Fear is a common theme in dreams and is the essence of what are called nightmares. Its significance may pardy depend on what, in the dream, is the object of your fear, but this will nearly always represent something within you - for example, some repressed emorion or insrinctive drive.
(1) What is frightening in a dream may represent (your encounter with) the unconscious in general, to the extent that it is still unexplored. Since - according to Jung - the unconscious compensates for the conscious mind and therefore contains qualities opposed to those of the conscious mind, you may well be frightened by it. However, those opposite qualities are there to round out vour personality as you go through life, till you achieve wholeness; so, overcome your fear and get acquainted with what vour unconscious contains. The unconscious may be represented in dreams by
anything deep and / or dark (cellar, well, sea, black sky, etc.) or by a mother figure or brother / sister. (On the shadow) See also Mother; Brothcr / Sistcr.
(2) The frightening thing may represent some particular content of the unconscious, usually something you have repressed - guilt- feelings and fears of punishment, sexuality, anger, etc. Sexuality and anger are sometimes represented in dreams by wild animals. (On repression) See also Animal(s).
(3) A father figure or other authority figure may feature in a dream that expresses fear or guilt. This is because self-condemnation and anxiety often derive from childhood fears of father’s (real or imagined) disapproval, prohibitions or expectations. According to Freud, all other fears of punishment get their energy from the fear of castration, which, for a male child, forms part of the Oedipus complex. In a dream castration may be represented by the cutting off of any part of the body. (For Oedipus complex) See also Castration.
(4) Fear of mother may appear in dreams, where mother as an object of fear may be represented by a spider, or water, or crocodile, or dragon. Are you in danger of being overwhelmed by your mother or your mother-attachment?
(5) Fear of castration does not appear in women, but its place is taken by fear of losing mother’s love; and for both sexes mother is the first object of love, and so any fear of loss of love in later life (e.g. that of a spouse) may evoke that earliest fear associated with mother.
(6) Something representing a man’s anima or a woman’s animus may be the frightening thing in the dream. This would suggest that you have repressed or neglected your anima / animus, probably because you find it difficult to acknowledge that the human psyche is bisexual, the woman’s unconscious having strong male characteristics (centring round the use of reason, competitiveness, etc.) and the man’s having strong female characteristics (centring on feeling, relatedness, etc.).
If you are a woman with a tendency to be bossy or argumentative, you have not brought your animus into consciousness - which is why it sometimes erupts.
If you are a man given to emotional outbursts, you need to give your anima a proper place in your conscious life; then it will cease to behave in an embarrassing way and will instead complement your masculinity in a creative cooperation. (For anima / animus, see Brother / Sister, sections (4)-(6))
(7) Does the frightening thing seem evil? If so, it will probably represent some part of you that is destroying or threatens to destroy your inner peace or outward efficiency. Bear in mind that nearly everything in your unconscious has two aspects: a threatening or disgusting aspect, when it is shut away and neglected; and a positive, creative aspect, when it is acknowledged and given an appropriate place in your conscious life.
See also: Demons, Devil, Evil.
(8) According to Freud, anxiety dreams are invariably disguised wish- fulfilments. For example, a dream in which you are anxious about a person’s health may reveal an unconscious resentment or hatred of the person. Take this possibility seriously: repressed negative emotions are very common.
See also: Anxiety.
(9) Fear of falling is a common dream theme.
See also: Falling.
(10) Does the fear felt in the dream bring the dream to a premature end? See the advice given under Falling, section (2). [1]
Discussing such dreams with others may help to ease your fears.
Any dream in which you are attacked or pursued is also a representation of fear; you should try to identify who or what is attacking or chasing you.
Facing your dream demons may help to understand and resolve them in waking life. Dreams in which you are being attacked or threatened by animals are sending a clear message that you have suppressed your instincts too much and need to be more natural, or loosen up, in waking life. Dreams in which an intruder breaks into your house are extremely common and they also express a fear or concern about a specific person or situation in your waking life. Try to identify the intruder, as this will give you a clue to the interpretation.
If you experience paranoia in your dream, or have an irrational fear in your dream of going mad or insane, this will reflect an uncertain situation in your waking life. [2]
complex. (See also: ABYSS, ACCIDENT, DEMON)
Popular superstition about this dream is very similar to the opinions of modern psychology.
If in dreams you conquer that which you fear, the same will happen with the things that scare you in real life. [3]
It is important to determine what made you become frightened.
Usually, this is about literal fear, or about undoing a mistake. On the other hand, such a dream might also suggest letting go of unnecessary fears. Fear can escalate into nightmares, showing the way to personal development. Fear is also connected to being too narrow, and is usually a sign that the dreamer is in search of a more broad, liberated alternative to his or her present lifestyle. [4]
As a general guide if you conquered the cause of your dreamed fear and/or the sensation disappeared during the dream, the forecast is that you will overcome your difficulties; however, if the’ feeling persisted and/or the cause was indefinable, you should expect to have to cope with problems arising from the deceit or dishonesty of someone you trusted.
To dream of calming the fears of others indicates the clearing up of a misunderstanding and/or removal of a threat to your peace of mind. [5]
If you have repressed issues, they may be coming to the surface. Think about the fear in your dreams and try to be honest with yourself. Face your fears and as a great American president once said “There is nothing to fear, but fear itself.” Having fearful dreams seems to be relatively common. Most dreams are unpleasant and that is the nature of our private unconscious. Issues and concerns, repressed emotions, and daily stress all contribute to an uneasy sleep and to fear filled dreams. [6]
If your life circumstances are calm and pleasant at the moment, dreaming that you are afraid of something is a warning of trouble ahead. Other symbols in the dream, and circumstances in your life, can explain to you exactly what the trouble will be and how to resolve it.
If you’re presently involved in some tense situations and you dream of being afraid, people whom you consider to be friends may turn out to be less than that.
To dream of calming someone else’s fears implies the resolving of misunderstandings. [7]
The stimuli for such dreams may come from reading, from watching crime pictures, from a culmination of events and circumstances, or from something very personal to the dreamer. [8]
• Sometimes fear dreams can be in relation to post traumatic stress following a major trauma.
If you have a fear dream reflect on what you’re scared of facing in your life and find ways of getting help to face your fears and work through them. [9]
If you overcome your Fears, or get over your trouble, then all will go well. But if the Fear persists, and you cannot trace the cause, then expect treachery or deceit on the part of someone you trust. [10]
See also: Venting Dreams. [11]
If you know exactly what scared you in your dream, check out that dream symbol in this dictionary to get an even deeper interpretation. [12]
2. Reverse: immense courage.
3. Anxieties about tasks and projects. [17]
If one sees himselfscared and running away from fear in a dream, it means that he will win the upper hand.
If one sees himself in a dream waiting to battle with fear, it means that he will join a war.
If one sees himself afraid, and if a voice says to him “Do not be afraid, you will not die, nor will you be able to bear this life,” it means that he may become blind. Ifone sees himself as a God-fearing person in a dream, it means that his worldly fears will dissipate and he will develop true devotion and constant remembrance of his Lord.
The person or object causing fear in the dream represents harm and aversion.
To feel scared in a dream means happiness in wakefulness. Fear in a dream also could mean evil, corruption or sufferingfrom the consequences ofwrongdoingone has committed. Ifone dies offear in his dream, it means that he does not pay people their rights and particularly ifhe is afraid of a human being or from his own evildoing.
(See also: Running away, Take a flight) [19]
great, having: are a person of extraordinary courage; make the decision.
not knowing reason for: one you now trust is untrustworthy.
of something, having: someone wil take care of you when plans come to naught.
persisting, a: have not developed ability to cope with the cause.
overcoming own: bring fears into the open and deal with them.
others: past must be clarified and rectified for peace of mind.
retribution, of: a form of self-punishment before the real punishment is meted out. [20]