Emotion was the message of that dream. I say that because with dreams I usually do review, as many people do, and meditate on them afterward to see which elements compare, contrast, and refer to what is occurring in the awake state. In this dream that emotion, elation, joy, was the purest message and it didn’t take too much reviewing to see how that related to my present experiences.
I agree with you that emotion could interfere with an assessment. But I’m sure you also know from your own such examinations that dream material is of a highly fluid character, ‘separations’ are not so defined. It’s like examining water on a slide under a microscope compared to examining water in situ such as a stream, a shore, the rain, etc. The former can give you some details but the latter examples can show a larger dynamic and context. In this particular dream related, emotion was front and center.
Nonetheless, I do intend to meditate on it and see where the details lead especially because of its wonderful import. Nothing wrong with reverse engineering, as long as the ‘quality’ of what is being examined is not compromised.