For 4 nights I’ve been having the same dream. It happens just before I wake up in the morning. In my dream I see an arm. I don’t know if it is a man or woman’s, it has no hair on it, and the veins are popped up high, almost like the famous paintng with the hands touching fingers together (but only one arm). Suddenly and slowly the veins begin to bleed. Then I wake.

I can’t figure it out. Things seem to be going well in my life right now. I am a mother of three children and I am married.

—Jainy, Female, Married, USA

Hi Jainy—

Because the painting calls to mind the famous Michelangelo painting of contact between God and humankind (The Creation of Adam), and because blood spilling from an arm has a Christian reference in Christ’s bleeding while on the cross, I am curious if you feel your dream has spiritual overtones. Are you a spiritually minded person, and do you hold any religious concerns at present? The fact that the dream has recurred for four nights suggests an important message that is trying to gain conscious awareness.

The dream also may be representing a health concern - specifically high blood pressure. Because you have the dream before awakening, the dream may be representing a dangerous rise in blood pressure during sleep. Do you snore? Have you ever awakened short of breath? Snoring and sleep apnea are the primary causes of sleep-related hypertension.

Dear Dream Doctor—

I don’t have any religious questions or concerns at present; I’ve pretty much addressed those issues.

However, the weird thing is that on the same day that I emailed you for interpretation, my mom called to tell me she had broken into hives and was going to the doctor. Later that day, she called to inform me that, for the first time in her life, she has really high blood pressure. It’s always been on the very low side, so the doctors are not sure why this has happened.

So when you asked about my health, it seems to be my mother who had the high pressure. (I have very low blood pressure and am in pretty good health). So maybe I was having some sort of psychic thing going on?

Hi Jainy—

I do believe your dreams reflected your mother’s medical condition. The dream’s representation of high blood pressure—the blood pushing itself out of raised veins on an arm—is so clearly drawn it is hard to mistake.

Psychic dreams often function to give us spiritual strength during challenging times. The coincidence of your dreams, and their demand to be recognized, help to remind us that the world is more mysterious than we often give credit. In short, we are connected to a force larger than what we can see with the naked eye. From a broader perspective, does this not also explain the allusion to the painting of Michelangelo, that your dream clearly called to mind? The painting depicts contact between God and humankind (Adam). You too have just experienced contact with the supernatural.

We wish your mother a speedy return to health!