1. Describe the opening of the dream - what and where are the main figures. Identify the important people, places and things that occurred in the dream.

Example: I found myself standing on the porch of a low-rise building. In the distance, across a field, three men came running out of a complex of buildings.

2. Describe something about each of the figures and/or objects.

Example: The building seemed to be someone's home, unassuming, yet pleasant. I felt comfortable here. It also reminded me of an earlier mission-style found in some warmer regions of the Americas. Two of the men were casually dressed except they were wearing hats - like detectives in older movies might wear; the other man was taller and dressed in a brown suit.

3. What is happening in the dream - what activity is occurring?

Example: The men with the hats were chasing the suited man. They were all running towards me. The man in the brown suit ran past me and disappeared into the low mission-like building. The hatted men stopped to question me. They wanted to know everything I knew about this place and where the man in the brown suit had gone. I asked them for their credentials and they flashed some cards at me - which I clearly saw were only credit cards, rather than identification, then they turned and went away.

4. How did you feel and what did you think about what was happening?

Example: I felt scared - had the man in the suit done something wrong? was my first thought. Did I do something wrong, too? At first, I felt intimidated by the 'hats', but in spite of that I said to them 'you have no authority to question me'. I realized the man in the brown suit hadn't done anything wrong.

5. What seemed most out of place in this dream, and why?

Example: The fact that I turned the questions back to the authority figures, and then discovered they did not offer me proper credentials.

6. What is it about the dream that reminds you of a current situation in your life?

Example: I've recently started a new job as a working mother. I did not complete my degree and I'm not sure about my credentials. I am thinking about going back to night school. I have conflict about my own goals and the needs of my two children, and about what is the 'right' thing to do.

7. What is the general feeling, sense or atmosphere you get from the dream?

Example: In the dream I experienced both fear and elation at challenging the "authority figures".

8. In what way do you relate to the dream content as it applies to your life now?

Example: Just as I realized the man in the brown suit was innocent of wrong-doing, I realize I haven't done anything wrong in going to work, and I have the authority to do so.

9. Do you have any intuitive thoughts about the dream?

Example: In the dream I think I was both myself and the person fleeing. It's strange that I was 'pulling' for the person running, and felt proud of my own action.

10. State the end of your dream in one sentence.

Example: I watched with satisfaction as the two men walked away.

11. Is there anything else you would like to add? For example, is
there any other area of your life that this dream might apply to?

Example: My parents have certain expectations of me, especially my dad, and I have difficulty speaking up for myself. My parents are authority figures.