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ABSTRACT

1. Paper
2. "Dreams and the 2000 Presidential Election"
3. Kelly Bulkeley, Ph.D., Santa Clara University. Kelly Bulkeley is a former President of the ASD and author of several books on dreams, most recently Transforming Dreams (Wiley, 2000) and Visions of the Night (SUNY, 1999). He teaches at Santa Clara University and the Graduate Theological Union and received his doctorate in Religion and Psychology from the University of Chicago Divinity School.

http://www.kellybulkeley.com

4. This paper presents research on dreams during, and after the historic 2000 Presidential election and discusses new data on the differences in the dream content of Republicans and Democrats. The dreams reflect in both humorous and disturbing ways the emotional turmoil people experienced in connection to the election.

5. Learning objectives: to show the connection between public events and private dreams, to explore the symbolic meaning of political events, and to discern ties between dream content and political ideology. Questions: What are the common themes in people's dreams about the 2000 Presidential election? What are the differences in the dream content of Republicans and Democrats? What theories can best account for these themes and content differences?

Election Nightmares:
What People Are Dreaming About the Presidential Election

People all over the U.S. are having frightening dreams and disrupted sleep patterns because of the unprecedented turmoil surrounding the Presidential election. According to dream researcher Kelly Bulkeley of Santa Clara University, Democrats in particular are suffering from an unusual upsurge of nightmarish dreaming that reflects their waking life fears of a Bush Presidency.

Dr. Bulkeley has been studying the relationship between dreams and politics since 1992. His research shows that dreams are a fascinating window into the deep fears and desires that underlie people's political beliefs. The dreams Dr. Bulkeley has gathered so far from the 2000 election illustrate the depths of many people's distress over the bitter and still unresolved contest between George W. Bush and Al Gore.

More dream reports are coming in every day as this unique historical situation moves toward its unpredictable conclusion. The most interesting election dreams Dr. Bulkeley has gathered to this point include:

Alien takeover: a 46-year old woman who is scared of a Bush victory dreamed two nights before the election that "a space ship lands, little Martians get out, and they use a weapon to vaporize people. I realize I could actually lose my freedom and live in a society that they control."

Too much TV: a 32-year old woman who went to bed on Tuesday night after watching several hours of television news dreamed that "I kept seeing those stupid electoral college maps on TV turning red, then blue, then red again. It was a very fitful night's sleep."

Morbid commentary: a 36-year old male Democrat, who's sickened by the whole post-election struggle between Bush and Gore, dreamed that "two King Vampires were battling it out for ownership of the human herd."

Buyer's remorse: a 54-year old male Democrat who went to bed Tuesday night upset that the country had apparently chosen Bush as its next President dreamed that "I had just bought a brand new Mercedes Benz, but then I realized the car was actually old and flawed, and I was very disappointed."

Trying to make the best of it: a 41-year old woman, a long-time Democrat, had a dream just before the election she felt was helping her prepare for the real possibility of a Bush victory: "I am with George W. Bush. We go through a breakfast buffet together, and as we chat I realize he's really not that bad a guy. Then I am telling someone that I've just been talking with George W. Bush, slightly aware of how odd that sounds."

Concern for Gore: a 25-year old woman went to bed Tuesday night and dreamed "Gore has lost, and I see him crying, looking terribly disheveled and exhausted. Tipper takes his hand and pulls him down the street, and I say, 'Does he want anything to eat or drink? Anything?' And Tipper says, 'No, sweetheart. That's OK." And she pulls him off into privacy. I feel so upset and frustrated at our country."