Have you ever thought about the dreaming process in a detailed manner? If not, then maybe it’s a good idea to start to because dreams have a huge role to play and can reveal many important things about yourself. In fact, every person on earth experiences a phenomenon of dreaming for 90 minutes to 2 hours every night. This brings us closer to the importance of symbols in dreams and their interpretation.

Dream Interpretation and the Meaning of Dreams

According to the definition which was given by the father of Psychology Sigmund Freud, dreams can be easily differentiated into two main parts: one is manifest content and the other is latent content.

  • Manifest Content

After waking up from a dream, the thoughts and feelings that you remember and can easily describe in your own words to others are what Freud calls manifest content. This is the content of the dream which is actually censored and as a result, the meaning of the dream is changed. During these situations, people do not disclose the actual content of their dreams in front of others.

  • Latent Content

This kind of dream content is the actual one and is based on reality. Therefore, this cannot be explained or interpreted as it will remain the same.

What Is Dream Work?

Sigmund Freud further elaborated the concept that suggests dreamers take the latent content and then they try to censor it. They do it in order to make it manifest content so that it becomes more acceptable and reasonable for a society in general. This complete method in which latent content is transformed into manifest content is known as dream work.

After considering the above explanation, we could say that dreams are a universal phenomenon that happens to everyone. At the same time, people who belong to distinct cultures experience similar kinds of dreams.

Here are 10 important symbols in dreams and their meanings:

Learning to understand different kinds of dreams and symbols in them will help you know yourself better. In the process of interpreting your dreams, you may also become aware of hidden personal problems you may be facing in your life without even knowing.

1. Being Chased

These dreams are also called chase dreams. This type of a dream makes people feel a lot of anxiety and because of this anxiety, they tend to remember the content of their dreams. If you have a dream about being chased, it could point out that you are avoiding an issue, situation or person in real life. Thus, your subconscious is trying to make you realize that it is necessary to face that situation in order to get on with your life.

2. Water

This is an interesting dream symbol which gives away how we handle our emotions. The state of water in your dream plays an important role. For example, the water can be clear, cloudy, calm or turbulent, and all this gives you clues about how you deal with your emotions.

3. Vehicles

When you dream about any type of a vehicle such as an airplane, car or ship, this symbol represents your journey through life. For example, dreams about driving a car could reveal how much control you think you have over your life. In all, dreaming about vehicles is about feeling capable of adjusting the direction of your life.

4. People

We often dream about other people, and this could be anyone – from our loved ones to those we don’t even know. Paradoxically, these dreams rarely mean something about the people we dream about. More often, other people in our dreams represent various aspects of our own personalities and lives. Depending on how we feel about that person in our dream, it may reveal the things you like or dislike about yourself or an issue in your personal life that needs to be resolved.

5. Classroom/school

In this type of dream, you usually see yourself in a classroom where you are taking an exam and find yourself completely unprepared. These symbols in dreams indicate stress, worry and anxiety in real life. Do you put too much pressure on yourself?

6. Paralysis

A feeling of paralysis is quite a common dream symbol. It is when you find yourself unable to move or performing any other actions in your dream. Feeling paralysed may highlight the aspects of your life or personality that prevent you from having control over your life.

7. Death

Death is something that we naturally associate with negativity. However, in case of dreams about death, it usually indicates some sort of the change in a dreamer’s life. In other words, death in a dream represents the end of something and a new beginning in your life. This could be a new stage in life, a new relationship or even a change in your personality.

8. Flying

When people see themselves flying in their dreams, this dream could have two different explanations. An important aspect of these dreams is the height of flying. Flying high could mean that you are progressing in your life and are confident enough to achieve your goals. Flying low in a dream could represent problems and obstacles that make you feel frustrated or stuck in life.

Flying is one of the most significant symbols in dreams that shows how accomplished we feel in life and how dedicated we are to achieving our goals.

9. Falling

Falling dreams are also often associated with negative things, and it makes sense why. Falling is about losing control, so having such a dream indicates that you feel a lack of control or confidence in some aspect of your life. Maybe you feel like your life lacks stability and you are insecure about your future.

10. Food

Food is a dream symbol with broad interpretations. When you see food in your dreams, it could mean so many different things such as your energy levels, feelings and emotions or spiritual life. For example, feeling hungry in your dream could suggest that you have the need for information and new insights.

Final words about the dream symbols

Your dreams, along with the different aspects and symbols in them, are a very important tool for understanding yourself better. Sometimes, our subconscious mind brings our attention to things we keep ignoring in our daily life.

For example, you may be unhappy or feel like your life lacks purpose and you keep drifting away from your dreams. And guess what, you may be completely unaware of these things. This is where dream interpretation can help you figure out what prevents you from being happy and successful.

~ Sweet Dreams! ~

Feel free to share your thoughts and experiences regarding symbols in dreams in the comments section below.


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This Post Has 5 Comments

  1. Thea Dunlap

    This is very informative. I have lot’s of dreams in some scenarios listed hire. It is good that I have stumbled on this information. Thank you!

  2. Bev Williams

    I have something happening to me daily and has been for the last two months. I am constantly seeing double numbers on the clock i.e. 11:11, 1:11 2:22, 3:33 and waking up early in the morning and I look at the clock and it could be 2:22, 4:44 – as I said this is happening daily and has been for the last couple of month. Can you offer an explanation for this or is it coincidence?

  3. Kate Silverton

    The repeated numbers which are you seeing in the clock indicate this attribute that you have personal association with the numbers. These numbers could be related to your birthday, dating time, relationship breakup. These numbers also relate to past events which have been occurred in your life. In a nutshell, these number portray that you do have very emotional personality. These clock times have significant association with your personal behavior and emotions. Please go through your past events in a detailed way which will help you in future to plan your life accordingly.

  4. Mollie Grant

    Nice post. Really enjoyed it.

  5. Shannon Bailey

    I just want to leave my thoughts on a dream I had recently ….I knew it meant something bit was clueless as to what…it happened right before the love of my life dumped me without even knowing we were having any problems…I dreamed I was living back in my hometown….I woke up one morning and saw 3 mini unicorns floating around the base of a huge tree in my front yard eating the sparkly flowers….I went to get a closer look and began petting one they were about the size of a full grown cat….it let me pet it for a minute then it turned and bit my hand….locking it’s jaws like a pit bull I had to pry them open …..I remember thinking thank God it’s only got grass teeth instead of fangs…..I know nothing of different types of teeth but in the dream I did….I told it to just wait until my cat got back from wherever he was off roaming and he would teach them a lesson….as soon as the cat got home they left…..then there was a spider twice the size of my cat with an extra 3 legs sticking out of it’s back it walked past my cat then stopped and turned around like it was thinking of eating my cat….and I just walked in the door and closed it not even thinking to help my cat….moral of my dream is biting unicorns signify bad shit is coming your way.

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