THE DREAM - I have 2 kids, a 1 year old daughter and almost 6 year old son. My son is autistic and cannot be left unsupervised. I'm very choosy about who I leave him with because you have to be diligent as he is a runner and tends to wander. Last night I dreamed that I had brought him with me to a seafood restaurant but before we could even go in he kept running off and hiding. I wouldn't notice him leaving and then I'd turn around and he'd be gone. I would take off in a panic and chase after him, screaming his name, and he wouldn't be far away. He would reappear and tell me "I'm not done yet." He doesn't speak in full sentences so this would catch me by surprise. Then he'd go with me like nothing happened. We never made it in the restaurant because while we were in line outside he vanished right before my eyes and left behind his shoes, and I could hear his voice echoing saying "I'm right here."

THE REALITY The dreamer was autistic and did not like to meet new people. The previous day he went to his mothers and there was one of his mothers friends there. He went into a complete panic and spent most of his time sat in the kitchen on his own. He tried to conceal the fact that he was so panicked. He had gone to his mothers thinking that this would be a safe environment and suddenly he was petrified.

THE INTERPRETATION If something big happens the previous day then we can guess that we will dream about it. We just have to figure out how the symbols work. What emotions or feelings does the dream seem consistent with.

The dream seems to start off with safe symbols such as dogs happy and content in a basket. Yet it ends with a crocodile bite. So the dream captures the shocking change in perceptions. The situation seemed safe yet it was life threatening. So the dream seems to capture this feeling "The worst thing about it was that I felt so safe walking in to my mothers and then suddenly I was filled with panic."

Many dreams will dwell on key emotions. So when something big has happened to you then think of a phrase which starts off "The worst thing about it was..."