What Does It Mean When You Dream About Someone?

Our brains can be a busy place during the day. Yet when we rest our heads on our pillows and close our eyes, our subconscious mind takes over for the night. Did you know the average person has four to six dreams per night!?

Although we don't always remember the things our brains show us when we sleep, there are times when dreams feel vivid and real enough that we remember them when we wake up. Some people go so far as to study dream meanings because they want to uncover the secrets of our sleeping minds.

But do our dreams really have hidden meanings? And what does it mean when you dream about someone during the night? Well, most dream experts have a thing or two to say about our dreams and their underlying meanings.

There's still more to explore; keep reading to discover the following:

• Do Our Dreams Have Hidden Meanings?
• Understanding How Dreams Work
• Dreaming About People We Barely Know
• A Dream About Loved Ones
• Dreaming About Celebrities
• A Dream With A Romantic Partner
• Dreaming About Your Boss or Authority Figure
• Start Revealing The Secret Meanings Of Your Dream World

Do Our Dreams Have Hidden Meanings?

Some people don't believe in dream interpretation. Instead, these people say that what we see during REM sleep is merely nonsense in our minds.

However, if you ask dream interpreters like Lauri Loewenberg, they will undoubtedly say that dreams often include hidden messages that can mean several different things. Some even believe that our dreams hold the key to understanding our lives.

Understanding How Dreams Work

During rapid eye movement sleep (or REM sleep for short), many of us experience dreams. Although we dream every night, most of us don't remember many of the dreams that visit us in our sleep. Many assume they don't see anything during their sleep because they don't remember any dreams when they wake up.

However, there are times when we have particularly vivid dreams. These are the dreams we usually remember when we wake up, and they are the dreams that dream experts use to perform dream interpretations on to help us understand what our subconscious mind is telling us at night.

Dreams are typically a combination of our conscious mind's fleeting thoughts and the place where our subconscious takes over. This is why dreams often contain realistic elements (like people in our lives) and unrealistic events (like flying).

The dream world we experience each night can be a very confusing place. But, then again, it can also be an interesting place filled with aspects of our lives we rarely stop to think about. It all just depends on how you look at it.

Why People Appear In Our Dreams

People are part of our everyday lives. Therefore, having people in our dreams is inevitable. However, in many cases, it's not the appearance of people in general but the specific people who appear in our dreams that can mean something.

There are some instances where a person in our dreams can mean something significant — as long as we're willing and open to the message our brain gives us.

Different Dreams Have Different Meanings

Some people say that the visions we see in our sleep are a reflection of what's going on in our waking life. Some even say that the people we see in our dreams are calling out to us through our unconscious mind to tell us something important.

However, most dream experts agree that dreams with other people aren't usually a sign that they are thinking of you or anything like that. Instead, the people in our dreams are usually our brain's way of trying to tell us something through our subconscious mind.

The exact lessons depend on the types of dreams you're having and the specific person you see within these dreams.

Dreaming About People We Barely Know

Sometimes people we barely know show up in our dreams. You may see someone you interacted with at work earlier that day, or the clerk at your local grocery store may show up in your dream world. You may think these common parts of your daily life don't seem so significant, but dream meanings can involve so much more than what meets the eye.

If you take a closer look at vivid dreams involving people you barely know, you may start to see some common themes.

For example, you may realize that you are closer to them in your dreams than you are during your waking life. It could mean that you share a connection with this stranger, although it may be too soon to tell what type of connection you share. This person could be a significant part of your life that you haven't even discovered yet, so you need more time.

Perhaps you find them attractive, or you want to start a new relationship with them. Or maybe they bring up negative emotions for you because they remind you of someone who died. There are lots of reasons a stranger could be significant in your dreams.

Other times, it's not the person that holds significance, but rather what that person and their actions represent for you. This is where a dream journal or dream analyst can help.

For example, a recurring dream in which you interact with a bank teller could be your brain's way of displaying money dreams as you've been concerned about your finances. Likewise, the clerk at the grocery store could be your brain's way of processing hunger during the night. There's really no universal answer.

A Dream About Loved Ones

Many of us dream about our loved ones often - it's not uncommon to dream about our best friend or our favorite sibling. Usually, this is just a sign that we've been thinking of that person throughout the day, and our subconscious mind then places them within our dreams.

However, sometimes dreaming about a loved one can mean something more significant. For example, if you experience recurring dreams about a loved one who passed away or you've lost touch with, it could be your brain's way of telling you that you have unfinished business with them.

Perhaps there are some unresolved issues you need to address, or there may be unresolved grief you need to process.

Similarly, if you experience frequent dreams in which similar events happen with a friend or family member who is very much still alive and active in your life, it could be a sign that your current relationship is struggling.

It could also be your brain's way of telling you that you need this person's help to deal with an issue in your real life, or they hold the key to helping you move forward. Or, as previously mentioned, it could just be your brain's way of working through the previous day where you spent a lot of time thinking of this loved one.

Dreaming About Celebrities

Have you ever dreamed about a celebrity? It's a fairly common dream, but these dreams rarely mean much. If you see a celebrity in your nightly visions, it's probably just your brain processing information about that celebrity or storing away memories.

This can be especially true if they're from a television show you enjoy or a movie you just watched. The dream interpretation here? Don't expect your favorite celebrity to ask you on a date anytime soon.

A Dream With A Romantic Partner

If you're dreaming about your ex or the person you're in a romantic relationship with, it could also mean something, or it could mean nothing. It really just depends.

For example, many people experience sex dreams that involve their romantic partner. Sometimes these dreams happen because they're our subconscious minds processing what happened during our waking hours. Other times, they can signify that you feel emotionally distant from your partner, and you're craving any form of intimacy from them to feel more united.

It could be a bad omen about your relationship if you have death dreams or similar occurrences during your sleep. Perhaps your relationship is struggling, or you aren't connecting the way you used to. Either way, you may want to use your conscious mind to think about ways you can salvage the relationship (if that's something you want).

Dreaming About Your Boss or Authority Figure

Is your boss making a guest appearance in your nightly film? Well, don't worry: it's probably not what it seems.

In many cases, a boss in your dreams is your brain's way of giving you a heads up or telling you something. If you've been under a lot of stress at work lately, it could simply be your brain's way of working through that. Similarly, if you just had a good review or received a raise, your subconscious mind could be giving you a pat on the back for a job well done.

Either way, these common interpretations share one thing: they aren't saying your boss will become your best friend or anything like that. In most cases, your boss is just a placeholder for something else to do with work inside your mind.

If you experience sexual dreams with a boss or teacher, that isn't necessarily what it seems. In many cases, these dreams show you qualities you find admirable or may even desire. It's not a hint at some subconscious desire to sleep with your boss, so don't panic.

Perhaps you want to earn a promotion someday or treat people like your boss treats you. Regardless, if you pay attention to other aspects of the dream itself, you can probably figure out what it is you want from your boss or what attributes of your boss you desire.

Start Revealing The Secret Meanings Of Your Dream World

No matter who keeps showing up in your dreams, chances are high that your brain is trying to tell you something. The question is, are you willing to listen? If you want to uncover the secret meanings of your dream world, you'll need to start paying attention to what (and who) you see at night.

Many people take a few minutes to write down their dreams in a dream journal each morning so they can recall the memories later and try to make sense of them. Other people consult expert dream interpreters to help them make sense of their unconscious minds. Sometimes this is helpful since there's only so much you can understand on your own.

Regardless, the more you analyze these nighttime thoughts, the more you will remember each morning. This can help you unlock a whole new world and connect with yourself in ways you never thought possible.

Just remember: sometimes a dream is just a dream and nothing more. It's up to you to decide which dreams are meaningless and which ones contain something significant. It's a skill that takes practice but can make a difference in your life.