If you have this kind of dream, the chances are you are fighting for survival in some aspect of your waking life. On the other hand, you may be the kind of person who makes ordinary choices and decisions as if their survival were at stake. For example, small disappointments or minor upsets send you into meltdown and you are frequently dissatisfied if some invisible inner standard has not been met.
If you are prone to life-and-death dreams, your unconscious is urging you to find a kind of security that cannot be lost. In other words, you need to look at things that are intangible and reside in your spirit and in your emotions, because everything else—since it is out of your control—is at risk. You need to develop greater flexibility and tolerance, and by so doing you can find contentment and peace.
If your life-and-death battle involves a war scene, the emphasis shifts.
Despite war’s disturbing and destructive nature, it can sometimes be represented as a cleansing process that represents a victory of good over evil. However, in dreams war is generally regarded as a warning that dangerous times lie ahead, as well as indicating inner conflicts and deep-seated grievances. An important aid for interpreting dreams of warfare is to remember whether you were on the winning or losing side.
If you were on the winning side, this suggests you are on the right track.
If you were on the losing side, what can you learn from the tactics of the winning side? Surprisingly, to dream that you are wounded in battle denotes that you have finally been accepted by your peers. [1]
If you are prone to life-and-death struggles in your dreams, your dreaming mind is telling you that there is only one way to find the security that cannot be lost: you need to place value on things that are not material, as everything else is at risk. The things that cannot be lost reside in your heart and your spirit. This doesn’t mean you should stop focusing on the material in life; it simply means that you need to find peace and contentment by being more flexible and tolerant in waking life. [2]