Why So Many People Are Dreaming About The Same Creepy Mall

Most of us have had at least one dream that stuck with us - not because it made sense, but because it absolutely didn’t. Dreaming is just part of being human.

During REM sleep, when our brains start firing more actively, we often find ourselves in strange scenarios: falling through the sky, sprinting from some unknown threat, suddenly discovering we’ve forgotten how to walk, or realizing we’re standing in public without clothes. As bizarre as they can be, most dreams fall into familiar categories.

But lately, something has caught the internet’s attention: thousands of people claim they keep dreaming about the same exact place, a mysterious shopping mall that doesn’t actually exist.

This dream location has become so widely recognized that it has its own dedicated Reddit community, The Mall World. According to The New York Post, the subreddit gets more than 3,600 weekly visitors, all drawn by the unnerving realization that their dream setting is shared by strangers.

The premise behind Mall World is simple but eerie: it’s a sprawling, maze-like mall that feels familiar, even though no one has actually been there in real life. The stores are often hard to reach or unclear.

Escalators lead deeper underground instead of up to daylight. Corridors loop back on themselves. Some say it feels like a liminal space, almost real, but not quite.

The subreddit was created to see if others shared the same strange recurring mall dreams.

The subreddit’s creator admitted they started the page just to check if anyone else had experienced something similar.

“I originally created this page to make sure I wasn’t the only one experiencing this stuff. This has gotten much larger than expected…” they wrote.

Another user chimed in with:

“Hi everyone, I’ve experienced dreams set in a gradually evolving underground shopping mall for decades, but didn’t realise it was a thing until I stumbled onto this community a few minutes ago.”Pixabay

A common theme? Nobody can ever actually achieve what they’re trying to do there.

“I can never find what I’m looking for or get where I’m going,” one person said. Someone else added, “I’m always trying to get somewhere that I can’t get to. Everywhere I go is a dead end or I’m way further away than I was before. Last night I was trying to get directions on my phone but I didn’t have service. It’s so weird.”

Some even recall specific entry points into Mall World. One user shared:

“Just curious… who remembers how they specifically entered into Mall World? Mine was a coat closet in my dad’s office in the basement of my parents’ house. I’d peel the coats back and walk down into an underground tunnel system that led me straight to Mall World.”

Dr. John Allan, a dream researcher at the University of California, explains that recurring dreams, like those of 'Mall World,' often symbolize shared societal anxieties. He notes, 'Dreams can serve as a mirror to our collective consciousness, reflecting common fears or desires.' This phenomenon might stem from cultural narratives surrounding consumerism and social spaces, where malls symbolize both community and isolation.

Dr. Allan suggests keeping a dream journal to help individuals explore their subconscious thoughts, which can foster a greater understanding of personal and collective experiences.

Reddit dream thread goes viral on TikTok as people realize they’ve all visited the same place in their sleep.

What started as a niche thread on Reddit has now spilled over to TikTok, with people stunned to find their recurring dream has been experienced by countless others.

“I have been going there for several years now… It’s wild other people have mapped it out too,” one person commented. Another reacted more bluntly: “Nah wtf I been DEADASS having these dreams as of recently.”Pexels

So what’s going on? Is this just dream déjà vu, a shared cultural archetype, or our brains using similar architecture to process stress and uncertainty?

Dream analyst Layne Dalfen offered one explanation to The Post, saying,

“At the first level, every dream is an interior discussion about a subject from this week you are attempting to come to a conclusion about.”

In other words, Mall World may not be about malls at all; it may simply be our minds navigating confusion, searching for answers, or trying to reach a goal but struggling to get there. Dalfen added,

“We are problem-solving in our dreams. So the goal is to help you connect to that very specific, very recent situation you were discussing with yourself when you had the dream. The unconscious only has one goal. It wants you to take the interior conversation and bring it outside to waking life, where you can discuss it! Get feedback and ideas from those you love and trust.”

Whether Mall World is a shared symbol of everyday anxiety, a modern myth unfolding in real time, or simply a dream setting that many minds happen to construct in similar ways, one thing stands out: countless people are wandering through the same mysterious shopping center in their sleep.

What once felt like a strange, isolated experience has now become a shared phenomenon, and those who dream of this mall are beginning to realize they’re not alone.

Exploring Collective Dreaming

A psychologist specializing in dreams, Dr. Kelly Bulkeley, suggests that the phenomenon of dreaming about the same place could reflect a shared cultural archetype. According to Dr. Bulkeley, 'Malls are modern-day cathedrals, where people gather not just to shop, but to find community and identity.' This interpretation sheds light on why so many people may dream about a place they’ve never visited.

He advises individuals to engage in discussions about their dreams to help uncover underlying fears or desires, which can promote personal growth and emotional resilience.

Solutions & Coping Strategies

The shared experience of dreaming about 'Mall World' may reveal our collective anxieties and desires regarding community and consumerism. As Dr. Allan and Dr. Bulkeley illustrate, these dreams serve as windows into our subconscious, reflecting both individual and societal narratives. Keeping a dream journal and engaging in conversations about these dreams can be transformative, leading to deeper self-awareness and understanding. In this way, rather than viewing these dreams as mere curiosities, we can embrace them as opportunities for personal and communal exploration.