Quiz: How Well do you Understand Your Dreams?

How good at you at interpreting the symbols which occur in your dreams? Here’s a little quiz which will test your assurance with the psyche! I have chosen images and situations which are typical. Of course, all dream symbolism has to be taken within the context of the dream, so you may disagree with my answers (let me know if you do). This is a fun way to see how well you understand your dreams. Let me know how you went.

1. Your tooth is loose, and as you pull it, it plops out of your mouth.  You are mortified.

a)     You have a rotten tooth.

b)     You have a fear of death.

c)      You are scared of growing old.

d)     Both b and c.

2. You look out the window and see the river is rising fast, threatening to wash the house away.

a)     You have been careless with your safety.

b)     You need to drink more water.

c)      You are repressing your emotions, which feel overwhelming.

d)     You are afraid of drowning.

3. There is a man aiming a gun at you, trying to kill you. You feel very scared.

a)     There is someone who wants to hurt or kill you.

b)     You are not dealing with your fear of death.

c)      You have repressed homosexual desires

d)     Both a and b.

4. King Kong is on the loose, running amok and out of control.

a)     Your testosterone levels are too high.

b)     You are frightened of your masculine side.

c)      You have unresolved father issues.

d)     You are afraid that society is going to collapse.

5. There is an old witch leaning over your bed, leering at you, with a terrifying, lustful gaze.

a)     Your grandmother had sexual feelings for you as a child.

b)     You are terrified of women.

c)      You are a misogynist.

d)     You are repressing your feminine side.

6. You are playing sport, and performing exceptional, perhaps impossible athletic feats. The feeling is of being incredibly free and unlimited.

a)     You have a huge ego, which you are not acknowledging.

b)     You have unacknowledged athletic abilities.

c)      Your mind is permitting new possibilities to be embraced.

d)     You have not received the attention you crave.

7. You are making love to someone other than your partner, a person you find attractive. It feels good.

a)     Your sexual needs are not being met.

b)     You are having a “psychic” affair with that person.

c)      Wish fulfillment.

d)     All of the above.

8. You walk over to a coffin and find yourself in it. You awaken, terrified.

a)     You are going to die.

b)     You are afraid of death.

c)      You are about to enter a new phase of life.

d)     All of the above.

9. You look into the sky, and there are UFOs everywhere, and you feel excited.

a)      You are becoming deluded, and need to keep your feet on the ground.

b)      You have a subconscious desire to escape your life and its responsibilities.

c)      You want to be saved by someone or something.

d)      There are spiritual energies that are opening up to you.

10. There is a fire raging out of control in the house. You want to put it out, but you only have a small cup to scoop water into.

a)     You are repressing anger.

b)     There is danger you will be unable to pay your mortgage.

c)      You are afraid of fire.

d)     Your love life is just too hot.

See below for answers

1. Both b and c. Dreams which involved the decay of body parts typically represent a fear of getting old, and well, decaying.  Of course this also means that like most people, you are afraid of dying.
2. c. Water usually represents emotions, so floods usually refer to emotions that are very powerful and threatening to spill over.
3. a. (probably). People project energy at each other all the time, and sometimes they attack each other, and even want to kill each other. This may show up in dreams as someone wanting to kill you. Take a look at the person in the dream. Do they remind you of someone?
4. b or c. King Kong often represents my father in my dreams, but primates may also represent primitive biological urges.
5. a. Actually this is an archetypal dream, known as “the old hag”, one that has puzzled psychologists for year. Though I have yet to see any analyst who really understands it, it actually represents sexual energy that elderly women unconsciously project, especially at baby boys (past or present).
6. c. The excitement indicates that it is about the opening of new, unexplored potentials (but if the essence of the dream is “showing off” to an audience, then  “a”, or even “d” could be correct.
7. d. It could be any of these (of course, you could just have a dirty mind!).
8. b and c. Rarely are death dreams literal (although they may be, as with Abraham Lincoln’s famous premonition of his death). They usually indicate that a part of yourself is changing, being left behind, or maybe even growing. This may pave the way for a new beginning (as does the literal death of the body). Of course, the dream may also represent your fear of death.
9. d. Aliens often represent the new and unknown, as well as the heavenly and spiritual. (and yes, there can also be literal alien energies/influences).
10. a. Fire often represents anger – although it also commonly represents cleansing and rebirth.

How did you go?

• 0-3. You are more psychoanalytical fraud than Freud.
• 4-6. A few problems there. You better sleep on it.
• 7-8. Jung might have hired you as his research assistant.
• 9-10. OK, you can be my research assistant.