Being chased, falling into the void… These 5 dreams are the most recurring (and we know what causes them)

An online bedding sales site conducted a survey of 2,000 Americans to find out the most frequent dreams. Discover the prize list

Dreaming of a fall

Among the most recurring dreams, we find falling in first place. This feeling of falling into a void can occur both in the middle of a dream and at the beginning during the falling asleep phase. This can be linked to the relaxation of your muscles, it is sometimes pleasant, like a feeling of flying, or frightening, like the feeling of throwing yourself into a void and facing imminent death.

According to the psychoanalyst Freud, the fall refers to a loss of self-control which means that you no longer have any control. This would then result in aggression and frustration, particularly sexual.

Conversely, you can, like the psychologist Jung, interpret this dream as the acceptance of a change. In his dream, the individual lets go, like what it feels like to fall. The mask falls and the dreamer finally accepts himself as he is with his vulnerability and his sensitivity.

According to certain religions, falling into the void would be associated with personal decline, a fault. Indeed, for believers the fall directly refers to Satan, an angel who fell from Paradise to sink into perversion. Dreaming of falling is therefore not a good omen according to this interpretation!

Dreaming of being chased

Whether on a street, in your house or in a forest, you dream that someone is chasing you. This dream is particularly distressing and gives you more insecurity if you do not know the identity of the person in question.

According to Freud, dreaming of being followed is linked to the dreamer’s anxiety in real life. The latter would have difficulty coping with his desires and fantasies, which would lead to a state of tension and nervousness. According to the psychoanalyst, this dream means that it is time to let go in order to avoid an inner conflict.

For Jung, being chased in one’s dreams is the cause of the rejection of a part of oneself, which the individual would not accept.

For some, it’s a sign that it’s time to confront situations that you’re used to running away from. So a piece of advice: stop neglecting your responsibilities and you will find more pleasant dreams!

Dreaming of going back to school

The third dream in this top 5 is that of going back to school. A place of learning and meeting, school is a place we all go through… and the start of the school year is obviously one of them. School makes you grow and has a considerable impact on your development.

In general, your dreams of school are linked to your memories of that place. If you had happy moments then your dreams will be just as happy. This may also be a sign that you are looking for the security of a classroom in your daily life, or that you are nostalgic for your childhood.

On the contrary, if you were anxious about going to school or were teased, your dreams will quickly turn into nightmares! Psychoanalysis explains this by a transition from child to adult which has not developed correctly. You may still suffer and act like a child in some ways. To resolve this, it is important to understand your fears so you know how to overcome them.

Dreaming of attending the start of the school year indicates that you want something new in your life, especially in your relationships.

Dreaming of not being prepared for an exam or event

As an exam approaches, you may no longer feel quite ready to take it. Dreaming of not being prepared for an exam or an event prepares the brain to face potential difficulties in reality. So, when you wake up, you may feel more confident about facing this stage because you will have already faced it during the night.

According to Freud, the exam dream is about control and focus. Indeed, an exam is a way of judging one’s ability and respecting certain rules or standards.

According to Jung, dreaming of an exam is a sign of the appearance of a new confrontation in reality, a big change that involves careful examination of one’s situation. This big change can be both psychological and linked to your environment and your living environment. If you don’t feel ready for this change, it’s normal that you dream of not being ready.

The dream of an exam for which you are not prepared relates, according to the esoteric interpretation, to the confrontation with a situation for which you lack experience.

Dreaming of flying

More pleasant, the dream of flying comes in fifth position according to Amerisleep, and very often reflects a desire for freedom, to get away from problems by fleeing a heavy reality. It can also reveal a desire to escape the present moment or simply a desire to travel.

According to the psychoanalyst Freud, wanting to steal is linked to feelings of guilt. Thus, the dreamer wants to escape from a situation that poses a problem to him. Stealing then allows him to escape heavy responsibilities, difficult decision-making, without attracting attention.

For the psychoanalyst Carl Jung, this dream is an image which means that you find your body too cumbersome, that you want to leave it. It translates this into the fact that you are ready to free yourself from daily constraints by being freer.

According to the esoteric interpretation, it is a manifesting need to travel. You are probably not satisfied with your current condition and dream of giving yourself another chance elsewhere.

Here is the complete ranking of the most common dreams according to the Amerisleep study:

Can we act on recurring dreams?

Recurring dreams like those mentioned above can occur for many reasons, and may be related to reality. It is not always easy to understand them on your own and that is why it is advisable to seek help from a mental health professional if you often have the same dream. The professional will be able to help you better define your dream and its causes.

However, the interpretation of these dreams should be taken with caution because it is also possible that a recurring dream means nothing. Indeed, sometimes dreams are simply the summary of a set of information from your daily life, heard on the radio, on TV or through discussions among those around you. So it doesn’t necessarily make sense.

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