What Are Dreams and What Do Your Dreams Mean?

Dream interpretations date back to 3,000-4,000 B.C. They were documented on clay tablets. We've always been fascinated with our dreams. In Greek or Roman eras, dreams were seen in a religious context or seen as messages from the gods or the dead. In Egypt, priests acted as dream interpreters. People who claimed to have had the power to interpret dreams were looked upon as being divinely gifted. Some people believe, especially the Chinese, that the soul leaves the body when in dream state and escapes to this other world. Some Native American tribes and Mexican civilizations share this same idea. During the Middle Ages, dreams were seen as evil. People thought a devil was doing his bad works through dreams, attempting to lead them down the wrong path. The bible has over 700 references to dreams. Going all the way back to ancient civilizations, we have always had an interest in knowing more about why we dream and what they mean.

Dreams are like movies played in our minds while we sleep. I once heard that we dream in black and white. This is not true for me as I vividly remember color much of the time. Sometimes I see myself, or think I do, and other times I see things as if through my own eyes. Even though we are the writers and directors of our dreams, there are times when we feel as if we have no control over what is going on at all. When we realize we are dreaming we are capable of changing the 'reality' around us. This is called lucid dreaming. Our dreams can be inspiring or terrifying. Our walking life can definitely reflect on what goes on in our sleep life. Dreaming is associated with rapid eye movement, a lighter form of sleep that occurs during the later portion of the sleep cycle. During this time we have an increased respiratory and heart rate. During a typical life span, a human spends a total of about six years dreaming. It is unknown where in the brain dreams begin or if there is even a single starting point. Dreams have always been a mystery to us.

There are no fixed meanings to any dream symbol. It all depends on the individual as to its true meaning. No one will be better to interpret what your dream may have meant than you. You are the only one that knows your deep secrets and hidden feelings. Let's look at a few of the more common symbols we see in our dreams.

Flying dreams are common. Most of the time, in these dreams, we become aware that we are dreaming. This kind of dream usually goes along with feeling happy and free. We have power and control over the situation. We soar high above everything, enjoying the scenery below. We can decide where we will go and what we will do along the way. It's really wonderful that in dreams like this, we have no physical limitations. We can be anybody and do anything. When we have a hard time staying in flight, we may be struggling to stay on track or on top of a situation. This may also be an indication that there is an obstacle or a person standing in our way of accomplishing something. I recently had a dream like this. I couldn't stay in flight. It was frustrating. Reflecting on this dream, I realize that I am frustrated and struggling with finding a balance between career and home life. I also felt some fear in flight. This can signify that I am afraid of my current challenges. Flying dreams can also represent our own strong will and mind. When we dream with this feeling, we are left to feel a wonderful sense of freedom.

We've almost all had the chase dream. These can be exasperating and leave us feeling afraid and anxious. These kinds of dreams can come from anxiety within our walking life. If you are running away from someone or something that wants to hurt or even kill you, ask yourself who or what is chasing you. You might be able to get an idea of the source of your fears and anxieties and be better able to conquer them. You may also have a fear of being attacked. The news plays a big part in this feeling, because it is full of violent images and words. Sometimes what may be chasing you may be a part of yourself. Your own feelings of fear, anger, jealousy, or self-destructive behavior might be taking on a personality of its own and running you down. There are times when I'm running so hard to get away from what is chasing me and my feet are as heavy as lead weights. As hard as I try to run, I can hardly lift my feet or much less get anywhere. Sometimes the hill is so steep, you almost slide backward. This is a good time to turn around and confront this inner demon. Ask them why they are chasing you. If you are able to confront this fear, you may be able to finally deal with it.

Some have said that you will die if you don't wake up before you hit the ground during a falling dream. This has not been proven to be true. Falling dreams are an indication of insecurities and anxieties. At times we feel out of control and overwhelmed in some situation in our life. This can reflect on a relationship you are in or another environment you are involved in daily that you might feel helpless in. Falling dreams can reflect a sense of failure or the feeling of inferiority or shame. This kind of dream can be accompanied by muscle spasms. We feel our whole body jerk or twitch and we wake up from it.

After taking time to analyze your dreams as they may pertain to your walking life, there is always room for speculation into their true meaning. When you can be honest about your inner feelings and agendas, you may get closer to the true meaning of your dreams. There have been many dream theorists throughout the ages such as Alfred Adler, Sigmund Freud, and Carl Jung. Although some think these people have offered some insight into our subconscious minds, some will say they themselves simply had unresolved issues. Either way, and I believe them to have both qualities, they came to some good conclusions about dreams. We have an active unconscious mind. Whether this mind is animalistic and instinctual or more spiritual, dreams are a way of the unconscious mind to communicate to the waking mind. I believe our mind to be all of those things. We are able to see our true thoughts and emotions in our dreams. We are able to see what makes us feel weak and what makes us feel strong. We all want to control our own lives and paths.

Dreams can clue us in on the areas in our personal lives where we feel accomplished or on the areas where we have failed ourselves, whether we let ourselves down or let others down and feel bad about it. Dreams can be an exciting escape when your life gets hectic. Going to bed with good thoughts and peaceful places in our minds can leave our minds open to a much needed get-away while we sleep. Try it tonight. Listen to pleasing music, deep breathe, relax every muscle, and put yourself in a beautiful environment. This may help your unconscious mind take you away from the rigors of your everyday stressors. Or you may end up having the worst nightmare of your life. Our unconscious minds are certainly intriguing and very powerful to our psyche.