happiness
-for a possible antonym, see also "finding money"?

tunnels, caves, shafts, subterranean, underground
-digging deep
-search for deeper truth: foundations
-do you need grounding?
-hidden thoughts struggling to the surface
-a return to the womb
-metaphor: emotions come from below
-tunnels may represent your bowels
-see also "digging"

bridges, bridge, drawbridge, catwalk
-connections
-transitions
-a new phase
-starting a new job?
-ending a relationship?
-leaving the past behind you: "that's water under the bridge", "burning your bridges behind you"
-was it difficult to get across?

high places, hill, mountain, cliff, tower, peak
-being "above it all"
-taking in a wider view of things
-top equals head: thinking
-achievement of goals: "on top of the world"
-changes in status
-phallic symbol

bugs, buggy, insects, spiders, flies
-is something bothering you?
-life's minor irritations
-minor muscle twitches are interpreted as being caused by flies landing on your skin

gazing beneath the surface, fish, fishes, under water, underwater
-the unconscious
-thoughts surfacing
-afraid to get your feet wet?
-what's hidden beneath the surface?
-still waters run deep
-shallow waters are easily muddied
-fishing for an answer?
-river as the flow of time or a life
-tidal flow as inevitability
-water's edge as boundary between domains
-hypnogogic-like images: isolated objects, blurry or distorted, seen with little context - confabulated as creatures seen beneath the surface of a body of water
-if fantastic creatures emerge to fill in an inactive part of the visual field, this may mimic Charles Bonnet syndrome

workplace, office, current job
-did you dream of conflict with your boss or coworkers? this may reflect your feelings toward your parents, siblings or family
-were you worried about a project or deadline?

old workplace, old office, old job
-did you hate your old job or boss?
-do you miss your old co-workers?
-leaving a workplace can stir up memories like leaving home for the first time or the last day of school
-unfinished business?
-a need to return to something "safe"

home town, childhood home
-is this a "regression"?
-how long since you moved away?
-did things seem bigger in the dream than in waking life? as they would if you were a child (child sized)
-a return to simpler times?
-when's that last time you called your mom?

falling, fall
-loss of status
-fall form grace or fall from favor
-see also "climbing"
-loss of sensation from you body combined with activation of motor programs
-tacit awareness that you're in a horizontal position (lying down) contradicts your dreamed position (usually standing upright)
-loss of proprioceptive feedback

flying, floating
-feelings of superiority
-a need for freedom
-escape from responsibilities
-are you being unrealistic?
-a simple expression of elation
-loss of sensation from you body combined with activation of motor programs
-loss of proprioceptive feedback

blocked or stuck
-lack of choices or options
-barriers to progress -can't make any progress
-a narrow or blocked passage may indicate constipation or apnea
-apnea symbolized as narrow passage
-tacit awareness of REM sleep motor paralysis
-see also "turned back"

turned back, retrace path, retracing your steps, detours
-a need for revisions
-reexamine or review your past
-you're not ready for some change
-you need to try a new approach
-if a scene was repeated, how did the two versions differ?
-dreams as an example of "multiple drafts": you remember alternate versions of the same scenario (produced in parallel) as having happened sequentially
-you repeat the same scene because your brain state doesn't allow for generation of new imagery
-you repeat the same scene because low serotonin levels leave you in a state equivalent to obsessive-compulsive disorder
-see also "blocked"

fires, burning, house on fire
-primal fear of fire
-loss of possessions
-cleansing flames: desire to start over
-if fire is in the distance, see also "fireworks"

clouds
-insubstantial thoughts: "head in the clouds"
-see also "vision problems"

counterfactuals
-a proposition that sets up an imagined situation that is known to be false: e.g. "If I were you I'd order the pie" and "If only I had listened to Bob"
-what could have been: dreams are where you try out different possibilities
-counterfactuals are very common in waking thought (see Fauconnier)

fog, mist
-confused: "in a fog"
-unclear: "lost in the mist"
-see "vision problems"

water teeming with aquatic creatures, bugs, snakes, salamanders, fish, pollution, microscopic life, etc.
-sexual, symbolic of semen
-polluted water teeming with creatures: may be the incorporation of an uncomfortably full bladder
-roiling visual imagery, especially in isolated context, may indicate tonic REM activation of visual areas
-see also "beneath the surface"

islands
-isolation, solitude, refuge
-loneliness, being stranded
-being cut off from others
-the unattainable (if you can't reach it)

sinking (into the ground), sinking ship
-sinking into the ground, mud or sand
-no where to stand
-feet of clay
-insecurity, lack of confidence (especially about beliefs and status)?
-earth about to collapse beneath your feet: tread carefully, watch your step
-feeling depressed: "that sinking feeling"?
-a sinking ship: time to "throw in the towel" on something?
-suffocation: see also "drowning"

typical dreams
-any dream scenario that seems universal but is also too unusual to have a mundane explanation
-being chased, flying, teeth falling out and being inappropriately dressed are commonly given as examples

day residue
-any dream element that seems to have a source from recent waking experience: usually something insignificant that you didn't pay attention to at the time
-several dream theories claim that these residues always or usually have meaningful psychological associations for the dreamer
-sometimes used to explain away unusual dream elements as in "you must have seen that in a movie" - as if dreams only consist of recycled memories

associations
-many dream interpretation theories suggest that the meaning of a dream can be uncovered when the dreamer can supply associations for every puzzling element in a dream
-there is a "six degrees of separation" problem basic to associations: if we can always find a chain of associations linking one element to another then there's no way to determine which explanation is best
--a Freudian can always find a sexual association for any dream element!

kindling model
-the progressive and persistent modification of behavioral, neurochemical, responses to repeated stimuli over time: often cited as a model for epileptic seizures
-could also be applied to recurring and typical dreams: the more you dream of something, the more likely you are to dream of it again as your brain reenters the same state of activity
-dreams that allow you to continue sleeping kindle themselves more than dreams that cause to wake
-there's some evidence which might support this;
--dreams with aggression decrease with age
--if dreams with startling endings decrease with age: freightening dreams of falling replaced by dreams of flying?
--many lucid dreamers report that "reality checks" start to fail after some initial cluster of successful lucid dreams

aspects of self
-In popular dream lore all sorts of characters and animals are said to represent aspects of the dreamer's self or personality.
-Jungians take this to the extreme, describing aspects of self as if they were independent agencies living inside of the dreamer (as archetypes and complexes).
-see also "homunculus"

unconscious
-in popular dream theories the unconscious is described as if it were a person, separate from the dreamer.
-the unconscious is also idealized as the dreamer's "true self", knowing what the dreamer "really" wants.
-as such it sends messages to the dreamer in a metaphoric code.
-opposed to this is the view that, while we are unconscious of most of the activity which gives rise to conscious experience (including dreams), there is no reason to posit a "second self" which "sends" us conscious experience or messages while we sleep.
-see also "homunculus".

random activation, activation-synthesis
-it is sometimes argued that dreams result from the synthesis of random memories activated when chaotic impulses from the brain-stem (PGO waves) reach the cortex, and that, since these impulses are random, dreams can't be meaningful.
-this ignores the meaning added by the dreamer in selecting how the random elements are put together to form the dream.
-it also ignores the fact that dreams occur outside of REM sleep when there is no PGO.
-it's also speculative to assume that these impulses activate the cortex in a more than general way (i.e. that they trigger the recall of specific memories).

trash picking
Like the theme of finding money.
-the thrill of getting something valuable
-sometimes a slight feeling of guilt - especially if you're not sure if the trash is actually being throw away or set out for sale.
-also like the shopping theme (especially in bookstores) in that you often don't find anything you want.
-tacit awareness of dreaming as a sequence of random images if you find piles of unrelated junk.

phantom limb syndrome
Amputees often report the sensation of a phantom limb after the loss of an arm or leg. One explanation for this may be that the cortical "map" for the missing limb starts to react to input from surrounding cortical maps which would normally be inhibited by the input from the limb.
This may have some relationship to dreams since the REM state sensory blockade leaves sensory maps operating without input from the body as a whole. Perhaps dreaming could be described as "phantom body syndrome".

synesthesia
experiencing something in a different sense modality:
-seeing colors in numerals, letters and shapes, hearing a texture, smelling a color are common examples.
-probably a result of one cortical map cross activating another, related map.
-when external stimuli are incorporated into a dream the sense modality is sometimes altered.
(see also "incorporation")

expectation
In dreams "...the arousal of an expectation almost guarantees its arrival" -Bert States

dialog, spoken words
Many dreamers report that they rarely experience spoken dialog in their dreams. Its more like a character said "something like" this or that - the meaning is understood, but not the exact words.
Others quote long passages of dialog. Dreamers often report song lyrics, poetry and nonsensical puns, especially remembered in the process of waking.
-see also "written words"

virtual reality
The dream experience is often compared a virtual reality simulation.
The problems involved in producing a convincing all-engulfing simulation (and their solutions) might also apply to the production of dreams. Dreamers seldom question the reality of their dreams while they're dreaming so the problems must be, to some extent "solved". Even so, some dream features might be explained by the occasional failure to produce a convincing simulation or by the dreamer's tacit awareness that the dream isn't quite real.
-see also "real/artificial".



against interpretation
The idea that dreams shouldn't be interpreted at all: that interpretation spoils the appreciation of the dream and drains it of its immediate (or delayed) power and impact.
"It is always the case that interpretation indicates a dissatisfaction (conscious or unconscious) with the dream, a wish to replace it by something else. Interpretation, based on the highly dubious theory that a dream is composed of messages, violates the dream. It makes the dream into an article for use, for arrangement into a mental scheme of categories."
"The function of interpretation should be to show how the dream is what it is, even that it is what it is, rather than to show what it means."
(The last two quotes are a rephrase of Susan Sontag)