“People having the same exact dreams as mine”: Social media users are discussing having similar recurring dreams in a “mall world”

Dreams often feel random, but some folks on the internet are saying they keep returning to the same strange place.

What is Mall World?

According to TikTokers, mall world is described as recurring dreams that always take place in large, maze-like environments. These locations often resemble malls, hotels, cruise ships, or amusement parks. Some dreamers claimed they visited the same places for years.

One TikTok user, @neverboringever, explained how she first noticed the trend. In her video, she shared that her dreams always took place in large, maze-like spaces, adding, “I have recurring dreams […] I’ve been having these dreams for 20 years that I can remember.” She even mentioned that old nightmares seemed to happen in the same recurring locations.

@neverboringever Anybody else just now learning that tons of us are visiting the same locations in our dreams?! Mall World subreddit is WILD #dreams #disneyworld #psychic #dreamworld ♬ original sound – neverboringever

Meanwhile, Taylor Waller (@tayelain) described darker versions. She said her dreams always began in a shadowy building that “literally looks like a mall in the main parts.” The dream typically led her into what looked like an endless apartment complex.

She recalled, “Every time I start this dream, I start up on the second level, and I’m looking up this huge staircase. And for some reason in my dream, I keep thinking, ‘How am I supposed to get all my laundry up to my room upstairs?’”

@tayelain Has anyone been to the same place? For those who haven’t heard of this, you should look into it so I don’t sound crazy🙃 #mallworlddream #luciddreams #mallworldapartment #fyp ♬ original sound – Taylor Waller

She went on to describe an encounter that she believed she had with another mall world dreamer: a man in a big hat who, when she tried to follow him, told her, “We do this alone. You need to find your own way out.”

Other examples of Mall World dreamers

More TikTokers and Redditors joined the conversation, adding their own experiences with Mall World. User @phaley247 said she discovered the Mall World subreddit after searching for her “amusement park water park dreams.” She explained, “Finding the Mall World has literally changed my life because there are 20 thousand people having the same exact dreams as mine.” For her, the parks looked fantastical, almost like “an AI version” of the real thing.

Additionally, she noted the scope of these dreamscapes. “It’s not just amusement park/water parks. There’s also a giant a** mall, there is a giant a** hotel, there’s multiple hotels, there’s all these apartment buildings, there’s a whole town centre.”

@tiltonicatiktok Replying to @CandyApples #mallworld #dreamworld #liminalspaces #backrooms ♬ original sound – .tilton

On the r/TheMallWorld subreddit, people shared their dreams, trying to connect with others they may have seen in their dreams or asking for help. Redditor u/Lucid_Dreema posted about flying to a different mall than usual in their dream, and that the people in the mall seemed to become more aware the longer they talked to them. “It was like this overwhelming sense that these weren’t just NPCs,” OP wrote.

“Then, 2 security guards came walking over to me, and I had a real sense that ‘I should stop talking about this’. They made it clear that I shouldn’t know this information and shouldn’t leave immediately. They were very intimidating.”

Other accounts went further into surreal territory. TikToker @astralarchangel, who frequently posts about astral projection on her account, linked the idea to “astral travel.”

She described escalators that moved too fast to ride and elevators that sometimes free-fell. She also detailed an “Astral Theater,” a massive auditorium where “not everyone is watching the same movie.”

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