Dream symbols
What people actually dream about
The symbols people report most often, each with the readings the analysts give, what sleep research has measured, how other cultures read the same image, and questions worth asking about your own version.
Pursuit by someone you cannot identify. It is the dream type sleep researchers have stu...
People
A stranger following you
pursuit, threat rehearsal, anonymity, pressure, avoidance
One of the most searched dream symbols in English, and one of the most misread. The dre...
People
An ex-partner
an ex-partner, memory, unfinished business, attention, grief
Very commonly reported and rarely dramatic. What dreamers describe is not usually drown...
Water
Deep water
deep water, depth, the unknown, calm, unease
Slower than a storm and much harder to escape. Flood dreams are usually about accumulat...
Water
Floods
floods, accumulation, overwhelm, water, rising
One of the water dreams people report enjoying, which makes it under-represented in the...
Water
Swimming
swimming, effort, progress, water, competence
Different from the other water entries in one respect: the sea is too large to be about...
Water
The sea
the sea, scale, vastness, the shore, perspective