I was on a boat tour in the jungle. It was a canal with trees hanging overhead. They told us about these really venomous snakes in the trees, and almost immediately, one fell on me and bit me. It happened two or three more times, and even though the boat was full they only bit ME. The bites turned into these giant cysts. I started squeezing one on my hand and squirting my dad with what was inside. After that I was in a really cold setting and kept jumping in this pool even though I could get hypothermia. But I swear it was helping the bites heal. – Teresa 25, Fort Wayne, IN

Lauri: Is there a man in your life that has been poisonous to you? Perhaps striking at you with biting criticism or other poisonous behavior? And is it someone in your family? Someone who is “above” you like an older brother or ... your dad? I ask because trees in dreams tend to represent family and snakes tend to represent men with low-down, poisonous behavior. The cold setting tells us that things have become very icy between the two of you. It seems that you have to continually keep yourself cold and uncaring toward him so that the emotional wounds he inflicts upon you don’t get too deeply under your skin.

Teresa replies: This makes perfect sense, actually. My father is a condescending jerk and last night was being just that. I got into a little tizzy with him and finally just left the room because there’s no arguing with him. This isn’t anything new, and the cold feelings have been there for quite a long time.