Have you ever had a dream that was so gross or bizarre that you woke up and felt embarrassed to have even dreamed it? Don’t worry, it happens to all of us. Just because you dreamed of having sex with your mother doesn’t mean you are destined to gauge your eyes out like Oedipus. After the jump, the meaning behind five really disgusting yet very common dream symbols.
Incestuous hookups: Dreams of hooking up or even having sex with your family members or close friends can be the most unsettling kind of dreams to have. Relax. You don’t actually want to do your brother. And ewww, by the way. Sex dreams are about merging or connecting with someone. It can be longing for love from that person, a symbol of the current state of your relationship with them, or even a desire to adopt some of that person’s thoughts or attitudes as your own. After having an incestuous sexual dream, no need to feel ashamed. However, you may want to spend some time reflecting on your relationship with that person.
Deformed genitals: Four breasts? Two penises? A penis/vagina combo? A tail growing out of your ass? What the hell? In general, if you dream of weird crap going on with your genitals, it either has to do with your sexuality, creativity, or personality. Depending on the specific deformity, you may be questioning your sexuality or sexual desire. Is there guilt, shame, or anxiety surrounding your sex life or lack thereof? Maybe you are having a surge of creativity that needs to be “released,” if you will. Or maybe you are maturing, growing, or changing as a person. If you are a woman who dreams of having male genitalia or a man who dreams of having female genitalia, you may be in the process of developing the dormant side of your personality. Carl Jung referred to these as the animus (the inner masculine part of the female personality) and anima (the inner feminine part of the male personality). If you dream of having a peen/vajay combo, it may be a symbol of harmony between your masculine and feminine side, not a revelation that you were secretly born a hermaphrodite.
Bodily functions: In real life, you do your business behind closed doors, but in your dreams, anything goes. A very common dream is peeing/pooping/menstruating in public. Toilet dreams are super embarrassing while we’re dreaming them and sometimes even when we wake up. These dreams are usually about anxiety, shame, or privacy and stem from a fear of exposing or expressing yourself — especially creatively– to others. Searching unsuccessfully for a toilet may indicate a conflict between wanting to share your talents with the world, but having a fear of doing so. Causing a toilet to overflow may represent the loss of emotional control or an inability to harness your potential.
Nudity: We’ve all had that dream where we show up naked to school, work, or an important function. This does not mean you have a secret wish to join a nudist colony. Public nudity is a classic anxiety dream about being vulnerable and shedding your defenses in front of others. In a more intimate setting, naked dreams may indicate a fear of intimacy or showing your true feelings to others.
Weird pregnancies: Both men and women can have weird pregnancy dreams. I had one once where a fetus was growing in my leg. WTF? In the dreaming universe, babies grow and are birthed from all kinds of bizarre places — mouths, bellies, legs, or genitals. These dreams can freak the crap out of us. You may even wake up and run to the drug store to get a pregnancy test. Don’t bother. It most likely has nothing to do with actual pregnancy, unless you are, in fact, pregnant. Pregnancy dreams are about new cycles or phases of our life. It may be a new idea, solution, creative endeavor, job, relationship, or even a new you that is gestating. Take it a symbol of new possibilities just around the corner. Woo hoo!
Original by Ami Angelowicz
