There's so much to dreams that we have yet to understand. Scientists can put sensors on us to see the different brainwave patterns and physical changes in our bodies during sleep studies but they don't have a machine that allows them to see, hear, or feel what people are experiencing during their dreams to be able to better understand them. All we can really go by is what people report to be experiencing, and our recall of our dreams isn't the best. A lot of people have trouble remembering their dreams at all but science has proven that we all have dreams and we dream almost every night whether we remember it or not. Although we may not understand everything there is to know about dreams yet, there are some common similarities in the types of dreams people have reported and some pretty good theories as to how we can interpret the meaning behind some of these dreams as well.
Normal Dreams
I want to start off by saying that "normal" dreams can seem very weird and abnormal. When I say normal, I mean that these dreams are the normal way of the brain processing things that have happened or been on your mind throughout the day. These are the types of dreams that are most easily interpreted to find things that may be bothering you or areas of your life that need healing.
Maybe you're nervous about an upcoming speech and have a dream that you're about to give that speech when everyone starts laughing at you. Then you look down to see that you're not wearing any clothes! You start to panic when all of a sudden Batman rushes in with a blanket to cover you up and save the day. The part about having no clothes and everyone laughing at you could be interpreted as you feeling vulnerable and exposed while up in front of everyone. The part about Batman may just be because you watched an ad for the new Batman movie right before falling asleep. Not every part of your dream will have meaning to it, but if you absolutely can't figure out how something popped into your dream (like Batman) then it's time to look at what that part of the dream might be trying to tell you.
The parts that are symbolic will usually invoke a lot of emotion from you, good or bad. To interpret these parts, look at the key elements and ask yourself what they mean to you. This is part of why dream interpretation is such a subjective thing. Some people might dream of a snake and interpret it to be scary and a sign of danger while others might view a snake as a sign of change as it sheds its old skin to reveal the new. Online searches might jog your mind for possibilities of what things in your dreams might symbolize. There are even whole books on the different symbols and what they could mean, but at the end of the day you're the best one to interpret the meaning.
Lucid Dreams
Lucid dreams are dreams where you become aware of the fact that you're dreaming while in the middle of the dream. Sometimes becoming aware of the fact that you're dreaming can be enough to wake you up, but sometimes you can keep yourself in that state and begin to do and say whatever you want in your dream just like you would in every day life. In my experience with lucid dreaming, I'll usually be having a normal dream when someone says or does something that I find so out of character that I suddenly realize it's a dream. Or I'll have a bad dream that's so terrifying that I begin to snap myself out of it and either become lucid or wake myself up entirely. These dreams don't usually last very long for me as the story line of the dream seems to fade away the more lucid I become. People report all kinds of different experiences with lucid dreams. I do, however, believe lucid dreaming is different than astral projection. That's my opinion based on my moderate experience with lucid dreaming and slight bit of experience with astral projection (I've had a couple experiences but not a lot). My opinion on that may change in the future.
Nightmares
Some people might think nightmares are pretty straightforward in that they're just bad dreams, but I think there's more to them than that. In almost every case I believe it's a call to healing. Whether minor from having watched a really scary movie right before bed to a severe case from having had a traumatic life experience.
I usually consider nightmares to be a step further than just a bad dream. These are the types of dreams that have you waking up in terror wanting to sleep with the lights or TV on the rest of the night. They can usually be traced back to an origin more easily but can sometimes be symbolic too. People with PTSD may have recurring nightmares involving the traumatic experience that caused their PTSD. People might also have bouts of nightmares while going through a difficult time in their life. Times of high stress can bring them on more easily. The only way I know to help is to try to heal the root of the problem that's causing the nightmare in the first place but there are also some medications out there that may help in severe cases.
Visitation Dreams
Visitation dreams are commonly reported after the death of a loved one. There are thousands of stories of people having these dreams and every one of them is different. Sometimes they're reported happening right at the moment of death and sometimes it can take years before someone receives a visitation dream, regardless of how close they were with the person who passed. There are a few things that are commonly reported though. People usually report these dreams being more lucid than others. It's common to realize the person in the dream has passed and "shouldn't" be there. Sometimes the loved one in spirit will acknowledge this and sometimes they won't. Sometimes they bring a message and sometimes they come just to let us know they're still around. Whatever the reason, people always report waking from these dreams with a positive feeling. The death of a loved one can be a very traumatic experience and as stated earlier, traumatic events can cause nightmares. It's not uncommon for people to have nightmares about their loved ones after their passing due to this trauma. Please don't confuse one of these nightmares with an actual visitation dream. Your loved one would never come to make you feel scared, sad, or negative in any way.
Premonition Dreams
The tricky thing about premonition dreams is, you don't really know you've had one until the event happens to prove it. Unless of course you have them so often that you're used to recognizing the difference. One thing that may help you to get used to any feelings or tell-tale signs associated with premonition dreams is to keep a "dream journal". By keeping a notebook by your bedside at night and jotting down any dreams and associated feelings or signs you have shortly after waking, you can look back and see if any came true or not. Over time you may begin to notice a pattern and be able to more easily recognize them.
I believe "déjà vu" may be a form of premonition dream. I know for a fact, from experience, that I've dreamt the things that have later came true in the form of déjà vu. I don't usually remember it until I'm in the moment but once or twice I've remembered what was going to happen next. These episodes usually only last about 15 seconds at most for me and have never been about anything of importance, so I don't really know that there's a point to them. They could just be some kind of glitch in "the matrix". I do know I've met a few other people who've had the same experience as me but the jury is still out as to what déjà vu actually is.
More Types of Dreams
These are just a few of the different types of dreams but there are more! Some people have reported shared dream experiences with others, dreams about past lives (with proof and all), visits with angels or even aliens, false awakening dreams, healing dreams, and more. Sometimes our dreams are trying to tell us something and sometimes they're not. In the end, you're the one who can best make that call and determine what message your dream may be trying to tell you if any. I hope you've found some part of this helpful! Comment below if you have an interesting dream experience you'd like to share and as always, feel free to reach out with any questions!
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