Dreaming is a normal and natural part of life. Dreams tend to reflect what is happening in our lives, but in a symbolic way. A dream about your school time crush could actually be related to an upcoming exam and a dream of a fight, about losing a job. There seems to be no rhyme or reason to why our dreams take the direction or imagery that they do as we sleep. We are all aware that our dreams seem to be encoded in our subconscious in some way, not necessarily a clear representation of our daytime thoughts.
This symbolism applies to dreams about people as well. Dreams about one person or what one person represents, may in actuality be about someone else entirely. We must understand that anyone who appears in our dreams, even for a moment, have psychological significance.
One way to truly learn about yourself and your thoughts that exist just below the surface and come out in your dreams is by keeping a dream journal. This is a journal in which you record dreams, as detailed as possible, as soon as your awake each day. This allows for future study, but gets it down on paper before you forget after getting busy during the day.
Dreaming About Someone You Know
There are times, as mentioned, that we dream about those we know. Each person in a dream serves as a meaning which will be explored below.
- Family Members
Dreaming about a family member or about several at once is usually representative of the characteristics we believe of ourselves. Dreaming of one specific person could mean that whatever that person represents is not used enough in your own life. If the person is in the dream, but more of a bystander then the characteristic they represent is likely under used in your life.
- About Death
Dreaming about someone who has died is considered a positive, though it may not be thought of one at first. The dream is the way of the subconscious to bring that person to mind, allowing them to cheat death, for a few moments. This is typically considered a positive experience.
However, if the person has not died, but is sick or disliked by you, the dream is a signal for fear of the future. This can be considered ominous.
- Someone You Like/Love
Dreaming of someone you like or love can be both pleasant and seem very real. If you dream of someone you are truly passionate about it could simply be an indication of your passion levels. However, if they are part of an urgent situation, it can signal that part of your life is slowing down and it may be time to recommit or move on.
Dreaming about your loved one with someone else can seem very real and is often carried over into real life. We must caution ourselves to remember that a dream is just that, a dream. We need to journal about the situation in the dream with specifics, but realize it is not real life. In fact, dreaming of a loved one cheating may simply mean you are no longer passionate about the day to day life you are living.
- Work Colleague
Dreaming of a coworker or superior out of the work context tends to be a representation of how we view or have viewed ourselves. Dreaming of a supervisor on vacation with your family can be representative of self and personal roles. It is important, when dream journaling, to write out all the players and small details to be later analyzed.
Examples of what dreams could potentially mean are included at the close of this article. Remember to record dreams as soon as you wake so they can be explored further later on.
If we dream of…
- Catching someone in a mistake, we are afraid of surprises
- Catching someone making a mistake due to another person, we do not want to face facts about problems in our own lives
- Someone we fancy, we have analyzed the relationship and know how far we can go
- Kissing someone, we want to improve that specific relationship in some way or we are in love
- Killing someone, we have placed all our hate on that person
- Mourning, we cannot let go of something in the past
I agree that dreams can be a fascinating window into our subconscious. Keeping a dream journal sounds like a practical way to gain insights into our hidden thoughts and fears.
The detailed exploration of different dream scenarios, like dreaming about family members or coworkers, provides a comprehensive guide for interpreting dreams.
The concept of maintaining a dream journal is something I might try. It could serve as a useful tool for understanding recurring themes or unresolved issues in my life.
I find the part about dreaming of loved ones particularly insightful. It’s important to remember that dreams, though vivid, do not necessarily reflect reality.
The symbolic nature of dreams and their characters is a thought-provoking idea. It raises questions about how our mind selects symbols and what they reveal about our mental state.
The interpretation of dreams as reflections of our subconscious thoughts is compelling. It would be interesting to see if anyone has a personal journal experience that affirms the claims made in this article.
Using dreams as a tool for self-reflection could be powerful. The notion that dreams about death can be a positive experience, however, might be difficult for some people to accept.