My experience is that a compensatory dream may be of something I did[ not do in the real world, not just what I would not do. In 1986, I had two dreams which made it pretty clear that I'd spent most of the summer of 1965 living with a lovely lady. Oft though I have wished it, 'twas not so in the waking world. Given who I was at the time, that's just as well. Maddeningly, the two dreams were of us (1) meeting and (2) breaking up. One's imagination quite easily fills in the gap. All in all, coming when it did, the vicarious experience probably did me a lot more good than the real thing would have done. The girl shows up now and then, and it's as though "We'll always have Paris."
Yes and no. She was a slender blonde, straight hair with a center part, a common "look" in the 1960s. A lot like Mary Travers of Peter, Paul & Mary. During the "real" summer of '65, in a college summer class, I sat beside such a woman named Margaret, too shy to say a word. However, in one of our later encounters, our dream lady identified herself as Susan Constant.
Because she constantly appears in your dreams or represents something that is a constant in your life?
The pun is much more complex; and is in fact the culmination of the most elaborately contrived, beautifully executed practical joke it has been my pleasure to be the butt of. (In fact, that might be another dream type to explore.) Might as well just start at the beginning. I've opened a dream diary and put up the first two episodes. #3 will hopefully follow tomorrow.