The Real Meaning of the Dream You Might Have Had Once

You’ve likely all experienced this. You dreamed something at night and it affected you the rest of the day. You know it was significant, but you are not exactly sure why. 

While dream interpretation is a divisive matter, there are some things we dream about that many or most dream analysts agree to have the same symbolic meaning. 

Saying what dreams mean is certainly a pseudo-science, but many people share the same theories. Some of you might say you never dream, but it’s very likely you do but you just don’t remember them. 

If you’re able to remember your dreams though, here are several dreams you should definitely not ignore! 

Teeth Falling Out 

Many, many people have had this one. You might just be eating with your family and suddenly you feel something loose in your mouth. You put your hand in your mouth and out comes a tooth. 

You are shocked but dig a little more. Outcomes another, and then another. It’s panic stations and you might even wake up from the shock. But what does it mean? 

Well, the very thought of losing one’s teeth causes anyone a lot of stress. We wince when thinking about someone falling down and hitting their teeth on something. 

These choppers of ours, firmly embedded in our gums, are a lifeline in a way because they help us to eat and survive. 

You might not be surprised to hear then that this dream might signify a loss of power in your life. It usually denotes some kind of anxiety which might be a result of not knowing what to do, either in a romantic relationship or perhaps in a job. 

You feel unstable, unsure, powerless. You shouldn’t ignore this dream and so when you wake up, have a good think about what might be creating this anxiety and how you might overcome it. 

In his book “The Interpretation of Dreams” Sigmund Freud not surprisingly related this dream to sexual matters. 

He said it might be fear, for a man at least, of losing his love-making member. That, or perhaps punishment for working on that member too hard alone at night. 

Men seem to have this dream more than women, and other dream analysts say indeed it might be linked to losing something important or being sexually repressed. Either way, it likely means you are anxious about something. 

Oh My God, I’m Naked in Public 

Yep, we are guessing quite a few of you have had this one, too. I looked at some examples and the dream might go something like this: You are in a public place, say a university lecture hall or a café. 

Nothing seems wrong and you are just chatting with some friends. Then suddenly you stand up and you realize you are completely naked. 

The people around you notice too, of course. Even in the dream the feeling of shame kind of capsizes you. It’s not a nice feeling at all. 

But what does it mean? Well, it could be related to a feeling of not wanting to be unmasked. 

Perhaps you are faking it in some part of your life and subconsciously you know that, or perhaps you feel you are not good enough at something and sooner or later someone will find out. 

Then comes the shame when they do find out. In a story in the Huffington Post about this kind of dream the writer said analysts aren’t exactly sure what it means, but hey, who could be exact about the meaning of a certain dream  that millions of people have. 

Saying that the writer said that most psychologists say it’s connected to being embarrassed or uncovered in normal life and the subsequent shame you feel from that. 

It’s not related to wanting to show your crown jewels to friends and the public. 

Flying 

There are different types of flying in dreams. One kind is not so good and the other is pretty good. 

Some people might experience not being able to control their flying, so they might be walking down the street and suddenly they just start floating upwards. 

They can’t stop this, and then they start flying around hitting all kinds of things from trees to signs. This might be related to feeling out of control in real life as if you are on a course to something but nervous about it. 

Maybe you just took on lots of responsibility but this makes you anxious. 

This is really the dream you shouldn’t ignore and when you wake up you should think about what is troubling you. 

And then there’s the good flying, the feeling of elation when you are gliding through the skies. 

You are way above all that stuff the other dreamer was hitting when he was out of control. You are free! This likely signifies that in your waking life things are going smoothly; you have total power over your surroundings, you are flying in the metaphorical sense. 

You might think, well, I don’t have to think too much about that, but you should. Appreciate the things you have and list all of those good things. 

Don’t just roll with this blessed time in your life, say thanks for it and work to keep things steady. 

Being Chased 

Do you know it’s thought that on average if we live to a ripe old age we might spend six years dreaming throughout our lives? 

While some people don’t report remembering many of them, if any at all, there are others that will tell you they remember a dream or two every single night, well, if they haven’t imbibed booze or been on sleeping medications. 

These folks that dream a lot will very likely tell you they have been chased. It’s really the dream of nightmares, a dream that features in so many horror movies. 

You run but your legs don’t work; you climb stairs and they turn into marsh-mellow stairs. What does running away in dreams mean? 

Well, you won’t be surprised to hear that being chased again means anxiety issues. That’s why dreams are there in a way, to lessen that anxiety of yours. 

So, you can be thankful you have those bad dreams. It might not mean some gang is after you, but it might mean you want to run away from your fears. 

That could just be an exam at school, or a marriage you are not sure about having. 

One dream analyst said it is very likely related to trying to avoid something, but he said what matters is what in the dream are you running away from? 

A person you know, a stranger, an animal; an unknown entity? You must recognize the chaser and then try and relate that to your real life. 

Then try and think about what it is you are avoiding. If you don’t fix this problem, you’ll likely spend a few more nights on the run. 

Again, don’t see this as a negative thing, see it as you just trying to work things out and help yourself. You are being fixed in your sleep. Embrace that. 

Falling 

And yes, this is another nightmare that I am sure many of you have had. 

This dream often ends with you almost hitting the floor and then waking up with your heart pounding and you feeling slightly out of sorts. 

A doctor who wrote a book called, “The Everything Law of Attraction Dream Dictionary” said in an interview that this dream might mean that something in your waking life is going downhill at an alarming rate. 

That might be related to work, school, a relationship, or anything else that can suddenly get out of hand. 

That doctor also said that money matters are a major reason someone might dream of falling. You might feel your finances are really taking a turn for the worse. 

But that’s in some societies she says, for a farmer living off the land the worry might be a poor harvest. 

Everyone hates this dream, because who wants to dream about hitting the floor from a great height. 

That doctor gave some advice as to how you might prevent it from happening again. She said, “Spend a few minutes before bedtime setting an intention to experience that sensation again in the dream state.” 

But better still, solve the problem that is getting out of hand. 

The Light Switch 

Can you easily turn a light on in the dream or do you keep hitting the switch and nothing happens? 

If you can turn it on it means you have control over your life, and perhaps it means you have a good understanding of the things around you. 

You are feeling creative, at your best, quite the opposite of having something like writer’s block. 

You are having clear insights into life and have a sense of clarity.  

But looking at forums online I saw that most people had the opposite kind of dream in that they flicked that darn switch and nothing happened. 

The light wouldn’t turn on! One person said this on Quora: “I try to turn on a light, and it does not work. Sometimes I try multiple lights, and none of them work. This is very annoying, but it also reminds me that I am probably in a dream, and a lucid dream ensues.” 

This dream might mean the opposite of the other one, in that you have less clarity in life, you are not as conscious as you should be about the things happening around you. 

You are in the dark and have no great insights. 

The Dreaded Exam 

Another common dream is taking an exam, and it might not mean you are in school. 

Many times the dreamer will turn up for the exam and then realize they are totally unprepared. 

They can’t answer one question; the pencil doesn’t work; the clock seems to be running at 10x the normal speed. 

This means in life you feel unprepared for something, and indeed for people in education, it might actually mean an exam. 

A man that wrote the book, “The Hidden Meaning of Dreams”, said just that. He said, “Examinations are stressful experiences in which you are made to face up to your shortcomings. 

To dream of failing an exam, being late for one, or being unprepared shows that you feel unprepared for the challenges of waking life.” 

Cheating 

Don’t read this as cheating on exams; what I mean is cheating on a partner, what is called an act of infidelity. 

For some people, well many people, this person you are getting it on with is not even someone in real life that you are particularly interested in. 

So, what’s up with that, cheating for no good reason? The author of the book “The Complete Idiot’s Guide Dream Dictionary” said this is the simple reason: “If you or your partner cheated in your dream, one of you isn’t getting what you need from that relationship right now.” 

Other dream analysts said it might not have anything to do with relationships at all, but might mean you feel you have cheated in some other form. 

Maybe you have lied about something and harbor feelings of guilt.

If it’s your partner that is cheating in the dream maybe you are suspicious he or she is doing that in real life, or perhaps you think they are not being sincere about something else. 

Nightmares

As for nightmares in general, some experts have written about how to deal with them. 

You might not be able to solve all your problems in waking life, but at least analyzing your nightmares might help. 

Don’t ever ignore these bad dreams. One expert said you must go through them from start to finish. 

He added, “When doing this technique, be sure to write down all the details of the nightmare you can remember. When you get to the end o the most frightening part of the nightmare, rewrite it.” 

Studies have been undertaken on nightmares and it seems that the most affected groups are young people and teenagers, although adults do report having them, too. 

Why they happen at all is still an issue many people can’t quite figure out, but one study in Montreal that looked at hundreds of nightmares revealed that the most common type by far was a dream related to physical aggression. 

Men it was said were more likely to have a nightmare about disasters or wars, while women were more likely to have a bad dream about interpersonal conflicts. 

Another study, this time conducted in Germany, said these things were really common: Falling, death, being paralyzed, being chased and being late. 

Other studies I found told me that bad dreams often come before a stressful event, such as taking an exam or competing in a sporting event. 

While another study said that people are more likely to have a nightmare after watching something scary on television. 

In yet another study, this time from Finland, the researchers said that depression was the biggest factor in why people had nightmares. 

The best study I found was another one conducted in Germany, and this time the researchers released either the smell of roses or rotten eggs into the rooms of sleepers. 

The people that got the roses reported having more pleasant dreams. So, even smells could be a factor. I know many of you have had these dreams and I’d like you to tell me about one of them in the comments.