What Does it Mean When You Dream About Someone?

by Ryan Hart | Updated on September 8, 2023 | Post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

Want to know what it means when you dream about someone?

What I discovered in my research was very surprising.

In fact:

I was shocked to learn that there are 5 possible reasons why you might dream about someone you know.

Ready to find out what it means?

Let’s get started!

Woman Dreaming About Someone

5 Surprising Reasons Why You Dream About Someone

Dreams hold hidden meanings and powerful messages. When you dream about someone it means they are thinking about you or will make an appearance in your life.

When you have a dream about someone it is important to remember the dream exactly as it happens in order to understand exactly what it means.

While scientists do not know why we dream, my goal is to help you learn the meaning of your dreams to get more clarity in your life.

Here’s what it means when you dream about someone:

5 Meanings of Having Dreams About Someone

You Want The Person to Like or Admire You

When you dream about someone it is a sign that you desire their approval or attention. This is likely caused by the fact that they have been ignoring you or not engaging with your advances.

You have a need for people to like or admire you. So when you don’t feel appreciated or noticed, you begin to question your appearance or doubt your confidence.

Dreaming about this person might be a difficult experience for you. Recently you shared things with them that you normally don’t share with others. Now you worry about what they might think of you.

The Person in Your Dreams is Thinking About You

Dreaming about someone can be a sign that they are thinking or dreaming about you.

This might come as a great surprise to you!

If you dream about someone you have not seen for a long time they are likely thinking about you or might make an appearance in your life soon.

On the other hand, when you dream about a friend, coworker, or ex, they are thinking about you or the next time they will see you. When you see them, pay close attention to their actions or body language. You will quickly learn whether they are having positive or negative thoughts about you.

If you do not want this person in your life, do not mention your dream to them. In contrast, if you are looking for an easy way to break the ice, telling them about your dream could help you create that connection you’ve been looking for.

Someone Will Take Advantage of You

Having a dream about someone could be a sign that they will take advantage of you or cause you emotional pain. This dream could be a warning to be suspicious of this person and their motives.

Your relationship with this person has left you vulnerable either emotionally or financially. You worry that they will steal from you or take what is rightfully yours.

Be careful what you reveal to this person as it could come back to haunt you.

You tend not to be too revealing to others and like to keep your deepest thoughts to yourself. On the other hand, you are still fun and spontaneous without revealing too much to those in your life.

Your unique personality will serve you well when dealing with certain people that see your outgoing attitude as a weakness.

Your Life Would Be Different If You Were With Them

If you are dreaming about someone it is likely because you worry if you made the right decisions in your relationships. The appearance of a certain person in your dreams means you are curious about what your life might be like with them.

You are happy with your current partner or relationship status, but sometimes it’s fun to imagine how things might have turned out differently.

It’s no secret that your life might be better if you were with the person in your dreams. You would likely be in a different financial situation and probably be more fulfilled, but it’s too late to change that now.

You are tired of struggling to make ends meet or not having happiness in your life, so dreaming about this person is exciting. Dreaming about someone means there will be a change in your relationships.

These dreams should give you hope that things will soon change for the better.

You Feel Left Out or Lonely

Dreaming about someone means you are feeling lonely, sad, or used. You deeply miss someone, but they do not have the same feelings.

You struggle with moving on from this person and think about them constantly. You wish they could be back in your life so everything would return to normal.

It has been difficult for you to start new relationships or friendships because you only think about the person you lost. Instead of creating new memories, you enjoy thinking about the memories from your past.

If you still see this person in your daily life, it can make you feel left out or lonely when they are hanging out with other people. You wonder if things will ever get better and how you will move on.

The good news is that they are likely also thinking about you, even if they don’t show any signs. That is probably because it is difficult for them to move on as well.

Take it one day at a time and everything will eventually get better.

Why Do We Dream About People?

Dreams are the subtle expression of our deepest concerns, fears, and wishes. The analysis of dreams can give you greater insight into your personality, strengths, and weaknesses.

Simply put, our dreams are just the result of random thoughts in our brain. However, some dreams have deeper meaning, and when we look for these meanings, it can help us better understand ourselves and the world around us.

For thousands of years, people have been studying dreams and their interpretations. They have discovered that dreams do carry very real messages to us with very real feelings attached, even though we may not remember them.

There are many possible meanings of dreams that include people, locations, and objects. Noticing the details of what is happening can sometimes help in understanding the meaning of the dream.

Dreaming about someone usually means you have some unfinished business with that person. You’re worried about something he or she did, said, or didn’t do or say to you. It could be events in the past or an emotional issue.

When someone familiar appears in your dream, he or she likely holds a place in your psyche, so just as you wake up with images of faces or people you see regularly, so will they appear in your dreams. Take note of what the particular person is doing, if he or she is alone or with others, and even note how that particular person looks differently than you remember him from real life.

Once armed with these details, spend some time analyzing your feelings and what thoughts immediately come to mind when you think of each dream character. If it helps to discuss your experience with the actual person in real life, then do so.

Someone in a dream can represent many things. It depends on how that person is presented in relation to the dreamer and the circumstances surrounding the dream.

Dreaming about someone doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re concerned about or upset with him or her—on the contrary, it may be a way of expressing deeper concerns or wishes.

Just as in waking life, dreams can be highly symbolic: a loved one may appear to give us a magical gift, say that everything will be okay, or do something kind for us. The interpretation of your dream about a loved one depends on how the person appeared in the dream and what he or she was doing.

Some dreams paint literal pictures, but in a symbolic dream, the specific details of the dream stand for something else entirely. To get at the real meaning of your dream, you must identify the central figure and the setting. The central figure could be you, or it could be someone you know. The setting provides more clues as to what your symbolic dream is trying to tell you.

How to Interpret Your Dream About Someone

The purpose of dream interpretation is to decipher the hidden meaning within the symbols in a dream. It is a common belief that dreams reflect our inner thoughts and desires, or they may be warnings of things to come.

Every night, each of us is visited by a small cast of dream characters who may communicate a wide variety of messages.

Dreams have always been important to humans and continue to be so in many cultures throughout the world. Cultures with access to written language have passed on detailed instructions on how to interpret dreams. These interpretations usually involve themes of sacrifice, heroic action, punishment for wrongdoing, and wish fulfillment.

Ancient Greek writings are an example of how dreams were interpreted 1500 years ago while modern day books can show how they are interpreted today. Dream symbols often need interpretation because they appear differently in different individuals.

When you dream about someone, your unconscious becomes activated and brings forth what matters to you. The easiest way to distinguish whether you are dreaming of a person who matters to you symbolically or in real life is to take note of how you feel. If you feel uneasy, afraid, or overjoyed in your dream when you meet this person, they likely symbolize something in your life.

A dream about someone you know could be more personal than you might think. What someone is doing in a dream, or even the details of his or her appearance, might mean something entirely different than what the person looks like in real life—for instance, a menacing figure might mean something that feels insurmountable to you.

Dreams and the people you see in them are reflections of yourself and things about yourself that you may not even be aware of. Your dreams are tools that help you understand your thoughts and feelings. The first thing to remember is not to take dreams literally, they are very symbolic, and it can take some time to figure out their meaning.

Dreams provide an inner glimpse into our subconscious mind, which heightens self-awareness and helps bring hidden thoughts to surface. When we dream about someone we care about, it is often a reflection of how that person influences us on a subconscious level.

If you think of your crush in a dream, and it’s what happens next that concerns you, don’t worry. The waking world is the real bad guy in this scenario. It’s not about the crush, she or he is innocent by association. You just need to take stock of your other relationships—the ones that are closer to the heart. Are you neglecting them? If the answer is yes, maybe it’s time for some self-searching and introspection.

If you are still trying to understand what your dream meant, here are a few tips to gain some clarity:

First, try to figure out if the dream is a memory of something that really occurred. What were you doing at the time? What was the location?

Then, ask yourself what else was going on around you prior to your interaction with the person in your dream. If you can recall anything noteworthy about those surrounding you, it might help you learn more about what is really bothering you about this person.

A dream about someone else is sometimes an expression of your feelings about that person, how you feel with them or how you perceive them. It may also help to know what the other person looks like, if you were present when the dream took place or there is some object from the dream you can think about.

Now It's Your Turn

And now I’d like to hear from you.

When was the last time you had a dream about someone?

What do you think it means when you have these dreams?

Either way, let me know by leaving a comment below right now.

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About the Author:
Ryan Hart

Ryan Hart is a certified relationship coach and writer. His mission is to help make connections between people better, stronger, more meaningful, and longer lasting using technology.

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