Uncomfortable Dreams Lately I have been having uncomfortable dreams. Often, I am in a group situation, feeling very much an outsider. In other dreams, I am worried about my family turning against me. What puzzles me is that for years, while I was taking medication for depression, my dreams were pleasant although my waking life was hard. Now, when I am feeling much better, I have these unpleasant dreams. Could this mean that I am now able to face my problems whereas before I was protected? Barbara, Lowestoft Dear Barbara, Your diagnosis is correct. Imagine a set of traditional kitchen scales marked 'sleeping' and 'waking'. For many years, it was as though your subconscious mind was trying to weigh out enough positive sleep experience to compensate for your feelings of unhappiness on the waking side. It's hard to say how much the medication may have had to do with this, as not enough conclusive research has been done into the way drugs affect our dreams. What we do know is that dreaming helps to maintain our psychological balance. Now that you are feeling more optimistic about life, your dreams are free to perform a different function: that of reflecting the problems which caused you to need medication in the first place. It could be helpful for you to consolidate the recent improvements in your well-being by discussing these issues with a professional counsellor. Once you begin to understand where your feelings of isolation originally sprang from, you should enjoy sweeter dreams. (Sun Taurus, Moon Scorpio)

Click here for Jonathan Cainer's Daily Zodiac Forecasts

All content and artwork copyright 2008. World rights reserved