Have you ever dreamed about someone from your past? Dreams about people from our past can be very puzzling, leaving us wondering what they mean.
There are a few different interpretations of what dreaming about people from your past can mean. Here are 5 of the most common:
Some indications that you are dreaming about people from your past
There is currently little scientific evidence that dreams can predict the future. However, some research suggests that certain types of dreams can help predict the onset of illness or mental decline in dreams. For example, in people with Parkinson’s disease, dreams that contain negative emotions are associated with future cognitive decline Trusted Source National Library of Medicine, Biotechnology Information National Center for Biotechnology Information provides access to biomedical and genomic information via access to promote science and health.
Since this dream is likely to be associated with your desire for success and anxiety about failure, you may have this dream when you are faced with an event that evokes similar feelings. This could be an event such as a job interview, an important appointment, or a research proposal.
Dreams can sometimes torment you because they suggest that you have been accused or actually committed a crime. These situations often stem from a feeling that you’re hiding something from yourself in your waking life—and it’s not always a negative thing. “The crimes we commit often represent conscious choices we make in waking life to ignore some of our individual needs and talents in order to gain social approval,” Wallace explained.
Your dreams may reflect unresolved issues from your past
If you’re running away from something in your dream, “There is an issue in your waking life that you want to confront, but you don’t know how to,” Wallace posited. Your dreams may be trying to tell you that it’s time to face your fears and pursue what you’ve been putting aside.
The scientific world still does not know why we dream, notes Ford. “Currently, the evidence suggests that dreams appear to be embodied situations that enact or reflect a person’s main concerns in their personal waking life, including important and emotionally tinged interpersonal preoccupations,” he says.
“The dreams are usually not exactly the same each time, but the recurring theme is usually something in your head that is somehow unresolved. It just keeps repeating over and over again in that computer,” he said. “So if the data is the same in the machine, you need to replace it with other data, or resolve that conflict, or solve that problem.”.
Your dreams can reflect your current personal situation
“The determination of what dreams convey are particular to the person and current situation,” Kuras says, “so what the person is experiencing, what challenges they are facing, and what psychological developments are occurring will inform meaning in each case.”
Having a house in your dream usually connects back to your sense of self, with different rooms representing different aspects of your personality. So dreaming of an attic usually relates to your intellect or memories—and a “musty, dirty atmosphere means you are in realms that you haven’t visited in a while,” said Lennox, which can indicate “unhealthy avoidance.”
Consider writing down the emotions you felt in the dreams as well as your responses to those emotions. These feelings can help you get a broader picture of your dream and help you identify if the dream is about your ex or something else. If you want to be more aware that you’re dreaming as a dream takes place, you can explore lucid dreaming. Lucid dreaming may help you gain further insight into your emotions during the dream itself.
You may be trying to resolve conflicts from your past
“Take some time to work with the symbolism and do some inner exploration on what that person means to you before you decide to reach out,” Habash says. “Often, they are representing something for you that has revived importance in your current life, and you can work with the representation rather than the need to track them down.”
When you face something that poses a threat or keeps you from achieving goals — anything from workplace insecurities to relationship troubles to difficulty making decisions — you might feel frustrated or stressed. That, in turn, can seep into your dreams.
In addition to speaking with a therapist, she advises: “You need to look at this and be honest with yourself by asking, ‘Are you still beating yourself up for being in that relationship for that long?’ Women who are in abusive relationships often stay in it way too long and they’re scared, or they don’t know what to do. When they finally get out, they get mad at themselves and they beat themselves up, and the dream reflects that. You’re still allowing your abuse but now you’re the one doing it — not physically but psychologically.”
Your dreams may be a warning about future events
At this time there is little scientific evidence suggesting that dreams can predict the future. Some research suggests that certain types of dreams may help predict the onset of illness or mental decline in the dream, however. For example, in people with Parkinson’s disease, dreams containing negative emotions are correlated with future cognitive decline Trusted Source National Library of Medicine, Biotech Information The National Center for Biotechnology Information advances science and health by providing access to biomedical and genomic information.
Since this dream most likely relates to your desire to succeed and your worries about failing, you might have this dream anytime you face an event that provokes similar feelings. This could be an event like a job interview, a big date, or a research proposal.
Dreams can sometimes torment you by showing you being accused or actually committing a crime. These situations usually arise from a sense that you’re hiding something from yourself in your waking life—and it isn’t always something negative. “The crime we have committed usually represents a conscious choice that we have made in waking life to ignore some of our individual needs and talents in order to gain social acceptance,” Wallace explained.