How to Interpret a Dream Involving Dolls

Analyzing the Doll in Context

Recognize the doll as a potential childhood symbol. Dolls are consciously associated often with childhood. It makes sense that this association would cross over into the subconscious realm. If you're having any thoughts about your childhood during your waking life, you should become more mindful of what they are and how they might relate to the doll dreams you've been having.

Look for recurring symbols in your dream and life. Your dreams are almost always inspired by aspects of your waking life. Because of this connection, you should look for recurring ideas between the two. If you're able to connect the dream's symbols with real life experience, you'll have a much easier time of making sense of the rest of it. Spend time examining things you've been thinking lately. For example, have you been thinking things like, "My life is moving too slowly," or "Things are too crazy right now"? See if your dream is reflective of your recurring thoughts. For example, if you have a baby doll that grows up into an adult doll instantly, it may symbolize the feeling that your life is moving too quickly. Reflect on what you think may have inspired the dream. A dream is the brain's way of processing information in the subconscious. If you have recalled enough of your dream, you may be able to tie some part of it to something that's been on your mind.

Relate the dream doll to gender identity. The psychologist Carl Jung interpreted dolls in dreams as an expression of the Anima or Animus, the opposite sex within ourselves. If you subscribe to this idea, try to analyze how the dream might comment on your gender identity. Is there a part of the dream that relates to your role as a man or woman? Has anything of that nature been on your mind lately? Asking yourself these questions may bring you closer to a valid interpretation of your dream.

Think about what a doll symbolizes to you. Maybe you find dolls creepy, so a doll showing up in your dream may not be a good sign. On the other hand, maybe you loved playing with dolls as a child, and therefore, the symbol is a good one for you. In fact, many people associate dolls with fertility, so depending on how the doll appears, it could symbolize a desire to have children or fear of having children. For other people, dolls symbolize a desire to return to the innocence of childhood. Think about whether the doll could be a symbolic stand in for your own person or something that is going wrong in your life.

Figuring Out What the Doll Symbolizes

Use dream dictionaries as guidance. Dream dictionaries are interesting to read, but you shouldn't use them as a definitive source. Like horoscopes, they're mainly useful as a vague psychological reference to kickstart your own observations. However, reading up on the symbols (like dolls) that have been appearing in your dream might lend you some perspective.

Think about what the doll was doing. The action of the doll is as important as the symbol of the doll. A passive doll that is being played with by someone you dislike is completely different from a doll that comes alive and walks around. The doll could represent you in the dream. For example, if it came alive, that may symbolize the fact that you want to "wake up" into a new life. A doll being played with by someone you dislike could indicate you're feeling used or annoyed by that person. If you're playing with the doll, that could show that you are having a conflict with yourself, as you are playing with the doll, while at the same time, the doll could represent your subconscious.

Pay attention to the background. The background to the doll can also help you decide what the doll symbolizes. For example, dollhouses may symbolize your desire to have a family or your focus on your family life. Alternatively, a dollhouse could symbolize that you want to be more in control of your life.

Put the dream in emotional context. If you wrote down the emotions you were feeling when you woke up, use that to guide your interpretation of the dream. If you woke up feeling ecstatic, for instance, that's very different from waking up feeling anxious or disappointed. For example, if you doll comes alive but you wake up feeling anxious, that could mean your life is going in a new direction that you feel anxious about.

Writing Down the Dream and Context

Don't spring out of bed. If you can remember more of your dream, you are better able to analyze it. You can increase your chances of remembering your dream by taking a few extra minutes both to go to sleep and to wake up. If you allow yourself to wake up gradually, you're less likely to startle the dream out of your head.

Write down everything as soon as you wake up. Dream memories are fleeting, and almost always dissipate unless you catch them early on. As soon as you awake, take a pen and jot down whatever you can remember, whether it's a colour, shape, or feeling. Every little detail will help you to make better sense of your dream. Consider using the Notes or Voice Memos apps on your phone to memorialize the info from your dream.

Keep a pen and paper at your bedside. When you wake up, you won't have long to catch your dream memories before they fade away. Having a pen and paper at your bedside will give you the fastest way possible to get your thoughts onto paper.

Write the main picture down. When you wake up, try to get the main symbols in your dream down on paper so they don't disappear from your mind. You can write them or draw them, whatever is easiest for you. Obviously, you dreamed about a doll, but think about what else you saw. What other symbols showed up? Were other people there? Just try to get down the main ideas right now.

Reflect upon whether the dream was positive or negative. The emotional impact of the dream is often more important than the visual symbols in your dream. As you write down the details of your dream, think about the emotions that accompanied it. Did you feel upset when you woke up? Did the dream make you happy or anxious? Try to identify what you're feeling upon waking, and write those thoughts down, too.

Fill in other important details. Now that you've got the main ideas down, fill in the details. The details are any extra things you can think of that happened in the dream but weren't necessarily the main focus of the dream. The details can help put the symbols you see into context. For example, think about the setting. Was it night or day? Did you notice anything else in the dream that you may have left out? Maybe a particular color stood out to you, or maybe you saw a recurring flower. Just try to fill in as much as you can.