Dream About Helping Someone? The 117 New Answer

Intro Ever since I became aware of what dreams are at the age of 3 or 4, I can remember my dreams almost every day without exception. While some dreams fade after a day or so, I can recall many months or years later. I assumed everyone could, too, until my senior year of high school when we did a dream unit in psychology class. Teacher asked us to raise our hand if we could remember our dreams every morning when we wake up. In a class of over 20 students, I was one of only two people to raise their hand. I was shocked. Up until then I had believed all my life that everyone else would remember their dreams too. It turns out that this is not the case for most people. This made me wonder why I could remember my dreams when others couldn’t? Was that good or bad? Did that mean I didn’t sleep well? These questions about dreaming lingered years later, when I was well into my twenties. So I finally decided to investigate.

Why We Dream Let’s start with why and when we dream. Dreaming usually takes place during REM sleep, which can occur several times a night. This stage of sleep is characterized by rapid eye movement (which is what REM stands for), increased body movement, and faster breathing. Mike Kisch, co-founder and CEO of Beddr, a sleep technology start-up, tells Healthline that dreaming tends to occur during this time because our brainwave activity is more similar to when we’re awake. This phase usually starts about 90 minutes after falling asleep and can last up to an hour towards the end of sleep. “Whether you remember it or not, all people dream in their sleep. It is an essential function for the human brain and is also present in most species,” says Dr. Alex Dimitriu, dual board specialist in psychiatry and sleep medicine and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine, to Healthline. So if everyone dreams, why don’t we all remember it? This answer may vary depending on which theory of why people dream you want to follow, as there are quite a few. Dream research is a vast and complex field, and dreaming can be difficult to study in a laboratory. This is partly because brain activity cannot tell us anything about the content of dreams and you have to rely on subjective reports from people.

Memories of Dreams “While some have suggested that dreams are a window into the subconscious, other theories postulate that dreams are a nonsensical result of the activities that take place during sleep that rebuild our brains,” Dr. Sujay Kansagra, sleep health expert at Mattress Firm, tells Healthline. “And if our need to dream is an indication that the brain is participating in a recovery process, our inability to recall our dreams may simply be due to the sorting of essential and non-essential information during sleep.” Basically, this lays The theory suggests that dreams occur when our brain is processing information, eliminating unnecessary stuff, and shifting important short-term memories to our long-term memory. People who remember dreams may have a difference in their ability to remember things in general. In addition, a person’s brain can actually block a dream so that we don’t remember it the next day. “Dream activity can be so real and intense that our brain actually hides or masks the dream so [it] doesn’t get lost between our waking experience and our dream life. So it’s normal to forget dreams most of the time,” says Dimitriu. Have you ever had one of those dreams that are so realistic that you are unsure if the events really happened? It’s really disturbing and strange, isn’t it? So in this case, our brain can help us forget so that we are better able to tell the difference between our dream world and the real world. On the other hand, brain activity can also allow someone to remember their dream more easily. “There’s a region in your brain called the temporoparietal junction that processes information and emotions. This region can also put you in a waking state during sleep, which in turn allows your brain to better encode and remember dreams,” explains Julie Lambert, board-certified sleep expert. A study published in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology and reported by the International Business Times suggested that people who reported high dream recall had more activity in the temporoparietal junction than those who did not recall their dreams often.

Why Some People Remember and Others Forget Lambert tells Healthline that when someone consistently doesn’t get enough sleep, their amount of REM sleep goes down, making it harder for them to remember their dreams the next day. Even personality traits can be an indicator of whether someone can remember their dreams. Lambert continues: “The researchers also looked at the most common personality traits of people who can remember their dreams. Overall, such people are prone to daydreaming, creative thinking, and introspection. At the same time, those who are more practical and focused on the outside have trouble remembering their dreams.” This may mean that some people are inherently more likely to remember their dreams than others, despite the quality of their sleep. Other factors, such as stress or experiencing trauma, can also cause people to have vivid dreams or nightmares that are more likely to be remembered the next day. For example, a person coping with grief after losing a loved one may dream of death in great detail. Remembering the dream the next day can affect mood and cause even more stress or anxiety. As a writer who is constantly daydreaming and focused on introspection, this doesn’t surprise me. In fact, as I’ve grown, the way I view my dreams has evolved itself. For most of my childhood I watched myself in the third person, almost like a movie. Then one day I started experiencing the dreams with my own eyes and it never came back. Sometimes my dreams build on each other, even expanding the dream of an earlier event into a current one. This could be a sign that my brain keeps telling stories while I sleep.

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Lately it seems like I keep dreaming about my ex.

Although I haven’t seen him in ages, he appears in my dreams several nights a week.

I had heard the old saying, “If you dream about someone, it means they miss you.”

Super confused about what was going on, I decided to get to the bottom of things and find out if dreaming about someone really means they are thinking about you.

What I discovered was, yes, dreaming about someone could mean that they miss you or that they are thinking of you.

But our dreams often say far more about us and our own deepest thoughts, feelings, fears, and desires than anyone else’s.

Read on to find out what it really means to dream about a person and how to tell if it’s because they miss you or not.

What does it mean when you dream about a person? Do you miss me? 5 signs to look out for

If only knowing what it means to dream about someone was an easy answer. But the truth is that dreams, by their very nature, can be very confusing.

There are scientific and psychological explanations, as well as more supernatural or spiritual answers. In this article we will look at a few.

To understand if your dream really means that the other person misses you, you need to try to interpret your dream to look for clues.

While the signs I mention below will give you a good idea of ​​what your dreams mean, talking to a real psychic is even better.

The key is to find a psychic you trust.

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I was truly blown away by how caring, compassionate and knowledgeable they were.

Click here for your own psychic reading.

If you dream about a person, you should pay attention to these 5 things:

1) Whether a real event is repeated in your dream

Everyone dreams while they sleep (in fact, many animals dream), but the truth is we don’t really know why.

Surprisingly, although there are many theories, there are still no concrete answers.

A fairly simple explanation for why we dream is the activation synthesis theory, which states that dreaming helps us process information from our lives.

Biologically, many circuits fire in your brain when you are in REM sleep (the dream state).

Certain areas of the brain involved in emotions, sensations, and memories are activated.

Our mind is essentially a meaning-making machine.

So if you notice that real life events or situations involving another person have been repeated in your dream, this could be the way your mind is trying to process and understand certain things that happened .

2) If you experience strong emotions during your dream

Sometimes it’s less about the who, what, or where of a dream and more about the feelings and emotions it evokes for you.

Since dreams are often not meant to be literal, it can be helpful to look for other hidden clues in the dream that can help you better understand why that particular person is appearing.

And whether it’s because they miss you, or maybe more because you miss them.

How do you feel about them in the dream?

Do you feel happy or do you remember a time that has now passed? Maybe you long to revive those times or simply to experience such moments of happiness again.

Or maybe you are feeling sad, scared or angry at her in your dream?

If so, you might be wondering if you have any feelings towards them that might resurface.

If this is someone with whom you had a romantic relationship or even a strong friendship that has since ended or drifted apart, it’s natural for us to have lingering emotions that may reappear in our dreams.

Sometimes our dreams are there to reflect and give voice to the things we are feeling.

You may not even be aware of these emotions — in fact, according to Sigmund Freud’s theory of dreams, they often represent what’s going on in our deep subconscious.

It may mean that there are strong feelings or thoughts buried somewhere in you about that particular person.

3) When you notice creepy coincidences that you can’t explain

So far we have looked at more psychological reasons why someone might appear in your dream.

But many people also believe that dreams are a gateway to a higher self and realm. And in many ancient cultures, dreams were considered spiritual guides.

Science can explain a lot, but new discoveries keep pushing the boundaries of what we once thought of as logical.

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Evidence of extrasensory perception (ESP) and connections in ways we don’t fully understand have been examined with some very interesting results.

Have you ever had the experience of thinking about someone and then having them call you right away? And you wouldn’t be alone, as is really common.

Is it coincidence or are you actually absorbing each other’s energy?

Or maybe you thought of someone on purpose and got them to reach out and they do. It’s almost like you telepathically made her miss you.

Well, you might be surprised to discover that a biologist has found something called morphic resonance – telepathic connections between organisms along with the ability to share collective memories.

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That said, it might not be such a far-fetched idea after all that you can communicate with others in your dreams.

So if you keep noticing strange clues or coincidences in your life about this person, maybe that’s a sign from the universe that they’ve been thinking of you.

Maybe you keep seeing memories of that person wherever you go, you meet them unexpectedly, or they text you after you just dreamed about them.

If you would like more clarity on this, I would suggest speaking to a gifted consultant at Psychic Source.

I mentioned her earlier. They have helped me in the past and I have always found them honest and compassionate in their readings.

Instead of trying to decipher your dream yourself, talk to a counselor who will help you put the pieces together.

Click here for your personal reading.

4) If their appearance in your dream seems completely random

If someone has been on your waking mind a lot and then appears in your dream that night, it may not seem so strange.

But what does it mean if someone randomly appears in your dream?

If you haven’t given her special thought beforehand, you might be able to psychically sense her feelings for you.

In this case, it might make more sense to assume that the energy is coming from them rather than you – and it’s a sign that they’re missing you, and you can feel it.

At the end of the day, we are all just a collection of vibrant energy coming together in physical forms.

And there’s a lot of energy around us that we can’t see or touch, but we can still feel it in other ways.

How can you tell if it’s them you’re missing or if you’re thinking about them?

If your dream about her didn’t bring up any strong emotions and seemed to come out of the blue, it may seem like it wasn’t your emotions or thoughts that caused the dream.

In this case, you may think that it is more likely that they have thought of you or will appear in your life.

5) When that person could actually represent something else

Because dreams are often ambiguous, sometimes we dream of a thing even though the real meaning is much deeper or something entirely different.

Our fears, desires, old traumas, and past hurts can resurface and begin to play out while we sleep.

According to contemporary dreaming theory, this is anything but random. Instead, the events that unfold are guided by the dreamer’s emotions.

As Professor Ernest Hartmann, director of the Boston Center for Sleep Disorders, explains in Scientific American:

“When there is a well-defined emotion, dreams are often very simple. Thus, people who have experienced trauma often have a dream like: “I was on the beach and was swept away by a tidal wave.” This case is paradigmatic. It is evident that the dreamer is not dreaming about the actual traumatic event, but instead is imagining the emotion, “I’m scared. I’m overwhelmed.” If the emotional state is less clear, or if multiple emotions or concerns are present at the same time, the dream becomes more complicated.”

If you interpret your dream instead of taking it at face value, you can reveal some hidden meanings that you hadn’t considered before.

What does it mean when you dream about someone repeatedly?

You have unresolved issues with them.

So if you are interested in finally moving beyond those dreams, maybe it is time to heal yourself from what happened in the past.

I have been in your position before and there was one thing that helped me to get to the root of the cause and resolve it – the free love and intimacy video by the world famous shaman Rudá Iandê.

Rudá doesn’t smooth things over, he gets real and he dives deep into the relationship you have with yourself and how this affects the relationships you have with others.

So if you are ready to finally understand and overcome these feelings and dreams, watch his incredible free video here.

Is it true that when you dream about someone, they dream about you?

The possibly surprising answer to this question is maybe.

As unlikely as it may sound, there are scientifically proven examples of people who have had the same dream.

The best recorded examples are from professionally trained therapists and their clients who shared the same dream at about the same time.

More anecdotally, many people have experienced dreaming about someone only to find out that their dream included you.

While it’s difficult to say what’s really going on, it at least makes it possible that when you’re dreaming about someone, maybe they’re dreaming about you.

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In fact, there are several reasons why dream sharing might be more plausible than you might think.

What does it mean when you keep dreaming about someone you no longer speak to?

As we have said before there are many reasons why you dream about someone even if they are no longer in your life as many of our dreams come from our subconscious.

It could be a secret desire you still have for her, something you miss about the connection you once had, or something unresolved between you.

If you want to know exactly what it means to dream about someone you no longer see, I also recommend reading this article.

Bottom line: how do you know if dreaming about someone means they miss you?

Hopefully this article has given you some ideas on how to look for signs and dig into your own psyche.

But if you really want to find out if the person you keep dreaming about is missing you, don’t leave it to chance.

Instead, speak to a real, certified psychic who will give you the answers you are looking for.

I mentioned Psychic Source earlier, it’s one of the oldest professional psychic services available online. Your psychics are experienced in healing and helping people.

When I received a psychic reading from them, I was surprised at how knowledgeable and understanding they were. They helped me when I needed it most and that’s why I always recommend their services to anyone who needs advice.

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There’s nothing worse than accidentally bumping into someone in your dreams while you’re happily enjoying your REM cycle and drooling on your pillow. Whether you’ve totally forgotten about the person you kissed at summer camp by the lake or are still embarrassed about that big fight with your high school best friend, having people from your past appear in your dreams can be extremely unsettling .

Read more: What do dreams about cats mean? Here’s what experts say

Your dreams may seem completely random or unfounded (cue: you jump out of a cartoon plane into a pile of spaghetti), but Lauri Loewenberg, a professional dream analyst, says Bustle can allow you to look at your dreams with a metaphorical approach to tap into what your subconscious is trying to convey. Rather than trying to find the literal or logical meaning behind the people or places in your dreams, Loewenberg suggests following your emotions and intuition.

A surprise metaphysical visit from your old college roommate or your mean boss from your old internship appearing out of nowhere might seem like utter nonsense, but Loewenberg says there’s always a deeper reason behind everything in your dreams.

“The subconscious often pulls a specific memory or person etc. from our past when something is happening in our present,” Loewenber tells Bustle. “There was a lesson from back then that we need to apply now.”

According to Loewenber, your subconscious is total packrat. It stores every experience, every thought, every emotion and every encounter – even if you are not consciously aware of it. If you’ve been actively thinking about someone of yours lately, or someone approached them in a conversation, it might be more obvious why they’re appearing in your dreams.

Whether you’ve had that person on your mind for a week or haven’t thought of them in ages, Loewenberg points out the importance of taking a moment to examine both the dream and your feelings .

“Our dreams are very good at warning us when we’re falling into the same old patterns or when we’re getting into the same type of relationship,” says Loewenberg. “[They] speak to us to guide us, advise us, and warn us so we can do it right.”

according to dr Carla Marie Manly, a clinical psychologist and author of Joy from Fear, your dreams can be an invitation to heal a hurt part of yourself or to learn something new about who you are or who you want to be.

“In Jungian psychology, each person in a dream represents an aspect of the dreamer,” says Dr. Manly to Bustle. “The person who ’emerges’ is generally symbolic of some aspect of the dreamer’s self; other people are simply conjured up by the psyche to offer a symbolic representation of a particular issue or problem.”

If you’ve always felt judged by your high school choir teacher or never knew how to talk to your best friend’s older brother, seeing him in a dream can be a reminder to be more confident at your next staff meeting. Maybe you were too nervous to tell your middle school crush how you feel and seeing them in a dream inspires you to ask your cute colleague for a coffee. Or maybe you see a girl you weren’t very nice to in college and you make a mental note to be kinder to your little sister. dr Manly says that seeing people from the past in a dream means there is a lesson to be learned in the present.

Of course, knowing exactly what that lesson is isn’t always easy. When you wake up and scratch your head, totally confused as to why you just had a dream about your ex-boyfriend’s mom or your college newspaper editor, Loewenberg suggests asking yourself the three adjectives that describe personality or essence best describe the person.

“Do any of the three descriptors you selected suit you right now? Or someone you’re dealing with right now? Determine if this is a good thing or a bad thing,” says Loewenberg.

Rev. Connie L. Habash, MA, LMFT and author of Awakening from Anxiety: A Spiritual Guide to Living a More Calm, Confident, and Courageous Life adds pondering what these descriptions or qualities mean to you in the present traits, you look for in people? Are there things you are currently missing? Are they things that you never try to deal with again? If you get lost in your own thoughts, Habash suggests keeping a journal to slow down and really reflect.

Additionally, Loewenberg suggests thinking about what you remember most about the relationship you had with the person from the past and considering whether you currently have similar relationships.

“Sometimes dreams use people from the past as a friendly reminder to tell us, ‘Remember that? Let’s not repeat it,'” says Loewenberg.

Habash goes on to say that it can be helpful to reflect on what that person has meant to you and whether you feel like you have anything unresolved about them. “You’ll know when it’s worth exploring by the intensity of the images and feelings,” says Habash.

While reaching out to her might be your first instinct, Habash suggests taking a moment to really collect your thoughts.

“Before you decide to reach out, take some time to work with the symbolism and explore what that person means to you,” Habash says. “Often they represent something to you that has regained meaning in your current life, and you can work with the representation rather than seek it out.”

Sources:

Lauri Loewenberg, a professional dream analyst

dr Carla Marie Manly, clinical psychologist and author of Joy from Fear

Rev. Connie L. Habash, MA, LMFT, and author of Awakening from Anxiety: A Spiritual Guide to Living a More Calm, Confident, and Courageous Life

If you’re dreaming about someone you’re not friends with or haven’t seen in a long time, chances are you’ll wake up confused. Dreaming about someone from your past can make you wonder if you should reconnect with that person or what it even means when they invade your nightly thoughts. But in reality, a dream about someone you no longer speak to isn’t really about the ghosts of your past – it has more to do with yourself.

Read more: What do dreams about cats mean? Here’s what experts say

It’s actually common to dream about people who are in your life right now. Theresa Cheung, the author of The Dream Dictionary From A To Z, previously wrote for Bustle, “Friends usually play an important role in your life, so they will naturally meet you and you will meet them again and again in your dreams.” If you appearing in other people’s dreams, it feels good to know they are thinking of you.According to Jungian dream interpretation, the people who appear in dreams reflect your inner workings and aspects of your own personality.

It can be distressing when the ghost of someone you no longer speak to reappears in a dream for many reasons, especially if you have stopped speaking for painful reasons. Having occasional dreams about people from your past that you haven’t seen or even thought about in a long time can cause you to spiral into rethinking. “Notice about dreams that everything and everyone in your dream represents a part of you or something that affects you directly,” professional dream analyst Lauri Loewenberg tells Bustle. “Besides, if you dream about a person you haven’t seen in ages, or someone you don’t interact with on a daily basis, or someone who doesn’t even really exist, they become a part of you represent personality.”

Dreaming about other people can be a way for you to better understand yourself and your behavior. If there is something that needs to be worked through and addressed in your waking life, it may show up in your dream in some way. Often it will show up in the form of a person in your past or present, even if you are no longer friends. Before you jump to conclusions, here’s what dream experts have to say.

What it means when you dream about someone you no longer speak to

Many people will dream of old friends and classmates from elementary school days. It can be a little strange, especially if you haven’t seen or heard from a certain person in years. Does that mean you should hurry to get in touch with them again? According to Cheung, no. “Their appearance in your dream scene is a metaphor for a neglected or forgotten aspect of yourself that you would like to reconnect with or benefit from reconnecting with,” she wrote. Think about the person you once knew and the qualities they have that stand out to you the most. According to Loewenberg, that outstanding quality or flaw is a trait that you can have or want.

“There was a time when I would have daydreams about this third-grade boy named Jeff,” says Loewenberg. “I don’t remember his last name, but I do remember that he was the shyest person I’ve ever known. I realized that when I wasn’t talking about something in real life, he appeared in my dreams… on something I had to do. My subconscious said to me, ‘Well, you might as well just be Jeff.'” Maybe there are qualities in that person that you either wish you had more or less of in your life. To recognize that within yourself , is the first step when you wake up — not reaching for Facebook to see what they’re up to.

It doesn’t matter how the person is now. They appear in your dream so that you can pay attention to something important that needs to be addressed in your life at the moment. Studies show that your dream consciousness is very similar to your waking consciousness. So if you are dreaming about someone you no longer speak to, it indicates daily emotions that you are currently feeling (and may need to process). In some cases, there may still be something unresolved with the person who is no longer in your life, or with yourself that you need to deal with.

You should also pay attention to how people from your past are behaving in your dream. For example, are they helping you or are they angry? According to Loewenberg, how you behave in dreams is directly related to how part of you is behaving in real life. “They show you this behavior from a different perspective so you can understand yourself better,” she says. Analyzing the dream and turning it into your own life is a method to get to the root of what has been bothering you lately.

People will appear in your dreams randomly for all sorts of reasons. If you’re interested in astrology, Joy Strong, a transformational life coach and professional dream analyst, tells Bustle that planetary declines can stimulate unconscious thoughts from the past to resurface.

“It’s important to remember that just because someone pops up in your consciousness doesn’t dictate whether or not they should have a current role in your life,” says Strong. This is important if you’re dreaming about an ex you haven’t thought about for a while and are wondering if you should reach out. If you stop speaking to that person, there is probably a very good reason, and remembering it is key to inner peace.

Dreams say more about you than the people in them. So if you are dreaming about someone from your past or present, think about what they might represent in your own life. If they appear in your dream, there is something to pay attention to.

Additional reporting by Marianne Eloise

Referenced Studies:

Franklin, MS (2005). The Role of Dreams in the Evolution of the Human Mind, Sage Journals, https://doi.org/10.1177/147470490500300106.

Nir Y (2010) Dreaming and the brain: from phenomenology to neurophysiology, Trends Cogn Sci., https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2814941/.

Questioned sources:

Lauri Loewenberg, dream expert, author of Dream on It, Unlock Your Dreams Change Your Life

Joy Strong, Transformational Life Coach and Professional Dream Analyst

What it really means when you dream about someone

Although we dream two to five times a night, we rarely remember our dreams. According to Matthew Walker, a neuroscientist and author of Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams, people have their “most vivid, hallucinogenic, narrative, memory-filled dreams” during the REM sleep phase. However, we don’t always remember them because we might not wake up at the right time, Walker told Business Insider. Still, most of us remember at least a few dreams — and some of them can be downright confusing. This is especially true when we are dreaming about someone other than ourselves.

Since the days of Aristotle, experts have wondered about the meaning of dreams. But it’s not exactly hard science. “Like the wondrous variety of dreams, there is variety in thinking about dreams,” wrote Meir H. Kryger, a physician and professor at the Yale School of Medicine, in an article for Psychology Today. “There may not be a right answer.” Still, today’s leading experts have given their best guesses as to the meaning behind certain dreams. Here’s what they think your subconscious is trying to tell you when you’re dreaming about someone else.

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While a good dream can start the day blissfully, a bad one can shake you for hours – making you wonder exactly why you dreamed of giving a work presentation stark naked in front of an audience of your ex-boyfriends.

As uncomfortable as bad dreams can feel, dream psychologists believe that dreams can reveal a lot about our mental wellbeing — and ignoring the key psychological “cues” our dreams are trying to tell us could have unhealthy consequences and prevent us from addressing anxiety and address stress in our waking lives.

why do we dream

“Everyone dreams,” says dream psychologist Ian Wallace (ianwallacedreams.com). “It’s a biological necessity, and people who think they’re not dreaming actually don’t remember their dreams when they wake up.”

Wallace, whose work with dreams forms a fundamental part of his psychological practice, says he has always been fascinated by their practical application and how observing them can help us achieve our goals and ambitions in waking life.

“As humans, we sleep in 90-minute cycles — or so-called ultradian rhythms — and in each of those cycles we have a dream episode.”

According to Wallace, if you manage to get seven and a half hours of sleep a night, you will have about five total dream episodes. At the start of the night these episodes are usually fairly short and fragmented – maybe 10-15 minutes – but by the time you hit the morning they can be closer to 40 or 45 minutes long.

“We spend about two hours a night dreaming – a total of one-twelfth of our entire life,” says Wallace. “People often say, ‘No one knows why we dream,’ but that’s nonsense. In the 1970s, experiments at UCSF California Medical School found that when we are awake we are only aware of about 2% of what we are actually experiencing.

Dreaming woman sleeping in bed

“Most of the other 98% of the unconscious mind is emotional, so we take in a huge amount of emotional experiential information during the day,” says Wallace. “Our brain has to do something with it.

“The basic function of dreaming is to process our emotions—our understanding of who we are, our needs, and our beliefs. We also use this time to consolidate our memories. People often imagine dreams as a series of images, but they are actually a flow of emotions.”

What do frequent nightmares actually mean?

If you keep having a certain nightmare, your subconscious might be trying to tell you something important. “Nightmares are the brain working through emotions,” says Wallace.

“Mental health is fundamentally emotional. So when you’re creating something that’s a bit nightmarish or disturbing, you’re processing some really strong emotions.

“Just as we might try to run away from an emotionally stressful situation in life, we do exactly the same thing when we force ourselves to wake up from a nightmare.”

What kind of dreams might indicate that you need to pay attention to something?

“It really depends on the source of the anxiety, the stress, or the depression,” says Wallace. “There will often be a feeling of being out of control or things happening that can be quite powerful and often quite violent.” He says that you might get caught in a thunderstorm, tsunami, or hurricane, and the dream might, too look quite dark and shadowy.

“One of the most common dream scenarios is someone trying to find their way home,” says Wallace. “The number one dream image is the house, and the reason we see it so often in dreams is that we use the house as a symbol to represent the self; They have inside and outside just like we do.

“If you dream that you can’t find your way home, it could be that you’re trying to reconnect with who you are. Perhaps you take on a role in the outside world to fit in and make sure everyone likes you? Over time, this can create a tremendous amount of hidden stress that contributes to nightmares,” Wallace explains.

What other common dream themes might emerge?

“Dreams are often about identity, because we’re figuring out who we are, what we need, and what beliefs and perspectives we hold,” says Wallace. “If you’re feeling unfulfilled, undervalued, or not the person you want to be in waking life, your dreams will often reflect that.

“For example, very successful people and true perfectionists often have dreams that they are unprepared for an exam. These are often the last people to be unprepared for anything, but if you think of it as a symbol, an exam is essentially a way of judging something. People who have these kinds of dreams test their abilities endlessly.”

Wallace says being naked in public is the fourth most common dream people have, and it usually occurs when we’re feeling exposed and vulnerable in an unfamiliar situation — like a new job or relationship.

“The dreamer creates the vision of nudity because we use our clothing to convey to other people an image of who we are. When you’re naked you feel like you’ve lost control of your self-image and people can see the real you.”

In processing our emotions, Wallace says, dreams actually do a helpful job — helping to reduce stress, anxiety, and depression. “That said, because dreams are an overlooked strand of psychology, people just tend to think, ‘Oh, it’s a bad dream,’ and they don’t really engage with the images and do anything proactive with them.”

How can you be more in tune with your dreams?

So how could we be proactive? “Dream journals can be helpful. When you wake up, you might write down some key things from the dream — or it might be easier to record yourself recounting the dream on your phone,” Wallace says.

Generally, over time, you will find that themes emerge. “Usually these will come with big emotional arcs in your life,” Wallace adds.

What is really important is that you notice all the trends. “There’s no point in just letting those dreams pass you by because if you don’t listen to the messages you will start having recurring dreams.” This is when you see the same symbols keep coming back representing months, years and can even take decades. “Essentially, in recurring dreams, you send yourself the same message over and over until it gets through; until you become active in waking life.”

How can you analyze your dreams?

“I always say the best person to analyze dreams is the dreamer,” says Wallace. “People are very good at understanding their own imagery in their dreams – and it’s about dealing with your own dream language and the similarities between them.”

Woman looking at the sea

A dream dictionary might help. Wallace has published a useful book called The Complete A To Z Dictionary of Dreams: Be Your Own Dream Expert (£14.99, Ebury) that can help you decipher dream symbols and what they are trying to tell you .

“There’s another really powerful thing you can do when you’re having disturbing dreams. The moment you become aware that you are dreaming an uncomfortable dream and are trying to wake up, you can try to consciously change the image in that semi-waking state,” Wallace adds.

“For example, if you are being pursued by a scary monster, you can learn to make the monster smaller, weirder, or brighter in your lucid state. Understanding your ability to work on your dream imagery can be truly empowering.

“The number one thing I say to my clients is don’t be afraid to dream, even if you’re having nightmares,” says Wallace. “Dreams can help you understand yourself better, set boundaries, and realize that you always have far more power and choices than you think to make changes in your life. That’s an uplifting thing to hold on to.”

If you’re dreaming about someone you’re not friends with or haven’t seen in a long time, chances are you’ll wake up confused. Dreaming about someone from your past can make you wonder if you should reconnect with that person or what it even means when they invade your nightly thoughts. But in reality, a dream about someone you no longer speak to isn’t really about the ghosts of your past – it has more to do with yourself.

Read more: What do dreams about cats mean? Here’s what experts say

It’s actually common to dream about people who are in your life right now. Theresa Cheung, the author of The Dream Dictionary From A To Z, previously wrote for Bustle, “Friends usually play an important role in your life, so they will naturally meet you and you will meet them again and again in your dreams.” If you appearing in other people’s dreams, it feels good to know they are thinking of you.According to Jungian dream interpretation, the people who appear in dreams reflect your inner workings and aspects of your own personality.

It can be distressing when the ghost of someone you no longer speak to reappears in a dream for many reasons, especially if you have stopped speaking for painful reasons. Having occasional dreams about people from your past that you haven’t seen or even thought about in a long time can cause you to spiral into rethinking. “Notice about dreams that everything and everyone in your dream represents a part of you or something that affects you directly,” professional dream analyst Lauri Loewenberg tells Bustle. “Besides, if you dream about a person you haven’t seen in ages, or someone you don’t interact with on a daily basis, or someone who doesn’t even really exist, they become a part of you represent personality.”

Dreaming about other people can be a way for you to better understand yourself and your behavior. If there is something that needs to be worked through and addressed in your waking life, it may show up in your dream in some way. Often it will show up in the form of a person in your past or present, even if you are no longer friends. Before you jump to conclusions, here’s what dream experts have to say.

What it means when you dream about someone you no longer speak to

Many people will dream of old friends and classmates from elementary school days. It can be a little strange, especially if you haven’t seen or heard from a certain person in years. Does that mean you should hurry to get in touch with them again? According to Cheung, no. “Their appearance in your dream scene is a metaphor for a neglected or forgotten aspect of yourself that you would like to reconnect with or benefit from reconnecting with,” she wrote. Think about the person you once knew and the qualities they have that stand out to you the most. According to Loewenberg, that outstanding quality or flaw is a trait that you can have or want.

“There was a time when I would have daydreams about this third-grade boy named Jeff,” says Loewenberg. “I don’t remember his last name, but I do remember that he was the shyest person I’ve ever known. I realized that when I wasn’t talking about something in real life, he appeared in my dreams… on something I had to do. My subconscious said to me, ‘Well, you might as well just be Jeff.'” Maybe there are qualities in that person that you either wish you had more or less of in your life. To recognize that within yourself , is the first step when you wake up — not reaching for Facebook to see what they’re up to.

It doesn’t matter how the person is now. They appear in your dream so that you can pay attention to something important that needs to be addressed in your life at the moment. Studies show that your dream consciousness is very similar to your waking consciousness. So if you are dreaming about someone you no longer speak to, it indicates daily emotions that you are currently feeling (and may need to process). In some cases, there may still be something unresolved with the person who is no longer in your life, or with yourself that you need to deal with.

You should also pay attention to how people from your past are behaving in your dream. For example, are they helping you or are they angry? According to Loewenberg, how you behave in dreams is directly related to how part of you is behaving in real life. “They show you this behavior from a different perspective so you can understand yourself better,” she says. Analyzing the dream and turning it into your own life is a method to get to the root of what has been bothering you lately.

People will appear in your dreams randomly for all sorts of reasons. If you’re interested in astrology, Joy Strong, a transformational life coach and professional dream analyst, tells Bustle that planetary declines can stimulate unconscious thoughts from the past to resurface.

“It’s important to remember that just because someone pops up in your consciousness doesn’t dictate whether or not they should have a current role in your life,” says Strong. This is important if you’re dreaming about an ex you haven’t thought about for a while and are wondering if you should reach out. If you stop speaking to that person, there is probably a very good reason, and remembering it is key to inner peace.

Dreams say more about you than the people in them. So if you are dreaming about someone from your past or present, think about what they might represent in your own life. If they appear in your dream, there is something to pay attention to.

Additional reporting by Marianne Eloise

Referenced Studies:

Franklin, MS (2005). The Role of Dreams in the Evolution of the Human Mind, Sage Journals, https://doi.org/10.1177/147470490500300106.

Nir Y (2010) Dreaming and the brain: from phenomenology to neurophysiology, Trends Cogn Sci., https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2814941/.

Questioned sources:

Lauri Loewenberg, dream expert, author of Dream on It, Unlock Your Dreams Change Your Life

Joy Strong, Transformational Life Coach and Professional Dream Analyst

Does dreaming about someone you like signify a mystical connection or is it just counted as a creative illusion? Let’s find out what it means to dream about someone by going through the article below.

The hardest thing about dreaming about someone you love is waking up. ~ Anonymous

Dreams are a fragment of our imagination. They give us a space for our creativity that most of us seem to lack in our daily lives. We are the masters of our dreams and can paint our world in black and white or Technicolor while we sleep. They help us answer the deepest questions buried in our subconscious and face the greatest fears of our lives. Many people claim that their dreams helped them find a solution to their problem and create one of the greatest success stories in the world. These stories and many myths surrounding dreams make one wonder what it means to dream about someone. You can uncover the mysteries of your dream by reading through the explanation below.

I think I like you!

Have you ever caught yourself constantly daydreaming about someone you like? Well, I’ve found myself guilty of this dreamy act many times. This made me ask myself, “Am I going crazy or does my dream mean something?” One thing is for sure, you are not going crazy and your dreams of someone you like mean only one thing. And that one thing is nothing but an infatuation or fascination. Your mind thinks about the person you like all day long. So when you go to sleep, your mind only remembers the one thought in your head all day. This is how you keep dreaming about someone you like, even when you are asleep. For example, you might have a crush on the handsomest boy on your school’s basketball team. You see him at school and maybe you study in the same class.

The constant sighs every time you manage to catch a glimpse of him and all sorts of tricks to get his attention show that you are head over heels in love with this boy. When you’re asleep, the last thought in your mind isn’t about the school test the next day, but about managing to get his attention, at least for a moment. It makes you dream and fulfill all your innermost desires related to this cute boy. The solution: gather courage and approach the guy. Tell him all about your feelings and you never know, maybe he dreams about you all the time too. And if you can’t, then all you can do is keep dreaming.

I love you right?

Love is an intoxicating feeling. It fills your mind, heart and soul with the thoughts of the person you love. There is nothing sweeter than love in life and you tend to find everything around you meaningless when the person you love is not with you. So if you dream about someone you love, it means that you really love them. However, there is a fine line between true love and obsessive love. Constantly dreaming about someone you love can be a sign that you are not giving yourself and the other person the space they need to live your life. You will become obsessed with the person and very soon this will lead to many complications in your life.

It is good to dream about someone you love, but turning it into an obsession indicates possessiveness. You need to get a grip on yourself and give yourself and the person you love a breather. Only then will your relationship be a greater success than it already is. Make sure you know that the deep feelings you have for the person are actually love and not just an obsession. If you still haven’t expressed your feelings towards the person you love, go ahead and spill the beans. Once you get together, the dreams you had will finally get a chance to become a reality.

I can not forget you!

Many times after you have had a breakup, breakup, divorce or lost touch with someone you once liked, you may have dreams about them. It may surprise you because you feel like you don’t have feelings for her anymore. But somewhere, in the deepest valleys of your subconscious, you still have feelings for her. These suppressed feelings usually appear when you are in deep sleep. These dreams indicate that you may not have gotten over them yet and still harbor some feelings for the person.

In some cases where a person goes through a lot of trauma and abuse over the course of the relationship, one starts dreaming about the person they liked. Your mind still reflects the image of the person you liked. The relationship hasn’t turned out the way you imagined, but in your dreams you’re still stuck in the past. Or maybe you never managed to express your feelings towards the person and you still have the same feelings towards the person. These feelings surface as a fragment of your imagination in your dreams.

Dreaming about someone you like just means you want to be with that person. Call it attraction, infatuation, fascination, love or anything else. You secretly hope to be with and spend time with the person you like. Dreams help us uncover life’s mysteries and may even have tomorrow’s answers today. It’s your world, enjoy it to the fullest and hope that it will become a reality soon.

You finally pluck up the courage to tell your crush that you like them. And great news: you feel the same way. You lean in for the kiss, but then… phew! you wake up in bed Alone. If this sounds familiar, you’re in good company—fantasies about your romantic interest while you sleep are common. But what does it mean when you dream about your crush?

Short answer: It probably means that something related to said crush is in the foreground. “We tend to dream about what worries us the most,” says certified dream analyst Lauri Loewenberg. “Dreaming about your crush is perfectly normal and often the subconscious explores the possibilities.”

These dreams aren’t necessarily just about the person you’re actively developing a crush on, she adds. You might meet a former sweetheart, a celebrity crush, or an unknown lover in dreamland – the scenarios vary (as with all dreams). These nighttime experiences can also take a more sinister turn when you dream about your crush dying or being rejected by your loved one. Whatever’s going on in your head while you’re napping, your dream is telling you something—here’s how to decipher it, according to a dream expert.

What it means when you have a dream about your true current crush

Let’s start with the basics, what does it mean when you dream about someone you like? Not surprisingly, according to Loewenberg, dreaming about your current crush is a way for your psyche to fulfill that desire in real life. If you think about your boo all day, it makes sense that you dream about it too. And if you find yourself having these dreams all the time, it could be a signal that you want to express your true feelings to them and your subconscious is telling you to just do it already.

This type of dream also allows you to explore the possibility of that relationship more than you can in waking life, she adds. According to Loewenberg, dreams can give you insights into your feelings. So rehashing what happened while you were sleeping might help you understand your emotions at sunrise.

What it means when you dream that your crush has died

Less a dream than a nightmare, this one could signal exactly what it sounds like: the end of a crush. “Death in a dream means that something is changing or is over in real life,” explains Loewenberg. “Are your feelings towards this person changing? Has this person changed? Your subconscious may even be warning you that this person is not a good match for you.” Depending on how you answer these questions, your subconscious may have already provided the solution: move on.

What it means when you dream about an old crush

So what does it mean when you dream about someone you used to like? Digging up the past in dreamland might indicate that something happening in your real life is evoking previous experiences, Loewenberg says. This could literally be related to your ex crush: maybe you’re dating someone who reminds you of them, for example.

These dreams can also occur when you encounter a situation or pattern of behavior that reminds you of the past, she points out. Pay attention to what elements are mimicking your real life to understand what your subconscious might be telling you. These insights could help you identify helpful or harmful dynamics in your current relationships.

What it means when you dream that someone has a crush on you

According to Loewenberg, if you dream of someone liking you, it could be your subconscious emphasizing your favorite personal qualities. When your crush compliments you, chances are you feel that way about yourself. How’s that for a sweet dream?

Other times, it’s best to take these fantasies literally. Loewenberg says dreams like this are often your intuition communicating with you. If you dream that someone has a crush on you and you get butterflies, chances are you have a crush on them. Or if you dream that someone likes you but you don’t like them back, it means that you are not excited about the new opportunity.

What it means when you dream about being rejected by your crush

Better this happening while you’re snoozing than in real life, right? These types of dreams could also be your intuition at work, according to Loewenberg. “It could be your intuition letting you know that this might not work and preparing you for it,” she tells Bustle. But all is not lost. She recommends asking yourself if this dream is actually just a manifestation of your own insecurity and not a sign that your crush doesn’t feel it.

What it means when you dream that your crush likes you

On the other hand, maybe your intuition is telling you that you have a chance with your crush. According to Loewenberg, dreaming of your romantic interest reciprocating your feelings can represent your confidence and optimism that things might work out. So if you’ve been waiting to take your shot, consider this the sign you’ve been waiting for.

What it means when you dream about a celebrity crush

If you dream about Chris Hemsworth, no one can blame you. While this dream might just tell you about your crush on a celebrity, it can mean something deeper, says Loewenberg. Depending on who you dream of, it can be a sign that you identify with or are attracted to the celebrity and want to impersonate yourself, she explains. Maybe you love the humor of Dan Levy or the talent of Lupita Nyong’o. Either way, it could mean you want to incorporate those traits into your own life (or maybe just marry Chris Hemsworth after all).

What it means when you dream about having a crush on a stranger

Although it may seem strange to have a hot dream about a stranger, it’s actually your subconscious that’s emphasizing parts of your personality that you don’t fully recognize, says Loewenberg.

In general, she says developing a crush on an unfamiliar man in a dream is representative of stereotypical male traits such as assertiveness. Finding a liking to an unfamiliar woman typically represents traditionally feminine energy, like being creative and attuned to those around you. When this happens in a dream, it is a signal that you are beginning to acknowledge and appreciate these parts of yourself.

What it means when you dream that you have a crush on a different gender than you are usually attracted to

So if you dream that you have a crush on a girl, does it mean you are secretly gay or vice versa? Eh, not so much, says Loewenberg. These dreams are not so much representative of your sexuality as more revealing certain qualities that attract you in general. According to Loewenberg, women typically represent sensitivity, intuition, and creativity, while men typically symbolize courage and drive.

This can mean looking for these qualities in a partner or appreciating them in yourself. “So if a woman dreams of having a crush in a dream or being strongly attracted to another woman, it would likely mean she’s proud of a creative or kind part of herself,” she says.

What it means when you dream that you have a crush on someone you don’t actually like

Ugh, have you ever had something like this and woken up and had to take a shower? According to Loewenberg, that doesn’t necessarily mean you secretly harbor feelings for her. “You may not like this person, but there’s something about the subconscious that likes them,” she tells Bustle. “Ask yourself what is striking about this person. Of the things you have chosen, at least one is something your subconscious admires.”

Referenced Studies:

Edwards, C. (2013). dreams and insight. Boundaries in Psychology, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3872037/

Expert:

Lauri Loewenberg, certified dream analyst

You may not have seen your elementary school crush since Tamagotchis were cool, but that doesn’t mean you don’t dream of them. Or maybe you’re dreaming of a hot make-out session with a co-worker. Anyway, there’s a good chance you’ve had a crush dream and were wondering what it means when you dream about your crush? Just me? (Related: This Is What Your Sex Dreams *Really* Mean)

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It turns out that dreaming about a crush can have surprising real-world takeaways that help you get to know yourself a little bit better. A crush dream could signal almost any unconscious desire, says Dr. Michael Kinsey, a clinical psychologist from New York City. That said, the specific person appearing in your dream should not be taken too literally. After waking up and remembering your dream, ask yourself: is your crush charismatic? Immature? Optimistic? “Your crush may have traits that you want to emulate,” he explains.

But like any type of dream, it’s the details that matter. Plunge into dreamland as experts decode some of the most common fantasies:

1. Your crush kisses you.

Interestingly, this can mean that you are feeling a little stuck in life right now and on hold. “This dream could mean that you are waiting for something to happen to you,” says therapist and dream interpreter Nicole Arzt, LMFT, Family Enthusiast Advisory Board Member. “You may be hoping it will ‘just happen,’ but you’re not necessarily taking the steps necessary to take more ownership of your life.”

2. Your crush is dating someone else.

Ugh we all had this and woke up on the wrong side of the bed. “This could be about anyone who might have strayed from your life,” says Jeanine Duval, co-founder of Edelwyn, an online resource for learning tarot cards. (Fun fact: She draws many parallels between tarot and dreams in her work, as both use symbols to understand the unconscious.) “It’s a way of showing the fear of being abandoned, and it reflects an unconscious concern about being abandoned to become.”

3. You’re too shy to approach your crush.

Did you miss an opponent shouting at your crush as he/she walked out the door? fun times. If this is the crush in question, you may be feeling frustrated at not getting your desires met, says Kinsey, and this can transcend matters of the heart. Do you shy away from asking for a raise? Having a big conversation with a friend? Where do you lack confidence in your life?

4. You spend QT with a childhood crush.

Don’t DM your long-lost love just yet. “You’re probably picking up on a forgotten wish,” says Kinsey. “When you’re young and idealistic, you have a better sense of what you want. Something about the old flame comes up and calls you to find that desire in your life now.”

That desire could be working toward a big goal, living in alignment with your core values, or expressing an aspect of yourself or personality that you’ve long suppressed, says Kinsey. Also, this dream may not have anything to do with the person you dreamed about but who you were in middle or high school. Kind of a relief, isn’t it?

5. You start to have a crush on your ex… and get back together.

If this sounds familiar, you know that this is a common mistake in dreamland. “This dream can mean that you are longing for parts of your past or that you are afraid of upcoming changes in the future,” Doctor says, adding that it’s usually a sign that something in your life or you is troubling are nervous about where life will take you next. Perhaps you also crave a familiar sense of comfort. “Thinking about an ex can mean that you lack a sense of predictability and structure in your life,” she adds. Could you fulfill this wish without digging up the past? probs!

6. Your crush is someone you don’t know.

Do you fall in love with a stranger or wake up from your dream feeling like your crush has become a stranger? This could be an indication that you’ve stepped out of your comfort zone, Duval says. “Even though such a dream may make you feel strange, it actually means that changes are coming. Expect to be surprised by a new experience.”

In other words, this dream could indicate that you are sensing upcoming changes in your life and that you are looking forward to what is to come. It’s time to sign up for a new course or download that language learning app you’ve been thinking about.

7. Your crush rejected you.

“This dream could mean that you are struggling with your self-esteem,” Doctor says. “You may feel particularly vulnerable or sensitive, and rejection solidifies your struggles with your self-worth.” In any dream of rejection, a lack of confidence in your abilities can be an issue, be it in your work, love, or family life. (Psst… Here are 7 ways to feel more confident right now.)

8. More specifically, your crush rejected you ~horizontally~.

Most commonly, a sexual rejection dream suggests that you are holding back from what you want most in life. “What Freud once called ‘castration anxiety,’ rejection by an object of pleasure, means that the dreamer expects shame, humiliation, trauma, or at least disappointment in pursuing cherished outcomes,” says Kinsey. Your nerves are on another level.

9. You lost a tooth while hanging out with a crush.

ring a bell? Losing teeth in dreams is associated with feelings of “insecurity and loss of self-esteem,” says Duval. In fact, your mouth can be a metaphor for what you say – or don’t say. “Especially when losing a tooth is associated with a dream about your crush, it can mean that you really want to say how you feel about him or her, but are afraid to,” says Duval.

It’s a little scary telling people how you feel, of course, but if you don’t hold back, you might be pleasantly surprised that the feelings are reciprocated. Just say!

10. You made yourself comfortable with a colleague.

Then you tell them how you really feel and wake up feeling rejected. Not that fun, but thankfully it’s just a dream — and it may say more about your career than latent feelings about your co-worker.

“This dream suggests that the dreamer is beginning to become aware of competencies and ambitions at work,” says Kinsey. “The rejection signals an expectation that integrating her skills and desires will not go down well and she will feel compelled to hide them.” But keep up the good work and you’ll keep climbing (and hopefully that dream will fade!).

11. Any dream about a crush not described above.

The good news is that dreaming about a crush opens up opportunities in your life, Doctor says. “You might be excited at the idea of ​​being with your crush, but it can also mean that you’re excited for everything else that’s ahead,” she says. “Dreams can provide insight into your desires. These desires are not always literal, so dreams are not necessarily logical or meaningful.”

So dreaming about ziplining with your crush on a route that leads to a sundae bar with around 800 flavors of ice cream is totally normal! phew

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