Have you ever woken up thinking about what could possibly be the reason you’ve dreamt about a particular person after waking up from a good night’s sleep?
Contrary to what you may think due to the puzzling nature of the situation, this is actually a rather common question that many people ask themselves at certain points in their lives, as numerous people experience the phenomenon where somebody they expect the least to see suddenly shows up in their dreams and make them wonder where they came from.
Fortunately, there are some plausible explanations as to why these people can randomly show up in our dreams, and while nobody can really tell why exactly someone showed up in your dreams at that particular moment, these explanations can steer you toward understanding how dreams really work.
10 Interesting Reasons for Dreaming About Someone
Below, you will find 10 of the most common reasons you may end up dreaming about someone, together with their detailed explanations, which should help you identify the real reason for dreaming about that particular person and what your brain is trying to tell you by showing you this dream.
The Mirror of Your Desires
It wouldn’t be wrong to say that the majority of our dreams are made up of our desires in some way, regardless of whether it’s a desire we have been actively thinking about lately or one that has been hidden in our mind for a while, providing us with one of the best natural explanations for someone suddenly showing up in our dreams.
That said, unlike dreaming about a materialistic desire, such as a promotion at work or a new car, where the target of your desire is pretty straightforward to see, dreaming about someone doesn’t necessarily have to mean you desire to be with that person, as the person you’re seeing in your dream can represent many different things that doesn’t even necessarily have to involve the person themselves.
As an example, dreaming about a close friend who you enjoy spending time with can mean that you have a desire for comfort, fun, and emotional support that you’re currently lacking in a stressful life, rather than a romantic desire for the friend.
Similarly, seeing your ex in your dream doesn’t necessarily have to mean that you subconsciously want them back, but rather the fact that you have a desire for the qualities that person has or the experiences you had together, whether it’s their capability to understand you perfectly at all times, or the adventures you used to go on.
While it can be difficult to reveal what exactly the person you’ve seen in your dream stands for, especially in cases where you’re completely caught by surprise due to the person who showed up in your dream being an unexpected figure that you don’t really think much about, thinking about the things that this particular person symbolizes, rather than focusing on the person themselves, can help you get in touch with your innermost desires and uncover the real meaning of the dreams you’re having.
Unresolved Feelings and Closure
Having unresolved feelings, and therefore, the need for closure, is yet another reason someone can unexpectedly show up in your dreams, which is especially likely to be the case when the person you’ve seen is from your past, even if they haven’t really been on your mind lately.
In fact, we can even say that these dreams are more likely to occur in cases where it’s not exactly possible for you to find closure with that person in your life anymore, as dreams often provide the secure space you require to face these feelings and make peace with yourself.
For instance, dreaming of an ex-boyfriend you haven’t talked to for a very long time, or a colleague you’re currently working with can both mean that there are some things you would like to say to them, but are unable to, whether it’s because you don’t talk to them anymore, or because you’re afraid.
That said, whether it’s a person from your past, or one that you’re currently in contact with, seeing such a dream clearly shows you that you have unfinished emotional business that could possibly be holding you back, which makes it important to address the problem rather than ignoring it.
Even though there’s no denying that such dreams can leave you with mixed emotions at first, as it’s never easy to deal with the unresolved feelings you may have for someone, you’ll find that they’re actually quite helpful in the long run, as they can help you find the closure you otherwise wouldn’t have been able to, and put your mind at ease.
A Symbol of Self-Reflection
Even though seeing someone in your dreams can initially make you think that the person you’re seeing is the main emphasis of the dream, they can sometimes fulfill the role of being a symbol for self-reflection instead, essentially showing you the aspects of yourself that reside somewhere in your subconscious.
As this symbolism can be a powerful tool for you to reflect upon yourself and acknowledge elements of your personality that you otherwise wouldn’t be able to in your waking life, thinking about what the person you’ve seen really symbolizes for you will be the key to interpreting the dream correctly and making the most out of it.
For example, seeing a close friend of yours in your dream, whose confidence you admire, can be the sign that you want to become more confident in your daily life, practically pointing you toward the areas where you feel like you have room to grow.
On the flip side, things can also turn the other way, and you may end up seeing a friend who has anger issues in your dream, which can be a sign that you’re also struggling with such problems, and would like to resolve them, even if you can’t bring yourself to admit that you actually have these issues.
That said, as it’s not exactly the most straightforward process to think of another person as a symbol of self-reflection, especially in cases where the person you’ve seen embodies traits that you reject or lack rather than ones you admire, which can lead you to some uncomfortable truths about yourself that you wouldn’t want to accept, correctly analyzing these dreams can definitely get complicated.
Stress and Anxiety Manifested
In some cases, the person you’ve seen in your dream can be the manifestation of your stress and anxiety, even if they aren’t actually directly responsible for the stress you’re going through.
As you may predict, such dreams are a lot more likely to occur during times of high stress, whether it’s a busy schedule at work or a health scare, as the mental state we are in during our waking life usually spills into our dream world due to the stress occupying all of our thoughts.
For example, if you end up seeing your boss in your dream, it can easily mean that you’re carrying some work-related stress, whether it’s feeling overwhelmed from all the work you have to finish or underappreciated for everything you’ve done, with your boss being a manifestation of all these things.
While your first thought in such a scenario would be to feel like your boss is the one causing you stress, this usually isn’t the case, as the person you’re seeing in your dream acts as a symbol for the things that are causing you the stress and anxiety you’re going through.
With this in mind, it becomes important to focus on the actual source of the stress rather than the person you’ve seen in your dream, who’s essentially only there as a symbol, which should help you address the anxieties you’re carrying and mitigate them for a happier life.
Reconnection and Longing
Just as seeing someone from your past in your dreams can mean you’re seeking closure, it can also mean that you have a strong desire to reconnect with the person you’ve seen, which often leaves you with feelings of nostalgia and longing once you wake up.
Whether it’s a high school friend you haven’t seen in a while due to your schedules not aligning or an ex-boyfriend you remained friends with who now lives in another country, people you didn’t have a chance to get together with in a while can show up in your dreams and make you remember them, even if they haven’t been in your thoughts lately.
Additionally, depending on what the person you’ve seen means to you, such a dream can have multiple different meanings that go beyond the desire of simply meeting up with that person to catch up, such as missing the love connection you had in the case of an ex-boyfriend, or the fun you had together in the case of an old high school friend.
In some cases, it’s even possible for the focus of your dream to be a part of your life where you were feeling happier symbolized by the person in your dream rather than only being about the person you’ve seen in specific, usually because you’ve spent most of your time with that person during that period of your life.
A Harbinger of Change
Sometimes, dreaming about someone can be the signal of your deeply rooted willingness to change things around in your life, which is especially likely to be the case in scenarios where the person in your dream seems to be in a completely different context than reality.
As change is usually difficult, which is why most people don’t feel ready to change things up, even when they know it will be good for them, we can say that these dreams are our brains’ way of nudging us in the direction of change by showing us the possibilities and helping us take the first step.
For instance, dreaming about meeting up with a friend in a city neither of you has been to before can signify that moving there will be good for you, whether it’s for a job opportunity you have seen before, the possibility of living in a quieter neighborhood, or a higher number of events that you can use to socialize.
While there’s no denying that committing to a change, especially if it’s a significant one, requires careful consideration that encompasses more than just a dream, it’s definitely worth considering these dreams as little hints that your brain is providing you, as they can help you move past being hesitant to step into the unknown and welcome changes that will affect your life in a positive manner.
Psychological Projection
While it can sound unintuitive at first, dreaming about someone can actually be a psychological projection where you end up attributing the qualities you refuse to see in yourself, whether consciously or unconsciously, to the person you’ve seen in your dream.
Your desires, fears, shortcomings, and the traits you admire can all be a part of this projection depending on your current mental state, where they will be gathered around the person you’ve seen in your dream.
As an example, you may end up dreaming of a colleague who has been taking credit for your work without this actually being the case, which would simply point toward your unacknowledged desire to receive more recognition for the work you’re doing.
Since these dreams are a part of you just as much as your thoughts are, meaning that they reflect your own feelings at the end of the day, paying attention to them to increase your self-awareness can be a helpful tool for personal growth.
Subconscious Role-Playing
As dreams are effectively a safe space that allows you to freely explore scenarios and interactions you otherwise wouldn’t be able to without being affected by the consequences, seeing someone in your dream can sometimes be a form of role-playing where you can simulate things and see what happens.
Considering we are naturally inclined to calculate the outcomes in practically everything we do as humans, it’s only natural for us to use our dreams as a tool for this purpose, whether it’s going through the talk you will be having with your boss about a promotion, or how you’ll open up to a friend of yours about your romantic feelings for him.
For instance, if you’ve been feeling hesitant about talking to a family member about a sensitive topic where choosing the wrong words can hurt them, you may end up seeing this future conversation, and possibly even multiple versions of it, being reflected in your dream, which can inspire you to find the correct words to navigate the situation as best as possible.
Since you can consider these dreams to effectively be the previews of the strategies you are considering applying in real life, they can be especially illuminating in scenarios where you feel stuck regarding how you will move forward with a difficult conversation and greatly improve your chances when the time for the real-life interactions come around.
Fear and Warning Signals
In some cases, the person you’ve seen in your dream can be the embodiment of the fears you have or the dangers that you think can affect you at some point, even though this doesn’t necessarily mean that the person you’ve dreamt of will do the exact same thing you’ve seen in your dream.
Effectively, these dreams act as defensive shields to keep you aware and mindful of all the possibilities, which encourages you to stay in tune with the potential warning signs that you might have otherwise ignored during your daily life and allows you to plan your actions accordingly.
As an example, if a work friend of yours ends up chasing you down a dark street in the dream you’ve seen, this could mean that your subconscious is telling you that your colleague is planning to do something that will affect you negatively, whether it’s undermining your promotion or taking credit for the work you’ve done.
That said, even though these dreams are essentially a product of your own thoughts, you should think of them as hints to keep your guard up instead of the ultimate truth, as making rash decisions based on dreams alone won’t exactly be the most beneficial way of handling things.
Reflection of Relationship Dynamics
Last but not least, you may be seeing someone in your dream as a reflection of your relationship dynamics with them, with the more hidden and unacknowledged parts of the relationship becoming visible.
These dreams will often reveal the more intricate parts of the conversations and the experiences you had with the person you’ve seen, and give you greater insight into your relationships, whether it’s with your colleagues, your friends, or your significant other.
As an example, while you may not think much of your friend not picking your calls up for a few days, and brush it off as them being busy, experiencing the same thing in the form of a dream can help you realize or remember an experience that could have been the reason behind your friend deciding to act this way.
As these dreams can help you gain insight into your relationships that you would otherwise miss, paying attention to them can help you salvage relationships that could otherwise take a turn for the worse.
Conclusion
While dreaming of someone can get quite puzzling in cases where someone completely unexpected shows up in unexpected ways, there’s usually a reasonable explanation for it, whether it’s related to your desires, your need for closure, your will to reconnect, or even a reflection of your current relationship dynamics.
As interpreting these dreams as correctly as possible and understanding their significance is a remarkable way to have a deeper insight into what you’re really feeling, you can use your next dream of someone as a helpful tool rather than letting it be something that leaves you feeling uneasy and confused once you have a good grasp of the possible explanations.
