figure out what the symbols in the dreams mean to you...a good example is from one of my psychology teachers.

for several weeks he was having a recurring dream of being on the way to school, and suddenly chased by dogs and finding solace once in the school, once there they would change into people.

he concluded it represented his feelings of the lack of academics he found in the world, the dogs represented the uneducated masses, and the school was solace because people learned there...essentially turning the beasts into humans.

he was freudian.

but it's no different than a man dreaming of being bit by a snake, not realizing he saw a snake in the corner of his eye earlier in the garden, but his subconscious mind registered it and sent him the message to watch himself.

or he felt his sexual attractions were inflicting pain upon his physical self...but that would be using universal symbolism rather than personal symbolism.