Before you share a dream with a group

Choose an audience deliberately.

The Uncanny Post's community posts are for community accounts with verified email and a self-confirmation of being at least 18. A Circle narrows the audience to its members, with moderation access. Neither setting can prevent someone who can read a post from keeping a copy. Share only details you are comfortable placing in that audience's hands.

Protect people outside the conversation.

A dream can contain a real name, an address or an intimate detail about someone who never agreed to be discussed. Remove identifying information that is not needed. If the story belongs to someone else, get permission before sharing it. A changed name may not be enough when other details still identify the person.

Say what kind of reply you want.

You might want to tell a story, ask a question or invite possible interpretations. Set the available discussion preference and state the request plainly. When replying to someone else, check that choice first. “Would you like an idea about this image?” gives the author an easy way to say yes or no.

Remember that sharing creates a copy.

Editing the private journal afterward does not rewrite an already shared post. Review the post itself when you need to correct or remove it. Keep a creative expansion labeled as fiction or a retelling so readers do not mistake invented details for the original dream.

A small exercise to try

Try this invented example: 'My colleague Alex, who works at the corner pharmacy, appeared in a dream about an argument.' A changed first name alone would leave identifying details. A less revealing post could say, 'A person I know appeared in an argument. I would like questions about the conversation, not guesses about who they are.'

• Audience: who can read this?
• Privacy: could somebody recognize another person?
• Reply preference: what am I asking for?
• Copy: am I comfortable with a reader retaining this post?
• Exit: do I know where Report, Block and Support are?

The principle behind this guide

The International Association for the Study of Dreams places the dreamer's decisions, consent and privacy at the center of ethical dream discussion. This guide applies that principle to practical writing and sharing; its examples are invented, not research findings.

Source for this section: reference 1