Nightmares: What Do They Mean?
Are They Just Scary Inventions of Our Minds?
Children are thought to experience nightmares more than adults do. Children around the ages of three to five are the most susceptible to these nighttime scares. Stressful events such as being left alone, watching a monster movie on television, being in the dark, et cetera, can easily create fears in a young child. The stress and fears can then manifest into a nightmare.
Nightmares can typically be classified into four categories. That is, there are four usual themes to our nightmares. Either we are being chased, we are falling, we are being attacked, or, we are stuck. No matter which theme your nightmare follows, experts say that our nightmares are caused by stress in our lives. Experience a traumatic experience or a stress situation, and you're likely to have a nightmare about it.
The experts also say that nightmares are "red flags" from our subconscious minds. Something is wrong in our lives. Therefore, our subconscious minds are trying to alert us to the fact that we have an unresolved problem. A nightmare is the mind's way of bringing the problem to our attention so we can resolve it in real life.
So, although these nighttime experiences aren't pleasant, if you analyze your nightmares, you may be able to find out how to stop from having them. For example, if you have a nightmare where you are falling, it can mean that you're worried. The falling in your nightmare may represent you inner need to feel free and unburdened. If you have a scary dream where you are trapped, you may feel "trapped" in real life.
Another example is a dream that you can't move your body in, or that you can only move in slow motion, this could represent your feelings that your life is stuck in a rut. If you can't speak in your nightmares, this could mean that you feel you can't express your inner feelings.
One of the most popular nightmares that people have is one in which they are naked or not fully dressed in public. Having nothing to do with sexuality or the love of streaking, these nightmares usually mean we feel unprepared or are "not up to par". And, we're afraid that other people will see our inadequacies. Since the others in a dream such as this don't notice our nakedness, this means that we are looking at ourselves in a way that nobody else is.
So, nightmares are not really terrifying experiences that are conjured up by our subconscious in order to scare the hell out of us. Instead, they are our mind's way of alerting us to a problem we have. Our subconscious mind is telling us that we have a problem that needs to be resolved. Or, that the steps we are taking to try and end the problem aren't working. Therefore, we need to rethink the problem and come up with a new way to solve it. Once the problem in your daily life is solved, your nightmares should end.
Published by Kassidy Emmerson
Kassidy Emmerson has studied Journalism, Creative and Non-Fiction Writing and Computer Programming. She has worked as a professional freelance writer for over a decade. Emmerson has 6,000+ articles published... View profile
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77 Comments
Post a Commenti had a nighmare last night that my oldest daughter and i was somewhere don't know where but all of a sudden i was laying in a big bed when all of a sudden flowers started growning all around me till they became gaint flowers that started attacking me wrapping all around me. I kept screaming but no one would help me, i woke up in a cold sweat, never had a nightmare like this one what does it mean?
I've read most of the comments but their nightmares seem so different from mine. My most recent nightmares are surreal, awful, and just plain f***** up. I've been really stressed lately but these nightmares sure as hell aren't helping.
Im scared of loosing my boyfriend. I had a dream last night well this morning, that I had a friend stay the night and i felt as if they were flirting with each other. than i explain how i feel to them, yet yelling at them telling them their flirting with each other. they laugh and than they plan a 'joke' i guess, they laying on mine and my boyfriends bed making up. i flip out. Robbie says he's leaving, i beg him not to. Im out there with him begging him not to and hitting his car because I'm so frustrated. he leaves after me yelling and begging and crying to him. i stood there and thought about killing myself, i walk down the street to wait for a car, downing pills and than i sit there and wait. All these dogs big one, come rushing up to me tearing me apart, i speed walking looking for a house with lights on and i finally get to one, she answer's the door with misbelieve, i beg for her to let me in, and as i step in that door, i see myself arms, my stomach, my legs,
I had a dream I was being chased by a Half Man, Half Goat. No matter the times that i had the dream, i would have it again.
At one moment in the dream, i remember falling and the 'animal' pounced on my and began to tear at my flesh with his axe.
Even now, I have the dream but I don't know why.....
when i was four or five i had this weird nightmare everything was black and white.my brother and sister were nezt to me we were playing mario kart double dash.the banned video games from the country but we didnt no.so if u break the rules in the country the put you in a wouden coffen and sinck u in the river alive so we stop playing we go outside my dad was there looking at the coffens there were millons and millons of coffens he look at us and said these r our coffens he said someone came up behind us and shoved us in and not to late he sunk us in the river then i woke up in sweat and tears i never forgot this moment i still remeber it now.idk wut this dream means its not one of the themes idk but that was creepy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
scared sweating shaking totally freaked crying its a hr now n im still shakey but now ive anylazed the dream n now i understand that i feel like im being controlled that i feel misused and not understandable me and my hubby need 2 talk
i had a dream tonight thats why i researchs when i woke up sweating n crying afraid of everything i had 2 findout what it meant my dream was really wierd i got this acient old framed pictured from some one well i couldnt get rid of it its like i was trapped by it i compled me well 2 days went by n really wierd stuff was happening i was scared mad etc suddenly i was suck into the picture where these ghost took over my body n put back n the "real world" i couldnt control myself i was posessed i was doing bad things really bad things all i could was scream inside my own head i was scared horrfied at the thing they were making me do they let go after awhile i was n trouble of course in the "real world" i was proved unstable put in a hostpital where i was put a room i couldnt get out of then it started closing in on me i couldnt breath i felt horrible and b4 i snapped out of it they were there these ghost they told theyd b back 4 me then i shot up outta my bed i was scar
I dreamed I was in a large room w/a lot of people and a man was going to murder me. As people left, I tried to stay with the ones left while looking for the murderer I think I had the dream because I went to bed very angry with my husband and I never do that. After being in that half asleep/half away state and anxious about finding the killer, I awoke, asked my husband to come to bed bc I was having nightmares. He did and "tickled" my back till I fell asleep. no more nightmares.
I also keep having dreams about me killing someone and being frighten of getting arrested. Every time I have a dream like this I wake up and realize it was just a dream being so scared how real it felt even once I woke up.
I had a dream where my dad killed me with a gun. I recall screaming before he shot me and feeling as if I'm about to die. I woke up in a cold sweet terrified. I was panting and I don't know what my dream means. My dad is an evil person and he is the reason why we don't have a proper home or clothes or food but this dream scared me. Do any of you know what this means?