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Have you been chased in a dream? What does it mean?
If you feel that your dream is trying to send you a message, there are many meanings to being chased in an alternate reality.
In this article, we will observe the 10 most common themes about being chased in a dream and their meanings.
Find out the answers to the following questions:
What does it mean if you are being chased in a dream?
What is the spiritual meaning of being chased in a dream?
What does it mean when you dream about someone chasing you to kill or hurt you?
What does it mean when you dream about running away from someone?
What do dreams about being chased by police or soldiers mean?
What do dreams about being chased by animals mean?
What do dreams of being chased by a madman mean?
What do dreams about being chased but can’t run mean?
What do dreams about chasing someone mean?
What do dreams about being hunted down mean?
1. What does it mean if you are being chased in a dream?
You may have heard of the ‘Fight or Flight’ instinct. (Sometimes referred to as ‘Fight or Flee.’)
When a human (or animal) is met with real danger, the subconscious takes over and you’ll either find yourself fighting it head-on, or running away as quickly as you can.
While dreaming, if you’re trying to run away, hide, outfox, or outmaneuver your pursuer, what do you think this tells you?
Your pursuer represents a problem that you’re not dealing with in the waking world. The problem can even be emotional.
For example, maybe you’re feeling an emotion, such as anger, and you’re trying to repress and avoid it, rather than getting to the bottom.
2. What is the spiritual meaning of being chased in a dream?
Remember that most dreams shouldn’t be taken literally.
Waking up in your bed after being chased in a dream doesn’t mean that you’re in imminent danger.
So, what do we mean when we talk about the spiritual meaning of your dream?
The spiritual meaning of being chased in a dream often symbolizes one of these 2 options:
- You are running from something in your life. It is likely that being chased means that you’re avoiding a problem in real life,
- You are being chased down by your own destiny. This type of dream can be a strong indication that there is some calling on your life that you have yet to fulfill.
To understand it better, the main question to ask yourself is: “What does this dream represent, symbolically?”
A few more things you need to consider and think about include:
- What did your pursuer look like?
- How much distance was there between you?
- Did your pursuer catch up with you?
- How did you feel when you someone was chasing you?
Answering these questions and shedding a little light on the dream may help you to get a bit closer to the spiritual meaning of your dream and what your subconscious is trying to tell you.
3. What does it mean when you dream about someone chasing you to kill or hurt you?
What if your pursuer is attacking you and trying to cause serious harm?
These dreams are more common in women, who may feel physically vulnerable, especially in an urban environment.
The cause for such dreams is often a result of the modern media. Beware of media channels that are always trying to magnify fears of violence and sexual assault.
Of course, it’s advisable to be aware of your surroundings and take precautions to be safe in life. However, you shouldn’t have to live in fear.
4. What does it mean when you dream about running away from someone?
Before trying to figure out the meaning of running away from someone in your dream, it helps first to establish who it is you’re running away from and how you feel at the time.
If you’re running away from someone in your dream, then it’s likely that you’re running away from something in real life.
If your chaser is scary and menacing, then you could be trying to avoid an upsetting problem or an issue causing you a lot of anxiety and anger.
If, on the other hand, your figure isn’t particularly threatening, then it’s more likely that you’re avoiding a responsibility that isn’t urgent.
5. What do dreams about being chased by police or soldiers mean?
If you have a dream where someone is chasing you, it’s not unlikely that either police officers or soldiers are the ones coming after you.
Don’t panic though; it doesn’t merely mean that you’ve broken the law and are about to go to prison.
So, what can a police officer, or soldier represent?
In dream world, these figures represent authority and discipline.
Running away from them means you may need to keep better control of your behavior in the waking world.
Have you been behaving recklessly recently?
If so, a dream of this nature could be the little nudge that you need to get a bit more discipline into your life.
6. What do dreams about being chased by animals mean?
Whether it’s a grizzly bear, a roaring lion, or a pack of wolves, being hunted by an animal is something that connects to a primitive fear.
After all, before our society became ‘civilized,’ human beings had to be very cautious of predatory animals.
But what does it mean to dream about being chased by an animal?
Before we answer this question, we have to understand one thing. Animals are wild! Unless you’re in a petting zoo, an animal that chases you is wild and unpredictable.
Therefore, if you’re dreaming about an animal chasing you, it’s likely that you’ve been repressing anger.
You could say that you’re letting your emotions ‘run wild.’ If this is the case, then your subconscious may project these aggressive feelings onto a wild animal.
While it can be challenging to address feelings of anger with a rational mind, a bit of meditation or exercise (a punching bag may be useful here) could be what’s needed to take you out of an aggressive state of mind and into a more productive one.
7. What do dreams of being chased by a madman mean?
Dreaming of being chased doesn’t always mean that you’re avoiding a ‘real’ problem in the outside world. Your pursuer can represent certain emotions, such as fear and anger.
In fact, the deeper the emotion is, the more violent your chasing madman is likely to be.
Maybe you’re taking all of your anger in life and projecting it onto a madman that is coming after you.
If you are not dealing with serious emotions like anger and fear in real life, then you could expect that they’ll come back to you in the form of a dream.
8. What do dreams about being chased but can’t run mean?
As if things aren’t bad enough, someone is chasing you, and your fight or flight mechanism kicks in.
Just as you get a burst of energy to escape, however, you find you can’t move. Your legs stop working and you find yourself unable to flee.
While dreaming of someone (or something) coming after you can represent a problem that you’re not dealing with in life, not being able to run away from it suggests that you feel helpless and unable to deal with it.
In other words, you feel stuck.
Your subconscious is telling you to get to the bottom of the problem at hand and try to come up with the resources needed to solve it.
9. What do dreams about chasing someone mean?
What if no one is pursuing you, but you’re chasing after someone else?
The tables have turned, and now you’re the one in control. But first, you’re probably wondering:
Does this mean you’re a maniac?
You don’t have to be crazy to pursue someone.
This type of dream can mean one of two things:
You currently have ambition and drive. You’re actively going out and getting after things, which is usually healthy. However, you may want to ask yourself whether what you’re chasing is harming other areas of your life.
You’re starting to fall behind in some area of your life. As a result, you find yourself having to play catch-up.
10. What do dreams of being hunted down mean?
What if your pursuer is stalking you and hunting you down?
If someone was stalking you in real life, then this type of dream could be a way of trying to help you deal with your previous trauma.
And what if you haven’t?
The most common explanation is that you’re ignoring a problem that won’t go away on its own.
No matter where you go, the problem is literally ‘hunting you down.’
If you want to avoid this type of dream and return to a more pleasant dream topic, you’re going to have to face up to things when you wake up. Try and deal with the problems you’re facing in life.
So, the next time you dream about being chased by someone, try to ask yourself “what is it that I’m running away from”?
Try facing up to your pursuer. Find out who is chasing you and why is this person is after you.
Are you facing up to your problems in life? Or are you trying your best to avoid them?
Some problems are out of your control. Some are well within your control.
Your job is to do the following:
Tackle what you can handle. Getting on top of things in your life will yield a more pleasant night’s rest.
Discover what you don’t have control over and try to accept it as a part of life. Talk to a close friend, family member, or someone to get a fresh perspective.
Hot Pursuit: The Meaning Of Dream Chases
As you can see, there are different dream symbols and meanings, depending on the theme of your dream.
Do you want to share your dream? Leave your story below!
Also, if you have any other questions, feel free to ask in the comment section!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What does it mean when you dream about being chased and hiding?
This generally means that you are ashamed of something.
What are nightmares caused by?
Nightmares can be caused by stress, high emotion, anxiety, major life changes, trauma, and fear.
Do nightmares mean poor sleep?
Not necessarily. A nightmare may not mean that your sleep is poor unless you get woken up by the intensity of the dream.
