Recurring Dreams: What They Mean from A to Z
If you find yourself having dreams that feature the same symbols or themes over and over again, this should never be ignored. Your dreaming mind urgently wants you to take note. It is using the power of repetition to teach you something valuable for your personal growth. You will continue to have this dream or variations of it – and that dream will become more and more vivid and graphic – until you fully understand the important message your dreaming mind is sending you about yourself and your waking life.
Recurring Dreams: A to Z
By Theresa Cheung
In the decades I’ve been researching and writing about dreams, I’ve found that some dream symbols are more common and likely to reoccur than others. So here, listed alphabetically for you, are 26 of the most common recurring dream themes you should not ignore. Review the interpretations in the context of your waking to see if they inspire further personal connections. You’ll know when you have hit on the right meaning because you will get a ‘lightbulb’ moment of clarity. You will instinctively understand how your dream is commenting on your waking life and offering you a helpful or healing perspective.
Note: Every dream you have is extraordinary; the word ‘common’ is used here in the sense that these are the dreams that research suggests you are extremely likely to have at some point in your life and to have numerous times. Understanding the meaning of these universal dreams can get you thinking along the right lines and help you better interpret all your other amazing dreams.
A: A-listers
The important focus when an A-lister, celebrity, or any famous person appears is that they represent some personality trait you aspire to or need to discover within yourself for personal growth. Reflect on whatever feelings that celebrity inspires in you. If you don’t know who the celebrity is in the dream, this suggests a need for more validation or recognition in your waking life.
B: Burglars
If intruders appear, you may feel you are losing something valuable in your waking life, your privacy is being invaded, or your personal boundaries are not being respected. This is especially the case if your house is burgled in your dream.
C: Chased
Someone or something in your waking life is threatening to overwhelm or catch up with you. Chasing dreams is often a response to stress or anxiety; it could be that you are avoiding facing someone or something or that you feel you aren’t living up to expectations. Your dreaming mind wants you to know that it is what you think about you that matters. Let go of the need to people-please.
D: Drowning
Water in dreams is a powerful symbol of emotions and your current emotional state, so pay attention to the quality of the water and whether you are swimming in it or drowning in it. A tsunami or tidal wave suggests emotions are making decisions for you in your waking life, and you need to learn how to manage your emotions better. Water is also cleansing and healing, and if you see a waterfall, this suggests inner peace.
E: Error messages
Dreams that feature error messages on computers or dreams about phones and technology malfunctioning or not working properly turn the spotlight on your communication in waking life. You are finding it hard to get your point across or communicate your true feelings. And if you just can’t connect to someone on the phone in your dream, your dreaming mind may be encouraging you to look at things from their perspective.
F: Flying
It is a liberating dream that symbolizes a new perspective and your ability to see the bigger picture. It can also suggest newfound confidence. If you are having trouble flying or keep crashing, this suggests you may have set very high goals for yourself and might benefit from taking small steps – learn to run before you can fly.
G: Games, movies
If you find yourself in a video game, movie, or TV show or performing on stage in your dream, this suggests that in your waking life, you need to step more into the observer role and notice how your words and actions are impacting those around you. However, depending on your circumstances, it may suggest that you must get more involved and keep your distance.
H: Home
In dreams, the home and all the rooms in it represent aspects of yourself. The attic represents memories, the basement your intuition, the downstairs your thinking process, and the upstairs your feelings. Stairs connect those aspects of yourself together. Finding an unused room or an important discovery in your home or anywhere in your dream suggests that there is hidden potential within you just waiting for you to discover and explore.
I: Insects, animals, and other creatures
Dreams about spiders and snakes represent aspects of yourself or your waking life that you aren’t aware of yet or that you are aware of and are in danger of getting out of control. Spiders have many associations, from feeling trapped to skill and success. Insect dreams could suggest self-discipline and teamwork or nagging doubts and fears. When animals appear in dreams, they typically point to instinctual aspects of yourself. Pay attention to how you feel about your dream creature, as this will impact the interpretation. For example, if you love dogs, this is loyalty and companionship, but the interpretation will differ if you fear dogs. Cats are symbols of creativity, birds of optimism, and horses of freedom.
J: Jailed, trapped or crushed
If you find yourself jailed, locked, trapped, or restrained in some way, your dreaming mind wants you to approach a situation in a different way. Or perhaps something in your waking life is restricting your progress – a situation, a relationship, or a close-minded attitude you may have. Become your own dream detective and work out what that limitation or block is.
K: Killing, murder, being shot
Dreams about killing or murdering someone suggest there is an aspect of yourself that isn’t serving you well or that is no longer needed, and you need to let it go. This could be a negative attitude. If you are being killed in a dream or being shot, this suggests forces outside your control are dragging you down. You need to protect your boundaries and let criticism wash over you.
L: Lost, losing someone or something valuable
A symbol of confusion and loss of direction in your waking life. You need to get a clearer sense of where you are heading. If you lose something or someone valuable in your dream, like a child, this suggests that you are out of touch with something important in your waking life or not valuing yourself enough. Your dreaming mind wants you to focus on both self-awareness and self-care.
M: Mortality
Whether it is you or someone else dying in a dream, this does not refer to physical death. It is not a precognitive dream. It simply means that something in your life is ending. This could be a relationship, a life stage, a job, or even an attitude or approach to life. And the beautiful thing about endings is that they always imply new beginnings.
N: Naked
If you are naked or partially dressed in your dream, this suggests you are feeling vulnerable or exposed in some way in your waking life. Or perhaps you are feeling judged by others. Are you afraid to show the world your true self or say what you mean or feel? Do you need a little more self-confidence in your waking life?
O: Out-of-control car, accident, or plane crash
Vehicles in dreams suggest the direction your life is heading in, so if you are in an out-of-control car, events in your waking life may be heading out of control. It is time for you to get in the driver’s seat of that car – or if you are the driver – to course correct and drive more skilfully. Indeed, if you dream of a car, train, or plane crash, this always suggests the need for more caution in waking life. You need to watch out for stumbling blocks before they blindside you.
P: Paralysed, unable to speak, stuck, going nowhere or in slow motion
These dream symbols suggest that you are feeling stifled and are perhaps taking on too much responsibility or not standing up for yourself. You can’t decide on the best approach, so you are feeling stuck. Sometimes, you have to decide to move forward, even if that decision isn’t perfect.
Q: Quicksand, sinking feeling, falling
If you are stuck in quicksand or mud, this suggests a need to break free from something or someone in your waking life. If any dream gives you a sinking feeling – and falling dreams are perhaps the most common dream of all – it suggests that you are feeling unsupported in some way. It can also suggest that you are totally immersed and are losing yourself in someone or something. Pay attention to how falling in a dream makes you feel; this will help you interpret the meaning. Do you need to ask for support or just relax and go with the flow?
R: Restroom
Not being able to find a toilet or bathroom in a dream when you are desperate to relieve yourself suggests that you are not able to express to yourself and others what you want fully or need in waking life. Your personal needs are being sidelined or marginalized, so it is time to course-correct.
S: Sex – cheating
Focus more on loving yourself if sex is a recurring dream. The person you are having sex with is not someone you actually want to sleep with but, instead, an aspect of yourself that you need to acknowledge and embrace. Cheating dreams, whether it is you cheating or your partner, suggest you are focusing more on something else in your waking life than your relationship or that there is some aspect of yourself that you don’t fully trust or is letting you down in some way.
T: Teeth, glass in mouth
Dreams where teeth fall out or are crumbling suggest a loss of confidence, especially in terms of how you appear to others. It can also express anxiety about the aging process. In the words of Jonathon Swift: ‘Nobody who is wise wishes to be younger!’ Dreams where you have glass in your mouth are calling your attention to your words and how you speak to yourself and others. Are they cutting or harming you?
U: Unknown
Meeting strangers in your dreams or visiting unknown places point to unexplored aspects of yourself. They could also encourage you not to fear but to face and come to terms with your shadow side or the part of yourself you feel uncomfortable with. Your dreaming mind gives you a safe place to integrate your shadow without harming yourself or others.
V: Vacationing
You are relaxing on a sandy beach or on an exotic holiday; this is your dream mind’s way of giving you a mini break. They also suggest that a part of you longs to escape from everyday routine, so your dreaming mind (who is your best friend, always wanting to help and heal) offers you a way to safely escape into a world of adventure, fantasy role play, and infinite possibility.
W: Wealth, finding money
Dream money represents things that are of real personal value, but that value will not be financial or material. It is more likely to be emotional or spiritual. Your dreaming mind uses this symbol to draw your attention to how much you value yourself according to what you have or earn rather than who you truly are. It wants you to reassess your priorities and remember that there are priceless things money cannot buy. This is especially the case if you dream of finding money or treasure. It’s the treasure within!
X: Making mistakes, late or unprepared for a test or event
If you dream of getting things wrong, a cross rather than a tick, or if you are late or unprepared for an exam or important event, all these are signs that you aren’t being as disciplined or as organized in your waking life as you could be. It could also suggest a lack of confidence in your ability to handle a certain situation or a simple fear of missing out. However, people who are success-orientated and perfectionists often have these kinds of dreams. It seems their dreaming mind is taking them to worst-case scenarios so they are actually better prepared for waking life. Exam dreams are symbols of challenging or testing situations.
Y: Youth, childhood, school
Your dreaming mind is encouraging you to be more spontaneous, joyful, and passionate in your waking life. It’s time to reconnect with your inner child. Dreams about school or being back in a classroom suggest the need for you to learn something new and light up your thinking. Or perhaps you have not learned lessons from your past. If pregnancy or babies appear in your dreams, this is a sign of exciting new possibilities and creativity in your waking life.
Z: Zombie, Apocalypse
If Zombies or monsters appear in your dreams, these are your doubts and fears personified. Remember, Zombies are dead beings brought back to life, and monsters are not real, so perhaps you are feeling out of touch or negative thoughts are hindering your growth. If your dreams feature end-of-the-world scenarios, your dreaming mind tells you that deep emotions are coming to the surface in your waking life or you are going through a tremendous change. If you have these wake-up call dreams, the only way forward is to prepare yourself for a new approach or way of life. Exciting new things may lie on the horizon!
The Dream Dictionary From A to Z (Revised edition, Harper Collins, 2019, Thunder Bay edition 2022)
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About the Author
Theresa Cheung is a renowned expert in dream analysis and has dedicated her career to helping individuals decode the messages hidden within their dreams. With extensive experience in the field, Theresa Cheung has crafted “The Dream Dictionary from A to Z” as the definitive resource for dream interpretation. www.theresacheung.com
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