The Symbolism and Interpretation Behind Dreams

Some experts think dreams have specific meanings behind them while others may think it’s all theorizing on what goes on inside our heads while we sleep.

Dreams can be exciting, confusing, mournful, frightening, and even awkward sometimes. We often wake up and wonder “why did I dream of this,” “what does this mean?” or “is this some type of message being sent to me?” It all leaves us with some sort of confusion and wonder why these certain dreams are occurring in our life.

During an abnormal lifetime, a person typically spends an average of six to ten years dreaming. While we dream four to six times a night, we don’t quite remember certain dreams since 95% of our dreams are quickly forgotten after we wake up. This is due to processing the memory and lack of concentrating on what’s happening.

Now, what exactly are dreams?

“Dreams are thoughts, images, sensations, and sometimes sounds that occur during sleep,” Alan Kuras, LCSW at Westmed Medical Group tells CNET. Many dreams of ours have gathered information from our thoughts, surroundings, emotions, familiar places, and people we know. All these tiny too big details are what help make up the dreams of ours.

Many people dream of death, falling, drowning, being chased, the boogeyman, sexual tension with a specific person, a partner leaving or cheating, and even teeth falling out, it all has a significant meaning behind it.

Alexa Hernandez, a ten-year-old, vivid dreamer herself has always noticed the sequence of repetition between the events that occur in her dreams.

“I’ve had frequent nightmares of my family members dying, it had all happened in different nights and made me believe that it reflects off my anxiety and mental health issues at home,” Hernandez said.

Hernandez thinks that her day to day actions and thoughts reflect why she dreams about certain things.

“I think maybe because I think about certain things a lot that my brain just remembers those thoughts or emotions to make up my dreams,” Hernandez said.

Researchers state it all reflects off with the relationship one may have with someone if the relationship is shifting in any way, whether that’s negative or positive. The logical mind cannot be in the best mindset and just have a hard time mentally emotionally with themselves or with the people around them.

With conducted studies, being chased is the most common nightmare an individual experience and is ironically relevant to the unconscious mind. It is to take in mind what exactly it is someone is trying to run away from whether that’s a person, fear, or an issue.

Being chased is related to one’s anxiety in our present life, if you’re trying to run away from a certain person then it’s associated with facing your fears in your present life.

Evangelina Peña, an evocative dreamer, has always seen nightmares as a normal part of her life due to the overload of horrific dreams that came ever since she was little.

“I’ve always had these vivid nightmares ever since I was little. I’ve dreamt of the boogeyman chasing me and I couldn’t even speak whatsoever and it was just frightening because I couldn’t even defend myself,” Peña said.

Peña often feels like she’s trapped in those dreams of hers because it almost feels like no one is listening to her when she feels the worst.

“I feel so scared and frightened because I wanna scream and shout in those nightmares but it’s like my mouth is taped shut and I just can’t express how I feel,” Peña said.

Dreams of not being able to communicate (if you can’t talk, gesture, or shout) often reflect off that one isn’t being heard or comprehended in one’s present life. It could mean that one can often feel ignored or unvalued by their suggestions or ideas.

Dreams of an ex-lover can often appear quite a lot in one’s lifetime. You sit there and wonder why does this person keeps appearing in my dreams? Do they miss me? Am I just attached to them? Or is it just my conscious mind reminding me of their negative or positive traits?

In short, we dream about the things that concern us the most. Did that ex-significant others ever give you the closure that you wanted? Are you unsettled with how things ended between the two of you, or perhaps you’re just so drawn to this positive or negative energy this person is giving you, that it reflects off into your present life?

According to Dreammoods Dream Dictionary, seeing an ex appear in your dream could mean that there’s something in your past life with that person that you miss or just wish you just had done differently.

Our dreams are an epiphenomenon of the consolidation of memories, these images often tell us what we don’t exactly want to hear or acknowledge in our present life. Whether that’s pointing out that you need to grow in a certain area of your life or the health of your relationship to a group of people, person, place, or thing.