Decoding Dreams: Insights from a Psychotherapist on 7 Common Dream Scenarios

Our dreams are a reflection of our experiences, emotions, and feelings that we've encountered throughout the day. During periods of relaxation and rest, our brains continue to function, processing the information we've absorbed.

While one part of the brain rests, another analyzes and attempts to categorize the knowledge about events that occurred during wakefulness. Sometimes, this process can be overly active, leading to unsettling and incomprehensible images—what we commonly refer to as nightmares.

There's no need to be frightened by them. Psychotherapists have long established that behind every anxious dream lie internal emotions and an unstable emotional state. Gustavus Hindman Miller, a psychologist from the early 20th century, described the interpretation of dreams in his work "10,000 Dreams Interpreted," which later became known as Miller's Golden Dream Book.

In his work, Miller attempted to interpret dream meanings based on psychoanalysis, a method that was actively being integrated into practice at the time. Miller wrote that all dreams are the result of our desires and fears. His dream book remains a popular source for interpreting nightly visions. However, over the past century, science has advanced significantly, and many modern psychologists view the work of the American scientist quite critically.

New methods now allow dreams to be interpreted as a result of a person's personal experience. In each specific case, frightening images can be a consequence of various conditions. How do modern psychologists decode the most popular dreams? Let's delve into this with clinical psychologist and psychotherapist Anna Fedorova.

Strong stress or intense feelings can manifest as unclear and sometimes illogical events. Often, people from the past or characters you've never encountered in real life appear in dreams. In psychology, such rare occurrences are not considered abnormal. Working with a specialist becomes necessary when intrusive nightmares affect a person's internal and external state.

Let's break down several of the most popular dreams that everyone has likely experienced in their lifetime. We'll also equip you with a plan of action in case any of these scenarios regularly trouble you.

Scenario 1: Losing Teeth
Such a dream may indicate an inability to make an important decision in life. The task you've set for yourself is literally "too tough to chew." That's the metaphor.

What to Do?
If the dream becomes obsessive, it's crucial to ask yourself: what goal have you set for yourself that seems too difficult to "digest"? What exactly is causing oppressive feelings right now? Such introspection can help adjust your goals and capabilities.

Scenario 2: Being Naked in Public
This dream signifies that in real life, you fear showing your true emotions and thoughts, yet you have a need to express them. Subconsciously, nothing is left for your subconscious but to push you towards revealing this need—acceptance and absence of judgment from other people.

What to Do?
If this dream repeats often, start inner work. Constantly praise yourself and stop criticizing. Meditation techniques will help distract and find your strong points.

Scenario 3: Losing a Loved One
Such a dream often shows that on one hand, you fear losing a loved one, but on the other hand, you've accumulated suppressed aggression towards them, which for some reason you can't express. It could be an old conflict that burdens you. Thus, the brain tries to show that it's important to resolve disagreements.

What to Do?
Try to resume communication and discuss grievances. Keeping a diary is also effective, where you can describe accumulated experiences.

Scenario 4: Being Chased
Chases and the inability to escape danger occur in dreams when you're afraid of someone or something in real life. Fears can be related to your thoughts and actions. Such dreams also indicate that at the moment, you have too many problems and responsibilities.

What to Do?
If there are many pursuits in your dreams, ask yourself what you're running away from and boldly look at the "pursuer". Also, try to reduce the load. Focus only on one important task at this time. If you can't get rid of intrusive dreams on your own, consult a psychologist.

Scenario 5: Falling into a Chasm
Such dreams bother you during crisis moments in life. Falls from height also indicate that you may have lost your bearings and support in life. You may underestimate what's happening to you emotionally. For example, you don't pay attention to your inner state in stressful situations.

What to Do?
If such a dream often recurs, it means you may have "stuck" in a crisis moment. In this case, it's important to find support and make sure your actions are correct.

Scenario 6: Being Late
Such a plot can be seen by those who, in real life, begin to dominate the desire to control everything that is not under their control. For hyper-controlling people, seeing lateness in a dream is about the opportunity (the need) to relax. Such dreams are also often seen by perfectionists—people who need to do everything perfectly.

What to Do?
To stop worrying about such a dream, it's important to learn to relax in real life. It's advisable to seek help from a specialist. With the support of a psychologist, the work will go faster and be safer.

Scenario 7: Ridicule
A dream where others laugh at you may indicate that it's very important for you not to lose face in front of society, and there's a strong concern about this. The person is very worried about what other people think about them. This indicates insecurity and constant anxiety. Such a state is exhausting, and emotions vividly manifest themselves in dreams.

What to Do?
First of all, analyze your situation and understand whether there are reliable people in your environment whom you can rely on. If such dreams are frequent, it's better to work with a psychologist on self-esteem, self-confidence, and self-worth.

When Should You Consult a Specialist?
Don't worry and fret prematurely. Help may be needed when frequent disturbing dreams begin to affect your quality of life. If you constantly wake up feeling broken in the morning, remember the picture seen at night all day long, then it may be worth consulting a psychologist or psychotherapist.

The approach with a specialist will depend on the method they practice. Through questions and diagnostic exercises, a psychologist will help you deeper understand feelings and thoughts, identify unmet needs that the dream is trying to "highlight." There are various techniques available, such as using drawing. This way, you can express feelings and understand your current state, and therefore determine the cause of nightmares effectively.