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It is a common misconception that we have no control over what happens in our dreams. But in reality, we are entirely responsible for creating those nighttime adventures.
When we sleep, the logical part of the brain that makes sense of things shuts down, but the unconscious mind remains active, allowing us to create fantastic experiences, stories and characters that appear in our dreams.
It can be confusing to dream about some quirky interaction between Taylor Swift, your boss, and a neighbor, but those seemingly random characters will have been selected for their abilities to help us process emotions.
The sooner you realize that you The more the person sits in the director’s chair, the faster your dreams will make sense. Here I help you decipher what these characters symbolize…
We often experience emotional tension in the workplace and seek to resolve it in our dreams.
Family member
When your mother, father or one of your siblings appears in your dream, ask yourself what that person represents to you.
If it’s your mother, you may be trying to appeal to her caring nature. If your father was a disciplinarian, you may be trying to bring that sense of order into your conscious life.
The appearance of family members in your dreams could indicate that your subconscious is looking to those closest to you for inspiration on how they might deal with a problem you are facing.
If you are still having trouble understanding why this person appears in your dreams, try talking or even walking like them: this can help you engage the part of your psyche that is reflected in them.
Old school friend
If someone from school appears in your dream, it could symbolize a lesson that your subconscious feels you need to learn. School often symbolizes learning and being judged on how well we can perform at a skill. It could mean that you might be judging yourself too harshly or being too self-critical.
Think about what made that friend stand out when you were in school. If they were good at maths, it could be a sign that you need to be more calculating, or if they excelled at geography, perhaps you should think about analysing a specific situation and looking at it from a different perspective.
Boss or colleague
We often experience emotional tension in the workplace and try to resolve it in our dreams. Ask yourself what outstanding qualities that colleague exhibits that your subconscious might have picked up on. Is he relaxed? Does he relate well to people? Is he efficient?
If your boss appears, don’t worry, the dream is not about him specifically, it will have something to do with the qualities you associate with your boss, good or bad.
Strange
When a stranger appears in your dream, you are likely becoming aware of an unknown part of your own identity or a characteristic that you have not found in anyone you know.
Strangers often appear in dreams when you are faced with a great opportunity in your waking life that requires you to act in a way that may be unfamiliar to you. It is a good sign for your personal growth.
Strangers often appear in dreams when you are faced with a great opportunity in your waking life that requires you to act in a way that may be unfamiliar to you.
Romantic encounter
The language associated with sex is the same as the one we use for creativity and procreation: you plant the “seed” of an idea, it gets “your juices flowing” and it becomes a “labor of love.”
So, the character in your sexual dream will have been placed there by your subconscious to help you create an idea using whatever traits you associate with that person.
A romantic encounter with someone who is not your gender does not make you curious about your gender. It is more likely to indicate that you are more comfortable with your own femininity or masculinity.
You may surprise yourself by falling deeply in love with someone in your dream. The person will embody a character trait that you find desirable, though usually not in a romantic way, and the surge of joy and enthusiasm you feel in the dream is explained by the subconscious realization that you, too, have the potential to demonstrate this quality.
It is important to remember that just because you have a romantic dream about someone, it does not mean that you have romantic feelings towards that person in real life.
Celebrity
It is common for celebrities to appear in our dreams, and the choice of famous person can be surprisingly random.
When this happens, think about the qualities you associate with that celebrity. Creating this character in your dreams could indicate a desire to regain a talent you haven’t used for some time.
It’s no coincidence that when The X Factor first launched, Simon Cowell was in many people’s dreams, because his role was to unleash latent talents on the show.
Evil person
Dreams are an opportunity to confront powerful forces in your waking life. A terrifying dream about a serial killer, for example, is unlikely to mean catastrophe. Try to relate to the dream on a symbolic level and ask yourself, “What is my subconscious urging me to kill?”
If you dream that you are trying to hide from evil forces, ask yourself if there is some quest or ambition in your waking life that you are hiding from that is holding you back from reaching your full potential.
Being chased by soldiers could indicate a need to adopt some of those disciplined and aggressive traits into your waking life and become more assertive.
Would your life be better if people followed your orders and demands?
- Ian Wallace is the author of Decode Your Dreams (£14.99, book in print).
- As told to Louise Atkinson.
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