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Freaky Dreams

An A-Z of the Weirdest and Wackiest Dreams and what They Really Mean

Adele Nozedar

CONTENTS

Introduction - The Land of Nod

How to Remember Your Dreams

The A to Z Guide of Dream Symbols

Cheese Dreams: Does Food Make Freaky Dreams…Freakier?

Digital Dreams

The Award for “Most Popular Dream” Goes To…

Lucid Dreaming: The Art of Controlling Your Dreams

Anxiety Dreams

Recurring Dreams

What Exactly is a Nightmare?

Notes

About the Author

Other Books by Adele Nozedar

Thank You

Copyright

About the Publisher

THE LAND OF NOD

I dreamed I was in the kitchen making a sandwich.

It was the weirdest dream I’ve ever had.

When I started researching this book, I asked people to tell me about their dreams; specifically, I was after the weirdest, the freakiest, the most disjointed examples, the ones that really do defy analysis. And the two-line quote above, was possibly one of the oddest.

It seems odd because it’s so normal.

After all, it’s in the nature of a dream that it’s weird and freaky. If you’re describing a dream to someone, is it likely that you’d ever say, “Oh my, I’ve got to tell you about the REALLY NORMAL dream I had last night!”? Nope!

Despite centuries of research that’s still continuing, there’s still so much about dreams, and indeed sleep, which remains a mystery.

Mankind has traveled into the deepest depths of the oceans. We’ve set foot on the moon. We’ve sent probes to pick up pebbles from Mars, and we’ve taken photographs in the unfathomable vastness of space. And yet we still don’t know quite what happens, or where we go to, every night when we toddle off to bed, close our eyes, and sleep.

For example, here’s something that’s very puzzling.

If you’ve ever watched someone sleeping, you might have noticed their eyeballs moving swiftly back and forth under the lids. This is called Rapid Eye Movement (REM), and it happens when the sleeper is dreaming. Dreams are our way of processing the events of the day, incidents in our lives, and all sorts of physical and philosophical phenomena.

The duck-billed platypus, of all animals on earth, shows the most extreme incidence of REM.

What is the platypus processing? What sort of anxieties could exist in that little platypus mind? We’ll never know. Another mystery. In fact, to be fair, scientists aren’t even certain that the platypus is even dreaming.

BUT WHAT IF IT IS?

The great thing about dreams is that anything can happen, any kind of surreal scenario is allowed to play out, no holds barred. In your dream world, you can be a superhero or a god, an animal, a tramp, a teapot. Dreams allow us to tap into an internal imaginary world that is as vast as that external universe that the space probes poke around in. The possibility of a fabulous dream is enough to make bedtime seem like a really fun proposition.

HOW TO REMEMBER YOUR DREAMS

The dream is the small hidden door in the deepest and most intimate sanctum of the soul, which opens into that primeval cosmic night that was soul long before there was a conscious ego and will be soul far beyond what a conscious ego could ever reach.

-Carl Jung, The Meaning of Psychology for Modern Man, 1934

We’re presupposing that you already know how to sleep, so let’s get straight to the juicy stuff. Some of us really do believe that we never dream, or maybe that we dream only very rarely.

That’s not true. Everyone dreams.

What’s more, we each have several episodes of dreaming throughout the night. They occur primarily during the period of REM described above, during which our most intense dreams take place, but there’s also a phase called Non-Rapid Eye Movement (NREM) during which dreams might happen—or they might not..

So, if we all dream, then why don’t we all remember them?

Some scientists have speculated that we don’t remember them simply because it wouldn’t be healthy to do so. After all, if we had to think not only of all the stuff that happens every day in our waking lives AND then think about our dreams, we’d probably go mad. There also needs to be a clear distinction between dreams and waking reality. For example, to dream of flinging yourself from the top of a moving train and then finding that you can fly to safety is fine, but to try the same thing in real life wouldn’t be very clever. Dreams are by their very nature full of absurd scenarios and impossible situations which would simply never happen in our waking lives.

Always with the adjunct “Safety First,” then, here are some tips on how to remember your dreams.

DECIDE TO REMEMBER YOUR DREAMS

Start out by making the decision that you do actually want to be able to recall your dreams. Tell yourself that this is what you want. Repeat this mantra several times a day:

I will remember my dreams.

I will remember my dreams.

I will remember my dreams.

BREAK UP YOUR SLEEP PATTERN

If you can, aim to break up your sleep pattern. We remember our dreams usually when we’ve been woken up in the middle of, or immediately after, a dream episode.

You might have a dedicated friend who will time how long it take between you falling asleep until the REM pattern starts. You could try setting an alarm to wake yourself when this happens. Otherwise, try setting the alarm at random times. We sleep in 90-minute cycles, so if you don’t have to get up at the crack of dawn the next day, you could set an alarm clock to go off at 90-minute intervals throughout the night.

Other ways of breaking up your sleep pattern include eating indigestible food (see “Cheese Dreams” in CHEESE DREAMS: DOES FOOD MAKE FREAKY DREAMS…FREAKIER?), taking a long-haul flight into another time zone, or having a baby.

RECORD THE DREAM

The tried and tested method is to have a notebook and (working) pen or pencil beside the bed, but you might prefer to have a recording device. Remember, after all, that Keith Richards recorded “Satisfaction” in his sleep. Whatever means you decide to use, make sure they’re easily accessible and that you’re familiar with any technology. Dreams can be extraordinarily elusive and could easily escape by the time you’ve jabbed away at the paper with a succession of useless pens, or worked out which button to push.

REMIND YOURSELF OF WHAT YOU’RE DOING

It’s easy, befuddled with sleep, to forget what your aim is, especially if you’re trying the 90-minute alarm clock method. It’s all too simple to simply throw the clock across the room and continue snoozing. You might try placing a piece of card with the words “REMEMBER DREAM!” somewhere that you’ll see as soon as you wake up.

DON’T TRY TO ANALYZE ANYTHING

It’s more important that you get the details down without immediately worrying about the meaning of them. Let the dreams “be.” Let them breathe, live with them a little while before deconstructing them.

While you’re at it, you might want to consider using your dreams to solve problems.

You’ll see several examples dotted through this book about ingenious solutions that have been found in a dream, delivered to the dreamer as though on a silver platter. If you have any sort of conundrum, think of it several times during the day and then concentrate on it before you go beddy-byes. See what happens. By the way, you’re more likely to have pleasant dreams if you’re close to a pleasant scent, and vice versa.

A DISCLAIMER

Although the bulk of this book is an analysis of some of the features that might appear in your dreams, some of the freakiest dreams are simply beyond explanation, pure and simple. Don’t worry if this is the case with one of your dreams. Enjoy it, revel in it, have a laugh about it.

IN CONCLUSION

If you take all this into consideration and start to apply it, you’ll find that the more you remember your dreams, the easier it will get. It’s almost as though your subconscious mind, knowing that you’re extending the hand of friendship, starts to come out to play and communicate with you.

YOU MIGHT SEE PATTERNS EMERGING. YOU MIGHT DREAM OF AN INVENTION THAT MAKES YOU A MILLIONAIRE.

YOU MIGHT INVENT A PLOT THAT TURNS INTO A BEST-SELLING BOOK.

WHATEVER YOU DO, YOU’LL DEFINITELY HAVE FUN.

ENJOY YOUR FREAKY DREAMS!

“Read the directions and directly you will be directed in the right direction.”

The Doorknob, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

THE A TO Z GUIDE OF DREAM SYMBOLS

There are many wonderful books full of dream symbols. Then there are also some real doozies. In general, a symbol represents itself. For example, let’s say that you dream about a lion. Then you have to ask yourself—what is a lion? A big shaggy animal with golden hair, pointy teeth, and sharp claws that comes from Africa? Is it the symbol for one of the astrological signs? Or is it an animal that represents courage, strength, fortitude, and ferocity? Then again, you might immediately think of the cowardly lion in the Wizard of Oz. The lion is, of course, all of these things and more. If you dream of a lion, then the meaning of the dream is dictated by what the lion means to you, personally, as well as the archetypal meaning of the symbol and the context in which it actually appears in the dream. It’s not always easy, but here at Freaky Dreams Central we like to apply the principle of Ockham’s Razor to just about everything. What is Ockham’s Razor? Aside from being a fabulous phrase to throw in at fancy dinner parties, Ockham’s Razor means that of all the possible explanations for everything under the sun, the simplest and most obvious one is generally the best.

A

ABBREVIATIONS

Inspect your dreams carefully. They are full of hidden messages. When you spot an abbreviation, see if there’s a possibility that it might stand for something. For example, the abbreviation could be the initials of a person. Roman numerals might constitute a date. XL could translate as the word “excel.” You get the idea.

ABYSS

This can indicate the depths of your subconscious mind—maybe you’re afraid of facing up to something that you know you have to deal with sooner rather than later. It could also mean that there’s a “plunge” to be taken, like some kind of a cosmic bungee jump. Bear in mind that scary stuff can also be incredibly exciting, so an abyss in a dream isn’t necessarily a bad omen.

ACCIDENT

If you dream that you’re involved in an accident, it’s likely that there is a situation in your life that you’re not happy with; perhaps a metaphorical “accident waiting to happen.” To dream that you’re the cause of an accident is a good example of the common anxiety dream. Look to see what you’re worried about in your waking life and make moves to change things. If you dream that someone in your life has been in an accident, it could mean that you are genuinely worried for that person or it could mean that it’s time for your relationship with them to come to an end. Only you can know which answer is likely to be correct.

ACORN

A new beginning, the germ of an idea, something that’s going to be BIG. Stick with it. You’re inspired!

ADULATION

It’s likely that you’ve done something that you’re very pleased with—a project at work, perhaps or a new idea or invention you’ve devised. Your dream of adulation confirms this. However, it’s also possible that the world is not giving you the encouragement you need and that your subconscious mind needs to make up for it while you’re asleep.

ADULTERY

If you dream about adultery, it’s all down to the context. If you’re committing adultery in your dream, it’s possible that your marriage is in need of some close scrutiny. Perhaps you’re bored and need to spice things up. If your partner is committing adultery in your dream, again your marriage could be in need of some close scrutiny because of boredom factors. Or perhaps you’re afraid that they might be hiding something—a lover, perhaps, but not necessarily.

ALARM CLOCK

Most of our dreams are, unfortunately, related to anxiety, and a dream about an alarm clock falls into this category. We set alarms when we want to be woken up; this could be physically or metaphorically. Clocks also indicate an obsession with time; maybe you feel you’re running out of the stuff or you’re trying to meet a deadline.

ALBATROSS

The definitive interpretation of the albatross’s symbolism is best summed up in “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. In this epic poem, he writes: “Instead of the cross, the albatross About my neck was hung.” Because of the mythology of the albatross as something that hinders you, this dream symbol is more than the sum of its realistic parts. Not just any old sea bird, the albatross represents the idea of something holding you back. And if it appears in your dreams, then this might correlate with a similar situation in your real life.

ALBINO

Anything albino is something that has no color pigmentation, something that’s purely white. White is symbolic of purity, so it could be reflective of something in your life that is pure or innocent. But there is also something very different about an albino since it’s not something we are accustomed to seeing in our everyday lives. To see anything albino in your dream could also suggest that there is an aspect of your waking life in which you feel different or alienated.

ALCOHOL

Alcohol changes our state of mind; we drink it, we sometimes get drunk, we become happy or sad or maybe angry, sometimes we dance on tables, and sometimes we fall over. Alcohol enables us to lose our inhibitions and perhaps your booze-laden dream is telling you to let your hair down a little in your everyday life?

ALIEN

What constitutes an alien? Is it a small green creature with slanted, expressionless black eyes? Is it a foreigner? Is it the feeling of being a stranger in a strange land? Of course, it’s all of these, and more. An alien in your freaky dream could suggest you’re feeling disconnected, divorced from reality and the people around you. New experiences are exciting but also scary, and you might be dreaming of aliens if this is your current situation in life. To be abducted by aliens means that circumstances are out of your control.

ALMOND

The defining quality of the almond is the incredibly tough exterior that hides its sweet and tender meat. The dream almond might represent you, or another person with these qualities. It could also be something in your life that requires a lot of effort to attain the result you need. Incidentally, almonds are also a symbol of fertility as well as of marriage. This symbolism goes for nuts in general.

ANCESTOR

Your ancestry is effectively a bank of genetic factors, character traits, diseases, talents, ingenuity, and potential. You are at the end of a long line of such a train, which represents the infinite capacity of your own potential. This is exciting, but when there are endless possibilities, it can also be difficult to make a decision about which choice to make. Is indecision a dilemma that you’re facing? If you see one of your ancestors in a dream, then he or she appears as a reminder of your own skills and genetic disposition. Thinking about the talents you’ve inherited from that ancestor might help you make a decision.

ANCHOR

The symbolism of the anchor is obvious; stability and security. However anchors can also hold you down. So what is the anchor like in your dream? Again, it’s all about context and the feeling of the dream.

ANCIENT CIVILIZATION

If you ever dreamed that you were in the midst of a glamorous ancient civilization, this rarefied and exotic environment probably means that your everyday, waking life has become somewhat humdrum, and you’re in dire need of an injection of mystery, color, excitement—and a touch of the unknown.

ANGEL

This angel is a powerful archetypal symbol, known and recognized all over the planet. You don’t have to be religious to know what an angel is all about. And the more powerful a place that a particular symbol enjoys in our psyche, the more powerful its meaning within your dream.

Angels, though, are full of contradictions. They can be sweet, loving, and gentle. Or they can be stern masters of discipline. They can help us, or they can teach us the hardest lessons. They can create and destroy in equal measure.

Above all, the angel is a messenger. Now, if you do believe in God, then it’s likely that you’ll see the angel in your dream as carrying information directly from the Head Office, so to speak. However, others believe that we carry our “God” inside of ourselves, but we don’t always listen to the messages conveyed by this internal authority, who knows instinctively and intuitively what’s right and wrong in the context of the bigger picture.

Therefore, you should pay close attention to any angel that appears in your dream, since it’s likely to be giving you information; it doesn’t matter where you think the source of this information lies. This information may be direct—the angel may speak to you—or it could be indirect, for example, if the angel is holding a scroll, indicating hidden information that you’ll need to decipher.

It’s possible that you might even dream that you, yourself, are an angel. This could be a reminder that you have a great capacity to help others, or that you are more powerful than you think.

ANIMALS

Individual species of animals—such as dogs, cats, or horses—appear under their own names in this book. However, it’s also worth examining the meaning of animal dreams in general. The animal side of human beings speaks to intuition and instinct, the primitive, the sexual. Sometimes if we’re feeling repressed, an animal dream might allow us to feel that we have more freedom than we’re able to express in our everyday lives. Don’t forget, too, that animals show us more than just our primitive desires. Many cultures believe that we each have “totem” animals—that is, that we share aspects and characteristics of certain creatures. The best way that this is expressed is in the zodiacs of both Western and Eastern astrology, whose animal shapes parade around the skies. So, to dream of an animal is to be shown that you share the qualities of that creature, whether they seem to be scary, freaky, or perfectly normal.

ANKH

Although this symbol originally belonged to the ancient Egyptians, its meaning is universally accepted; it stands for eternal life. To see it in a dream is a reminder of the connectedness of all things.

APE

Dreams often contain visual or literal puns; bear in mind that to “ape” someone means to copy them. Perhaps you’re worried about this in some context? If not, the ape is also powerful and sexually driven but also known to be undignified and somewhat stupid. Ring any bells for you?

APOCALYPSE

Many dreams—or nightmares—have an apocalyptic theme or feel to them. It’s likely that such a dream reflects similar changes in your life (where one part of your life is coming to an end), although hopefully these changes are not quite so dramatically intense as an actual apocalypse! Such changes might include moving house, marriage or divorce, or a change of job. The apocalypse dream is a prime example of how dreams tend to exaggerate events in our lives and amplify our anxieties.

APPLAUSE

Dreaming of a large auditorium of people applauding you is a relatively common dream and usually a pleasant one. Dreams sometimes give us an experience we’re lacking in real life, though, so it’s probable that you’re not receiving the recognition you really deserve.

APPLE

Ever since Eve offered Adam the Fruit of Knowledge—commonly supposed to be the apple—this fruit has occupied an important place as a premium symbol. Accordingly, to dream about the apple is to dream about wisdom, information, knowledge, healthiness, and prosperity. The apple, because of its seeds, is also a fertility symbol. Do you have fertility issues, either positive or negative? Conversely, to see an apple rotting on a bough is a powerful symbol of autumn and mortality. It could be a reminder that life is short and to “use it or lose it.”

APRON

Aprons protect, but there’s more to this than you might suppose. Yes, they protect a person’s clothes from splashes and stains while working, but aprons also protect and preserve secrets. Freemasons, for example, use the apron as part of their uniform. If you’re dreaming of aprons, it could be there is a secret you’re keeping or one that is being kept from you.

ARCH

To dream that you are traveling underneath an arched structure signifies a portentous moment in your life, a new beginning, and something good to come.

ARROW

The basic arrow speaks of direction, focus, and enthusiasm in your life. A broken arrow signifies the opposite; the end of a dream or a fear of failure.

ASTEROID

This signifies an illuminating episode, such as a sudden flash of clarity or creativity—a “eureka” moment!

ASTRONAUT

What do astronauts do? They travel into outer space. In a spirit of exploration. In a spaceship…OK, but what do they REALLY do? Of course; they reach for the stars. This is what you’re doing. Good luck!

ATTACK

Assuming that you’re not a prize fighter or similar in your waking life, if you dream that you’re attacking someone, then you could be suffering from unreleased anger or pent-up frustration. If, however, you are being attacked, then it’s likely that you’re suffering from a lack of self-confidence or certainty, or that you’re being bullied in your waking life. This dream is telling you to face up to these attackers.

ATTIC

As a part of a house (in which the different rooms represent different aspects of ourselves), the attic represents the head, the mind, the intellect—and the higher, spiritual self. Therefore, finding yourself in an attic is a great opportunity to discover the condition of your thought processes. If, for example, you feel nervous or troubled in this dream attic, then you might decide to look into the way you think about things in your life.

AUTOPSY

If there is a dead body being dissected in your dream, then you’ve managed to find yourself at an autopsy. This dream indicates that you are similarly dissecting a situation in your waking life which is irretrievable, but which can still be taken as an opportunity for learning. Take the information you need and then walk away from the corpse.

AVALANCHE

A series of emotions, held back, are now coming to the forefront and need to be expressed, by any means necessary. Alternatively, you might feel overwhelmed by a series of events in your life. Either way, you should regard the avalanche as a positive signal.