Dreams are controlled by our subconscious trying to tell us something. While some dreams may just seem silly or weird, many scientists believe most of them have a deeper meaning. Many of us have similar dreams (with different storylines) that are triggered by a recent event. 

Your brain is still active when you are asleep, and dreams bring the subconscious thoughts to your attention.

According to the Healthline, “Your dreams may be ways of confronting emotional dramas in your life. And because your brain is operating at a much more emotional level than when you’re awake, your brain may make connections regarding your feelings that your conscious self wouldn’t make.”

Many of us have dreams with common occurrences. A recent survey was taken with 157 Liberty students and staff. About 107 said that they remember being chased in a dream, 104 said that they remember falling in a dream, 72 said they remember being back in school in a dream, 37 said they remember discovering a new room and 8 said they recall seeing or being in a tidal wave.

English teacher Mr. Schaper recounts his most recurring dream.

“I have the same dream about once a month or so,” Schaper said. “I have a dream that I am on a roller coaster, it’s like the Ninja from Six Flags. The brace that locks you in, it’s not working, and I’m trying to tell the dude operating the roller coaster and he’s like ‘oh, it’s fine, it will lock in when I hit this button,’ and the ride starts moving. Then I start getting worried because I’m clearly able to fall out. It’s not until I get to the corkscrew that I fall out but I’m just floating,” Schaper said. 

According to Dream Mood, the sensation of falling in your dreams is triggered by the feeling of being overwhelmed. “You are feeling overwhelmed and out of control in some situation in your waking life. This may reflect the way you feel in your relationship or in your work environment. You have lost your foothold [to] keep up with the hustle and bustle of daily life.”

Schaper recalls that in his dream it appears that “everyone else is having a great time and they’re like, ‘Wee this is fun!’ and I’m like ‘No, it’s not’ but nobody notices the terror that I’m going through,” he said. “Then the rest of the train car flies off of the tracks, speeds up and falls off and everyone else dies and I’m kinda just floating there and after that sensation of falling, I wake up.”

Dream Mood characterized a dream featuring your own, or someone else’s death as a symbol for something needing to (or in the midst of a) change. “Metaphorically, dying can be seen as an end or a termination to your old ways, bad habits, destructive behavior or some other aspect of yourself. Dreaming of your own death symbolizes inner changes, transformation, self-discovery and positive development that is happening within you or your life. Generally, dreaming about someone’s death implies that your feelings for that person are dead or that a significant change/loss is occurring in your relationship with that person.”

Many of us have dreams that are trying to tell us something, while they are usually vague hints they reflect our current state of mind. So next time you wake up questioning the logistics of your dream, look into it, maybe your subconscious is trying to tell you something.