pain in a dream could have a physical cause. when i had my wisdom teeth removed, my mouth hurt during my dreams for the next several nights. but pain in dreams could also stem from emotional discomfort. (ackroyd)

paralysis

signifies being pinned down or held back in real life. you aren't sure of which path to pursue, or how to resolve an inner conflict (ie. having children, getting married). (pliskin)

someone else being paralyzed represents an aspect of yourself that you don't express in real life. (ackroyd)

parents

parents represent the anima or animus, depending on who is having the dream and who appears in it. they could represent widsom, as Jung's wise old man/woman archetype. their appearance in a dream may also say something about your relationship with them, depending on the context of the dream. (ackroyd)

• sex with

you have a wish to return to parental comfort and security. a man dreaming of having sex with his mother could be a way of him getting in touch with his feminine side. likewise if a woman dreams of having sex with her father, that's a way of her getting in touch with her masculine side. although unpleasant, these dreams are common and are no cause for alarm. (pliskin)

if the dreams are violent or coercive, it could be a repressed memory of past events. (pliskin)

partner

see husband or wife.

past events, reliving

this usually means that issues you've dealt with in the past are reappearing. (pliskin)

persona

Jung: "the persona" is one of jung's aspects of self. it is the image we present to the world and not necessarily our real self. the persona appears as a person, either ourselves or someone else, and they have all the qualities of what we appear to others. (pliskin)

post-traumatic stress nightmares

precognitive dreams

correctly depict a future event. (pliskin)

pregnancy

both women and men can have dreams about being pregnant. they refer to some aspect of the self that is developing but isn't ready to be acted upon. becoming pregnant in a dream can be a signal to you that anything is possible, especially if you have been unsuccessful in conceiving in real life. in women, this kind of dream could actually be telling you that you're pregnant. (pliskin)

• giving birth

has a sense of being reborn or a fresh beginning. (pliskin)

priest

Jung: "the wise old man" is one of jung's aspects of self. the appearance of any wise older man represents yourself or a powerful figure. (pliskin)

princess

Jung: "the great mother" is one of jung's aspects of self. she is a symbol of growth, nurturing, fertility, seduction, possession and dominance. she can take on the form of a mother or witch as well. (pliskin)

prophetic dreams

predicts major future events, but the only way a dream can be labeled as "prophetic" is if the event actually happens. these dreams are very hard to prove. (pliskin)

psychic dreams

usually the act of the unconscious picking up on nonverbal warnings or messages, "fine cueing." often our premonitions, either dreamt or experienced while awake, can be the result of our mind putting the pieces of the puzzle together rather than literally seeing the future. (pliskin)

puns

creating symbols as a stand-in for the original object or idea. for example, an older man jokes to his younger coworkers who that he says things to "date himself." that night, he may dream about getting ready for a date, the date arrives, he opens the door and it's himself. (pliskin)