What your dreams mean

I’m a big believer in the power of dreams. Here are the meanings of six common dreams:

Chase
In chase dreams, you are running away from an attacker, an animal, a monster (or your mother wielding a wooden spoon) who wants to hurt or kill you (or smack your bum for sitting on the terrarium and breaking it). Ask yourself if there is something stressful in your life (maybe even some aspect of yourself) that you are running away from. It might be time for a confrontation.

Exam
You're doing a test but you can't answer any questions, the paper is in Klingon, you are running out of time or your pen keeps turning in to a banana. Maybe you arrive late and miss the exam. These dreams mean you are lacking confidence and self-esteem, that you feel unprepared and that you think people are judging you. Stop worrying about whether you are good enough. You are.

Falling
Falling dreams show you’re feeling overwhelmed and out of control about something in your life, for example, your overflowing inbox, your credit card balance or that entire tub of Valhalla Blackberry Cheesecake ice cream you ate last night.

The good news is, contrary to an urban myth, you will not die if you don’t wake up before you hit the ground.

Flying
Flying dreams are exhilarating, joyful, and liberating. They show you’re on top of a situation, you have risen above something or you have gained a new perspective on things. Flying dreams celebrate your personal sense of power.

If you can’t control your flight or you run in to obstacles like mountains, power poles or Blahniks the size of skyscrapers, someone or something is standing in your way in your waking life.

If you are afraid of your flight, you may fear success. Perhaps you should hold off on taking the next step.

Naked
You’re at work, waiting in the coffee queue or just walking down the street and you suddenly realise that you are starkers! This dream means you’re feeling vulnerable, defenseless and afraid of being exposed. Maybe you are afraid to show your real feelings. Perhaps you fear being unmasked as a fraud. Or maybe you are hiding something that you fear might be revealed. Get that dirty secret out of the closet and on to the front page and you'll feel much better. Go on, admit it, you've always wanted to rob a bank just to see if you could.

Teeth
If your teeth crumble in your hands, fall out one by one with just a light tap, grow crooked or rot, you may be anxious about how people see you, especially in a sexual light. Losing teeth might also suggest you feel powerless. Alternatively, maybe you're just overdue for a dental check up.


While these basic meanings can be helpful, I find it’s also useful to pay attention to how I feel in my dreams and to think about the personal connotations of the dreams’ subject. Symbols can be highly individual – what a mouse, a book or a helicopter means to me may be something totally different for you. (And, Mum, I didn't break the terrarium - I was covering for someone else.)

For more on dreams, visit my favourite dream dictionary.


Image: Filomena Scalise