What Do Our Dreams Mean? A Psychotherapist Reveals the Secrets of the Subconscious (11 photos)

The fact that dreams can predict certain events is highly debatable. However, science has proven that dreams reflect processes occurring within us in the present. Psychotherapist Ekaterina Sigitova discussed the 10 most common dreams, from the perspective of psychoanalysis and psychotherapy. Perhaps you will find among them those that haunt you at night.





Dream interpretation is a highly individual process, and for maximum accuracy, it is necessary to consider the context and history of each person. The same images can mean opposite things in different cases, so it is not advisable to take the information provided by a specialist literally.

Finding yourself naked in a public place



This dream plot can generally be associated with shame and anxiety about your vulnerability, associated with some secret side of your personality unknown to others. If you dream of being naked in a public place or on public transport, it often indicates a fear of your secret side being seen.

Clothing is part of our protection, and it also helps us create a certain image, which doesn't always match our inner self. Therefore, such dreams can also be a consequence of insecurity, vulnerability, and anxiety in the face of those around you.

Falling or jumping from a height





Generally speaking, such dreams reflect a feeling of loss of control and the consequence of certain related failures or unpleasant moments. This can also be a feeling of "all is lost" or a fear of failure that will have serious consequences.

If you dream of jumping from a height rather than falling, it is often associated with a desire to resolve a problem or end something that is causing you trouble or making your life miserable. Some experts believe that such a dream may well reflect a fear of success.

Exams or Answers in Class



This reflects a situation where you are being judged by older or more influential figures, compared to whom you are in a "childish" position. You are afraid of failing a test, failing to live up to their expectations, and disappointing these people. In short, this is a consequence of a part of you not maturing.

Perhaps you once suffered from someone's negative judgments or found yourself in a situation where adults negatively assessed your actions. Sometimes dreams about exams and answering questions in class can also indicate a fear of success, as can dreams about falling or flying.

Inability to scream



Generally, such a dream can be characterized as the experience of feeling powerless in a situation. Perhaps you're afraid of not being in the right place when your presence is crucial, or you're afraid that you simply won't be heard, which will have consequences. Such images are also associated with a lack of attention to your needs from those around you.

Walking through unfamiliar houses, apartments, and rooms



Any house we dream of is a metaphor for the psyche. And everything inside—furniture, objects, animals, or people—are unconscious visual images in your psyche. People undergoing psychotherapy often report dreams of finding a room in their home whose existence they knew existed, but whose entrance was previously hidden.

Patients often dream of tidying up this new space, renovating it, and discovering interesting and important objects and even residents inside. The analysis of such dreams is complex and extensive—they can have both positive and negative connotations.

A New Baby You Didn't Know About



A dream in which a new baby is unexpectedly discovered or a missing one is found can have two meanings. In the first case, it represents a fear of missing something in raising a child or even in one's own life. These dreams are typical for hyper-responsible and anxious mothers who strive to give their children the best they can.

In the second case, it could indicate your own unfulfilled need for care and love, which is being pushed to the background by the birth of a child. It's quite possible that your inner child is asking you not to forget about them, devoting time and energy to your children.

Meeting, communicating, or having sex with a famous person



Most likely, such a dream is associated with recognition of something important and valuable by others, if you are unable to achieve this recognition on your own. The figure of a celebrity symbolizes the sudden discovery by others of your talents, professional qualities, individual characteristics, or even physical attractiveness.

Being late



In our dreams, being late or rushing most often symbolizes a situation where there's "too much going on." At the same time, there's a real neurotic fear of losing control of the situation, missing something, or even forgetting something. This often speaks of an inability or unwillingness to pass a certain "point of no return," to give up many opportunities in favor of one thing.

Accidental Damage



If in a dream you break, destroy, stain, or even injure or kill something, this indicates a struggle within you between two drives—destructive and constructive. You may have a subconscious belief that destructive forces prevail, and in your dreams you will hopelessly break, damage, and injure something.

During therapy, such dreams change over time—they develop a desire to fix, repair, restore, or compensate for something. If this is successful, a belief in one's own restorative powers emerges, which can be considered a very good sign for the patient.

Losing Control of a Car or Other Vehicle



These dreams indicate serious changes and, possibly, a loss of control over them. Sometimes, the images are connected to physical problems that a person may not yet notice due to a lack of symptoms. What matters is what you're driving and what happens after you lose control of the vehicle.

If you crash into something and something terrible happens, this dream can have the same meaning as one in which you cause damage. If you yourself are killed or injured, this dream is similar to one in which you fall from a height.

The dreams described here are relatively simple and can be easily dismissed, but there are also complex, unpleasant, and debilitating nightmares. Photographer Rok Morin studies these dreams, traveling the world to do so.