What do you think about dreams? Do they mean anything, or...

I say that dreams mean something. I'm not sure that I believe that certain things mean something else - like if you dream about a snake you really want a man kind of thing. But I strongly believe that dreams are as much a part of ourselves as conscious thought.

I know that when my mom dreams of someone dying, someone close dies. Mine, are usually my brain trying to work out problems I am facing. They are not about my exact problem, but I do have a different perspective on what is going on after the dream.

Then other times they seem to be fantasy.

I do think they can be intuitive, just not for everyone.

I sure hope not. LOL I have a lot of dreams where someone is breaking into my house (Always a different house; one I have never been in IRL).

I also have dreams that I am lost in my school and all of the halls look alike.

I think SOME of them stem from the TV shows we watch.

I think a lot (but probably not all) of dream analysis is a bunch of hooey. For example, dreaming about teeth falling out is supposed to symbolise change and vulnerability. I had a dream that some of my teeth fell out and the very next day one of my crowns came out. I think in my subconscious I must have known my crown was loose and that's why I had that particular dream.

I have quite a few regular violent dreams with gory death in them, and dreams where I am being chased. Supposedly these represent your own feelings of anxiety in real life or that you're avoiding an issue. I believe it's because I watch a lot of violent movies and TV shows with serial killers. 

There are 2 other kinds of recurring dreams I have:

1. I have to catch a train somewhere and I have to run so I don't miss it, then the ticket machine won't work. It's possible that this dream represents my dislike of being late anywhere, or maybe I'm just worried that I'll miss the train on the rare occasions that I catch public transport!

2. I am driving and I have to brake, but the brakes don't work. Often I am driving in reverse when this happens. I am pressing down as hard as I can but the car barely slows down. I'm sure there is a meaning to this one. 

I dreamed my mom passed away (she was sick for many months) and the next morning I got the call. I think dreams can be a bit of both.

I have that same driving dream, AussieMeg. I have been told it is a control issue. Seems legit.

I also have the dream where I have to run and can barely walk. When I was younger I would start to fly in my dreams.

I keep having one over and over. I know it's a huge fear of mine so maybe that's why I keep dreaming about it.

DH is constantly dreaming about fighting zombies!

So while I'm dreaming of a huge fear he is laying next to me saving the world from zombies.

I read once that if you can relate your dream to something happening in your life then it means nothing. Last night I had a dream I was being chased by a zombie. I watch a lot of zombie shows/movies so that dream means nothing. Also, if you think about someone/something just once during the day you will dream about them that night. Those dreams mean nothing. I do believe that dreams mean something when you can't find the reason for having the dream. I used to have a LOT of recurring dreams about driving on a freeway that looped around and freeways were all around me going around in circles. I was always driving real fast and couldn't get off the freeway. Those dreams are stress related and always occur when I'm really busy at work. I still have them from time to time.

AussieMeg - both of your dreams are actually the same. You are trying to get somewhere and something you have no control over prevents you from doing so. I don't know what it means in your life, could be a loss of control over something.

I think my dreams are my unconscious mind trying to work out situations or emotions that I don't give my conscious mind time to figure out. Or things that I'm too frightened to think about.

I think dreams are our mind's way of processing daily lives or larger themes in our lives. And sometimes I think they are random junk our brains put together to amuse themselves.

So the dream I had about making my own wallpaper was undoubtedly because earlier that day I was looking at wallpaper and thinking it was ridiculously expensive and I could paint the wall in the same design for almost nothing.

When I have anxiety dreams, it's because I'm under stress. Usually I don't eve realize it Because I am do not excel at recognizing stress within my own life. SoI pay attention to those dreams as a warning, whereas for other people it would just be a "Duh" moment.

The dream I had about traveling on a train and each train compartment was a different style of interior decoration, but the inanimate objects came to life as I passed through? Yeah, I think my brain was just being silly.

I do not watch scary/horror films because I have terrifying dreams afterward. I am fine watching them, but I think that's actually because, again, I ignore stress. My brain tells me otherwise in my sleep and my dreams are far far worse then any movie.