As previously mentioned, the dreams of the same night are often concerned with the same theme or aspects of it. Usually we fail to recognize this, especially when the dream has been dealing with commonplace subjects. Should, however, the dream deal with the death of relatives or personal danger - subjects which are of paramount importance in waking life - sleeping consciousness notes the connections, and the memory of the dream, or dreams, tends to be carried into waking life.

Vivid dreams of a personal nature are frequently repeated. The dream may be repeated entirely in exactly the same way as it already occurred; or, as in the dream related by Cicero, to be mentioned later, the dream may be interrupted by awakening; on returning to sleep, the dream commences at the point where it left off.

If we accept the statement that dreams of the same night are often naturally of a more or less close relationship, we have sufficient explanation for any dreams of this nature which are remembered. If the dream is repeated intact, we may infer that the dream subject was of such vital significance to the dreamer, and so provocative of doubt, that sleeping consciousness, exercising unusual powers, called it back to consciousness for repetition, so as to facilitate a better understanding of it. If the dream causes awakening, and, when the person returns to sleep, begins at the point where it left off, it may be explained on the ground that the vividness of it caused it to be first in the dream thoughts, and because the dream would have continued if awakening had not occurred.

It is worthy of note that many dreams regarded as significant are said to have been dreamed thrice. Sometimes a multiple of three is used, as in the case of the man who dreamed nine times that his daughter was ill; it might be mentioned that he found her in perfect health. The number 3 has a wealth of symbolic meaning. Religion affords many examples; as the Holy Trinity; Faith, Hope, and Charity; Jesus, Mary, and Joseph; the 3 Wise Men; Christ and the two thieves; the Cross has 3 portions; the Crucifixion occurred at 3 o'clock; the Resurrection took place on the third day; Peter denied Christ 3 times; Peter had a vision thrice repeated (Acts, 10). In literature, the number has been emphasized, as The Three Musketeers, Three Weeks, etc. In daily life we have "the third and last warning," "three strikes and out," "ready, set, go," "ready, aim, fire"; a drowning person comes up 3 times, etc. The number carries with it the idea of finality, importance, and thus a thrice repeated dream occasions, if erroneously, a sense of special significance; when a dream is dreamed thrice it also tends to cause awakening, for the significance of the number is appreciable to sleeping consciousness.