
We have all had the experience of dreaming of someone we know, and while the context of the dream may vary from person to person or from night to night, the impression of them often remains well into our waking hours. It may be hard to shake their presence, and it leaves us wondering what it really means.
Some dreams are so powerful that we may wake up feeling a sense of longing for them and wonder if they’re missing us too. If we dream of someone who has passed away, we wonder if it was really them, or if we dreamt of them because they were in our thoughts before falling asleep. The content of these dreams can reveal a lot about who we are.
What’s the Significance of Dreaming About People?
Dreams are subconscious thoughts, or mental manifestations of images, sounds, and ideas our brain creates while we sleep. Interpreting dreams is often challenging, emotional, and even painful, and can largely depend on our waking perspectives.
Even illogical or irrational dreams can be subliminal thoughts that may be worth paying attention to. Our dreams are stories that reflect our emotional state, or projections of our anxieties, fears, and hopes.
Whether irrational, logical, comforting, or scary, dreaming is a universal human experience that we know very little about. The key aspect of analyzing and interpreting our dreams lies in remembering the details, which can be difficult. Some people find that using a dream journal to record what they remember immediately upon waking helps interpret their meaning.
Is It True That If You Dream About Someone, They Dream About You?
The true meaning of our dreams often lies in our own subconscious and is largely independent from the other person’s mind. If they’re someone we interact with in our daily lives, their presence in our dreams could be because of subliminal hints and clues we exchange while we’re awake. These hints may be causing us to think of them more often, and thus they appear in our dreams.
On occasion, particularly if strong emotions are involved, the other person is having similar thoughts about you, causing you to appear in their dreams as well.
In the case of very vivid or intense dreams, the waking relationship may be impacted positively or negatively, as distinguishing waking feelings from dream feelings can sometimes be challenging. Analyzing the meaning behind their presence may help us to untangle the two.
Is It True That If You Dream About Someone, They Miss You?
A long-held saying claims that dreaming about someone means they miss you. While the idea is comforting, it doesn’t necessarily hold true. While there is always a chance that the person appearing in your dream does, in fact, miss you, dreaming of them doesn’t necessarily make it so.
Dreaming of that person may be a stronger indication that you’re missing them, or that they’re on your mind.
Consider cases where the person we’re dreaming about is a celebrity, historical figure, or virtual stranger. It’s hard to believe that these people could be missing us when they’re unaware that we exist. While we may find comfort or hope in the idea that our dreams connect us, in reality, it is highly unlikely that we are linked in this way.
What Does It Mean to Dream About Family Members?
When we dream about our family members, it may mean that they’re simply on our minds. Other interpretations suggest that dreaming about family members could indicate that we will soon have a fight with them. When exploring dream meanings, details matter, and the actions, behaviors, and setting could influence their significance.
If you are a child in the dream, it could suggest you’re feeling out of control and that the family member has power (either physical or emotional) over you. If your family member changes into someone else, it could indicate underlying confusion or instability.
Some suggest that dreaming of a sibling means you are longing for feelings of authority, while others suggest it is a manifestation of your competitive nature.
What is Dream Telepathy
Some theories explain dream telepathy or the phenomenon that two people can communicate within their dreams. Notable psychologists like Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung were interested in the idea, even going so far as to develop theories to explain its occurrence. Much like many wonders of the human brain, little reproducible science exists to explain, prove, or disprove the concept of dream telepathy.
Attempts to explain dream telepathy claims have been made since the 1970s, including a pilot study with the legendary rock band the Grateful Dead. While results were not definitive enough to undoubtedly prove that dream telepathy is real, they were convincing enough to intrigue subsequent generations of scientists.
What Does It Mean to Dream About Someone Who Has Died?
Many people find extreme comfort in dreaming of loved ones who have passed away. When this happens, also called visitation dreams, we may have conversations or receive messages from those who have departed.
Some say that frequent dreams of this kind indicate a spiritual gift and that those who regularly experience the deceased in dreams are well connected to the other side.
Some believe that after death, you can bring comfort to family and friends by appearing to them in a dream state and that these experiences are true visits from the spirits of those we love. Particularly if they leave us feeling comforted, these dreams can be cherished memories that assist us through the grieving process.
While there is little science to support these claims, it is essential to remember that there isn’t science to disprove it either. Some people even claim that their loved ones came to say goodbye to them in a dream before they were informed of their passing, offering strong anecdotal evidence that the recently deceased can connect with us while we’re sleeping.
What is a Lucid Dream?
Lucid dreams are those in which you are aware that you’re dreaming and can control certain aspects of the dream. Usually occurring during the REM sleep cycle, lucid dreams are more likely to be vivid and are often easier to remember than other dreams. When we have lucid dreams of people we know, it may feel like they, too, are active participants in the experience.
Because lucid dreams are difficult to distinguish from our waking states, experts suggest several techniques that will help us tell the difference. Pinching your nose and pushing your fingers into your palms are two of the most common ways.
In dream states, these actions will not have the same physical responses we’re used to. They also suggest looking in a mirror and trying to read.
Final Thoughts
There is no argument that dreams impact our waking lives and that dreaming of someone we know can have an incredibly emotional impact on us.
Whether it is someone we’re close to, someone that has passed away, someone we’re trying to communicate with, or a virtual stranger, connecting with someone in a dream can have as significant an impact on us as connecting with them in our waking lives.
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