You’d be surprised how many good, honest, hard-working individuals by day turn into Jeffrey Dahmer at night!

Sheryl from Utah is one of these individuals so she came to me for help. As brutal as chopping up babies in a dream may be, there is a very good reason for it! Read on to find out why… (The following is from my nationally syndicated newspaper column The Dream Zone)

Dear Lauri,
The only part of my dream I remember is that I was cutting up babies! I had a sharp, serrated knife, and was cutting them into little pieces. Cute little babies! Needless to say, I was very disturbed this morning!    – Sheryl, West Jordan, UT

Lauri:  Even just a portion of a dream will hold significance for you that you should pay attention to. And it might ease your mind to know that dismemberment dreams are more common than you might think. Dreams love word play and bring words to life so take a good look at the word dismember… it basically means to remove a member. Now apply that to your life. Is there any member of your life removing his or herself from it? Anything such as a behavior or issue or anyone YOU need to cut out of your life or separate from? The babies your slicing up are a clue and suggest this is either some new element in your life that needs to go or it could be connected to someone who acts like a baby.

Sheryl replies:  Hmm, mostly right now I’m trying to “fix” old behaviors, move on from an old relationship, I’m becoming an empty nester. And they’re HAVING babies. I have two new grandbabies. Could that have something to do with it?

Lauri replies:  Ah! That definitely explains all the babies. You have to separate from your babies… and your babies’ babies. Your babies having babies probably brings back when they were babies.

Sheryl replies:  That dream was so unsettling. Thank you so much! Now that I’m thinking about it, I was just cutting off their limbs; maybe I was trying to keep them from leaving.

Lauri replies:  That could certainly be. Your dream is an expression of your displeasure with having to cut them loose. Remember, it’s okay to slice up the apron strings… not the children!

Your dreams are such a powerful part of who you are!  When you can understand your dreams, you can change your life!!  Just about everything you dream about can be found in my instant dream decoding dictionary. It’s like having an electronic version of me available to you anytime you want. You’ll NEVER have to wonder what your dreams mean EVER again!

“My mental health clients absolutely love when I log onto your website during a session to find meaning for their dreams.” – Scott R.W. Grefrath, LCSW-R   Rochester, NY

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The pregnancy, labor and birth process are very common in dreams, even if you aren’t pregnant or trying to get pregnant, because a good deal of life is spent laboring on new things: a degree, a new job, a cool project, inventions, even a new way of behaving. Below is an example of a pregnancy and birth dream and how this type of dream not only reflects but also encourages the creative process and a good work (labor) ethic…

I dreamed last night I was in labor and found out I was almost ready to give birth to a seahorse! My dear friend was sitting in a glass room there for support and a woman was saying it was time to deliver then I woke up.   – Kimberly 43, Myrtle Beach, SC

Lauri:  This is an adorable dream! It seems to suggest that you are on the verge of bringing something new into your life… something that, like a baby, needs lots of your focus and care. The seahorse is a clue as to what it is. Seahorses live in the water so that tells us this could be an emotional or creative project as water tends to symbolize our emotions as well as our creative flow. Horses are typically about getting back in the saddle after life knocks you down. Any creative endeavor about to happen that has allowed you to pick yourself up and dust yourself off? I think it is especially interesting that at the end of the dream you are told it’s time to deliver. Whatever you are told in a dream is super important because it is really what YOU are telling yourself. “Time to deliver, girl!” Time to put up or shut up, as they say. Bring forth what you have been developing and deliver it to the world.

Kimberly replies: I have had many projects lately that are on the brink of happening. Plus I have been really working on myself altogether from Yoga to meditation. My mind has been so much clearer ever since I started going to yoga class and my whole life is starting to be showing the rewards.  I just had an offer to do a line of clothing. So much is happening and I am loving how creative I am feeling.

Like Kimberly, we can sometimes give birth to creatures in dreams… even strange items! Whatever it is you birth in a dream will be symbolic as to what new thing is happening in your life.

The message of pregnancy and birth dreams: There is a new development in your life or a wonderful idea has been conceived and you are now in the process of bringing it to life.  How far along you are in the dream is connected to how far along you are with this growing and developing issue.  If you have given birth your hard work has paid off but that does not mean you are done.  It is only the ending of one chapter so a new one can begin.

Wouldn’t it be great to be able to figure out your dreams every morning? When understood, your dreams offer a continuous supply of answers, warnings and inspiration that you need to know. Your dreams are pretty much a how-to guide for your life. Any dilemma you ever face, any inspiration you ever need, any warning you need to pay attention to… it is ALL given to you in your dreams.

Grab yourself a copy of my latest book Dream On It, Unlock Your Dreams Change Your Life and you’ll be understanding your dreams in no time!

“I was not only able to figure out what my dream about a train meant but also the numbers in my dream thanks to Dream On It! I loved the the note you put at the end of the interpretation about trains – to remember the sound: ‘I think I can, I think I can…’ I started the day on a very positive note today, so thanks a lot!”   – Sylwia Kuca, Woodley, UK

Want to start reading Dream On It in just seconds from now? You can!! It is also available on Kindle and on Nook.

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You need to try to identify some part of yourself or some part of your life in every element of your dream.  Simply ask yourself this, “What does this particular character, object or setting remind me of  in my life right now? What part of me or what part of my life seems similar to this part of my dream?” For example, if you dreamed of a sick or dying dog you would ask yourself “What in my life does this dog remind me of? What is unhealthy or dying in my life?” Is it a relationship? Is it a project or a goal that is dying off? Compare the dying dog to all your current areas of your life and it will click, just like finding the right piece of the puzzle.

Below is a really good example of how someone was waaaaay off on what her dream was really about because she wasn’t looking at the dream as symbolic of herself…

Dear Lauri,
Last night I dreamed that I had locked my 3 or 4 year old nephew (he’s 19 and a Marine now) in a cage for 3 days while I went on vacation. When I came back home he was emaciated and his skin was shredded and falling off his bones. I felt so horrible! I tried to feed him and clean him up. I woke up freaking out. – Robin 33, Antwerp, OH

Lauri: Your nephew isn’t playing himself so don’t worry. Our dreams are always about our self and our own life. He probably represents something that you have neglected, some element of your life you are no longer nurturing and in turn is causing you to feel caged or trapped. Perhaps it is a fun-loving, carefree part of you or maybe some project or idea or endeavor that you have put aside while it was still growing and developing (hence the age of the child in your dream). Your dreaming mind may be using your nephew, the marine, to symbolize this because it is something you need to get militantly disciplined about now that you have decided to get back to it.

Robin replies: Thank you because I was taking it to a whole other level, thinking it was some kind of warning about my nephew or harm I may have caused him while he was younger. Last year I was going to school, dieting and exercising being very active in my church; just trying to work on me. I had an emergency surgery in January and everything I had been working on I tossed out the window. I’ve been going back to church and exercising again but the one thing I am having trouble with is going back to school. I failed my GED test in December and have been too anxious, frustrated and angry with myself to go back and try again. When I was working on my personal goals that was when I felt the best about myself. So I think what I neglected is me and the goals I set for myself. Thank you!

Do you see now how EVERYTHING in Robin’s dream was really about her? It all makes sense once you are able to identify yourself and your current life in the dream. And like I always say on the radio, “Your dreams don’t just mean something, they either tell you what you need to do about the issue they are commenting on or give you a much better understanding of it so you can make better decisions going forward.” Robin’s dream does both…

1. It is telling her what do do (be far more disciplined about your exercise and your schooling).

2. Look at yourself as a caged neglected baby; just when you were really starting to grow and develop you got caged in.

That’s a very attention-getting image, isn’t it? As long as Robin continues to keep this image in mind, it will likely motivate her to keep at her exercise, keep going to church AND keep furthering her education.

I just love dreams. They are sooooo helpful to our lives.

Did you like this tip on how to better understand your dreams? There are 9 more in my latest book Dream On It, Unlock Your Dreams Change Your Life. You’ll also learn how different dream themes are connected to the different parts of the self. For example, animal dreams are connected to your behavior, bad dreams and nightmares are connected to your difficult and ignored issues and more. This is a very thorough book that will completely change the way you see your dreams… and your self!

“I had been having some really crazy dreams and I wanted a book that would help me understand. I wanted something that would explain things to me. I hit the jackpot with this book. I learned a ton about dreams and the psyche when dreaming. I would recommend this book to anyone who’s interested in learning about dreams and their meaning.”
  – Tiffany, Saratoga Springs, UT

Want to read Dream on It right now? It’s available on Nook and Kindle!

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This neglect has shown up in my dreams in many forms: dying and forgotten fish, forgotten rooms or even forgotten wings of a home, moving back into the house where I had an art studio, etc. While my waking mind was focused on being a mother, wife and Dream Analyst, my dreaming mind was begging me to remember this other part of me that I essentially, abandoned.  I made vain attempts here and there to get back into my art by fooling around in photoshop, doing a color pencil drawing, etc. but I had yet to pick up a paint brush.

Thankfully one of my childhood friends, Kimberly Dawn, a fantastic folk artist, posts her new art pieces on Facebook… practically on a daily basis. I mean this woman paints like there is no tomorrow! Gah! I would get so jealous, but in a good way. Kimberly’s posts, along with my dreams, were motivation, gentle nudges that I finally succumbed to! I bought myself some oils, brushes and artist boards and decided to get to work, or rather get back to overdue work!

I’ve been wanting to paint a series based on our most common dreams: drowning, falling, flying, etc. but after I thought about it I decided I needed to break the ice so I decided to paint Marilyn Monroe my favorite subject to draw, paint and doodle over the years. Her face is easy for me. I know every angle and curve. If I could paint her with success then I would know I was back! So I began. And then I had a dream…

I was in a house that was not mine but I knew my way around it. I walked into a bedroom and I found my mother sitting on a bed holding my baby daughter, which I don’t really have in waking life. I had been gone so long, months it seemed, and I was worried my baby would not remember me. I took her from my mother and held her. She looked up at me, smiled and cooed at me. She remembered!!

My baby represented my art that I had been away from for so long. I was VERY worried that I would be so rusty I would not be happy and lose patience but just as the baby remembered me, so did my artist self. Marilyn was turning out beautifully and my dream was giving me approval. Whenever someone smiles at you in a dream, you can almost always connect it to self approval in your waking life, btw.  🙂

As you can see, my neglected baby is still alive, healthy and even thriving!! I am back and my inner dreaming mind is pleased. My mother in the dream represents the part of me that needs to continue to give birth to new paintings and ideas as well my ability to nurture and care for this part of me. I need to remember to continue to be a good mother to my art. I can’t allow myself to neglect it again. If I do, I have no doubt the dream police will be after me, inundating me with bad dreams. As Leonardo da Vinci once said, “A well spent day brings happy sleep.”

Want this painting hanging in your home? She’s for sale! If you’re interested, or know someone who is, go here to purchase a print.

Sweet dreams!!

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In June of this year my husband passed away. Last night I dreamt that I was pregnant and gave birth to a son. I didn’t feel any pain giving birth. I saw the baby come out with his limbs all folded up. I marveled at how absolutely perfect he was! He seemed to glow! The funny thing was that, after unwrapping himself, he got up and walked into the kitchen.
– Lynn 55

Lauri: Your dream is interesting and speaks volumes about your healing process. Despite being in grief, you have managed to “give birth” to something new and precious in your life. It could be a new project, idea or relationship, but my bet is that it is a new you! Sometimes in life we have to suffer greatly in order to find ourselves. That baby represents the new you that now can receive all your time and attention in order to grow and develop into something wonderful. The baby is glowing because your dreaming mind is “illuminating” the fact that you have this whole new life to look forward to. And this new you is not only “unfolding” before your very eyes but is also hungry for your attention and emotional nourishment, which is why he walks right into the kitchen!

Lynn replies: I have been thinking about going to a conference called “Celebrate Your Life” in Arizona. I finally received some life insurance money in the mail, so I think I’ll go. You are correct that I am giving birth to a new me. I do plan to make time to be attentive to my own needs and to “nourish” my spirit as well.

Lynn’s dream is showing her that her new life is here, since she gave birth in the dream. Now, she needs to give it the focus and care that one would give a newborn so that she can continue to grow and reach her full potential. When something is in the works in waking life is when the dream involves only pregnancy rather than birth. In my research, I’ve found that one of the most common reasons a woman (and yes, sometimes even a man) will dream of being pregnant is when she is in school working towards a degree. In this case, it is the knowledge that is growing and developing inside of her that will eventual give birth to a new life as a respected professional with some letters behind her name.

The message of pregnancy and birth dreams: A wonderful idea has been conceived and you are now in the process of bringing it to life. How far along you are in the dream is connected to how far along you are with this growing and developing issue. If you have given birth your hard work has paid off but that does not mean you are done. It is only the ending of one chapter so a new one can begin.

The body chapter of Dream On It, Unlock Your Dreams Change Your Life also covers Teeth, Hair, Eyes, Chest, Hands, Stomach, Butt, Legs, Feet and Genitals.

Want to start reading Dream On It in just seconds from now? You can!! It is also available on Kindle and on Nook.

“You need to get this book. It is great. I already have it and all the other books. It is well worth it and you won’t be sorry you did.” – Tammy Montgomery

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