Popular Themes

What are the most popular themes in dreams, and what do they mean?

He dreamed that he killed me…

Dream: My boyfriend told me about his dream and I wanna know what it means… He dreamed that he killed me but he has no idea how or what he did to me. He saw me laying there dead and he was really crying and so sad. And I’ve been thinking what does it mean, made me wonder a lot.

DreamsMaster: Before I begin to offer my ideas, keep in mind that this is your boyfriend’s dream, and ultimately he’s the only one who can confirm whether or not an interpretation fits.

That said, here are some thoughts. Killing is the ultimate exercise of power. It’s not clear from your message whether your boyfriend killed you intentionally or by accident. If in the dream the killing was intentional, it may represent a sense of total dominance or internal rage. If unintentional, it could represent a fear of exercising one’s power irresponsibly or losing control. Either way, the fact that he feels intense sadness and remorse is very significant, suggesting deep internal conflict. All of this taken into consideration, here are some questions for your boyfriend to ponder…

– Is he concerned that if he lets down his guard, lets out his true self, that this could somehow destroy the relationship?

– Is there something he’s afraid of or feels guilty about, that if revealed would “kill” you metaphorically?

Killing is such a popular dream theme that there’s a special category for it on Dreams.com. Check it out if you’re interested in getting more ideas about what it might mean in this situation, and be sure to include your boyfriend in the discussion before jumping to any conclusions of your own.

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Dream of getting lost…

Dream: I often dream of getting lost.

DreamsMaster: Dreaming of getting lost often represents resistance to something. We’re throwing obstacles in the way of getting where we’re trying to go. For example, if you dream of getting lost on your way to work, this could mean you’re unhappy with your current situation there and are resistant to going back.

To dream of getting lost may also be a metaphor for feeling generally off track and not in control of the direction your life is taking you.

Since this is a recurring dream, start keeping a dream journal and see if you can identify a trend with what’s on your mind the night before you have the dream. Is part of you striving to achieve something, while another part of you sabotages your success? The saboteur could be self-doubt, or it could be an inner wisdom trying to redirect your choices for the better. Watch closely… the message will unfold with time.

In each of us there is another whom we do not know. He speaks to us in dreams and tells us how differently he sees us from the way we see ourselves. When, therefore, we find ourselves in a difficult situation to which there is no solution, he can sometimes kindle a light that radically alters our attitude – the very attitude that led us into the difficult situation.
– Carl Jung, as quoted in C. G. Jung: Psychological Reflections

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Back in school…

Dream #1: I have a reoccurring dream that I’m back in high school or just back in school. I’m with the people I knew in school and this has been going on for years.

DreamsMaster: What were you like when you were in high school? Were you part of the “popular crowd” or more of an outsider? How would you describe yourself then as compared to now?

When you have this dream, is it enjoyable or filled with anxiety? Was high school (or school in general) a positive experience for you, a place in your mind that feels good to revisit, or was it a negative experience that you’d prefer not to relive?

School is often associated with taking tests. Dreaming about school is sometimes a metaphor for feeling “put to the test” in our waking world. Anything going on in your current job or relationship that may be tapping into this old feeling of having to prove yourself or your capabilities?

A recurring dream that takes you back to a particular place and time often means that there’s something in our past that we haven’t let go of, and something in our present that keeps hooking that remnant of the past.

Start keeping track of these dreams, and make note of what was on your mind the night before. Look for a pattern of what might be triggering the dream. For example, let’s say school was a positive experience for you, both mentally and socially stimulating. Then let’s say you’re going through a time in your life where you’re feeling particularly lonely, or feeling bored with your job or relationship. Dreaming about this other time in your life may be your soul’s way of comforting you… or spurring you to take action to find a more stimulating path.

Dream #2: I have been having this dream of being in school for a very long time.

DreamsMaster: A dream about being in school could be a metaphor for receiving life lessons. Dreams about being in school could also represent feeling like you’re being “tested” in life, perhaps afraid of “not making the grade” if the dream is stressful. Pay attention to what was on your mind the night before the dream and this will help you better understand the message this dream is trying to give you.

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Trying to rob the house…

Dream: I dreamed that someone was trying to rob the house and I told my older son to get into a vent and to not come out until I told him to. After the man left I was looking for my son and I couldn’t find him. I went to apartment 4 and I saw a newborn that looked just like my son.

DreamsMaster: Let’s take this piece by piece then pull the puzzle together…

House: A house in a dream generally represents your self, your personal space.

Someone trying to rob the house: An unknown person in a dream often represents a part of ourselves that is somewhat hidden to ourselves, also known as our “shadow”.

Told older son to get into a vent: Trying to protect or control your child by directing him into a small, confined space.

Apartment 4: In your waking world, is there an actual apartment 4 in your living space? If so, do you know who lives there, and do you have any association with this person? How would you describe him/her/them? If there is no actual apartment 4, what does the number “4” mean to you?

Newborn that looks like your son: This could represent a form of regression, and it could also represent new life.

Here is my interpretation, if this were my dream…

I feel threatened that I may be losing my son… he’s growing up, but I want to continue to protect him, keep him closely contained under my careful watch… but that won’t keep him from his ultimate destiny… I can’t keep him as a child forever… he is being born into a new life, perhaps entering a new stage in life.

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Newly born babies…

Dream: In a dream I was working in the hospital in a labour ward, there a lot of newly born babies sort of piled up all very actively kicking and waiting to be cleaned to be taken to their mothers. I took one on the way then suddenly woke up.

DreamsMaster: When you say, “I took one on the way”, does this mean you took a baby for yourself, or you took one to deliver to the baby’s mother? This is key to the overall interpretation of the dream. The feelings you had in the dream are important indicators of the dream’s message as well. That said, I’ll take this down a few different paths, and you be the judge of which fits best (or perhaps another more fitting angle will occur to you as you read on)…

Path #1: A “literal” perspective, taking “I took one on the way” to mean “I took one for myself”. Let’s say you’re at a stage in life where you’d like to have a child. In this dream, there are many healthy, active babies waiting to be taken to their mothers. The opportunity presents itself, and you take one. If the feeling in the dream is one of pleasantness or joy, the dream could be suggesting the possibility of adoption – taking a baby born of another mother to be your own.

Path #2: A “symbolic” perspective. This time, let’s look as the babies in the dream as symbolic of new life, new possibilities, creativity. Although they are not born from within you, they are all around you for the taking. Brand new babies could symbolize novel ideas, waiting to be cleaned, polished. For example, perhaps you’ve been gathering ideas for a new writing project, or a new career path. The dream could be sending you the message to take one and go with it.

Path #3: Another “symbolic” perspective. In this perspective, imagine the babies are symbolic representations of yourself. I’m going to project myself into the dream and role-play one of the babies, to give you an example of an exercise you can do on your own: “I am a newly born baby. I am helpless, powerless. I am waiting to be taken to my mother, the person who will take care of me for life. I am completely vulnerable and dependent upon others, specifically the woman who has just taken me. I trust that she is capable of taking good care of me.” In this case, the dream could be a message of confirmation that you are indeed capable of taking care of yourself, and maybe could benefit from some self-nurturing.

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