Body Dreams

Written by meaningofdreams.org

There are a number of reasons why you may have a dream about your body or about a particular part of your body. Your unconscious mind may simply be recalling something that happened to your body in waking life - for example, you might have bruised or cut yourself recently.

Your unconscious mind may also be warning you of an ailment or injury that your conscious mind may not yet have noticed. If you dream about pain in any part of your body, or that a part of your body is injured, it can be a sign that it is time for a check-up. This is especially true if you are having such dreams on a regular basis.

Sometimes, a dream about your body, or any human body, can tell you something about your own self-image. A dream of a beautiful, healthy body may be a sign that you have a positive body image. If you dream of a body that is diseased or unattractive, you may have negative feelings about your own physical appearance.

The body can also represent the ego or the self in a dream. A dream that you have broken a bone, been injured, are missing a body part or that your teeth are falling out can be a sign that you have lost a part of yourself. If you give up too much of yourself in order to please others, your unconscious mind may use this symbolism to warn you that you are endangering your own emotional well-being.

It helps to remember that in dreams, your unconscious mind often takes idiomatic expressions and interprets them literally. Therefore, you may dream that you have literally "lost your head" or that you "can't stomach" something. In such a case, simply talking about your dream can help you understand its meaning.

The Body During Dream Sleep

When you dream, your body is in a strange state. Your large, voluntary muscles are paralyzed. The sensory input from the outside world to your brain is dampened. This can mean, for example, that you no longer feel the pull of gravity.

When your brain tries to make sense of this situation, interesting dream situations can develop. For example, your real physical paralysis can lead to your dreaming that you are trying to run but are finding it difficult or impossible to move. The loss of the sensation of gravity can cause you dream that you are flying or floating.

This state may also lead to your experiencing sleep paralysis or having an out of body experience.

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