Contents
Have you ever dreamed of failing an exam or falling from a height? In fact, most people periodically see the same dreams. We share the five most common dream plots and their possible explanations.
1. Assault, pursuit
Such dreams are seen by both men and women. Often, childhood nightmares are associated with attacks and chases, which are remembered for a lifetime. What might be behind them?
The attacker may be a reflection of a fear hidden within us or a desire that is suppressed by our ego while we are awake.
Or a threat in a dream can be a reflection of some real danger.
Finally, such dreams may be echoes of the instincts inherited from our primitive ancestors, who all the time had to be on their guard and fear the attacks of large predators.
2. Educational institutions, teachers
Our survey mainly involved students for whom the problem of studying was especially relevant (moreover, for women, to a greater extent). Such dreams are typical not only for our era: there is evidence that in ancient China, similar nightmares were dreamed of by those who were preparing for state exams, on which the entire subsequent fate of a person depended.
3. Sex
It turned out that men had dreams of sexual content more often than women. It is difficult to say whether these differences are innate or whether they arise as a result of upbringing and the influence of society and the environment.
It is possible that culture suppresses women’s sexuality, and because of this, they are less likely to have such dreams.
Modern research is not yet ready to give an unambiguous answer to these questions. Perhaps in such dreams, our biological instinct for reproduction and the problems that we face in trying to realize it under the conditions of the moral restrictions that society imposes are manifested.
4. A fall
We dream of falling much more often than flying. It is highly likely that such dreams are associated with a sharp drop in the level of neurotransmitters (chemicals through which impulses are transmitted from one neuron to another) in the brain when the sleep phase changes.
But in addition to physiological reasons, dreams about falling can also have a symbolic meaning, reflecting drastic changes, the destruction of the usual way of life, losses and psychological trauma. Occasionally, in such a dream, a fall can develop into a global catastrophe, an apocalypse, the collapse of the whole world.
5. Repeated attempts to do something
Sometimes the sleeping mind seems to get stuck thinking about something. This usually refers to situations from real life that cause stress. Often at the same time, we experience unpleasant sensations: discontent, fear, a feeling of powerlessness.
There may be a physiological reason for this – muscle paralysis that occurs during sleep.
But in addition to this, such a dream reflects the fear hidden deep inside us of falling into a vicious circle, from which we will not be able to get out, despite our best efforts. This fear is at the heart of the ancient Greek myth of Sisyphus. For a modern person, such a feeling of existential horror can be caused, for example, by work, study, personal relationships.
Meanwhile, from the point of view of Buddhism, such dreams can be regarded as a spiritual revelation, showing the true essence of our attachments as a source of suffering.
About the Author: Kelly Bulkeley is a psychologist who specializes in dream research.