What Do Recurring Dreams Mean?

An event may recur in your mind because of discomfort and need a solution. Or it could be because of happiness about something. You may be prone to recurring dreams from these events during your sleep. Answering the question ‘What Do Recurring Dreams Mean?’ is trickier than you think.

Your recurring dreams could be because of an experience like the loss of a loved one, a traumatic event, or a passionate or romantic occurrence. Your recurring dreams may be trying to inform you of a desire or an unsettled issue in your life.

The intensity of these dreams may increase if you do not work on whatever is causing the visions. These dreams may help find solutions to some of your waking life matters. The recurrence of your dreams may make you want to find a way to deal with them for peaceful sleep.

What Do Recurring Dreams Mean? Some of the interpretations of your recurring dreams are discussed in this article. They may help you understand some of your dreams if they get you worried.

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Does everyone dream?

It is a common belief that everyone dreams, although not everyone remembers their dreams. Dreams are always related to ponders, emotions, and daily experiences. Everybody is prone to forgetting things because of becoming overworked. A brain-related condition may also make you forget.

Maybe you are always busy at work. You run up and down all day and never get time to rest or even take lunch. You may sometimes forget people’s requests because of being overworked. It is not because you chose to ignore it but because your brain gets occupied.

Dreams occur during the rapid eye movement (REM) stage of sleep. REM occurs several times during the night. Everyone always has to retire to bed after a long day of work. Your thoughts and experiences during the day may make you have dreams during your sleep.

Maybe you went on a business trip to a foreign country, and it was your first time there. When you return to your country, you may start telling stories and thinking about your trip.

Dreams are messages from the subconscious. Your unconscious visions may be trying to communicate to you. Or it may be trying to link you to someone in the spirit world.

Maybe your relative died, and you were close. You may dream of them during your sleep, and in the dream, you may be talking to them. When you wake up, you may think the conversation was real and even remember every detail.

You may have a strenuous time fantasizing due to medical conditions or medications. In general, dreaming is a normal part of the sleep cycle for everyone.

For instance, you may have a disease that has affected your thoughts, emotions, and experiences. Since dreams get influenced by these, you may find it hard to dream about them or any other thing.

Can conscious thoughts cause dreams?

Your conscious thoughts can influence your dreams. Your dream may relate to something you are thinking about before you fall asleep. You may also have dreams influenced by your concerns or worries.

For example, you may have got paid your salary. At night when you sleep, you dream of going on a vacation because you have a lot of money.

Your dream, in this case, is influenced by the fact that you have finances on you already. You want to find ways of enjoying yourself and making yourself happy.

Strong intentions to dream about a particular topic or problem may more likely lead to having a dream related to that topic. However, it is important to note that the relationship between conscious thoughts and dreams is complex and not fully understood.

For example, you may have work-related problems with your boss.

Maybe your boss is rude or not understanding and likes taking their anger out on you and the other employees. The stress caused at work may make you have recurring dreams about your boss or workplace.

Dreams can get influenced by very many factors. They could include your unconscious mind, past experiences, and current state of mind.

For example, you may dream about someone from your past coming into your life. Your dream could relate to something the person did to you in the past.

Maybe whatever happened affected you and has never made you forget that person. Your dream may also mean you remember the person because of your relationship or experience you had with them.

Can dreams help you solve problems?

Dreams can be a source of inspiration and can help people solve problems. The process of dreaming may be a way for the brain to process and organize information. Processing and organizing information in your dreams can lead to new insights and ideas.

For example, you may not have been a good boyfriend to your girlfriend. She’s about to leave you but wants to give you one last chance. You may dream of asking for forgiveness honestly and do it in your waking life.

Not all dreams are meaningful or helpful. It is not uncommon for people to have dreams that are nonsensical or unrelated to their waking lives. It is common for people to have difficulty remembering their dreams. This can make it hard to use them for problem-solving.

Maybe you dreamed about traveling abroad when your problem is the death of someone close. This dream may not provide solutions on how to deal with your grief. It may not be relevant to your current situation and irrelevant to you.

Using dreams to solve problems can be done by keeping a dream journal and writing down your dreams as soon as you wake up. This is helpful because the details of your dreams can fade quickly.

You can also try setting an intention before you go to sleep. You can do this by asking your subconscious mind to help you provide a solution to a particular problem.

For example, you may be in trouble and want to get out before things worsen. You may talk to yourself to juggle your mind on the possible ways to solve the problem. In the process, you may think of an idea with a higher probability of solving your situation.

Does grief resurface in dreams?

Yes, it is common for grief to resurface in your dreams. Dreams can serve as a way for your mind to process and work through complex emotions, including grief.

It is common for you to dream about loved ones who have passed away. You may also dream about the events surrounding your loss.

Maybe you had started healing from the heartbreak from your girlfriend. You later hear that she is dating your best friend and wonder why they had to do this to you. The news reopens your old wounds, and you can’t control your feelings.

Grief resurfacing in your dreams can be distressing and may cause you a renewed sense of sadness or grief upon waking. Maybe you lost your mother to a plane crash. Her body never got found because it probably got consumed by fire in the crush.

Every time you think you will bury something else in her place, you feel sad. The thought of her keeps torturing your mind, and you doubt you’ll ever heal.

However, these dreams are a normal part of grieving and do not mean you are not healing or moving forward. It is important to allow yourself to feel and process your emotions in your dreams, and to seek support if needed.

Maybe these dreams are your only chance of ever finding a way to heal. No one is immune to emotional pain, and when they happen, you must deal with them. Your way of grieving may be different from that of others, but a positive outcome at the end of your grieving period matters.

Does a dream about someone represent that aspect of yourself?

Dreaming about someone else may represent aspects of your personality. It can be your characteristics that you see reflected in the other person.

For example, you can dream about a confident and outgoing friend. Your dream may be because you admire those qualities in yourself or wish to have them more fully.

Maybe a friend of yours is good at playing football. They might not be bright in class, but they are kings when in the field. You admire your friend’s skills because you also want recognition as a legend in some aspect of your life. You want to be like your friend in every aspect. You feel you have a wonderful future lined up with their skills.

It is also important to consider the context of your dream and your relationship with the other person. For example, if you dream about a critical or judgmental family member, it may be because you feel overwhelmed by their expectations. You may be struggling with a feeling of inadequacy. In this case, the dream may be more about your insecurities or conflicts rather than representing any particular aspect of your personality.

Maybe you have always wanted to impress your teacher at school. Your teacher usually loves perfection and would not want to see even a slight mistake. You have struggled to keep up with your teacher’s needs, but you feel it is too much. You think you may fail at trying to impress them because you lack the patience and motivation to keep up with their demands.

Does a person with anxiety disorders dream more often than others?

If you have an anxiety disorder, you may experience more frequent or intense dreams than others. The relationship between anxiety and dreaming is complex and not understood.

Maybe you always love watching horror movies. Every time you watch, fear fills you because you may link the movie scenes to your real life. When asleep, you can have dreams of the movies because you frequently watch them.

Anxiety disorders may make you have more vivid and emotionally intense dreams than others. These dreams may be more dismissive or distressing and may relate to your anxiety or stress.

For instance, you like bullying others to show strength when you are weak in the real sense. You keep thinking of ways to hurt and embarrass others, making you dream of ways to hurt people.

Dreaming when you have anxiety disorders may make you experience more frequent nightmares. Nightmares get defined as vivid, disturbing dreams that cause feelings of fear, anxiety, or terror. These feelings normally occur upon waking.

Maybe you have been stealing from people at night and causing them harm. You are not at peace with your actions, and every night, you dream of getting shot by police officers.

People with anxiety disorders experience more frequent or extreme dreams. Not all people with frequent or intense dreams have anxiety disorders.

For example, you may have visions recurring because the type of job you do is risky. If your work is risk-free, you may have the dream because of a one-time event.

Do dreams reveal hidden truths and deep-seated fears?

Dreams can often be a way for the mind to process events, thoughts, and feelings that you may be experiencing in your waking life. They can be a way for the mind to work through and resolve conflicts or issues or to explore and express hidden feelings or desires.

Maybe you did something that led to a dangerous outcome. You keep asking yourself why you had to do whatever you did. You would love to know what drove your mind to think of such.

Your dreams can also get influenced by your unconscious mind. It can be deep-seated fears, unsolved conflicts, and repressed memories. As such, dreams can sometimes reveal aspects of your unconscious mind that you may not be aware of or have fully acknowledged in your waking life.

Maybe you cheated on your wife and fear she might find out. Every time you look at her, you want to tell her, but you are afraid she might leave you. You fear it could be worse if she finds out from someone else.

The interpretation of your dreams is a highly personal and subjective process. The meanings and symbols in a dream may vary significantly from person to person.

Maybe dreaming about hidden truths to you may mean you should finally let the truth out. In another person, it may show a feeling of getting overwhelmed by something in their life.

Not all dreams have a specific meaning or information. Some can be because of instantaneous brain activity during your sleep.

For example, it is more often rare to fantasize that you are sleeping. Most visions usually involve actions. Your dream about sleeping may not be helpful to you in your waking life.

What do recurring dreams about a dead family member mean?

Dreams about a deceased loved one that keeps recurring can reflect your way of reconnecting with the person and coming to terms with your loss. For example, someone special to you dies, leaving you devastated. You sometimes find yourself talking to their pictures to remember them. You have an album of photos to help you keep the memories you shared while they were alive. You also love doing some of the things you did together.

Recurring dreams about a dead family member may show how you express pending feelings. You may be seeking closure or resolution on the person’s death.

Maybe a friend died while you were not on good terms. You feel that you should have talked about the issue between you too.

Your friend’s demise still bothers you, and you do not know how you will live with the pending issues. You keep asking yourself why your friend had to leave so prematurely.

Your dreams about deceased loved ones may reflect your current thoughts and feelings about the person. For example, you may have recently been thinking about the person or been feeling particularly emotional about your loss. These feelings may be reflected in your dreams. Maybe you had a wonderful time with the deceased loved one. You shared a lot about your life experiences and would always spend time together. Their death has left you dumbfounded because they had a lot planned. You feel they were young and needed more time to explore the world and accomplish their plans and dreams.

What does it mean when you dream about someone who is already dead?

Dreams about someone dead are a way for your mind to cope with grief and come to terms with your loss. Maybe the person you are dreaming about was your source of happiness. You feel that their death has left you lonely and helpless. Your dream may be trying to help you remember the person for the good things they did for you are the memories you shared.

Dreaming of the dead may be a form of communication from the deceased or a way for you to connect with the deceased person’s spirit. For example, you have never healed from the death of a loved one. You keep having recurring dreams about them, and in your dreams, you are talking with them. Your talks may be a way to show you that in as much as they are gone, you can still get in touch.

Your dream of a person who is already dead could manifest your memories and feelings about the deceased person. Maybe the dead person always had your back when they were alive. You felt protected and loved when they were alive, and you were happy.

Now that they are gone, you are open to every type of danger. You feel you owe them a lot for the security and assurance they gave you.

The dead person in your dream could reflect yourself. Your subconscious may reflect the personality and characteristics you share with the deceased.

Maybe you were both brilliant people, and being together meant you would do great things. You felt like you were each other’s missing piece because of your reasoning, and you miss this.

What do recurring dreams about a romantic friend mean?

Recurring dreams about a romantic friend may reflect your feelings or desires towards that person. You may have unresolved feelings for the friend or long for a romantic relationship.

Maybe your friend has always been nice and understanding. You have never experienced the care and attention you are getting from your friend. You think you are falling in love with your friend because of how they make you feel.

Your dream may also manifest your deeper desires or wishes related to love and connection. Maybe you have had unsuccessful relationships that end in serious heartbreaks. You are still unwilling to give up on love and believe someone is out there for you. You always want to keep searching because you’ll soon experience real love.

Dreams about a romantic friend could be a way for your unconscious mind to bring your attention to your friend. It may also reflect on your relationship with them.

Maybe your friend is always open with you, and you feel the same way about them. You feel bound to be friends forever, and nothing can tempt your friendship.

A romantic friend in your dream can also represent aspects of yourself. It could be either positive or negative.

For example, your dream might reflect your support, connection, loneliness, or isolation.

Maybe you always value your friends and would do anything to ensure they are alright. You are always willing to help whenever a friend is in need. This habit makes you possess a strong link with your friends. Your friends always know you have their backs.

What does it mean to dream of your crush?

Dreaming about your crush can mean you want to be closer to them or have a deeper connection with them. This meaning can be especially true if your dream is romantic or sexual.

Maybe you have crushed on the person for a very long time. You have always spent time with them but have never opened up about how you feel. You want to tell her how you feel because you fear someone else might snatch them from you. Your crush may have all the features you are looking for in a person, and you feel you should try out dating.

If you have feelings for your crush but have not yet told them, your dream may be a way for your mind to process and explore these feelings. For example, you always feel comfortable being close to your crush. You think your crush makes you feel different as compared to your friends.

You may be afraid of telling your crush how you feel because you wouldn’t want a negative response from them. You may still be figuring out a way of telling them how you feel.

Dreams can often reflect the events and experiences of your waking life. Dreaming about your crush may reflect your feelings and interactions with them in real life.

For example, your crush may be free and open with you about issues disturbing her. Their openness makes you feel honest too, and it can show a lot about your relationship. You feel you can share anything without fear of judgment.

What does making passionate love in a dream mean?

Making passionate love in a dream represents a desire for intimacy and connection with another person. It could be a desire for an existing relationship to be more passionate or could show a desire for a new romantic relationship.

Maybe you haven’t been on good terms with your husband. You last got intimate about a year ago because you found him cheating. You would like him to mend his ways so your relationship can be intimate and happy as before.

Passionate love in your dream could also symbolize a need for emotional or physical fulfillment. This love could be a desire for more attachment or affection in your waking life.

Maybe you feel your boyfriend is not as loving and caring as he used to be. You are suspicious that something is not okay with him. You would like him to love you as he used to do before. Being loved and cared for makes you feel complete.

Dreams about making passionate love may reflect feeling comfortable and satisfied in your waking life. Maybe your partner is passionate about your relationship and wouldn’t want it to end. Your partner does everything to make your relationship keep going. You love how he handles some situations in your relationship, and you wouldn’t want any other partner.

You may feel unfulfilled or disconnected in your waking life. Your dream, in this case, could manifest those feelings and a desire for more closeness and connection.

Maybe you think a friend is not talking to you because of something they got told. You get disappointed because they believed what they got told by a stranger instead of asking you directly. You would not want to forgive them because they are not good friends.

What does dreaming about your ex after so many years mean?

Dreams about an ex can sometimes be a way for your brain to process and make sense of your past experiences and emotions. It may be that you are still dealing with some unresolved feelings related to the relationship.

Maybe your ex-boyfriend did something that you never expected him to, and he was never sorry about it. Instead of apologizing, he kept defending himself even after knowing the truth. You feel that it was stupid of him, and he should have accepted his mistakes. You think you still would have been together if he owned his wrongdoings.

Dreaming of an ex can also be caused by your current life circumstances. If you feel lonely, stressed, or have recently experienced a major change or loss, you may be likely to dream about your ex.

Maybe your ex-wife was always caring and understanding. You have never known the reason for your break up, but you think you are the problem. Your separation was peaceful and makes you think of her maturity. Your current relationship is full of issues, and you feel like getting back to your ex-wife because she understood you better.

Your dreams about an ex can also be a way for your brain to revisit memories and experiences from the past. Maybe your ex made your days and life more comfortable. You did many fun things, and whenever alone, you keep thinking of your ex. You think your breakup with your ex was wrong, and you would love to talk about getting back together.

What do recurring dreams about a new acquaintance?

The new acquaintance in your dream may represent aspects of yourself that you are exploring. You may be unfamiliar with these aspects of yourself. This representation could include aspects of your personality, values, or goals you are exploring or developing.

For example, you have found a reputable company that is doing well. You keep looking back at your childhood wishes. You remember saying you could never do such projects. You keep asking yourself what made you change your perception.

Your dream about a new acquaintance could represent a desire for companionship. You may feel the need to expand your social circle.

Maybe you feel that you’ve been alone for a long because of heartbreak from your girlfriend. You have moved on from whatever she did and want to give someone else a chance. You want to feel loved and cared for by someone new.

The recurring dream about a new acquaintance may bring your attention to unsettled issues or emotions related to the new acquaintance. These issues could include feelings of attraction, admiration, envy, or mistrust.

Maybe your acquaintance is an ex-girlfriend. You broke up, but then she decided to share some of your personal information with her friends to annoy you. You think she should have behaved like an adult and kept silent.

Dreaming of a new acquaintance may be trying to convey a message or offer guidance or insight related to the new acquaintance. For instance, you broke up with your boyfriend because you found him cheating on you. He is begging to get back with you, but you are not ready for this because you know he’ll cheat again.

What does it mean to see someone die in your dream?

Dreams about seeing someone die could be a metaphor for the end of a relationship or a phase of your life. Your dream could reflect your feelings about the person who died in your dream.

Maybe you used to bully others because you thought you were powerful. You one day get harassed by some older people, and the feeling makes you sad. You stop bullying others because now you feel how they have been feeling.

Dreaming about someone’s death could symbolize mutations occurring or will occur in your waking life. Your unconscious mind brings your attention to the need for change and encourages you to let go of the past and move forward.

Maybe a friend wronged you, and it got you annoyed. They have tried apologizing, but you won’t listen to them. Your mind is clouded, and you cannot think clearly. You get advised to forgive your friend to help you progress.

Your dreams about a person dying could symbolize the end of one aspect of your life and the beginning of something new. Maybe you stopped going to church because you believed God is just a theory. You happen to see the favor granted to someone, and it opens your mind. You have stopped believing in the theories and are willing to start believing in God.

Dreaming about someone dying can help you process your loss and grief. It could relate to an actual loss you have experienced or a symbolic loss, such as the end of a relationship or a change in occurrences.

Maybe your father has disowned you for something you did. You feel it is wrong, and he is unwilling to take you back. You have to accept your fate after trying to apologize. You want to work on yourself and make a better future.

What does it mean to dream of deceased strangers?

Dreams of a deceased stranger could represent a part of yourself that has died or is no longer present in waking your life. For instance, you have been heartbroken by someone you honestly loved. The heartbreak has left you without love anymore. You feel you would never want to be in a relationship again. Different people have been trying to get you to be in a relationship with them, but your love life is dead.

The dream could manifest disputable grief or a desire to connect with the deceased. Maybe the stranger was someone you used to know in your childhood. You may need a deep recall to know who they are. You feel that your dream about them may be trying to make you find out why they are trying to reach out to you.

Dreaming about a stranger could symbolize something new or unknown. Your dream could be exploring your feelings about this.

Maybe you have been working for a company for a while. You feel that you need a change of environment and quit for another job. You want to explore something different in your waking life and see how different things work.

Your dream about a dead stranger could be a manifestation of your unconscious mind trying to process and make sense of the loss of someone you never knew. For instance, you find yourself crying at the funeral of someone you haven’t been close with. You know you never knew them closely, but you feel that if you met, they might have been of help to you.

What do recurring dreams about a childhood friend mean?

Dreams about childhood friends may reflect memories and feelings from your past. They may represent a longing for a simpler time in your life or a desire to reconnect with a person from your past.

Maybe your life now is far much complicated and filled with stress. You long to revisit your childhood because you had so much fun then. You were never bothered about anything during that time.

Dreaming about a childhood friend could be a way for your unconscious mind to revisit your memories and bring them to the surface. These memories could be a way for you to connect with your childhood self. These memories may make you tap into the sense of wonder and joy that you experienced as a child.

Maybe you feel you were always quick to make friends. You had a way of connecting with others, and want this for your current life.

A childhood friend in your dream can also symbolize your positive or negative qualities. For example, maybe you used to care for your friends during your childhood. You always felt that your childhood friendship would last until your adulthood. Because of your caring nature, you decided to become a doctor, and your childhood friends think the job is good for you.

A friend from your childhood in a dream can also represent your childhood and your relationship with the past. Your dream could be a way for your unconscious mind to bring your attention to your childhood experiences and encourage you to reflect on your past.

Maybe you used to do something during your childhood, and it never made sense to you then. You just did it for fun, and reflecting on whatever you did to your current life, it now makes sense. You feel that you were geniuses, but you never knew it.

What does it mean to dream of a child in distress?

The distressed child in your dream could represent a part of your nature or identity that feels vulnerable or helpless. For example, you always do well even when wronged because you feel bad should be paid with good. Most people always take advantage of this because they know you’ll still do good to them. Sometimes you feel annoyed but can’t do away with this part of you.

Your dream could reflect anxiety or concern about the well-being of someone close to you, such as a child in your life. Maybe you have an asthmatic child, and they always go to school far away. During the cold seasons, you always fear that you might get calls that they are not feeling okay.

Dreaming of a child in distress might represent your innocence and creativity. It could also represent your immaturity or lack of responsibility.

Maybe you are a single mother and must provide for your child and the house. You cannot carry your child to work and have to leave her with your neighbors. Your neighbors feel you are not a caring mother because you should take your kid to a daycare facility. They keep asking themselves what if one day they will not be around?

Dreams of a child in distress could reflect deep-seated fears or anxieties about the welfare of children in general. Maybe your wife has just given birth to your first child. You are worried that you might not be able to know when your baby is sick. You fear that something might happen to them without your knowledge.