Last Night I Danced with a Stranger: An Enlightening Guide to Dream Analysis

by Kirsten Hall

Have you ever dreamed that you were falling off a cliff? Decipher the hidden meanings of your dreams with this fun and enlightening illustrated handbook.

Readers will learn everything they need to know to unlock the mysteries of the messages that come to them in their sleep--habits that will enhance the ability to recall dreams, instructions for keeping a dream journal, methods for interpreting dreams and tips for taking charge of your dreams.

A comprehensive symbol dictionary decodes common dream imagery from apples to zeppelins. A survey of different civilization's dream analysis theories--from early Greek and Egyptian interpretations, to Freudian analysis and modern methodology--gives an insightful overview of this subconscious world from a wide array of scientific, religious and supernatural perspectives.

158 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Kirsten is a native New Yorker. After college, where she majored in English and minored in Child Development, Hall taught preschool and then Kindergarten while studying Early Childhood Education in NYU’s masters program. Her first easy reader book was written (and published) when she was in the 7th grade. Since then she has written approximately 150 early reader and chapter books for children, on a broad range of topics, for publishers including Scholastic, HarperCollins, Barnes & Noble, Random House, and Chronicle.
In addition to writing, Hall operates her own boutique illustration and literary agency, Catbird Productions. Hall currently resides in New York City.

Reviews

[Leigh Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

A simple intro for the armchair amateur.

Hall's tiny book hits the high notes and is beautifully illustrated, to boot, so this is a good pick for smaller collections where space is at a premium, and one or two books have to do a lot of heavy lifting. After micro-histories of dreaming and sleep, we move on to the analysis part, with six well-written examples of actual dreams worked out by actual dreamers that illustrate the process Hall suggests. The only drawback here is the woefully short dream dictionary, which doesn't include many of the more common dream images (example: flying) and offers sketchy, thumbnail interpretations that occasionally seem obvious; the subconscious is, in general, not subtle, it's not exactly illuminating to learn that nudity in a dream implies a sense of vulnerability.

Then again, this is a book for the absolute beginner, and will hopefully prompt interested parties to look for more comprehensive books (Hall doesn't include a bibliography, so it will be on you to recommend some). Recommended for folks who don't know from Freud or Jung yet, an optional purchase for larger collections.

[Pam Venne · Rating 4 out of 5]

1. Powerful quotes that helped me dream and / or give myself permission to dream. Many will be shared with other dreamers.
2. Wonderful and brief understanding of the five stages of sleep and how they impact your ability to dream.
3. Easily understandable explanations between "nightmares" and "night terrors" with great examples.
4. I would have liked more dream interpretations and would have left the dates off.

I bought this book years ago with the intention of following the guidelines to wake up each morning and analyze the dream(s) I had that night. I just could never find time to fit it into my schedule as a single mother with a demanding job.

If you have the time, it is worth it to follow the guidelines.

[Violet · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a reread from years ago. I think I liked it better the first time around. The dictionary never really helped me because none of my symbols seem to be listed. I never could write my dreams down when I wake up either, don't seem to have the time. So I guess I'll just keep going to my night time movies (dreams) anyway.

[Katsumi · Rating 1 out of 5]

An account of the history of dreams,which includes famous psychanalists. It discusses sleep stages and cycles. Also looks into dream interpretations, provides a dream dictionary and dream analysis.