Locations in dreams ground the dream experience.

The details of location provide a sense- and memory-based reference point.

The locating aspect of dreams is a lens for understanding a specific point of view held by the dreamer.

It first popped up as a subreddit in 2021 asking about shared dream spaces. Descriptions of sprawling places resembling indoor malls were posted, with food courts, multiple levels, endless stores, and escalators. Familiar locations in waking time, in dreamtime, they appeared as strangely deserted, too crowded, or jammed with amusement parks, bathrooms, or eerie alleys of shops that meandered aimlessly.

Coined “Mall World” dreams, they share uncanny physical commonalities as well as evoke a sense of recognition, déjà-vu, and sometimes even fear or confusion. A woman posted a drawing of the mall that appears in her recurring dreams on TikTok, and it went viral, with people around the world claiming to be dreaming of a similar place.

Could we really all be dreaming of the same location? If so, what does this mean?

Location, Location, Location

Life experiences occur in places. Not just any places, but specific ones. Think about high school, for example, the primary site of our adolescence. From the sweaty anxiety of getting singled out in class to the warm feeling of belonging sitting with friends at lunch, school, as a place, is recalled not so much by name or geography but by the senses, emotions, and memories that accompany our time there.

Perceptual geographer Yi-fu Tuan writes that we know that something is real when we can apprehend it via our senses. Not just the sight of an object, but the smell, taste, touch, or........

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