Recently I dreamed that me and a friend were sitting on a 3-legged chair atop a 3-4 story concrete cylinder. I was sitting in my friend’s lap and we were bouncing around on this cylinder by her holding on to the base of the chair and I in her lap. We would bounce on all 3 legs of the chair, then 2, then 1. At one point we got too close to the edge & fell off. We fell to the ground but before we hit, I woke up.

I felt all the sensations of falling: rapid heart rate, stomach in my throat, etc. What does this mean? The only recent event I can relate to this sensation was driving very fast in a sports car and turning a corner too fast and I lost control of the turn but recovered before anything other than damage to the car took place. I had been drinking when this incident happended. It scared me very much!

--Anonymous, Age 41, San Antonio, TX, USA

Hi Anonymous -

Your dream report doesn’t give many specifics of your life. For example, you don’t even tell us if you are a man or a woman! Nevertheless, your dream riddle does hold some familiar clues - perhaps enough for us to attempt an interpretation. Here are some predictions.

First, I suspect that you are a woman. Second, I think this dream concerns risky behavior. Third, I think it may concern risky behavior with men! How do we glean these details from your dream?

Falling dreams nearly always indicate some area in our lives where we feel we are losing control - usually our careers, our family lives, or personal and social behaviors. For example, if we are “perched” between two different jobs, or if we have lost one job and are actively, and nervously, searching for a new one, we may feel insecure, and may feel like the “bottom has been pulled out from under us.” If we are undergoing problems in a relationship - say a separation or a divorce - we can again feel like we have “lost our bearings,” and that we are in a “free fall.” If we are experiencing difficulty with personal or social behaviors - binge eating, sexual acting out, drug or alcohol abuse - we similarly will dream of being “out of control.”

The reason I suspect men are involved in your risky behavior is because you and your girlfriend are “bouncing around” on a three-legged chair. In the riddle of the Sphynx, a man with three legs was an old man, walking with a cane. Given your age, however, I think we are directed to think of another type of three-legged man: A man with a penis! Not only that, but you two are bouncing around on this three-legged chair on top of a three to four story cylinder. It's all very phallic!

It is also true that your “three-legged friend” may more simply represent a bar stool - with its associations to alcohol and “losing your balance” - which you already have identified. You are the only one who knows. Are there any dangerous men in your life, or is this simply a warning dream about drinking too much alcohol?

When we have a falling dream, it’s usually a clear sign from our inner voice that it’s time to slow down, take some deep breaths, and re-evaluate what behaviors we feel are asscociated with the dream. In your case, you associated this dream with an incident of drinking and driving, where you actually had an accident and hit something, and which scared you a great deal. The message is clear! Slow down! If your dream does relate to risky behavior in your sexual life - remember to always practice safe sex. If you think your dream relates to some of the risks you run when you and your girlfriends go out on the town - remember to practice safe partying as well. It’s easy. Always designate a driver - whose job is to stay sober and watch out for the crew - and bring ’em all home safely!

We hope we hear back from you!