Interesting question. My sister was a therapist and I have some experience through her of dream analysis, etc.

First off, let me say, that there is a physiological basis for EVERYTHING, every thought, every feeling and every action. It all begins with the complex chemistries within the body. You love someone? Chemistry. You hate someone? Chemistry. You murder someone? Chemistry. It all goes back to the complex things going on in your brain and body at any given time, ruled by the Endocrine system.

What you eat affects it. What you do affects it. What you think affects it. Everything affects it. The body and mind is one unit. Let’s say you feel anxiety due to something work-related. Your endocrine system will secrete certain chemicals as a result, including adrenaline. The body is always trying to put itself back into a state of homeostasis. You go to sleep, you dream. The dreams deal in some way with that anxiety, whether you recognize it or not. The dream is caused by chemicals that are attempting to work out the physical problem and return you to homeostasis. Once the dream is complete, the chemical balance will change. It may not be enough to return you to homeostasis. So maybe one goes to a therapist, works on the dream, realizes the meaning behind the dream (the Aha! Moment) and those little chemicals happily go about their work now that you have provided the correct fuel (catalyst) and you will be returned to homeostasis.

You have retired. Anxiety gone, no more adrenaline caused by the anxiety, so the endocrine system no longer putting out chemicals to try to deal with that adrenaline (anxiety). Your dreams will take on new chores, new tasks. If someone never dreams, they will become psychotic. That is why sleep deprivation is such a serious matter. No sleep, no dreams, no way for the body to chemically work itself through things, to release the chemical toxins of all the negativity. They build up and poison you—chemically.

No hippy dippy crap. It’s all physical. Dream analysis has its basis in the physical need for chemical release so don’t poo-poo it. It works.

Oh, and snakes don’t usually denote horniness. They can represent fears or worries, sometimes carry a spiritual meaning depending on what the snake is doing in the dream. In Native American spirituality, the snake is the symbol of transmutation, transmuting some thought, feeling, etc. into some positive, removing its poison. So there you go again, the Endrocrine system saying, listen up! We gotta drive out the snakes (I predict you may dream of Ireland and St. Patrick tonight. *JK*), get rid of the poison (worries).

BTW, if a person has enough anxiety over their lifetime, they can suffer adrenal exhaustion where the adrenals malfunction. Also, the anxiety will, over time, cause the adrenals to constantly overproduce and keep one at a certain level of anxiety all the time to the point where the person can no longer totally relax.

My sister was a brilliant therapist and dealt with the mind/body relationship. She studied the brain. The two things are interdependent, each affecting the other. And it all has to do with chemicals.

Sorry if this is rambling. I’ve never tried to put it in writing before.