Chase Dreams

In our dreams we may be pursued by some unknown force or terrifying power, it is important to know what this symbolises. It may often be our fears in some form, but it may also be associated with conflict. To come to terms with conflicts in our lives we need to face them rather than avoid them, chase dreams can help us do this. By considering what we are running from in our waking lives we may find the key to understanding our chase dreams.

Running from Fear

Often in our dreams we are running from people or situations that make us fearful or anxious. We may not know what it is we are running from, although we may have strong feelings about it or a clear sense of its qualities. It may even be that we are running from some aspect of ourselves that we are uncomfortable with, and the dream is representing our inner conflicts. In some dreams we may have the courage to turn and confront our pursuer, these dreams may be about dealing with conflict in our lives.

Conflicts arise from many sources - work, love, sex, money, children - and often have no simple solution. How we handle the dream chase will show us how we are handling the conflict we are trying to address.

If the chase dream is recurring we can reprogram ourselves so that in the dream we can stop and confront our pursuer. We could also use gestalt techniques to work with the material, but if the dream is a one-off then we have to investigate the underlying fears or conflicts that it presents.

Feeling immobilised or even paralysed is quite common in chase dreams, this may symbolise feeling helpless, trapped or tied to something when you want to escape.

Giving Chase

We may have dreams in which we are chasing something. To interpret these dreams we need to look at who or what we are chasing and what they mean to us. Then we must consider our lives and see what dreams, ambitions, and goals are unfulfilled. Dreams may be vague but when we concentrate on them they often become recognizable.

Useful Reading:

The Meaning of the Dream in Psychoanalysis by Rachel B. Blass