Dreams are Weird. No doubt. That’s why definitions of dreaming differ based on physical, psychological, and spiritual explanations. This is understandable, but what are dreams generally? What does it really mean when you are dreaming about someone?
Your dreams can have several meanings attached to them. They can be symbolizing something or they can be a warning. They can even be something extremely basic on what you thought about before sleeping. Or… they can be just lucid dreams.
The best person to answer the question, “What does my dream mean?” is you, yourself. Only you can join lines between your dreams and the symbols they are trying to portray you.
The meaning of a dream also varies across cultures and religions. Sigmund Freud showed the differences between manifest content and latent content of a dream. This is a theory done by a psychoanalyst and a psychiatrist.
According to Freud, the manifest content of a dream is the literal content and meaning of it. On the other hand, the latent content of a dream is the hidden symbol and message the dream is trying to convey.
Rosalind Cartwright
– a dreaming researcher believes that dreams are simply a representation of life events that are significant to the dreamer.
People mostly dream during their Rapid Eye Movement (REM) stage of dreaming as muscles are not paralyzed during this. Dreaming in the Non-Rapid Eye Movement (NREM) is rare.
Throughout history, the content and purpose of a dream had psychological, spiritual, physical, and philosophical meanings attached to it. The associations to dreaming have now changed as the world modernized and evolved.
Philosophers like Aristotle and researchers like Freud, they all have generated research pieces on the content, purpose, and meaning of a dream.
Did you ever see a dream that seemed extremely real? Maybe a dream related to eating fries or falling off a cliff? You wake up sweating and palpitating, well thank your REM for this. This stage is somewhat responsible for our nightmares as well as sweet dreams.
Dreaming about someone can be interesting and weird at the same time. You can dream about someone you do not know at all, or you can dream about your favorite football player. You can also dream about your mother or your husband.
The purpose, symbol, and meaning behind dreaming about someone vary. If you read about Clinton before sleeping, there are chances that you are going to dream about her.
Similarly, if you are going through a tough phase like a divorce or career breakdown, you are more likely to have dreams related to them since your thoughts are dominated by these topics.
Below mentioned are some psychological and spiritual meanings behind dreaming about someone:
Dreaming about someone you like:
If you see your crush in your dreams every then and now, you should simply send him them that text you have wanted to send ever since you saw them at the party. Frequent dreams about your crush can be a signal to tell them already!
When you wake up after this dream, a part of you wished it was true, it’s okay we have all been there.
Keeping every research aside, this clearly means that you want to develop a bond with that person. These dreams are very common amongst teenagers, and even adults dream about their crushes way too frequently.
However, if you have a negative dream about your crush, that can be thought-provoking. That will also depend on what your dream is about. If it is clearly giving you a red-flag, acknowledge it as a red-flag please and back-out.
Dreaming about someone who has died:
Some people believe that death dreams are an indication of the end, whereas some people believe dead dreams of a person leads to them having a longer life. Death signifies end as well as rebirth.
If you are dreaming about someone close to you dying, it can also be an indication for you to spend more time with them. We often forget to water relationships of our lives, hence dreams like these are reminders for us to check upon them.
Death dreams can also signify that you are afraid of losing certain people in your life. If you are having dreams of your friends or family dying, it can be because you are fond of them and their absence scares you.
Dreaming of someone dying is not bad fortune and does not mean that the person will die in reality it is often just a reminder for you to fix things before it is too late.
Dreaming about your enemies:
One clear and obvious indication of this dream is to remove every toxic person out of your lives. They can become your enemies or worse later in life.
This dream can be thought-provoking in another form as well. Ask yourself, are you loyal to every person that loves you and are you being a faithful friend behind their back? If you are not, this can be another reason for you to dream about having enemies.
Dreaming about evil can also mean that you need to work on your relationships. If they are toxic, get out of them. If you cannot be faithful, end the relationship or give yourself a chance to be a better person.
Dreaming about evil can also signify a hidden message of increasing your strength against your enemies in real life. It can be a signal to face evil with dignity and strength at all times.
Dreaming about someone you have been in a relationship with:
Dreaming about your ex-friend, spouse, or lover can mean that you need to move on in life and bid goodbye to all memories associated with them. Even if the dream does not mean this, please do so already.
This dream can be a major source of stress as well for some people since it can trigger past memories.
Dreaming about this and past relationships can mean that you have unresolved feelings and conversations against them. This can be anything; positive or negative.
This dream can be a hint for you to solve your feelings and work on all incomplete conversations with the person you are dreaming about.
There is another reasoning found behind such dreams. If you are dreaming of your past relationship and ex, it means you are scared to be in a new relationship and of being hurt the same way.
This can not only result in nightmares but can adversely affect your mental health as well hence you will have to accept your trauma and move on.
Dreaming about a famous celebrity or personality:
This is Kelly Clarkson btw. Published a post on why her dad left her alone.
So, dreaming about someone famous can have several interpretations based on the nature of the dream itself.
If you are dreaming about getting married to Justin Bieber, there is no interpretation but your feelings towards him and his songs.
We are all affectionate in some way or another towards celebrities and that often impacts our dream.
Dreaming about famous celebrities can also indicate that some part of your personality and nature has to do with theirs.
Or that you want your thoughts, behavior and actions to be influenced by theirs.
Seeing celebrities and famous personalities in your dreams is a symbol.
The meaning and purpose behind this symbol can only be interpreted by the dream himself.
The symbol can hold different meanings and importance in every individual’s life hence a generalized meaning or interpretation of the symbol cannot be produced.
Dreaming about the same person repeatedly:
Dreaming about the same person repeatedly in your dreams can be a hint for you to fix every unresolved conflict with them. It can also be a hint for you to tackle your unresolved feelings related to that person.
Repeatedly dreaming about the same person can also mean that you have some unsaid things to tell them and they are bothering you. I dreamt about my best friend repeatedly for weeks and then I later realized we had an unresolved fight.
Dreaming repeatedly about the same person also signifies their importance in your life generally. This is a hint for you to value their presence as it is significant to you.
Scientifically, if you dream about one person again and again, it is because you have been thinking about them a lot lately. They have dominated your thought process and managed to be a part of your dreams frequently.
Dreaming about someone you have never met:
Dreaming about strangers is normal and nothing spiritual or melodramatic. If we dream about someone we have never met, it can be because our subconscious mind creates that dream.
There is a possibility that you have seen these strangers in your life. Maybe in McDonalds or on a subway ride and their image had been clicked by our brain. Our subconscious mind later on constructs a whole story by adjoining random clicks.
If the dream related to an unknown person is positive, it can be a good omen. Maybe it can mean that people are happy with you or you will receive happiness in your way.
On the other hand if your dream related to strangers is negative, it can be a signal that you need to be more cautious and careful ahead.
The person you see in your dream can be insignificant on their own, but they give significance to the dream and its story. Hence do not think of hiring a Private Investigator please.
Dreaming about someone you love:
Dreaming about someone you love can be a signal that your feelings of love and affection towards them are real and meaningful.
There can be another rather unpleasant interpretation of this dream as well. If you constantly dream about someone you love, it can mean that your love is an obsession and you need to give yourself more time.
The interpretation of this dream will also depend on the relationship you share with them. If your love is one-sided and the other person is unaware, it can be a hint for you to confess since it is love not a seasonal crush.
Moreover, dreaming about your love life can mean that your feelings have dominated your thoughts and you cannot get it out of your head. You have been thinking about them frequently.
Dreaming about losing someone:
We have all woken up with palpitations and sweat after we dream of losing an important person in our life. It can be a friendship breakup or a romantic breakup.
This can be because the dreamer is going through some sort of hardship. A research proved that women who were going through a divorce very often dream about breakups.
There is another interpretation as well. If you dream about losing someone, it can be a hint for you to start working on your relationship with them
This dream can also occur if you are neglecting certain people and relationships in your life. A dream like this can be a signal from nature for you to start mending relationships.
Moreover, losing someone also shows their significance and importance in your life. It can be a fear of losing or your inner weaknesses.
So the next time you see a dream like this, think of all the possible reasons behind it. It can be a neglected relationship as well as some unsaid conversations.
Dreaming about someone cheating on you:
This is a clear nightmare. If you see a lipstick stain on your man’s shirt or vise versa, you can wake up terrified and worried. This dream can also take over our thoughts and affect our current relationship with that person.
In case of such a dream, the first thing you need to do is to accept and remind yourself that it was just a dream not reality. After this, you should think of the reasons behind this dream.
Their unfaithfulness is not necessarily only related to a man or a woman, it can be related to other things as well such as money.
However, dreams related to unfaithfulness can simply showcase our insecurities as well. It can also be a hint for you to start building trust in your relationship since a lack of trust can be a major cause for this dream.
This dream can also be related to your fear of losing people and staying alone. Hence, please do not straight away break up with your spouse if you get a similar dream. Think about it and then observe for a while before rushing to a conclusion, that too without proof.
Conclusion:
The interpretations and meanings behind dreams differ from individual to individual. This is because we all have different values and significance regarding things.
Some of us might laugh off a dream whereas the same dream can be of great importance for another person. We all have different thought patterns hence the conclusions to derive from dreams will vary amongst all of us.
Some dreams can be thought-provoking for sure, but we need to realize that these are just dreams and they might have zero causality with your actual life.
We tend to dream about the last thing in our mind before sleeping. Hence if you watch, “My sister’s keeper” before sleeping and then you get a bad dream, it is justified.
Before correlating your dream with reality, think of other factors that might be a reason for your dream. If you see your partner cheating on you in your dream, for a moment think of your relationship and assess if something is wrong.
Your dreams can be an interpretation of anything that has dominated your thinking.
If you dreamt of becoming a fashion designer when in reality you are a successful chartered accountant, blame yourself for binge-reading Vogue and watching project runaway all the time.
To have a better understanding of your dreams, try using a dream journal. The best way to it is to not over-think them unless and until you are resonating with them on an unusual level.