Have you ever dreamed you were being chased, only to find that you were running ineffectively in slow motion? Or that you were taking a test that you weren’t prepared for? Dreams seem to be a strange phenomenon that happen randomly and without reason – or do they?

People have pondered the meaning of dreams for centuries. A source of inspiration, guidance, prediction, and problem-solving, dreams are a common experience to us all. We’ve heard the expression, “I’ll sleep on it” when someone is making an important decision. By tuning in to our dreams, we can glean wisdom from our subconscious mind that is alerting us to helpful solutions.

There are primary dream symbols which usually have the same meanings. Some common themes:

A house: You. A house falling down could warn that you need to take better care of yourself. A large house could indicate great potential and awareness of opportunities.
Any vehicle: Also the self, but more specifically your mode of traveling in your daily life. An airplane is your spiritual “plane”, while a motorcycle or bicycle means you need more balance in your life.
Teeth falling out: signals that you need a boost of self-confidence.

Once you become comfortable with the meaning of various symbols in your dreams, you can then use this knowledge to make yourself happier and boost your problem-solving skills.

Some tips for utilizing your dream power:

Keep a dream journal. Write down your dream the second you wake up. If you wait, you’ll lose most of the details of your dream. A Canadian study found that people who review the content of their dreams over a week’s time see clear solutions to the problems they faced seven days earlier. 1
Realize that everything in the dream is you. People in your dream usually represent personality traits within yourself that you’ve projected onto them.
To ease nightmares, sleep on your right side. This from Turkish researchers who studied sleeping positions and how they relate to sleep quality. These researchers found that those who slept on their right have mellower ones, with themes of relief, joy, peace and love. 2
Deliberately program your dreams for answers. Before going to sleep, take a few deep breaths, relax, and bring the problem to mind. Then tell yourself that you will dream the solution, and that you will remember it when you awake. Again, remember to write down the dream and every detail you can remember immediately upon awakening.

Your dreams help you look at the thought patterns that are governing your life. So the next time you dream about being chased, know that you are avoiding looking at a problem. You are putting yourself through unnecessary anguish and pain. Remember to turn around and confront whatever aspect of self is chasing you, make peace with it, and know that the answer will come and the drama will end. Sweet dreams.

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