The Meaning of Our Dreams

By: A. C. Ernanny 

​Almost every night of our lives we slip into an unconscious state where we are no longer awake. We’re transported somewhere we feel, think, and even taste, somewhere we are taken almost every night where our brains travel into another world - our dreams. Our dreams occur anytime during sleep but the ones which are most realistic and vivid happen in the deepest state of sleeping, which is called the REM (rapid eye movement) which is when the brain is most active.

Although no one has really uncovered yet why we dream there are some theories. Some say dreams are non-sense and delirious activities in our brains with no meaning at all, others suggest it is a solution to our daily problems and they inherently make us deal with problems we want to solve in real life, and some theorise that dreams have deep meanings, and that specific ones have translations to what we experienced and can link to our real life issues. This article will cover the meanings of commonly experienced dreams and what it all actually means.

All dreams are composed of one of the following 3 themes: desire, fear, or a conflict/issue. Dreams are based in our life experiences and our personality. An example of this is that people who were born during the time where televisions were in black and white may dream in black in white, whereas people who were born in an era where the TV is emitted in colour dream in colour. Another example of how our dreams are linked to our lives and personal experiences would be that blind born people also dream, but they have no vision. Their dreams consist of sounds, tastes, and emotions they have experienced. Our dreams are clearly linked to our personal lives and experiences, making it very possible for these enigmatic visions to have hidden meanings and links to our lives.  

Here are some of the most common dreams:  


Having your teeth start falling out: This usually means lack of self esteem and confidence; it means you are feeling repressed or trapped in something in your life.  

Being chased: Usually means that you’re feeling in danger or under pressure, connotes stress.

School exams: doesn't necessarily mean stress in school and exams in specific, but connotes fear and stress in general.

Killing people: could have a literal meaning, but usually means that you want to kill a part of yourself, a personal characteristic that links or is represented by the person being killed in the dream.

Falling: is very common and a powerful symbol, it means you are subconsciously thinking about letting go of something in your life, probably something you are holding on to for quite a while but deep down know you need to let go of. It can also mean you are failing at something and see no way out.  

Death: signs of vulnerability and fear of change  

Being late or lost: shows your fear and panic about something that you’re constantly trying but can`t get done, something you feel trapped in and feel like there’s no way out.  

Being in a car crash: these dreams are common and usually mean that you’re in a conflict with someone close to you and it needs resolving.

Finding an empty room: can mean that you’re searching for something that you just can’t seem to find. It could be a new area of your life you want to explore, or a new type of relationship.
Either drowning or being underwater: shows you may be experiencing things that lead to making you feel overcharged and overwhelmed, like you have too many things to sort out and feel like you just can't get through it.