Published 27/08/2022 by Joanne Jones

20 Common Dreams and What They Mean

What Are Dreams?

The Power of Dream Readings

Dream interpretation is found in ancient books as old as the Bible.

For example, in Genesis, Joseph went from being a prisoner to the ruler of Egypt. Joseph was able to save the country from famine because he could interpret the Pharaoh's strange dreams. Nowadays, people always want to know what cryptic messages are hidden in their dreams.

Today, we will go through the most common dreams people have.

20 Common Dreams and What They Mean

1. Dreaming About the Beach

The beach is a place people often find themselves ending up in the dream world, and why not?

This setting is usually a wish-fulfilling variant of the home symbol: it signifies relaxation, peace and, more generally, escape from the problems of daily life and a temporary release from stress.

The common dream meanings behind the idyllic beach setting in a dream can represent a fantasised re-creation of paradise on Earth: absence of pain and sorrow, a setting permeated by love and calm. These dreams might be associated with a return to nature, attaining an internal sense of well-being, or a reconnection with the different aspects of life.

The dream setting of the beach invites the dreamer to take a temporary hiatus from the summer camp of one's life and enter an environment of pure bliss instead.

Read our guide on What Does Drowning in a Dream Mean?

2. Jumping off a Cliff

Dreams involving falling off a cliff or building can be deeply spiritual and psychological, expressing feelings like being overburdened, anxious, pushed, or otherwise overwhelmed in general.

Being rescued at the last moment by an angel, superhero, or someone or something else means that loved ones surround you and can help you, and you'll be caught if you fall. This kind of dream can speak volumes about both a loss of control or the beginning of a significant change or decision but also about a deep faith in your support system.

3. Walking on the Edge

Dreams of standing on the edge of a cliff or leaning out of a tall window represent an edge of risk-taking, of standing on the precipice of a significant decision.

Perhaps your life is caught in a stalemate, and you are ready to leap or take a risk that will turn things around. In the dream, we are close to jumping, but then we freefall – perhaps indicating boredom and fear of risk-taking or indulging in the thrill of leaping into unknown risk.

If we find ourselves on the edge of leaping and then freefalling, it is a dream that captures our fear of taking risks and our exhilaration at taking a bold leap into new territory. It represents a moment of reckoning, indicating that we are at a significant moment in our lives where our fear must cease and our willingness to trust in risk-taking must evolve. It captures the spirit of progress and readiness to take that plunge.

Read our guide on What Do Nightmares Mean Spiritually?

4. Dreaming About Sex

Sex in dreams is often symbolic and may involve feelings of desire, connection, union or passion, creativity, or power, but not necessarily as direct, literal sexual expression.

Common dream meanings behind sex dreams could be related to feeling unfulfilled, disconnected, or distant from an aspect of yourself or a loved one and may represent the need to bring together these different parts of oneself.

Another one of the common dream meanings behind sexual dreams is to point towards repressed sexual desires, unfulfilled longings, or sexual frustration. The nature of the dream and the partner(s) are essential clues to what the dream might be communicating to you.

5. Dreaming About Salt

Dreaming about salt often signifies that the dreamer needs to think more objectively about what is going on in their life. If there is too much salt in your dream, it means you have guilt or fear about a lack of moderation in life. Too little salt in your dream represents rigidity, stagnation, and guilt for not taking enough risks.

6. Dreams About Female Genitalia

Dreaming about female genitalia is not one people commonly open up about. Dreaming about a vagina usually represents feelings regarding victimisation or servitude. If a man dreams about having a vagina, it could be because he lacks control over his life and decisions.

7. Teeth Falling Out

Dreams of losing teeth are very common. People typically assume such dreams mean they are incompetent or have low self-esteem. But the underlying symbolism is about losing confidence and control.

The symbolism is more likely related to self-image, ageing, and how others perceive you. Psychologically, teeth are a symbol of power and self-confidence, so losing them in a dream can indicate a loss of confidence or a sense of vulnerability.

8. Being Chased

Chased dreams, in which the dreamer flees from someone or something, are usually connected with waking-life avoidances and fears.

You might be fearful of a particular issue in real life which you haven't confronted. The content of this type of dream can tell us a lot: chasing dreams can represent feelings of being hounded or pressured by something or of feeling unable to escape or manage an issue or responsibility.

Whether it's someone who knows, like your boss, who is chasing you or an unknown entity, the person pursuing you in a dream can help to identify whether the dream meaning is a specific interpersonal conflict or more general fear.

9. Falling

Falling dreams are most likely to reflect insecurity, loss of control or fear. You might be struggling with an aspect of your life that makes you feel unstable or unsupported. Or perhaps your falling dream suggests that you are struggling with a fear of the unknown, looming failure, or a fear of letting go. The falling sensation can represent a lost sense of secure footing and a loss of stability in some areas of your life.

10. Flying

Common dream meanings for flying dreams are usually upbeat, positive, and gratifying, suggesting freedom, achievement and the perspective gained from height. They can indicate the hope to overcome difficult obstacles in life or that you will find a new way to succeed.

Difficulties with flying: if you are mortifyingly unable to stay airborne or seem unable to stop yourself from plunging to Earth, this could be linked to feelings of inadequacy and fear of failure or of losing control. Flying dreams often prompt you to take your life to greater heights and reach for the sky!

11. Naked in Public

Everyone wants to know the common dream meanings behind this embarrassing one. If you keep dreaming about being naked in public, it can indicate you are feeling embarrassed, judged, exposed and insecure.

People usually get these dreams when they are up against something new that worries them, and they may be judged on their performance. Perhaps you feel that the situation is out of your comfort zone. Perhaps you are showing too much, and worries arise because you can't cope.

The dream features nakedness, which might reveal matters related to self-image, insecurity, self-doubt, and issues concerning social rejection.

12. Driving an Uncontrollable Car or Vehicle

Driving an out-of-control car in your dream reflects a lack of control. It might suggest some feeling overwhelmed – either from taking on too many responsibilities or feeling that you are veering down a particular path but you are unable to guide your course.

Dreams can help you make sense of what you're experiencing or thinking: have you lost control? Is there something significant that you can't avoid? Is there a choice in front of you that you're struggling to make?

Or is your life feeling chaotic, much like the car?

13. Cheating

Of course, feeling insecure or guilty over the relationship is one thing, but dreams of cheating can feel particularly threatening because they personally violate your sense of identity. If you were the one disloyal, perhaps you are already riddled with guilt over a relationship or other aspect of your life, which has found its way into your sleeping world.

Or if you were betrayed, perhaps you are terrified of being left or struggling with your ability to trust. Collectively, these dreams of infidelity and their attendant angst reflect existing concerns about fidelity and honesty.

14. Dying

Dreaming about your own death can be very frightening, but there are various not-so-scary common dream meanings for this type of dream. As terrifying as the dream may feel at the time, death dreams usually represent the need for some transformation or end to an old way of life; it may also be a desire to let go of past problems or open yourself up to a major change that needs to happen in your life.

Sometimes, your dream of dying symbolises a sense of loss or a fear of letting go of what you already know and opening yourself up to the unknown. Regardless of the intensity or the frightening aspects of your dream, dreaming that you die symbolises growth and the often-painful need to let go of the old so that we can go on to something new.

15. Being Late

The common dream meanings about being late usually indicate an underlying sense of anxiety, stress, and pressure you are experiencing in your waking life. Anxiety dreams might be about being afraid to miss out on something or not to meet certain expectations. You might be running out of time or afraid of being unprepared for an upcoming event.

Being late in a dream can signify that you need to schedule better or prioritise your tasks.

16. Being Lost

Lost dreams represent the feeling of being confused, indecisive or at a crossroads. You might feel overwhelmed by life and have trouble finding your way. As a result, you're feeling alone, broadcasting an internal cry for help – come and find me! Lost dreams indicate a dissociated part of you, calling out, 'Where am I? What should I be doing?' They are calling for a sense of direction.

17. Finding an Unused Enclosed Room

Finding an unused room enclosed in a dream represents parts of yourself or talents that have not been used or are hidden away. These rooms enclosed in dreams might depict something inaccessible. They represent your talent, parts of you, or sections of your life you have kept hidden from yourself or others.

Unused rooms in dreams promote self-discovery because you may only know or reveal a little about yourself, but much more is hidden inside.

18. Food

There are lots of common dream meanings for food dreams. Interpretations for dreams involving food often relate to your relationship with food – emotional as well as physical.

In a dream, eating can be representative of being filled, indulged, or comforted. It can signal that you need to nurture yourself or fill a void.

One of the other common dream meanings for dreams featuring food is to signify abundance, fertility and fecundity, good fortune, and resources. These dreams often 'speak' of what you hunger for and what you need to feel 'full' and satisfied.

19. Meeting a Celebrity

Meeting famous people in dreams might reflect your longing to achieve more, attract attention, wish to be admired, or share some of the qualities you appreciate in your celebrity. They can express a wish to achieve success, be valued or noticed. Or they can signal the attributes you are aspiring to acquire.

When you dream of meeting your celebrity, it might encourage you to go after what you want and celebrate your own gifts.

20. Pregnancy

A frequent dream for women is the pregnancy dream. Common dream meanings behind pregnancy dreams may represent new development, life, or creativity. It is a typical dream to experience.

Pregnancy dreams can be linked with forming new ideas, projects, or identities and represent a desire to receive nourishment in a more literal or metaphorical sense. For women, pregnancy dreams can often relate to biological or maternal wiring.

For men, pregnancy dreams might bypass the procreative aspect and represent a new creative idea, feeling, or process in real life.

Read our article on Best Crystals for Dreams.

How to Contact a Trusted Psychic?

You can contact reputable live psychic readers who are expert dream interpreters. They can help you understand the common dream meanings behind your dreams, why you have types of dreams, and how these vivid dreams relate to your real life.

You may have unresolved issues, strong emotions that are not being dealt with, unresolved conflict replaying in the back of your mind, or deeply worried about an upcoming job interview. The mind is cleaver.

There is always a reason why we dream specific dreams; our brain tries to communicate issues.

Call a live psychic reader or contact a dream expert online using Live Messenger chat. It's a quick and easy way to get your dreams interpreted and unravelled. Discover what your subconscious mind is trying to tell you today.

FAQs

How Do I Find Out What My Dreams Mean?

If you want to learn how to interpret your dreams and the common dream meanings behind your dreams, you should start keeping a dream journal.

In a dream journal, you can jot down your dreams upon waking, taking note of detail, mood and anything that stands out, mainly recurring themes or significant symbolic elements. Then, reflect on those aspects, like how they connect to you and what they might represent to you in real life.

You can look up common dream meanings in dream dictionaries, some of which also show common symbols and meanings. Spending time reflecting and interpreting your dreams will help you understand the deeper meanings and underlying messages in your unconscious mind.

What Dreams Are Trying to Tell You?

Dreams can reflect our subconscious mind, revealing our deepest fears, desires, and issues that we may not yet realise in our waking life.

Dream themes highlight our emotions and explain why we feel certain feelings or even direct hidden emotional significance to particular situations. It might point us toward a relationship, a job or a lifestyle that will not work for us or prepare us for new possibilities.

A dream might repeat in our sleep cycles if an issue wants to be resolved. Because dreams can hide meaning, significance, and symbolic meaning from us, being aware of them can help us consider their messages when we wake.

What Is the Rarest Dream to Have?

One of the rarest dreams is a 'lucid dream', being aware of the dream and directing the dream narrative. Lucid dreaming is a psychobiological state of consciousness that unites features of waking consciousness with those of dreaming. Experiences in this condition are often odd and bizarre; sometimes, people confuse vivid dreams with reality.

Some people have lucid dreams only occasionally; they are very uncommon for most people. Lucid dreams can be assisted by specific techniques and practices, including certain dream symbols and signs or cues, reality testing, and keeping a dream journal.

What Is the Number One Most Common Dream?

The most widely reported common dream theme is falling dreams. Dreams of falling can reflect general feelings of insecurity, loss of control, or anxiety in waking life. Falling dreams can reflect fears of failure, instability, or feeling overwhelmed. They can reflect a sense of unsupported feelings or a need for increased grounding.

However, falling dreams are common and universal. This suggests that falling dreams reflect a profoundly human experience with a lack of support, difficulty of success, stability, or control.

Live Dream Readings Online

Our dream interpretation psychics are here to cure your dream curiosities. A live psychic reader can teach you everything you need to know about dream interpretation and subconscious dreaming and give you all the info on any weird or fear-filled dream you might experience.

Unravel your mind by understanding your dreams. Call our Trusted Psychics on the phone or start an instant chat on Live Messenger for quick dream interpretations when you wake. Call us today if you want to learn what your subconscious mind wants to tell you.

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