What Do Dreams about Being Chased Mean and Reveal about You?

Published by
Janey Davies, B.A. (Hons)

Most of us have had dreams about being chased at one point in our lives, but what do they really mean? Let’s explore different kinds of these dreams.

You have probably had those terrifying dreams where you were being chased by some unknown person or entity. Is it a simple explanation that we are running away from a problem in our real lives or is there a deeper meaning behind the dreams about being chased?

As always, it all depends on the type of dream. Who or what is chasing you, the distance between you and the chaser, and whether you are the one who is doing the chasing.

A common thread in all dreams about being chased stems from anxiety in real life, as fleeing from problems or threats is a natural response. If you are dreaming that you are being chased, it generally means you are avoiding an issue or person. Your subconscious is telling you that you need to confront that issue or person in order to get on with your life. One of the most important factors in a dream where you are being chased is who is chasing you.

Who is chasing you?

Yourself

Consider that the person chasing you might be yourself, or some aspect of you. Any negative feelings you have about yourself, including jealousy, anger and fear could be projected onto the chaser. What this means is that you are ignoring these parts of yourself that need attention and possibly therapy.

When you have the dream next time, stop running away and turn around and ask your chaser why they are chasing you.

Strangers

If the person chasing you in your dream is unknown to you, this could indicate a situation in your personal or professional life that you are avoiding. This could be a problem at work or at home that needs attention and you are pushing to the bottom of your mind because you cannot face dealing with it.

Once you realize that this is why you are being chased, you will probably quickly recognize what it is that you are avoiding.

Animals

If an animal is chasing you, then this is typically representative of suppressed anger in some situation in our lives. Consider whether anger is ruling your everyday life or are you trying hard to push your feeling of rage down.

Whenever animals appear in our subconscious, they usually symbolize the wilder aspect of our lives, where all our rage and ferocity is projected onto a wild animal so that we can distance ourselves from any savage behavior that arises.

How is the distance of the chaser important?

The distance between you and your chaser is also important, as is the speed of the person or thing chasing you. The distance of the chaser is an indication of how close or pressing the issue is.

For instance, if the chaser is miles away in the distance and you do not feel particularly threatened by their presence, this would suggest the problem is easily solved. If the chaser is on your heels and catching up with you and you feel a real sense of danger and fear, then this suggests the problem is immediate and pressing. If you manage to put distance between you and the chaser, then your problem is being dealt with in a satisfactory way in real life.

You are the one chasing

If you are chasing in the dream, then consider who or what you are chasing. If it is a person, who are they? Someone in real life that you admire or desire? If so this could represent your libido and a fear of growing old and unattractive.

If you cannot see what you are chasing, consider your work situation. Are you chasing a promotion or are you falling behind with work and having to work harder to catch up with everyone else?

If you observed someone being chased

This is actually a good omen that suggests you will live a comfortable old age thanks to your own efforts if you watched someone being chased. It may not be a life of luxury, but you will not be hard up.

Other meanings of dreams about being chased

Some dream analysts believe that dreams about being chased are an indication that you need to make a change in direction in either your personal or private life. It could mean that you are going in the wrong direction and something or someone is driving you to make that change but you are worried about it.

A literal translation of a chase dream is that you are scared of being in an unfamiliar neighborhood and are worried about being attacked. This is more common for women than men who may have been assaulted or suffered a violent attack before. If this is the case in real life, then they have not dealt with the attack and are reliving it through their dreams. Therapy should be an option.

What is the main message behind dreams about being chased?

The common theme is all dreams where someone is being chased is avoidance. Consider whether you are holding onto old patterns of thinking, old habits and why you find it frightening to change. If you do manage to break away from your old behaviors, you will become a better person and it is more than likely that those terrifying dreams about being chased will stop.

References:

  1. https://www.huffingtonpost.com
  2. https://www.bustle.com

View Comments

  • What does it mean when you are chased by lots of different people and when they touch you you turn into one of them?

  • What does it mean if you are being chased by a person who you know that you don’t like and what does it mean if it is in an unknown area

  • Idk but over a these past few weeks I’ve been having dreams of being chased on one I died but the rest I lived the things I was being chased by was a drunk I forgot what there called but you mostly see Them on the high way and the others where a clown (I’m not afraid of clowns ) he killed me , the other one was 2 cats one was angry and the other was calm , I was also chased by a snake I hurt it’s was half dead :/ what does this mean

  • What does it mean if your pursuer is an unknown entity? I’ve had a dream like this for 2 days. In the first dream the attacker was a safe distance away, but in the second dream the attacker was right at my door. In both dreams I didn’t know what to do, so I ran away. However in the second dream I somehow managed to corner myself without even thinking. After that is a blur because I woke up, thankfully. How do I stop these dreams when there are so many things in my life that I need to do, but don’t want to?

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Published by
Janey Davies, B.A. (Hons)