You’ll probably all know what I’m talking about; the dream where you go into work/school/whatever and realise you’re naked…my question is this - why are they so common and what do they mean?
Well, I can’t claim to know. I’ve talked to others about this, though. There’s the old theory that they happen during times of anxiety, that they are a manifestation of unrealized fears. Maybe.
But I do know that among people I know, men have them far more frequently. They seem to follow a certain pattern - you’re in a public place, look down, and realize you’re not wearing pants, or that you’re totally naked. There is no apparent explanation, in the dream, for how you got to wherever you were without noticing. In my case, and in the case of most of the people I talked to about it, there are generally no repercussions - others don’t stare, or laugh, or react with horror. The dreamer, however, is horrified. Others often don’t seem to notice.
They’re also quite common. Perhaps not as universal as falling dreams, but they seem to be a reflection of some commonality in our lives, or some commonality in the lives of men.
I wish I could claim to have spoken to folks from other cultures about it. I might ask various foreigner friends if they have them, but it’s obviously not easy to find a large enough sample of people from non-western cultures to draw really meaningful conclusions.
I’ve never had one of those nekked dreams, occassionally I’ve dreamed that I was fully clothed and put my dressing gown on over the top, or had slippers on while I was outdoors … but never nekked in a room full of people
(had one dream when I was bedridden with a broken pelvis that I was running across a field and I’m half sure I was nekked - but there was no one else watching me)
I wind up in a bathroom that will not flush properly (water overflows everywhere)
I hate those dreams! 
I have never experienced one. The only place I have heard about them would be on Television. Though, it’s possible that I forget my dreams and actually have them all of the time.
I don’t recall ever having a falling dream, though as a child I once had a dream that I was on top of a really tall structure, knowing that if I fell, I would probably die.
The closest I’ve come to a “naked” dream was another childhood dream. I was in my backyard, and there were several girls who invited me to their tea party. I was wearing pajamas, but the pants had some rather large holes near the crotch, and certain naughty bits were occasionally visible. I just had to hope that they wouldn’t notice.
My most common “type” of dream (among the types that people usually cite) are flying dreams. A common factor in these dreams is that it’s very hard to start flying, but once I start flying, I can keep flying as long as I want… as long as I don’t land.
Oh, and for anyone interested in their dreams, I recommend keeping a journal of your dreams. It can be quite fascinating to look back on dreams that would’ve otherwise been forgotten. (Why is it that dreams are so easily forgotten? Oh well, that’s probably a question deserving its own thread.)
I have dreamt about being naked (and no one else noticing) so many times. Supposedly it means that we’re afraid of others seeing us as we really are; but the dream is showing us that this fear is invalid. (No cite; just the lingering of long ago therapy.)
Of course, I had a superstitious grandma and she told me that if you dream you’re naked it means that you’re going to hear some really good gossip. I have no idea what that means or if it’s true. Grandma also thought thunderstorms chased her. Go figure.
IANA psychologist, but I have these “Stark naked in public” dreams occaisionally and I’ve always been told that they reflect feelings of vulnerability, fear of having one’s secrets revealed, or fear of public humiliation.
Most modern theories about dream analysis say that the symbolism in dreams is a private language, dependent on the person, the context of waking life, and the context of the dream itself. Even something common, like being naked in a dream, does not the same thing for you that it would be for me - if it means anything at all. I suppose Professors Jung or Campbell would say that it probably is possible to write a “dream dictionary” that defines symbolism in a way that’s true for all, but I think Humpty Dumpty’s generally right in this case - the vocabulary of symbols means whatever you make it mean.
Some would go so far as to say that the entire notion of dreams having a meaning at all is bunk. The reason for this denial of meaning is that dreams - whatever they are - are not messengers. IMHO, this point of view is a little extreme. It seems to me that most dreams (at least the ones that I can remember) deal with themes of loss or redemption (that’s right… I didn’t say love and death). So I think of course the things in dreams do have a meaning that you may or may not be able to unravel.
No matter who’s right, I think the best way to “read” a dream is to read it like a story. Even if the author didn’t have any intentions to make the story about anything, you can make your own interpretation out of what it means to you.
I’ve also never had a naked dream.
Most of my dreams involve me being a soldier, getting shot at, watching my buddies die and then trying to desert.
Thanks for all the replies, guys.
Slightly off-topic, but what the heck. Apparently the reason dreams don’t stick in your memory is because no matter what actions you take in your dreams, it has no consequence in the real world, ergo they’re easily forgetable. It’s a theory, at least.