Common dreams and psychology

Our dreams can have either a psychological or a predictive value. Premonitory dreams are special, they have a different frequency (including neural), the sensorial factors in premonitory dreams are slightly altered, compared to psychological dreams, yet not easily defined, however the dreamer quickly learns to distinguish them from the rest.
Most dreams we dream are of the psychological kind and all humans have common dreams, which are theme-centered, archetypal dreams, reflecting our common heritage when it comes to our psychological evolution, life stages, fears and victories. The existence of thematic dreams for the entire species is perhaps the strongest testimony for the validity of Jung's Collective Unconscious Theory.

This article deals with psychological dreams and the meaning of some of the most common dreams we have, compiled in a quintessential dictionary.

ANIMALS. Animals in dreams most times come as our spirit guides, but sometimes their presence is merely psychological. They are our "raw" nature, our primal desires and instincts. Dreaming of animals is a sign our instinctual nature is strong and trying to manifest, to reach out. During the times when we dream of furry creatures we have lots of untamed energy we are ready to use, they are a sign of force and animal magnetism, pointing to a reservoir of energy in need of release. It's time to be wild, to get in touch with your senses, to express and not repress "forbidden" emotions such as anger, lust, passion.  Pay attention to the animal, is it tamed? This is a sign you are able to tame and make peace with hostile forces in the environment. Is it wild? Time to roar! Fearing this wild animal is fearing one's own animal nature, as repressed by social constructs and repression/adaptation mechanisms, but the dream shows this animal wants to roam free.

BABY. Babies in dreams often manifest during times of upheaval, when we are at a crossroad in life, between something that is irremediably ending towards a new beginning, and a baby's presence in our dream is a gentle encouragement and soothing message from our psyche to start anew. A baby comes in a dream during times when we feel very vulnerable. Babies are psychological thresholds our mind builds to make us remember we are the children of the universe, we are loved, we are vulnerable now, but our step into the unknown, our leap of faith, on this new path opening to us, is part of our destiny, it has a positive meaning, despite the pain in the present, and it is protected by our spirit guides.

BEING CHASED. The character chasing you in dreams, no matter how it looks, is usually an aspect of yourself you are trying to "elope". As most of you know, this common dream is accompanied by a state of anxiety and danger, and that mixed feeling is the unconscious fear we feel at the "thought" of confronting this part of ourselves, which could be strong negative feelings we don't acknowledge (hatred, anger, jealousy, trauma, fear), past trauma or repressed psychological residues, a part of the desired Self we are trying to manifest yet postpone out of fear of failure, and generally a part of the Shadow (repressed aspects of our personality or desired aspects we feel compelled to manifest yet still keep in gestation stage). The characters chasing us can also be our own flaws and shortcomings "following" us in a situation, our inefficient behavioral patterns, our repeated mistakes, and the dream is a warning that it is time to face them and correct them, turn them into assets and skills.

CLOTHES. In dreams, they are the metaphor of our Persona (basic outer personality, social role). Any emphasis on clothes in dreams is a call to work on this persona, a need we feel to change it (when we are changing clothes in a dream) up to a total makeover or the need to show a different "face" in a special situation (when we dream of wearing an unusual, atypical style -  a call to "step out of ourselves" for a change). Rags or shabby clothing shows fear of inadequacy when it comes to our current social role, appearance or the way we are perceived by others.

 COMMUNICATION DEVICES. Radio, TV, phones calling, beeps etc. are a sign that our subconscious is trying to send important messages, calls to action, change and transformation cues to our conscious mind. If you remember the message, be sure it is important, and try to decipher and follow its meaning. If you don't, it is because a part of you is not yet ready for it, and your conscious mind is blocking it. But all important messages are bound to reach us, eventually. 

EXAMS. The exam/test dream is another very common dream coming up during a time of stress, changes, anxiety, a threshold dream. Its main meaning is a fear of failure to conform, either to a new situation in our life we don't yet feel comfortable with, or a general lack of confidence and low self-esteem. The exam is our subconscious method of testing ourselves, and we hope that, despite this fear and our perceived or imagined flaws, we will pass, but we often fail at the dream exam, because like many other dreams, its purpose is to be a warning for us to confront and eradicate this fear  in our waking life by preparing better for the new situation, on the go, by learning to accept change as an inherent part of our lives, by accepting we can't control everything or simply by having a blind faith in ourselves and our path. This dream also shows feelings of inadequacy when an upcoming event, or our general state right now, is likely to catch us off guard, and the dream is a warning to prepare ourselves better (else we might fail).

DEATH. Death is a complex dreaming state, encompassing all of its universal symbolism. When we dream we die, a part of us is, in fact, dying, and may have already done so. We are experiencing a threshold, we are experiencing a rite of passage, we are transforming, changing, and  a part of the present is becoming the past, as we dream. Apart from this major and most common meaning, death in dreams is also about 1. Self-sacrifice: feeling that a part of us needs to become a sacrifice for someone else or a specific situation; 2. Warning: it's time to give up some bad habits! 3. An archetypal and universal pattern of coping with death and the natural fear of death, by occasionally dreaming of dying or the death of loved ones; 4. Escape: current life is stressful and a burden and dreaming of dying is a way of our subconscious to get out of a confining situation. This meaning of the death dream could be a sign of depression or excessive anxiety/stress, so it's best to consult a professional if you feel depressed or unable to cope with your current daily life; 5. Resentment: "killing" someone in a dream; 6. Projection: often when we dream of someone else dying, we are trying to absorb, unconsciously, one or several of their qualities we want or admire (this is a very interesting, ancient meaning of the death dream taking us back to the magical principle of absorbing our enemy's qualities upon killing them)

FALLING. The falling dream is often associated with a physiological phenomenon, myoclonus. If the dream does not come from myoclonus, but from a psychological construct, contrary to popular belief, this dream is not negative in nature, it is in fact a reassurance dream, happening during times of stress, it is true, but meant to show us that even if we fall, we still wake up. It's a reminder to not be afraid to not control everything and to not be afraid of the famous "leap of faith" and it is a way to familiarize the dreamer with such a leap, and to help them learn to let go and trust the universe, now and then.

FAULTY MACHINERY. This dream is about struggling with a device that doesn't work properly, losing an internet connection, dialing the wrong number, a phone not working and the likes. The message here can be of two kinds: 1. The dream shows an important message is trying to break through our conscious barrier from our subconscious, a cue that is meant to turn into action, yet our conscious mind is still blocking it with the common psychological defense mechanisms. 2. Faulty devices is also a sign of insecurity surrounding a project or a relationship (especially communication devices) and it could be a warning that the path we are on is not the best, that we need to change strategies or to try a new communicational approach with our person of interest.

FLYING. A beloved and exhilarating dream, most times, which usually makes us wake up refreshed and with a sense of renewed personal power, happy and strong. Because the flying dream is a reward dream, in most cases, it shows we are now in control of our life, on top of  a situation, going up, feeling free (which could be about recently freeing oneself from a difficult or restrictive situation), spreading our wings now. Sometimes the dream shows we still feel confined, but we are ready to go, we are ready to free ourselves from the limitations in real life or of our psyche, we have accumulated enough psychological energy to take off. Speaking of take off, at times this dream comes up as a difficulty in taking off, or flying too low to the ground, in which case the dream shows that despite our preparation, and our high hopes, something is holding us back and it is time to evaluate if we can remove the weight preventing us from lifting, by ourselves, or if maybe it is still a need to be patient for a while, and to work on the practical conditions helping us free our flight. But generally the flight dream is a reward and encouragement dream full of happiness and promise. Something good is bound to happen next.

FOOD. Dreaming of food or eating, apart from being actually hungry, is a reminder that we are in need of spiritual, mental, psychological nourishment and this most times refers to learning new things or a lack of learning habits in the present we need to implement. Our brain needs more "food". This dream is also a sign our imagination needs an external outlet to manifest, there is a deep imagination reservoir wanting to be released into creative activities. Food in dreams shows there is a disconnection between mental activity and practicing skills and talents, the "lazy hands" syndrome, while the mind is overactive. If it feels very good, this dream can also be a comfort dream, replenishing our need for nurture, while it sometimes lacks in real life.

HOUSE. The house dream is very complex, yet simple: the house is the Self, and the various rooms of a house are the different aspects of the Self, with the upper levels being the conscious mind, up to the attic or the roof which usually stand for the Higher Self and all the messages coming from it, and the lower levels moving towards the subconscious mind, with the cellar or the basement being the Subconscious. Coming out or up from the basement is a journey of ideas and personality constructs, repressed memories or actions coming to surface into the conscious mind. The complexity of the house dream comes from the variety of rooms, although their meaning is not hard to grasp: 1. Unknown houses or rooms are parts of ourselves coming into being as we dream; 2. Childhood home: a need to reconnect with the family or with the inner child, and depending on the emotional atmosphere in the dream, it could point to repressed memories having been processed, or a need to revisit our childhood for important messages to be processed in the present; 3. Dark, confined rooms, especially in the basement or the lower levels show an important life stage is ending, another one begins, and the dreamer needs to process subconscious material in order to move further; 4. Kitchen: shows a desire to nurture and be nurtured by others, a return to roots and whatever makes us feel comfortable and cozy, emotionally. 5. The bathroom brings a need for emotional release and cleansing, either a physical detox, or a psychological cleansing by purging emotions and needs. 6. Bedroom: a place of secrets, intimacy, and rest. It usually shows a soft spot, a vulnerability we are dealing with, psychologically, with the help of dream mental processes. 7. Living room: dreaming about it is dreaming about our Persona, and everything happening in the living room is related to messages about this side of our personality, the one we share with the others, our public face. The state of the house is also important, inner and outer, and it shows how we feel at the moment about ourselves.

KILLING. The murder dream is mostly about repressed anger towards ourselves or the others, and how it is being released through the mechanisms of dreams. Dreaming of being killed is mostly about dreaming about a part of ourselves we want to eradicate, while dreaming about killing someone else is a straightforward release of the rage and anger that person or someone very similar has caused in us, sometimes in the past, but with subconscious consequences in the present we might not be aware of at first glance. Violent dreams are also associated with watching too many violent movies or video games and as it has been scientifically proven already, violent shows or games only give the false impression of releasing anger and aggressive impulses while in reality they actually increase our levels of aggressiveness.

MISSING TRANSPORTATION (plane, bus, car etc.). In the simple, amazing symbolism of psychological dreams, missing an appointment or any kind of transport are qualified as a stress dream, appearing during times when we feel overwhelmed by our daily schedule, but at the same time they are also about actually "missing" something in our daily lives, either by being too busy to live, or missing an important meaning in the present that our subconscious is trying to warn us about, the possible loss of a relationship or a job or project, all of them making us feel as if we "missed the train" about that particular situation.

MOUNTAIN. Dreaming of a mountain generally has a positive psychological meaning and impact. A mountain ahead of us, which we will have to climb points to a sense of an obstacle or challenge, but its presence in the dream shows our ability to overcome it. The same happens when we dream of climbing the mountain, it's a motivating dream, showing ambition, power, drive, the ability to succeed. On top of the mountain already, we receive a congratulation dream, heralding a major success is near or just happened.

NUDITY. Nakedness is another classic dream pointing to feelings of vulnerability, real or imaginary. By imaginary I mean that our inner life is a life of its own, that's why paying attention to dreams is so important because this secret, inner life we have reflects realities, but most importantly creates them. Sometimes we are being naked in a dream and we can see nobody notices it or is in any way disturbed by it, which is a sign that our fears, while having their own psychological reality able to manifest eventually, if not processed properly, are mostly unfounded and what we need to work on at the moment is confidence and trust in one's abilities. Other times, we discover ourselves naked in a dream and we feel watched and even judged, in which case we do feel vulnerable, usually due to being in a new or changed environment challenging us to the core of our being, stripped of any protective layers (the naked body). In all cases, this is also a reassurance dream, showing us that even in the case of going through what it seems as an embarrassing moment (such as suddenly being naked in public), we still wake up! hence survive. It is a training of the mind to eradicate an excessive development of the sense of ridicule.

PEOPLE. The most interesting part about people in psychological dreams is that they represent various parts of our psyche, in most cases. Even when our dreams are with people in our immediate entourage, who are the most frequently present persons in dreams, they still represent that part of us that is similar to their personality or role. Such as the mother is our own mother archetype and how we currently approach it or reflect it.

ROADS. Very important dream about our path ahead, in the upcoming period, or our life path in general, if the dream is felt as being a milestone dream (they have the power to leave a lasting impression, milestone dreams, and you will feel when they happen). Pay attention to the direction of the road/path, in connection to the sun or any source of light in the dream (those leading north or west usually require for a descent into the unconscious world,. or the past, for us to move further in life, otherwise we are stuck here, until this self-work is done); the shape of the road, also any markers, indicators, guides, plants, landscape on the road or surrounding it, they are usually important messages and clues from your Higher Self about how to proceed further.

TEETH. There are two main meanings of the universal falling teeth dream: 1. fear of being unattractive, getting old, generally self-image issues. And 2. which is, contrary to popular belief, the most common message of this dream: a feeling of powerlessness in our current life situation. When you have this dream, it is time to evaluate which situation/relationship is likely to make you feel powerless in the present, so that you can proceed to the necessary steps to regain a sense of genuine, caring empowerment.

TRAPPED. Feeling trapped or confined in a dream is very literal, in the sense that we do feel trapped in the present, either by outer circumstances or a sense of lack of fulfillment in our life, in what we do. It usually is a sign that it is time to change course, and this change most times implies important decisions, which could be the very reason for this psychological sense of entrapment leading to the dream manifesting. In order to break free, first we need to decide, firmly, and then we need to act upon our decision as soon as possible. This dream often requires some irrevocable decisions and changes; the status quo is leading nowhere (as our subconscious warns us with this dream).

VEHICLES and driving. Also literal, they point to our pleasure (if this is what we feel in the dream) to finally feel in control of our current path, or the distress of not being able to take control over our own life, at the moment. All attempts to get into a vehicle and to drive or be taken to a specific destination in a dream is our attempt to take this control, and whenever there are delays or obstacles, or the vehicle is malfunctioning or we experience accidents, or feel unable to move at the desired speed, we need to re-balance our life in order to first take the psychological control on oneself, which is practicing methods of relaxation, calm, planning, order, action instead of procrastination, delegating, and all the other positive changes and moves we can make to take control of our life. Sometimes, this dream is a variation of the road dream, and the vehicle and the path we are driving it on is our life direction and the dream shows what we need to do, or not do, in order to move ahead.

WATER. Water in dreams is mainly about emotions, and its quality and nature usually reflects our emotional state at the moment of dreaming. Pay attention to the clarity, depth, magnitude and the connection you have with water in your dream in order to understand the flow of emotions you need to express and release and also "how you feel" and an important message from your unconscious mind about which direction to take, emotionally. For example, if you gladly swim or feel pleasure while submerging or bathing, it is time to go with the flow of your emotions, to express how you feel. If a large body of water is surrounding you or menacing you in any way, there are pent up emotions that need to be channeled properly, or released. These are just two example, since there are literally hundreds of possible examples, and the interpretation depends on the whole context (water running, flowing, still, clean or dirty, hot or cold, calm or rough etc.) but the meaning once you put them together is usually quite apparent, and remember the most important clue is how you feel about the water dream, if it feels good, you are on the right emotional track, if it feels uncomfortable, some adjustments are needed, depending on the message of the water dream.

WAVE. Connected to the water dream, the wave dream (usually a tidal wave or a tsunami approaching) is one of those terrifying yet fascinating dreams feeling as if we are back in touch with the force of nature. But, just like any water dream of a psychological nature, this force of nature is within us, it is our own emotional storm occurring during times of stress, deadlines, approaching a big change, a turning point, experiencing a new relationship or project we are very much invested in, but because it matters so much to us, we may feel overwhelmed, unable to cope, we may experience an intense fear of failure, or we want it very much, that relationship or project and we are afraid we won't get to do it, we might think or feel we are procrastinating and won't make it in time, all in all it is about something that is very valuable or important to us, associated with big or intense emotions, and watching the wave approaching is our chance to unconsciously take a step back and observe our feelings, and eventually discover we can survive the big tidal wave, which is a form of unconscious encouragement (reassurance value of the dream).

WEDDING. From a psychological point of view, the wedding dream or dreaming of getting married or attending a wedding are mainly related to desires or fears of commitment (depending on the emotional background of the dream) or the fear of non-commitment, especially in regards to a relationship that looks problematic, blocked or stalling. But generally, if this dream feels good, if we feel like celebrating in the wedding dream, we are about to embark on a new psychological venture: the conditions in our current life are on a threshold of positive change. The wedding, just like births, communions, deaths etc. is a rite of passage from one life stage to another.