I woke up last week in a feverish sweat that had nothing to do with a possible flu.
No. The sweat had more to do with this dream I had that involved me, the dude from "21" and "Across the Universe" (whose name, as I discovered with the help of Google, is Jim Sturgess) and a hot rendezvous in an alley behind some random restaurant.
I woke up so flushed, so wrecked-looking with my hair wildly tangled, that my boyfriend asked me if I was feeling ok. I was so embarrassed from my sleep-induced sexcapade that I lied and have yet to reveal to him my wayward night vision.
After all, what will he think?
I know for certain that I have no desire to actually live out this seemingly pornographic scenario, especially because I definitely would have consciously chosen a different Jim, namely John Krasinski from "The Office."
But in all seriousness, is my unconscious suggesting a possibility of me straying? Am I actually destined to run into my British boy-toy on a seedy L.A. night?
Luckily, that's all quite doubtful.
Our erotic dreams are, more often than not, representational of desires for new experiences, unconscious feelings we have toward ourselves and our partners and often reflections of symbols we simply saw during the day.
They are also void of anything concrete or prophetic.
In fact, sexpert Yvonne K. Fulbright says that unconscious erotic encounters are essentially blameless, even if the kink leaves you distressed.
They are also, however, laden with possibly pent up desires and for that reason, they should be analyzed.
Not to mention it's pretty fun to play naughty Nancy Drew and decode what your dreams might mean.
While dream interpretation is often pooh-poohed by serious scientists and doctors alike, others still say there is a lot to be gleaned from your unconscious musings (including this columnist). Furthermore, if viewed in a healthy light, dream interpretation can have a positive impact on you and your relationships.
The gist is this: try not to be freaked out by the sex with the ex, the making out with a faceless lover, the very public romp or the totally-unlike-you-situations you engineer in your dreams.
They're all relatively harmless.
Of celeb dreams like mine, Fulbright says it's "not about the star so much as about your own needs for personal fulfillment … (not) necessarily sexual ones."
Am I feeling a need to shag out my hair, gamble recklessly in Vegas or sing Beatles music at pivotal life events?
Perhaps I'm getting too into playing Freud.
These, of course, are only broadly based assumptions and one's own life, situation, personality and goals should be considered in any analysis.
Try these helpful resources:
Online at www.dreammoods.com is the best site I have come across. With more than 4,000 symbols spelled out in its dictionary, you'll surely find some sense to that scenario involving a banana, an umbrella and Captain Kangaroo.
For more in-depth analysis try the books "In Your Dreams: The Ultimate Dream Dictionary" by Mary Summer Rain or "Sex Dreams: What It Means When You Dream About A Celebrity, Your Boss, An Ex-Lover, A Stranger" by Carol Cummings.
