Dear Lauri,

I dreamed that I walked into a house but the floor was made of sand. I sat on the couch next to an older woman, who picked up a lizard and put it in a cage. The lizard got angry and bit itself and turned into two lizards. There was also a dog rolling around in the sand making sounds like it was in pain. I got upset that the woman wasn’t helping the dog, so I went to look for help in the bathroom, and there I found a man bathing another dog. I asked him for help and then woke up.

— Jennifer, 39, Virginia Beach, VA

Lauri: The floor of sand means this is about a situation that has you feeling like you don’t have sure footing. The angry lizard is connected to something you are angry about. Biting himself into two suggests there is some sort of separation going on. The dog symbolizes that the loyalty and companionship that once were there are now causing you emotional pain. The man you encounter in the bathroom is your male self, the part of you that can “grow a pair” and take care of this issue — or at least be less emotional about it. I think your dream is telling you to clean your mind of negativity regarding this issue so that you can better deal with it.