Hi Dolly,
When we dream of something or someone invading our home, it can have to do with feeling like our boundaries have been crossed. If I were working with you personally on this dream, I would ask you what your associations are with snakes and cats. Since I cannot ask you direct questions (though feel free to respond to this post), I can take an archetypal approach. Looking at it in a universal way, snakes COULD represent male sexuality, and a cat COULD represent feminine sexuality. This would make me curious if there were something going on w/your boyfriend (or someone else) where you might be feeling a bit ‘invaded’ (i.e. the home invasion by the ‘snake’) and/or hurt or criticized by him or someone else (the snake biting the cat). The word 'snake' can have a double meaning too, like when we call someone a snake it implies they are not trustworthy.
You might also want to think back if there is something someone has done possibly 3 times to 'hurt'or 'attack' you (emotionally, not necesarily physically) since the snake bit the cat 3 times.

In the next dream, the presence of so many bugs could indicate that something (perhaps this same situation) is ‘bugging’ you. Dreams love puns and plays on words, so again w/out consulting with you, this would be a generalization that may or may not apply. In the dream you ‘tip toe out, with fear'. So ask yourself, do you feel like you have to ‘tip toe’ around something (or someone) in a fearful way? And once you make it through that, the lobster claws at you. This seems to be an echo of the snake biting the cat, and also of escaping the bugs.

The good news is that in all of these situation you (and the cat?) seem to come out ok. The fact that you woke up scared indicates that these dreams are trying to get your attention about some matter in your life. Think if there is someone (or something) that is causing you to feel scared. like I said without talking to you directly I am only tossing around ideas…you will know what resonates with you. Feel free to reply here if you’d like, or if you prefer you can email me privately at: mimi@thedreamdetective.com

One last thing: Since this is a recurring dream and these 2 happened a week apart, see if you can notice a connection between what was going on the day(s) before these dreams, and if you can connect the dots. For example, if one (or both) of the dreams happened on a Wednesday night, what did you do on that Wednesday?

I hope this helps and thanks for sharing your dream,
Mimi

Hi Christina,
I don't hear any description of what you were feeling in the dream, which would help us figure it out. For example if you were disappointed that the 3 performers didn't sing, I'd ask you where you were feeling disappointed.
The same goes for when the singer came out and said he wasn't there to perform. I would have to ask you a lot more questions, such as do you remember what band it was, what are your associations with them, same for the son's tattoo, etc. Sorry this isn't more specific. If I had to boil it down though, I'd ask you if there was something that you've been waiting for, that didn't turn out to be exactly what you thought it would be.
See if that helps...
Mimi

It sounds like you have a good way of escaping from bad things! This may be true in when you are awake as well as in your dreams. When you have dreamed that you escaped, there may have be something the day before where you felt like you were able to 'get away' from a bad or dangerous person or situation. When you have dreamed that you haven't escaped, it could be a reflection of feeling like you didn't successfully escape a situation in waking life either.
Flying in dreams when a person is NOT escaping from danger is usually accompanied by a sense of freedom, and often happens when a person is feeling really good about something in their waking life. (FYI to anyone else reading this w/the other kind of flying dreams.) But in yours you are escaping from danger, so the tone is totally different.
There is a technique taught to nightmare sufferers where people learn how to fly in their dreams in order to escape whatever is chasing them. So it sounds like you've stumbled upon this naturally!
Enjoy the ability, and I hope you escape more often!!
~Mimi

Hi Protosaurus,
It seems like what these dreams have in common is that you are not where you want to be, and I don't mean geographically but in your life. The airplaine dreams are filled with a sense of dread, and you say they feel terrible and scary. So what in your life do you dread, that feels terrible and scary? Airplaines in dreams can stereotypically be about career, and you mentioned 'business class' which makes me wonder if this is about your job or career, but only you will know the answer to that for sure.
The dreams of going back to your hometown and feeling 'stuck' there make me wonder if you are feeling 'stuck' somewhere in your life.
Since both of these dreams are recurring, you'll want to start paying attention to what's going on with you when they come up. For example, I used to have a recurring dream that I had moved back into a crappy little apartment with no furniture - NOT where I wanted to be - and I felt like I had slid back in time to the first kind of apartment I'd had in my 20's. That kind of apartment was great then! But not where I want to be now, and being there again made me feel like I had slipped back into some place where I wasn't supposed to be any more. I would say 'how did I end up here again?!' I started noticing that dreams came up whenever a relationship didn't work out, and I felt like I was back in my 20's again 'starting all over again' - and I didn't want to be there!
So whatever these dreams are about for you, next time you have one of them see what is up for you at that time and you will be able to connect the dots and figure out what it's really about. They may both be about the same thing, or about two different areas of your life - for exaple career, relationships, or something else.
The fear of moving back to your shitty hometown after successfully escaping it may be a literal truth in waking life, but dreams are usually non-literal. They are more about the feeling. So think to yourself 'where in my life am I afraid of slipping back into something that I thought I had escaped?'
I hope this helps,
Mimi

Hi Cd,
The dream when you were little were probably triggered by something that felt threatening to you and your sister when you were kids. It could have literally been a scary adult, or something that fealt like a threat, like parental fighting.
The adult version of the dream is good because someone or something has come to your rescue!!! So I'd wonder if there were some area of your life where there may have been a threat that you were not even aware of, but someone else was able to 'pull you out of it' or rescue you from it. As for what that threat is we'd have to go into your associations, maybe even do some role playing with the crying, projectile vomiting character.
I hope this helps,
Mimi

Hi Anaa05,
Your boyfriend's dream is probalby caused by feeling like he's not getting enough attention from you. It may not literally be another guy that is taking your attention away from him, but something else you are doing like a hobby, or extra time at work. This other 'thing' is symbolized in the dream as another guy, and he gets upset about it.
As for your dream, if you really want to break up with your boyfriend you probably would have already figured that out. But you did not say that so I wouldn't jump to that conclusion, unless that is indeed how you really feel. I'd ask yourself if you really want to break up with him, or is there something else in your life that's "not working out" that you want to be done with? Only you will know the answer.
~Mimi

Hi Squirrelnuts,
I have not tried mugwort myself, however people say it has properties that can increase dream recall and/or dream vividness, and possibly help facilitate lucid dreaming (becoming aware of the fact that you are dreaming while it is happening). Some people put it in a sachet under their pillow, or sleep with a fresh piece of it by their bed. Others use it as a topical oil, smoke it or drink it as a tea. It is also a known emmenagogue, which means it has the abilility to encourage menstruation in women. Therefore, it should never be used by women who are pregnant, or who think they might be pregnant. It is a legal herb, but I would still recommend consulting with a naturopath before trying it.

Hi Duckgirlie,
If I were to ask you what a tattoo is, what would you say?
Maybe even what kind of people have tatoos?
Then I'd ask you what do you think of when you think of paper boats and the alphabet?
Some example answers would be:
A tatoo is something permanent.
Paperboats and the alphabet make me think of children.
If you gave me those answers I'd ask you if there was something going on in your life where you were thinking about the permanence of children, or adding children permanently into your life. Of course only your answers will determine what this dream means for you.
Then we could go further into why the tatoo is on your back or legs...is this something you'd have to 'carry around' w/you, etc.
The other piece is that since this dream comes up about once a week, there is something that you are doing or thinking about once a week that is triggering this dream. If you can't piece it together in retrospect, see when you have this dream next, and what you did the day before will be a big clue.
I hope this helps,
Mimi

Well your having those kind of dreams because your creavinng sex. Like if your thinking about a person and your creaving sex then your gonna have dreams about it. :)

Hi Questioneer,
Sometimes if we think about something enough, we will actually dream about it. If you have been thinking about her a lot and wishing you could be with her, this could be enough to create a dream about it. Dreams also allow us to try out potentials and probabilities - a 'what if' scenario. Spooning and hand kissing symbolically speaking are very sweet expressions of affection without a full on sexual relationship, which sounds like a possibly accurate emotional portrayal of your current relationship with her.
I hope this helps, and that you find the love you are looking for. :)
~Mimi

Hi Refinnej,
This dream probably isn't about the actual guy who didn't treat you so well. Think back to when you were getting to know him, what were the things about him that you found appealing? Identify some of those qualities. Now think if there is anything in your life that you are connecting with, that fits that description? What are your associations with him, for example you mention going on a trip when you saw him...so if you were planning a trip right now, and experiencing those same enthusiastic feeling that you had when you were about to meet him, that could be enough of an association to cast him in the dream. I am only giving that as an example so you can see how this works, and only you will know what your associations are with him. Sex dreams can come up when we are feeling passionate about something (rather than someone!) but they will cast another person who fits the role, and it's usually no about that actual person in waking life. I hope this helps,
Mimi

Hi Mopey,
I don't know if you are currently in a relationship, but sometimes these dreams come up to remind us of what we are currently missing, or to just give us a little dose of it to tide us over. It doesn't necessarily mean you should go look up that ex, but rather think about the qualities that you enjoyed in that person, and are you connecting with those qualities now in your own life? If you are connecting with those qualities (via another person or within yourself), this dream could be a reflection of that. Try to get back in touch with the feelings you had in the dream. Are you feeling those now in your life, or are they missing and would you like to have them again? This dream is highlighting those feelings for a reason.
~Mimi

Hi MrsFunke,
If I asked you to describe your ex (think about personality, interests, etc, not just a physical description), what would you say?
Then notice what you did on the days you've had this dream. You said you have it about once a week, so have you taken up a class or joined some kind of group that you go to once a week, that correlates with when you have this dream? It is likely something that you feel 'passionate' about, or that really lights you up and gets you going.
If you can answer those two question, I think you will have the answer to what this dream is about for you.
Ex sex dreams are actually quite common, and not usually literally about that person, but rather what they represent to you, and the fact that you are connecting with something you are passionate about - and that person just happens to be a handy symbol for it in your dreams. It could also pertain to your current relationship, if your new partner has some similar qualities, is making you feel a similar way, or if you are responding to them in the same way you responded to your ex.
I hope this helps,
Mimi

Hi Nartweag,
Believe it or not this is a pretty common dream! It happens a lot of times to people who are dealing with a lot of 'other people's crap' if you know what I mean. So maybe friends or people at work like to dump their problems on you, but who is listening to you? (i.e. no room for your 'stuff'). It could also be that you have some things -creative ideas or otherwise- that you would like to 'get out' but have no outlet for right now. The way to stop having these dreams is to find people that will listen to what you have to say, try not to let others 'dump' on you as much, and/or find an outlet for whatever it is you would like to express.
You are probably very sensitive to the needs of others which can be a wonderful thing, especially if you are in any kind of helping profession. So just make sure to keep a balance and pay as much attention to your own needs as to those of others.
~Mimi

Hi FathvsFear,
Whenever you dream of a celebrity - or anyone for that matter - ask yourself to describe that person in 3 words. Now see if that description matches anyone else in your life, or even part of yourself. That will be a good clue to figuring this out. Not being able to see the faces of people is common in dreams. Nobody knows why this is for certain, but one theory is that it's regarding something that's not clear or known to us yet. Why a birthday theme? I'd have to ask you what your associations are to Birthdays and sugar cookies. I'd also be curious if you had this dream around the time of someone's Birthday. Dreams have an uncanny way of remembering and marking annual occations like birthdays and anniversaries of events, even if our conscious mind has long forgotten them or is unaware of them.
~Mimi

Hi Frentic,
Hotels can be a temporary place to stay...So I wonder if you are feeling like you are in some kind of temporary situation, and can't get back to where you would really like to be. Your room could represent your own identity, and not being able to get back there could be about not feeling like you can express who you truly are. Without asking more questions of you, that would be a general impression of the dream. I hope it helps!
~Mimi

Hi Elaine,
I wonder if you have found yourself in a situation that you feel is very 'shallow' (i.e. lacking the emotional depth that you would like). Being overcome by waves in dreams often happens when a person is feeling overwhelmed by something. The way I usually work with dreams is to ask a person lots of questions to get their unique associations, so in this kind of platform it's a little different. I will throw some ideas out to you and see if they resonate. I have seen a number of food dreams (especially about chicken, too funny!) where it has to do with food and eating issues. This makes me speculate whether or not you are dieting, especially with regard to deciding whether to eat the chicken now or later. There is another angle to approach this from and that is the use of puns in dreams. So we could say while you are in this 'shallow' situation, are you feeling 'chicken' about anything, before you become overwhelmed? I'd love to hear your feedback, because again I am throwing out some ideas to you. Whatever feels like a 'click' for you means we are on the right track.
Thanks for writing,
Mimi

paper dolls? :
wonder if it's something like grafting the good sex you're having now on the old relationship, just to see what that looks like. i.e. like pondering "damn, too bad two years ago ol' slowfuck bf could have been better in bed we might have had a chance. oh well. his loss."

Hi Will,
That is a great question, because a lot of people wonder if their dreams are just caused by the movies or tv they have watched. The way it works is that dreams will often pick out characters that we have recently seen (or from our past), but they do so for a very specific reason - like a casting director very carefully choosing the right actor for the role. They will pick characters, objects and places based on your emotional associations with them, to get a specific message across.
It sounds like the general theme of your dream is one of being attacked, so very simply I would ask you to think about where you might be feeling attacked. I don’t mean by a vampire - unless maybe you are dealing with some emotional vampires – or maybe you are feeling mentally or emotionally under attack, by who or what ever matches the same description you would give for those black eyed vampires.
I hope this helps,
Mimi

Hi Beaugirl,

When we wake up right out of the R.E.M. state, we are MUCH more likely to remember a dream than if we wake up at some other point during the sleep cycle. It is possible that you remember the morning dreams for this reason. And unless I came over and woke you up in the middle of the night to find out what you are dreaming at other times, I don’t really know if your other dreams are like that or not.
However, one study found that people who were woken up an hour early, stayed awake for 30-60 minutes, then went back to sleep, were 15-20 times more likely to have lucid dreams. So whether or not you are becoming lucid (which you didn’t indicate), waking up early and then going back to sleep sounds like it could have some effect on the content of your dreams. Sometimes napping can cause kind of a bizarre disjointed type of dreaming too.

To answer your second question, the combining of person A with person B in a dream usually just means you are combining their characteristics into one person. So think about what qualities each person represents to you, and see if it makes a little more sense.
~Mimi

Sex dreams about platonic friends often mean you are connecting with whatever qualities they represent to you, within yourself. So let’s say your friend Linda is a really good cook, and you are not. But one night you go to a cooking class, and you really feel like you are getting the hang of it, in fact, you feel pretty passionate about it! That passion gets expressed in your dream in a physical sense, with someone who represents those qualities. Dreams don’t care about physical sexual attraction in a way that makes sense to (or agrees with) the conscious mind!
So whoever you have one of these dreams about, ask yourself to describe that person in 3 words. That should help tip you off to what it is that you are feeling passionate about at the time of the dream. If you want to try to intentionally have a sex dream about a specific person, you could try dream incubation. I have a description of how to do this on my website:
http://www.thedreamdetective.com/faq.html#incubate
My website talks about dream incubation in general, you can add the sex part in yourself : )
Have fun!
~Mimi

Well I don’t know if there is such a thing as normal when it comes to dream content, but it sounds like you may be slightly lucid. There is also something that happens between the REM dreams (which are more vivid and bizarre), where in the other stages of sleep we are having more though-like dreams. I’m not sure which ones yours are based on this post, but if they have crazy story lines and characters, they are probably REM dreams. If they are just thoughts like you are writing a book or movie, it could be the latter.

I don't think it means you "actually" want to fuck these people. I think it just means that your sex drive, like everyone else's, is basically indiscriminate and would fuck everything in sight if it weren't for all the filters and categories and standards that your higher mental functions apply to decisions about who to fuck. It's your libido's greatest aspiration to be free from any consideration other than being constantly satisfied. These kinds of dreams always seem like rebellion against reality to me.

And yes, I've had a bunch of these myself. And that feeling you get around that person for a few days is definitely uncomfortable.

Hi Nobodaddy,
I love the image of the fractal clouds. If you are looking for a way to influence the outcome of your dreams, you might be interested in lucid dreaming. I have more information about it on my website if you want more details: http://www.thedreamdetective.com/faq.html#lucid
There are also some good books on Amazon.com by Stephen Laberge or Robert Waggoner.
I don't know if you were looking for any interpretation, but in a quick snapshot it sounds like you are ready to rise up to the next level with something in your life. I wonder if it has to do with a common interest you share with the friend in the dream. It sounds like something you want to grow, and be functional or purposefull throught the year or seasons.
Good luck with the lucid dreaming!
~Mimi

Hi Trouble Disco,
If this is a great concern to you, my first question would be non-dream related, and that is whether you currently have any symptoms of eye degeneration in waking life? And if so I would wonder if you have had it checked out, and if doing so might help to set your mind at ease.
If the dream has no literal reference to your health, here is a possible explanation. Dreams will often symbolically cast physical issues as symbols of things that are going on with us in other ways. For example if we looked at 'not being able to see' as a metaphor, I would ask if there were a situation going on in your life where you felt 'unclear'. Since you express concern about not being able to see the faces of people who are close to you, it makes me wonder if you are unclear about what is going on in some of your close relationships.
If losing your vision is something you think about a lot, and there is nothing biological going on, the mere fact that you think about it alot could be what causes you to dream about it as well. What we think about a lot can get incorporated into our dreams. So I wonder if it's time to get a reality check, see if this is something that you actually need to be on the 'look out' for with your physical eyes, and find other things to think about during the day if there is no physical reason to worry. Exploring if there are any emotional issues around this fear might help as well, again assuming there is nothing physiological going on.
Thank you for writing,
Mimi

If you're not already, you should be writing your dreams down. Keep your journal and pen by your bed, and a light if you share the room with someone. Record them as soon as you wake up, and describe them tediously. If a dream is recurring, don't write "it was the same" but write it as if it were new.

8 years is a long time, and 14 is young for such trauma. I think you should also consider how your trauma affected your regular life, from what you can tell, and record that too. You may look back on them and find parallels.

Keep trying to communicate with the girl. The waking before she touches you seems significant to me. Your goal should be to learn to not fear her. If you don't have a creative outlet, find one; creative work exercises your subconscious while awake. Strong and affecting dreams like this can indicate a separation between your subconscious and your waking life.

I hate this dream Just figured I was grinding my teeth.

Here's how I understand dreams about losing/rotting/breaking teeth:

Teeth are our means of processing external things (food) into internal necessities (energy). In dreams the processing can mean problem solving, both unexpected problems and the daily grind (pun intended), or your ability to generally deal with things. Losing your teeth might indicate insecurities in your ability to do so, or that things are piling up.

I have them too. Usually they're loose and I'm trying not to touch them and make them fall out. When that happens I tell myself to get reorganized and take things on one at a time.

Keep a dream journal. You'll want to be able to look back on these.

It happens to me when I'm grinding my teeth / clenching my jaw (which can also be stress related, I realize, but can also be an anatomical issue).

I regularly had this dream for a couple of years. There was never any pain or blood involved in the losing of the teeth, but there was always a sort of "Oh shit! My teeth are falling out and there's nothing I can do to fix this." panic-y type of feeling, and there was almost always no one else around me in the dream when it happened.

Around that time, I often felt like I was on the verge of disaster, regarding money, school, and, coincidentally, dental health. Once I no longer felt on the verge of disaster, those dreams stopped.