Dream Themes

I've been having the weirdest dreams since I became chemically sensitive. The thing that makes them strange is the dreams repeat. I recognize the same setting and same themes over and over. I know certain foods affects dream states, but I'm pretty sure chemicals do too, since chemicals affect your brain and dreams are brain-based. My dreams are so very strange and how they change and evolve is even more mind-boggling.

Furniture dreams. I dream I'm living in a huge mansion. It's usually my house or my family's house and I can see the landscaped grounds from a window. Sometimes there are people in the house with me either people I don't know, friends, or relatives from my past, but it's as if I'm invisible and no one hears me speaking to them. I'm usually in the mansion on the lower floors, but I know there is a small, secret passage staircase to the upper floors that is hidden beyond the door to the left. I can't wait to climb those stairs and get up there. No one else knows about this passage. I look forward to my visitors arriving so I can show them. I try to leave to go up the stairs, but either something stops me, distracts me, I fall asleep, or on the way there I encounter rooms leading to other rooms or hallways like a maze. I'm never frustrated or scared because I like it that the rooms lead to other rooms and closets lead to back hallways. I'm fascinated by the architecture. I'm always looking forward to getting to the upper floors, but rarely do I ever get there.

On those few occasions I have reached the upper floor, it looks like a huge room in a warehouse with ten foot tall windows and the room is packed with antique furniture. Hundreds of couches covered in velvet, over-sized armoires with elaborate carvings, huge oak dining room sets with ornate chairs, large painted portraits with gilded frames, and fancy lamps all on top of floors covered in thick, oriental rugs. There are narrow walkways so one can meander around in between, but there is little room between the treasures. Everything is dark, yet rich looking. There are a few lamps on in the back of the room, but most of the light comes from the huge windows. I know it's my furniture. I worry I need to get rid of some of it so it all fits or I need to move it around so it's easier to use, but it's too heavy. I tell the people who are with me what we need to do to organize the furniture, but they aren't listening. Everyone is busy doing other things or moving other furniture on the other side of the room.

Some of these dreams take place in an apartment building located in the middle of a city. The architecture is very old and ornate and I visit this building often in my dreams. Like the mansion, I feel very at home there. The apartments have huge rooms, high ceilings and the windows are covered with thick draperies. The furniture is again, ornate, overstuffed, carved and beautiful, but not usually as cramped. 

Other dream scenarios I have just moved to a small apartment and the furniture won't fit or looks out of place. If it just looks out of place, I am determined to move it around so placement is at least attractive. In one dream I walked into the apartment, looked at all my furniture packed so tightly it's impossible to move around and realized in a panic I don't want to live there. I'm frantically trying get the movers to move the furniture out before anyone notices thinking if I can get it done quickly enough I can change my mind. But the furniture is heavy and the movers are getting in their trucks. Hey! Wait! Don't leave!


Pet dreams. I walk into a large room and there are cages and aquariums on shelves or bedding on the floors. It looks like a deserted pet shop. I realize I forgot I had these pets and they haven't been fed. I panic. I run around the room searching and I find most of the animals are dead or the aquarium water has almost evaporated. I start to find some animals are miraculously still alive. They are very excited to see me, but are too weak to move. I frantically try to find food or water to try to save them. It's a horrid dream. One night one of those pets was a horse. Other variations I have found a litter of kittens and they are starving or sick and dying.

Then for a while I was dreaming I'd find a litter of kittens but they were fat and fluffy. I know they are my kittens and they run to me when they see me. It seems I left them with someone who has been taking really good care of them.

Toilet dreams. In these dreams, I am always looking for a place to potty, but the toilet stalls and toilets are filthy. Excrement all over the toilet seats, dripping onto the floors. Everything is dark and wet, and I can hear the sound of dripping water echoing loudly. I'm usually in some kind of public toilet so there are multiple stalls. Some don't have doors or the door locks are missing. I keep checking each stall, but they are all filthy. I move farther into the restroom and the hallways get smaller and darker and the toilets dirtier. There is rust all over the sinks in the corner. I don't want to use any of them. Sometimes I am with a group of people and we are all needing to use the bathroom; or in other dreams people are in the restroom with me and I can see their shadows. In other dreams people are watching me from a distance and whispering to each other like there is something wrong with me because I don't want to use the toilets. Oddly enough, I am very calm in the dream except near the end when I'm worried I'm not going to be able to find a clean place to do my business. And you thought the pet dreams were going to be the weirdest? HA!

What triggered my desire to confess these dark recesses of my mind is last night I had a mansion dream, eager again to go up the hidden staircase as I wait for my friends to arrive but when they do we are talking non-stop catching up and decide we need to head to the ladies' room...of course, I can't find a proper toilet. My friend continues to talk so I know she obviously doesn't have toilet issues. I continue my search suprisingly not surprised dirty toilets are the norm in my huge mansion with lots of gorgeous furniture.

Woe is me. Maybe I should write screenplays for horror movies? Any dream interpreters out there? I've read on some sites what some of the symbolism might mean, but I don't buy it. I think I need a professional dream interpreter.

Anyone have weirder dreams than mine?