Real Talk: What Causes People To Have Weird Dreams? An Expert Weighs In

Have you ever woken up from a dream and asked yourself, "Where did that come from?" From dreaming about being naked to dreaming of snakes or spiders, there's truly no shortage of bizarre scenarios our brains can come up with while we're asleep.

And sometimes (like, right now), it seems like everyone is going through an especially weird dream phase at the same time.

While the exact mechanisms behind dreaming aren't completely understood, it's widely believed that dreams serve as a means for memory consolidation.

With that in mind, therapist and dream expert Leslie Ellis, Ph.D., tells mbg she thinks dreams take their cues from "a combination of our emotions, our environment, and to some degree, the things we encountered during the day."

Whether it was a movie you watched, an event you witnessed, or a story you read, she says, all of these can contribute material to your dreams.

While your weird and crazy dreams might catch you off guard, Ellis says it's actually a positive thing if you're having strange dreams. "If the message is truly important," she explains, "I think our dreams like to make it memorable by adding intensity and bizarre details."

In some cases, your dreams may even incorporate humor and playfulness, Ellis notes, adding she's found some dreams to exhibit "a tremendous sense of humor."