I do not know if my dream is related to anything at all. It has two parts.

First: I am riding on the subway during a rush hour. I am sitting and reading a book. All of the sudden, something is covering my book. It is a human head with gray hair, that are long, gray, and they are scratching me. I see a man wearing a red jacket, who is holding this head. At this moment I woke up.

Second: After I fell asleep again, I see myself lying in a huge bed. I am in a huge, dark room, where the only piece of furniture is my bed. I feel there is something else lying on it. I turn to the right, and I see the same head from my previous dream lying on the pillow next to me and staring at me.

I know my dream sounds morbid, but I do not think about death in my waking life at all. My health is at it best. I started going back to the gym in January and I feel great. In my family there are only 4 people, and all are healthy. The closest death in my family occurred 8 years ago, when my grandfather died. The closest death around my circle of friends occurred almost a year ago.

I was worried about my job. I am in a computer business and with the economy lately, computer people are being laid off first, but my boss said that for now I have nothing to worry about. Can you help me translate?

—Leo, Male, New York, NY, USA

Hi Leo—

Are you worried about having your “head handed to you” at work? It appears your discussion with your boss did not make you feel over-confident!

Because your dream holds disturbing and ominous overtones, it suggests fears for a negative outcome in the future. Given that you and your family are in good health, we are directed to explore your work situation as the cause of this dream.

The head in your dream appears by itself—severed in some fashion—which represents injury and death. If you were nervous about your job (and if you also take the subway to work, one of the locations in your dream) fears for survival at the office may indeed be on your mind.

You have been concerned about your job security, to the extent that you recently sought reassurance from your boss. In this context, the allusion to death logically reflects feelings that you are worried about being “laid off” or “displaced” in your career. The gray hair on the head—that scratches your arm on the subway—similarly represents thoughts about aging. Are you concerned about “growing older” in the computer field, when so many young people are entering the work force below you?

Dear DreamDoctor—

That was it!! Due to our economy, a lot of people in my field are being laid off. I even spoke to my boss about it. Thank you very much!