Symbolism in Dreams
- ejorigin
- Jan 27, 2025
- 5 min read
Updated: Jul 27, 2025
Written by: Goyal Naina (24-A2), Tan Ser Hwee Odelia (24-A4), Tan Ting Xuan (24-E6), Jessica Jolie (24-I3), Lauren Tan Say Jay (24-O1)
Designed by: Jessica Jolie (24-I3)
Dreams have captivated and mystified people across cultures and centuries, often seen as windows into our subconscious minds. While some believe dreams to be random brain activity, others view them as powerful messages filled with symbolism. Throughout history, symbols in dreams have held different meanings across cultures, yet certain images like water, animals, and flight recur universally, suggesting a shared human experience. These symbols often reflect our deepest fears, desires, and spiritual beliefs, connecting us to both our individual emotions and broader cultural values. In this article, we will explore the different aspects of dreams and the symbolism in them.
Dreams often serve as mirrors to our unconscious minds, reflecting unresolved feelings, hidden desires, or internal conflicts. They can be powerful pathways toward self-awareness and personal growth, presenting metaphorical representations of waking life that open doors to novel insights. Nightmares, for instance, bring to life some of our deepest fears, whether they involve falling, being chased, or losing teeth. These recurring motifs are not random; rather, they are deeply symbolic, allowing us to process our anxieties, insecurities, and unhealed traumas in a safe yet impactful way. Confronting these fears within dreams can lead to a deeper understanding of ourselves, highlighting issues we may unconsciously avoid and thus encouraging psychological and emotional growth by facing them head-on.
Furthermore, nightmares can resonate beyond personal fears, sometimes touching on cultural anxieties. From concerns about climate change and pandemics to fears around political instability, dreams can capture the collective fears within society, reminding us of the interconnection between individual worries and shared societal challenges. Dreams therefore provide not only a glimpse into our own minds but also into the broader human experience.
The symbolism in dreams also shifts across life stages. In childhood, dreams are often vivid and fantastical, representing innocence, curiosity, and a sense of wonder. Adult dreams, by contrast, are more grounded in real-life concerns, like work, relationships, or societal expectations, mirroring both aspirations and stresses in life. In later years, dreams may turn reflective, exploring themes of legacy and the past as individuals come to terms with life’s journey. Hence, each phase reveals the unique lens through which we interpret and understand our lives, connecting our innermost thoughts and emotions to universal human themes.
Dreams have fascinated humans for centuries, with various cultures interpreting them as symbols holding deeper meanings. Common symbols often appear across cultures, suggesting universal themes in the human psyche. One of the most widely recognized symbols is water, which typically represents emotions. In Western cultures, turbulent water might symbolise inner turmoil or emotional conflict, while calm water often suggests peace. Meanwhile, in many Indigenous cultures, water in dreams can also symbolise healing and spiritual cleansing, linking it to life and purification. Another shared symbol is the snake. In Western interpretations, snakes often embody fear, deception, or hidden threats. However, in cultures like those of the Hindu and Native American traditions, the snake is seen more positively, symbolising rebirth, transformation, and spiritual wisdom. Similarly, flying in dreams is a common symbol of freedom and escape. In both Eastern and Western interpretations, flight often represents a desire to break free from restrictions, yet some Asian cultures also see it as a sign of spiritual ascent or enlightenment. Death is another universal dream symbol, though its interpretation varies widely. Western cultures frequently see death in dreams as a fear-inducing omen or a marker of life transitions. In contrast, cultures with cyclical views of life, such as the Mexican or Buddhist traditions, might interpret death dreams as symbols of renewal, personal growth, or a call for deeper spiritual reflection. Animals like lions and tigers, generally viewed as powerful symbols, can represent courage and strength but are also seen in some African and Asian cultures as guides or protectors from the spirit world. These shared dream symbols highlight both cultural diversity and universal human experiences, showing how different traditions interpret our subconscious landscapes while revealing common fears, desires, and spiritual reflections.
Recurring dreams usually involve repeating motifs, symbols or scenarios. This may reflect feelings of stress, anxiety, and unresolved frustration in individuals’ waking lives. Recurring dreams can also function as an avenue for the subconscious to process emotions that may otherwise go unaddressed, and can represent an unmet psychological need. Common recurring dreams include falling and being chased, potentially reflecting a deep rooted psychological fear of the dreamer. To begin understanding the significance of these repeated dreams, we can explore the significance of certain symbols or events that occur in dreams. For example, butterflies traditionally represent death, rebirth, and transformation, while the appearance of doves can signal a shift towards reconciliation and encourages us to seek peace within ourselves. Dreams can act as a window to our subconscious, and can potentially provide insight into our mental state. Recurring dreams can simply be a manifestation of tension caused by worries and fears in our everyday lives, or could have a more profound meaning, depending on the circumstances.
With how closely the subconscious mind and dreams are aligned, it is easy to see that dreams have the potential to inspire creativity. The ability of dreams to break the boundaries of logic and unlock creative potential is not a mere observation, but backed by multiple studies and research. According to a study conducted by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 2023, when people are prompted to dream about a particular topic during the sleep phase, they perform much more creatively when asked to perform a task around that topic. Research has also shown that our prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for planning and logic, is lower during REM sleep, such that we do not recognise the implausibility of a dream until we wake up.
From surrealist paintings to gripping novels, numerous creative works have been inspired by dreams, with some dreams being the subject of artists’ work themselves. One of the most recognisable works of surrealism, Salvador Dalí’s “The Persistence of Memory”, was created out of a self-imposed hypnotic state that allowed Dalí to break free of reality. His distorted depiction of melting clocks is both jarring and mesmerising, capturing his vision of a warped sense of reality in dreams. Another well-known example is the gothic novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, which was borne out of Shelley’s own nightmare of a creature reanimated by science. Dreams often blur the lines between reality and imagination, thus allowing for creative breakthroughs that defy logical reasoning.
In conclusion, there is no overarching concept which can explain dreams, making dreams tremendously subjective and unique to the individual. Moreover, the interpretation of dreams varies greatly between people because of different beliefs and values that are specific to every individual. However, the transformative power of dreams cannot be underestimated and it is up to us to embrace it.
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