What is a data driven dream dictionary?

We have been trying to understand dreams for as long as there have been dreams. The earliest recorded dream interpretation comes from over 5,000 years ago. Yet, dreams reflect our individual lives. Any dream dictionary will be biased by the author's lives and culture.

We've created the first data driven dream dictionary to help you understand what is unique and special about your own dreams. The DreamWell Dream Dictionary contains insights for over 1,000 dream symbols examined in over 125,000 dreams.

Why use a data driven dream dictionary?

Understand your own dreams

With data you can view your own dreams in the context of dreaming. You can see how common a dream symbol is in dreams in general. You can see how that symbol affects dreams.

You have the final say about what your dream means

Your dream may or may not have a meaning. It can have many meanings. The meaning of your dream can change over time. Only you, as the dreamer, can say what your dreams mean.

Discover new aspects to dream symbols

There are consistent patterns in dream symbols. Dreams of ghosts tend to be scary. Dreams of romantic partners tend to be happy. Data can allow you to discover new aspects and surprising aspects to different dream symbols.

Explore the dreamworld

Data allows us to explore the breadth of dreaming experiences. We can begin to see, for the first time, the range of how people dream.

Start exploring

Explore over 1,000 different dream symbols in over 125,000 dreams in the most comprehensive and data-drive dream dictionary available.

Emotions in dreams

amazed, anger, anxiety, boredom, comfort, confusion, embarrassment and humiliation, exhaustion, fear, fun, grief and sorrow, guilty, happiness, hatred, intrigued, love, numb, pain, pleasantness, rage, regret, relief, sadness, suffering, surprise, tranquility, unpleasantness,

Events in dreams

earthquakes, miscarriages, cancer, lucid dreams, abscesses, deluges, executing, cheating on tests, being tied up, sleeping, injuries, end of the word, acne, false awakening, drugs, infidelity, epidemics, recurring nightmares, volcanos, precognitive dreams, cutting hair, decapitation, flirting, penises, avalanches, dying, caesarean sections, vomiting, dream within a dream, wildfires,

Characters in dreams

girlfriends, pets, owls, thieves, warriors, tigers, fathers, nephews, ducks, librarians, bandits, robots, cousins, puppies, rabbits, principals, maggots, lions, aunts, hamsters, psychologists, skunks, witches, old friends, horses, lovers, babies, hummingbirds, service workers, unnamed individuals,

Places in dreams

lakes, universities, neptune, paths, hollywood, churches, garages, rainforests, kitchens, rivers, rooms, attics, home towns, mansions, towns, the moon, bathroom stalls, museums, villages, concerts, abyss, showers, jails, stores, bus stops, mountains, peninsula, highways, altars, mercury,

Learn more about dreaming

The International Association for the Study of Dreams is the only professional organization for the study of dreams. It has great links for resources, lectures, and conferences. The scholarly journals of Dreaming and the International Journal of Dream Research have great scientific articles about dreaming.

Connect with others

Sharing our dreams helps us form society, increases empathy, and generates new insights. The subreddit of r/Dreams is a community of over 300,000 dreamers, focused on sharing and understanding dreams. The subreddit of r/LucidDreaming is a forum to discuss techniques to have lucid dreams.

The neuroscience of sleep and dreams

There are a few great books on the subject. Matthew Walker's “Why We Sleep” discusses the importance of sleep. Antonio Zadra and Robert Stickgold's “When Brain Dreams” summarizes much of the current scientific literature and theories of dreaming. Patrick McNamara's "The Neuroscience of Sleep and Dreams" is a surprisingly accessible book on the neuroscience of dreaming. Deidre Barrett's “The Committee of Sleep” documents all of the ways sleep and dreaming have impacted our lives and society.

Lucid dreaming and yoga nidra

Lucid dreaming is being aware that you are dreaming. “Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming” by Stephen LaBerge is a classic in the field of lucid dreaming. Robert Waggoner's “Lucid Dreaming: Gateway to the Inner Self” is another great read. Andrew Holecek's “Dream Yoga” is a wonderful book that combines mindfulness and lucid dreaming.

Yoga nidra is a practice to maintain consciousness during sleep. “Radiant Rest” by Tracee Stanlee is a great place to start.

A short history of data-driven dream work

Data driven dream work really began with the Hall/Van de Castle coding system and continued by William Domhoff who summarized this work in “Finding Meaning in Dreams” and collected over 20,000 dream reports publicly available at dreambank.net. These methods were extended and simplified by Kelly Bulkeley. He operates the Sleep and Dream Database, a publicly accessible database of dreams. Recent developments in natural language processing have been tested using dreams.