Dreams are a widespread phenomenon. Almost everyone experiences dreaming. And even the people who claim they don’t ever dream do. They don’t remember dreaming. Some people have a much better understanding of their dreams, and they can even control them to a certain extent.
You are lucid dreaming when you can control what you or others do in your dreams. But that’s about everything that people know about dreams and how they work. And when other people suggest that plans might have a deeper meaning, they tend to get laughed at.
But dreams have been used to interpret things since the dawn of time. At first, people thought they were visions. Then, they believed they were flashbacks. And now, they are just seen as a figment of your imagination. But psychologists argue that dreams might be a way to confront your emotions. Some think they help to facilitate creative tendencies.
But usually, they are your brain’s way to store memories. But, most often, dreams are your brain’s way to let you know that you forgot something. When you dream of the same person repeatedly, your brain might be trying to tell you that you forgot about their birthday. But that’s just one of the meanings these dreams can have. In reality, dreaming of a person might be the most challenging dream to decipher.
Why Do People Dream?
It doesn’t seem like dreams have a sole purpose or not one that researchers can agree on. Evidence shows that dreams are a way for the body to confront emotional dramas. This seems to be because the brain can take the time to make connections without dealing with the pain. Other researchers seem to think that they happen as a fight-or-flight response.
Because the amygdala is more active during your sleep, it might prepare you to face threats. One theory suggests that dreams facilitate people’s creative tendencies. While you sleep, you don’t use a logic filter, so your ideas aren’t restricted by anything. This theory seems to be backed up by the fact that many people say they had their most significant creative breakthrough after a night of sleep.
But the theory that’s most widely accepted is that dreams are meant to help you store memories. If you learn something new and then sleep on it, you will recall it much clearer when you wake up. But not all dreams are good. Some are nightmares, and they can happen for entirely different reasons. Nightmares can be normal dreams, which have a few more complex aspects.
The Connection To Stress
But they are usually caused by stress, anxiety, or even certain meds. But, if you have frequent nightmares, that means you might be suffering from a sleeping disorder. Besides these theories, researchers have shown that external factors can also affect your dreams. For example, your sleeping patterns can influence how much you dream and what you dream about. Sleep-deprived people are more likely to get into REM sleep, which will make them have more vivid dreams.
And they are more likely to remember these dreams. One factor that influences dreams is your mental health. If you have anxiety, bipolar disorder, and other mood-related conditions, you are more likely to get nightmares. The food you eat and your mood during the day can carry over in your unconscious state and affect how you sleep. If you sleep worse, you are more likely to be in the REM stage and wake up more. In turn, you are more likely to remember your dreams.
And the daily activities you engage in also affect the way you sleep. Runners and other athletes are more likely to sleep deeper. Thus, they are less likely to be in REM, so they won’t dream or remember their dreams often.
What Does It Mean If You Dream of The Same Person Often?
Here are six reasons why you may dream about someone.
1. You Also Think About That Person When You Are Awake
Dreams are often a continuation of thoughts running through your head while you are awake. Suppose you keep thinking about someone during the day. This might happen because you are worried about a family member. Maybe you haven’t gotten over an ex yet. Perhaps you are thinking about your crush or your best friend.
There are many reasons why someone would be on your mind all the time, but it usually means that there are some unresolved issues between you and the person you are thinking about. Dreaming about the same person over and over again can be your brain’s way of telling you that you need to have a chat with them.
If they are a friend or a family member, call them and work your things out. Or if it’s a crush, call them and tell them how you feel. If it’s an ex, that might get more complicated. It would be best not to contact them, no matter how much you think about them. But it all depends on your situation and what you deem is best for you.
2. You Dream About Someone You Spend A Lot Of Time With
Jung believed that humans become unconsciously attached to other people in their life. This attachment often happens because of their own emotional and personal growth. Even if you don’t think you care about a person, you can become spiritually attached to them when you are always around someone.
Because of this, they will show up in your dreams as a way to play out all the wanted and unwanted things in your relationship. But an even more straightforward explanation is that you are more likely to think about the people you interact with all the time. If you spend most of your day surrounded by the same small group of people, they are the ones who will appear in your dreams.
And there is no deeper meaning behind these dreams. They reflect your reality and continue what happens between the two of you. When you and someone else spend a lot of time together, they will inevitably appear in your dreams.
3. They Reflect Your Feelings
When you dream, you might just be transposing emotions into mental images. That’s why, when you recurrently dream about someone, that can indicate you are trying to process something. Depending on who that person in your dream is, your brain signals that you feel a certain way. For example, if the person who always shows up in your dream is someone dead, that shows you might be feeling grief.
This is a signal that you haven’t gotten over their death yet, and you still need some help. This often happens when someone has just passed. Maybe that person who passed is someone who you looked up to. In that case, you might be dreaming about them when you feel like you need advice. But you might also think about an ex or an old friend. This can be your brain’s way of telling you that you miss them and you still haven’t gotten over them.
It might be time to try and contact those people and get them back into your life. Or, if that’s not possible, it might be the case to try and work on yourself and get over them. People also dream a lot about childhood friends. That doesn’t always mean you miss them. In some cases, it might even be a sign of obsession, which is an issue you will have to deal with.
Sometimes, dreaming about the same person is your brain’s way to signal that you forgot about something. Maybe you forgot about your mom’s birthday, and that’s why you keep dreaming about her. Or perhaps you promised someone you would do something and have since forgotten about that promise.
4. A Dream Could Be a Memory Of Traumatic Events
Sometimes, people associate a specific person with some of the traumatic events they have been through. For example, people who received abuse as kids might dream of the parent who hurt them. Or someone who a bully tormented might be haunted by that memory. The same happens for people who were discriminated against, were injured in any way, or were abandoned by someone they love.
Usually, this is a sign that you haven’t gotten over that traumatic incident yet. And, until you do, you won’t stop dreaming about the same person. You need to understand the connection between the person you’re dreaming about and the trauma. Then, it would help if you tried to solve the trauma from the root. If you do nothing, chances are you won’t get over the incident.
5. Stress Can Impact Dreams
When you are stressed, your mind is probably racing, circling the same thoughts. And, chances are, whenever you feel stressed, there’s also one person who you can blame for how you think. If you are still in school, you have that one teacher who gives you a ton of assignments but no time to do them.
If you work, your boss is probably constantly dumping a ton of work on your back. But sometimes, even friends and family can stress you out. For example, being the maid of honor at your sister’s wedding is a huge responsibility and stressor.
Or organizing a family trip, where you have to make everyone happy, can take a toll on your mental wellbeing. It’s normal to dream about the people who stress you out, as they are always on your mind. And those dreams won’t go away until you get less stressed.
Final Thoughts on What It Means If You Dream of The Same Person Often
Dreams are a standard part of human life. Some have them less, others more. Some people can remember them, some forget them as soon as you wake up. And some people can even control their dreams and lucid dream. But dreams are usually a figment of one’s creativity, a piece of memory, or your brain trying to tell you something.
When you keep dreaming about the same person, that usually happens because they are always on your mind. Maybe you spend a lot of time with them or share a special connection. Perhaps they’re part of a memory or a sign that you have to work on your trauma. They usually reflect your feelings, telling you something about yourself that you might not have known before. In a nutshell, these dreams are more about yourself than about the subject of your dream.
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