DreamsCloud Shares 14 Common Dreams and Why They're Important
Sterling, VA (PRWEB) December 31, 2013 -- For 90 minutes to two hours each night, every single person on Earth dreams. Sometimes, the dreams are straightforward in their meaning to the dreamer: a long-lost friend reappears, a tropical beach beckons, or the lottery jackpot is within reach.
But dreams don't always tell a simple story, and the field of dream research becomes even more fascinating when people from different cultures and backgrounds report having similar dreams.
“Dreams are a universal language, creating often elaborate images out of emotional concepts,” explains Susan Baragia, a Master of Educational Psychology and professional dream worker. Baragia, who is part of the experienced team of Dream Reflectors at DreamsCloud that provide feedback and insight about dreams, has identified 14 common images found in dreams.
“There’s no single, definitive meaning for symbols and images in dreams,” Baragia notes. “But just as a smile usually means that someone is happy, these dream images are so common, that they do have a generally accepted meaning.”
1. BEING CHASED – This is one of the most commonly reported dreams. Mostly because the anxiety we feel in the dream is so vivid, that it makes it easier for us to remember them. Often,the reason for these dreams comes not from the fear of actually being chased, but rather what we’re running from. Chase dreams help us understand that we may not be addressing something in our waking lives that requires our attention.
2. WATER – Water frequently represents our emotions or our unconscious minds. The quality of the water (clear vs. cloudy, calm vs. turbulent) often provides insight into how effectively we are managing our emotions.
3. VEHICLES – Whether a car, airplane, train or ship, the vehicles in our dream can reflect what direction we feel our life is taking, and how much control we think we have over the path ahead of us. Vehicles can give us the power to make a transition and envision ourselves getting to our destination – or highlight the obstacles we think we are facing and need to work through.
4. PEOPLE – Seeing other people in your dream often is a reflection of the different aspects of the self. The people in dreams can relate to characteristics that need to be developed. Specific people directly relate to existing relationships or interpersonal issues we need to work through. Dreaming of a lover, in particular, is frequently symbolic of an aspect of ourselves from which we feel detached.
5. SCHOOL OR CLASSROOM – It’s a very common situation for people in dreams to find themselves in a school or classroom, often confronted with a test that they aren’t prepared to take. This is a great example of a “dream pun” – the mind using a word or concept and giving it a different definition. The “lesson” or “test” we face inside the school or classroom is frequently one we need to learn from our past – which is one reason these dreams are often reported by people who have long since finished school.
6. PARALYSIS – Unknown to most people, the body is actually encountering a form of paralysis during dreaming, which prevents it from physically performing the actions of their dreams, therefore dreaming about paralysis frequently represents the overlap between the REM stage and waking stage of sleep. Dreaming about paralysis can also indicate that the dreamer feels he or she lacks control in their waking life.
7. DEATH – Although death is often perceived as negative, it’s often more directly related to dramatic change happening for the dreamer – the end of one thing, in order to make room for something new.
8. FLYING – Flying in a dream, and how effectively or poorly it’s done, relates to how much control we feel we have in our lives, and whether we are confident and able to achieve our goals. High flying is one of the most euphoric dreams imaginable, while flying or “skimming” low to the ground or being caught in obstacles like power lines can be immensely frustrating.
9. FALLING – Not all falling dreams are scary and negative. Some dreamers report a type of slow falling that indicates serenity and the act of letting go. Often, falling uncontrollably from a great height indicates something in waking our life that feels very much out of control.
10. NUDITY – Emotional or psychological exposure or vulnerability is very often expressed in dreams through nudity. The body part that’s exposed can give more insight into the emotion that our dreams are helping us to understand.
11. BABY – Dreaming of a baby often represents something new: It might be a new idea, new development or the potential for growth in a specific area of our waking life.
12. FOOD – Food symbolizes energy, knowledge or nourishment and is directly related to our intellect, emotions and spirituality. Food can also be a manifestation of idioms like, “food for thought,” and reveal that we may be ‘hungry’ for new information and insights.
13. HOUSE – Houses frequently represent the dreamer’s mind. Different levels or rooms may relate to difference aspects of the individual dreamer and different degrees of consciousness. The basement often represents what has been neglected, or what the dreamer is not aware of in his or her waking life, while bedrooms relate to intimate thoughts and feelings – those closest to the dreamer’s core self.
14. SEX – Sex in dreams can simply be an outlet for sexual expression. But dreams about sex can also symbolize intimate connections with one’s self and others, and the figurative integration of new information.
According to DreamsCloud, only the dreamer can truly interpret the meaning of their dreams and how they may connect to the events occurring in their waking life.
One of the services that they offer to their users is the ability to request a free professional "reflection" from an experienced team of Dream Reflectors - which includes respected dreamworkers, psychologists, social workers, as well as authors in the field of dream study - who provide dream insight to the DreamsCloud community and help them to discover their dream meanings.
About Dreams Cloud
Dreams Cloud, a subsidiary of Dreams Book Inc. (DBI), is a global resource which specializes in gathering, saving, and tabulating a statistical compilation of dreams. The website provides its members with tools to log their dreams, create dream journals, save them privately or share them publicly or anonymously, and receive personalized reflections on their dreams. The goal of Dreams Cloud is to better its members’ lives and those of the public through its efforts. To learn more about Dreams Cloud, please visit http://www.dreamscloud.com.
About Reflections
DreamsCloud is of the belief that only the dreamers can truly know the meaning of their dream and that no other person can provide definitive dream interpretation. Upon the user’s request, DreamsCloud Reflectors provide insightful feedback, gleaned from years of study in the dreams field, to help the user to better understand their dreams. DreamsCloud reflections are not a substitute for psychotherapy or other professional treatment and should not be used as such.
About Dreams Book Inc.
Dreams Book Inc. (DBI), a Herndon, VA, based company, is the creator and manager of various internet-based projects. DBI employs fractional management and in-house expertise and development as well as a multi-national outsourced team to create value for its stakeholders through synergetic and strategic project management. DBI specializes in projects that provide social benefits and have mass appeal.
Matt N Tabrizi, Dreams Book, Inc., http://www.dreamscloud.com, +1 703-659-0145, [email protected]
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