A man you’re wildly attracted to pulls you to him and gently caresses your back.
He’s so close, you could feel his hot breath on your face.
You sit bolt upright, sweating, relieved, yet strangely aroused.
Yumiko Kinoshita / Getty Images
It was only a dream.
But what was that about?
Instead of writing off these reveries as a side effect of spicy Indian food, tune in to them.
Your subconscious may be trying to tell you something.
Many practitioners say figuring out what your dreams symbolize can help improve your life, especially your sex life.
“They also allow us to explore options we haven’t tried or even thought of.”
Not necessarily, says Pam Spurr, Ph.D., a relationship psychologist in London.
Erotic dreams can mean many things, depending on the dreamer and her life circumstances.
In some cases, dreams involving sex aren’t actually about sex at all.
So how do you know?
If a specific interpretation is accurate, it will resonate with you and make a certain kind of sense.
Below, nine women reveal their most exciting dreams.
“Jacka married colleague I have a little crush onwalked in and sensed my panic.
He said, ‘Don’t worry, the horses are here for your pleasure.’
He helped me mount a big stallion.
I was completely embarrassed that I was saying sexual things, but Jack didn’t seem to care.”
The expert analysisWhoa, Nellie!
Leslie is likely feeling guilty about her growing attraction to Jack.
“She’d like him to lead her into a sexual experience.”
Simply realizing she’s attracted to someone inappropriate can let her work out the issue without stressing about it.
What else it could meanIn addition to being stand-ins for powerful sexual feelings, horses represent human vitality.
Women often dream of sick or neglected horses when they’re not taking care of themselves, Holloway says.
If you think this is the case with you, schedule some me-time.
If you’re thrown from a horse, you may have a trust issue with your partner.
Can’t catch a bolting colt?
It could be that you would like to escape (or suspect that your partner would).
Women who like foreplay or masturbation in real life might dream of stroking a horse, Spurr says.
Being nuzzled by one hints that you enjoy taking a sexually passive role.
“The next thing I know, he pulls me to him and we start making out.
It’s so intense and passionate that we start having sex right under the chairs.
There are people around, but we don’t care.
Then I have the biggest orgasm, and my dream ends.
The funniest thing was that I never even saw the guy’s face.”
The expert analysisThis is a sex dream that’s probably not about sex.
“Airports embody our desire to take off for higher places,” she says.
Intercourse with a faceless stranger is standard sex-dream fare.
“While I waited I noticed brilliant sunshine streaming through the windows.
A woman caught my eye, so I took my cappuccino and sat next to her.
As I sipped, the froth spilled over my lipsit was going everywhere.
Before I knew it we were kissing and caressing each other.
I’ve never had a lesbian encounter, but this felt fantastic.”
The expert analysisNo subtlety here.
“I don’t have a crush on Leo, and I’ve never lived in Queens.
The expert analysisGisele needn’t worry about the competition.
Although DiCaprio represents romantic love, “this dream is not about sex,” Cummings says.
“It’s about Cathy feeling judged by the people close to her.”
Cathy may sense pressure from her family to be a good girl.
As for relatives in dreams: Don’t stress too much if Great-Uncle Howie nabs a supporting role.
“I dreamed I was performing oral sex on Charlton Hestonin my mother’s house, no less!”
“This dream indicates she’s not feeling confident about her sexual self.”
Cummings also notes that guns typically represent penises, hence the appearance of Ben-Hur.
“I go home, and we start writing to each other, and the letters get steamy.
This guy hasn’t had sex for eight years, so he’s all pent up and wanting me.
We get permission to have a conjugal visit, which happens in a trailer on the grounds.
“A lot of dreams about rescuing other people are actually about rescuing a repressed part of yourself.”
Whenever a specific number presents itself in a dream, ask yourself what significance that number holds for you.
“The dreams are pretty straightforward.
We’re in bed, in my house, having regular intercourse.
I felt I was doing something wrong, though that did heighten my enjoyment.
The expert analysisTime to break out the handcuffs.
But at the same time, because Liz doesn’t know them intimately, it’s more exciting.
“She should attempt to rekindle the romance with her husband again.”
I never found him physically attractive, but we had always had a deep intellectual connection and mutual respect.
The expert analysisHere’s another seemingly erotic dream that has nothing to do with sex.
“She makes it a sex dream because her work is so fulfilling.
It’s almost as if she’s shocked that work can be so stimulating.”
That she was never attracted to him in reality is meaningless.
That doesn’t mean we secretly desire him.
“I often have hot dreams in which I never actually get to have sex.
