As described by Sigmund Freud, our dreams can be complex inner conversations between our id, ego and superego.1 Our evening slumber is often when our inner divas, movie and rock stars appear to help us navigate situations that are hard to address in waking hours. What might a dream mean if our inner rock star is Lady Gaga?

One morning, a friend phoned. “Kat, it’s Debbie. I just had the strangest dream! Lady Gaga walked into my living room with her entourage, plunked down in a chair, and said, ‘We’re here to take you dancing.’ She was sexy in a skin-tight body suit and high-heeled boots.”

“Well, what’d you do?” I asked.

“I hid in my bedroom because I felt so ugly. When Gaga stopped singing, ‘You’re on the right track, Baby!’ I went to see if they were gone. She was sitting on the arm of the chair and said, ‘We’re still waiting for you.’ So I went with them. I think the dream is important but makes no sense. Can you help me?”

Debbie was in treatment for bone cancer. Understandably, she felt unattractive and feared she might never play tennis, go dancing with her friends or play music as she had done before her diagnosis. Now, she spent most of her time alone.

To me, the dream made perfect sense. “If this were my dream, I would remember how I longed to sing with Lady Gaga, who is unafraid to embrace or flaunt her inner goddess and femininity. Hiding in the bedroom where you sleep is hiding in your dreams. Your inner musician and tribe have come to rescue you from loneliness by patiently waiting for you to join them in the living room, in your life. See the play on words?” I advised her to bring that dream into her waking world, to join the friends waiting for her.

Belonging to a tribe, the third level of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is one of our most important emotional wellness states.2 Lady Gaga never hides or apologizes for being herself and sings that she was Born This Way!

I asked Debbie if any of that resonated with her and she said it did. She slowly began re-engaging with life and her physical wellness improved.

Being alone is normal. However, extreme depression and loneliness can be a form of living death. If suffering an illness, it can be a side effect of medications and treatments.3 Check with your doctor if this is true for you.

Fortunately, we often have inner artists who can help rescue us through our dreams. If you know a friend hiding themselves away, be their Lady Gaga. Who knows, maybe the next time you feel lonely, Lady Gaga or rapper Snoop Dogg will party in your dream living room to remind you that “you’re on the right track, Baby!”

Kathleen O’Keefe-Kanavos of Rancho Mirage is a survivor, author, dream expert, speaker, TV/radio host/producer and has been featured on Dr. Oz and The Doctors. Her book, Dreams That Can Save Your Life, is available now. Visit www.KathleenOkeefeKanavos.com.

References: 1) https://docmckee.com/oer/criminology/criminology-section-5-1/; 2) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslow%27s_hierarchy_of_needs; 3) https://www.cancer.org/cancer/managing-cancer/side-effects/emotional-mood-changes/depression.html