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What are falling dreams about?

This symbol is identified by words like falling, fall, fell, etc.

Falling in dreams is a frequent dream symbol, occuring in about 16% of dreams. That's about 1 out of every 6 dreams.

What are the major highlights of falling dreams?

Falling is a very interconnected dream symbol. Having falling in a dream substantially changes the nature of the dream.

Dreams with falling might be a nightmare

Dreams of falling are frequently associated with nightmares. Of course dreams that contain falling might not be a nightmare. Plenty of dreams with falling are not nightmares. But, dreams of falling are more related to nightmares than 80% of all other dream symbols. Other symbols that are like this include falling, attics, exits, family homes, silence, robots, kidnapping, things, false awakening, and parasites in body.

Falling dreams are associated with lucid dreaming

Dreams of falling are much more related to lucid dreaming than all other dream symbols. Lucid dreams are dreams in which you are aware that you are dreaming. Of course, not all dreams of falling are lucid dreams. But dreams of falling are more related to lucid dreams than 90% of all other dream symbols. Other symbols that are like this include venus, loss of speech, flying, compensation, floating, imagining, tests, slow motion, fingers, and mars.

How does the dream symbol of falling affect the different aspects of a dream?

Explore different elements related to dreams of falling

Who is in falling dreams?

Overall, dreams with falling are less related to characters in dreams. Specifically, dreams of falling are less related to different roles and less related to distant people.

Animals

the same as usual

Insects

the same as usual

Different roles

less than usual

Fantastic beings

the same as usual

Distant people

less than usual

Close people

the same as usual

Family

the same as usual

Romantic partners

the same as usual
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What are the emotions in falling dreams?

Overall, dreams with falling are more related to emotions in dreams. Specifically, dreams of falling are more related to grief and sorrow, more related to confusion, and more related to fear than dreams in general. They are less related to hatred.

Happiness

the same as usual

Sadness

the same as usual

Grief and sorrow

more than usual

Embarrassment

the same as usual

Confusion

more than usual

Fear

more than usual

Pain

more than usual

Hatred

less than usual

Fun

the same as usual

Love

more than usual
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Who is in falling dreams?

Overall, dreams with falling are aren't really related to places in dreams. Specifically, dreams of falling are more related to natural places than dreams in general. They are less related to human places.

Home

the same as usual

Work

the same as usual

Human places

less than usual

Transportation

the same as usual

Natural places

more than usual

Magical places

the same as usual
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What happens in falling dreams?

Overall, dreams with falling are more related to events in dreams. Specifically, dreams of falling are more related to disasters than dreams in general. They are less related to sex.

Aggressive interactions

the same as usual

Friendly interactions

the same as usual

Sex

less than usual

Disasters

more than usual
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How do falling in dreams related to other dream phenomenon?

Overall, dreams with falling are much more related to dream events in dreams. Specifically, dreams of falling are much more related to lucid dreams, more related to nightmares, and more related to recurring nightmares than dreams in general.

Lucid dreams

much more than usual

Nightmares

more than usual

Recurring dreams

the same as usual

Recurring nightmares

more than usual

Sleep paralysis

much more than usual

Sleeping

much more than usual

Waking life

the same as usual
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How do falling in dreams related the senses?

Overall, dreams with falling are more related to senses in dreams. Specifically, dreams of falling are more related to hearing and more related to touch than dreams in general.

Hearing

more than usual

Smelling

the same as usual

Taste

the same as usual

Vision

the same as usual

Touch

more than usual
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How can you make sense of falling in dreams?

Falling dreams are frequent. Among other things falling dreams are very postively interconnected, nightmare, and are associated with lucid dreaming.

Do you think this is true for your dream of falling? How might your dream of falling be different?

All dreams have meaning

You can gain insight from thinking about any dream, no matter how strange. Only you, as the dreamer, have final say on what your dream may or may not mean. Each dream is unique.

Look for the differences

The DreamWell dictionary provides information on how each dream symbol appears in dreams in general. Finding how experience falling in dreams can be a key to understanding its meaning.

Return to the feelings

Our emotions in dreams can help us understand its meaning. Pay attention to how you felt in the dream. Pay attention to how you feel about falling in dreams. See how you feel about falling now, in your waking life.

What are possible meanings for dreams of falling?

Falling in a dream is a common theme and is often associated with a sudden change for the worse, or the idea behind the phrase “ground disappears beneath your feet.” It means something you thought was solid and dependable suddenly is not. The business you work for goes under. Your mate leaves. Your pastor is having an affair. Your best friend turns on you. Your parents divorce.

Your values, ethics, principles, ideals, and beliefs are part of the figurative ground you stand on, the foundation on which you build your character, so if you do something contrary to them, you are in a sense removing the ground beneath you. You fall. Extend that idea further to include situations in which it’s not your actions that cause a fall, but a change of circumstance or heart. It can mean you are unsettled or undecided.

The theme has many possibilities for connection with everyday life and internal situations. For example, falling from a height is likely to have a bad ending, so falling in a dream can reflect the expectation that something won’t end well.

In simplest terms, while falling you are between places, so it can mean between places in your life, or you’re experiencing a big change.

Falling can connect with feelings of stress, pressure, dread, shock, or horror. Dreams use the feeling of one thing (falling) to connect with another thing (help!).

It can connect with falling in love.

Falling can express fear of failure: at school, at work, in a relationship, in life. Failure is equated with falling.

Falling can be thought of as “coming back to earth.” This use of the symbolism is often accompanied by the action of flying. Flying up then falling back to earth can mean giving something a try and not quite making it.

Falling is used in figures of speech such as “fall from grace” and “take a fall.” Fall from grace means a loss of status, respect, or prestige. To take a fall means to accept blame, particularly for something you did not do. The same meaning is expressed in the term “fall guy.” See: Descending

Falling can symbolize a fallen state of being.

Falling can symbolize a decline in physical or mental health, or fear related to it.

It can symbolize depression. Depression is something that a person is said to “fall into.” See: Depression

Falling is associated with “hitting bottom,” a term used in recovery groups and therapy to mean a person is tired of living in a fallen state and is ready to turn his or her life around.

Voluntarily leaping carries a different connotation. It can mean venturing into the unknown, being a daredevil, or the idea expressed in the phrase “leap of faith.” The fall is not scary, or at least doesn’t carry the same fear or dread as other falls. And the landing, if there is one, is soft. For example, you leap from a cliff into a pool of water and emerge unscathed, showing that you venture out of your comfort zone and everything turns out all right.

Falling can symbolize being pushed into something you are reluctant to do, especially when you’re not sure where you’re headed. Falling through empty air captures that idea in one image. You have no idea when or where you’ll land.

Falling from a bridge can symbolize failing to take advantage of opportunity. A bridge is a route to somewhere, and in life opportunities are routes to get to where you want to be. Thus, falling from a bridge can mean you aren’t getting to where you want to be in life. Or you miss an opportunity to “bridge the gap.” See: Bridges

A tooth falling out has a variety of possibilities for symbolism, as does a tree. See: Teeth, Trees

See also: Abyss, Bridges, Buildings, Cliffs, Depression, Depression, Descending, Destruction, Elevators, Flying, Teeth, Trees

This interpretation is from ""The Dream Interpretation Dictionary: Symbols, Signs, and Meanings" and is provided by J.M. DeBord aka "RadOwl". He is the author of several acclaimed books about dreaming, the host of The Dreams That Shape Us podcast, and is a moderator of r/Dreams, one of the largest dream sharing communities on the internet.

Examples of dreams of falling

Read some real dream reports of falling dreams.. These real life dream reports come from the moderated dream sharing communities of Reddit including r/Dreams, r/Nightmares, r/DreamInterpretation, or r/thisdreamihad. Please note that some of these may contain graphic, sexual, or violent images and text. Use the source link for each dream to view and join the discussion of each one.

I’ll never forget this dream. 18 years ago when I was 10, I lived an entire life in a single night.

It began with me playing outside, I was a child and had siblings, loving parents, it was was in a mideval time era. I remember my teenage years, I learned archery and swordplay (archery was my prowess) and joined the military as a young man. I served as a guard for my town and then was called away to war. Over the years, I progressed from soldier, to captain, to general, then eventually king.

I married and had children and eventually grandchildren. Then at the end of my life I remember sitting alone on a chair in the woods; fall had come, dead leaves blowing by on a wind that promised snow was not far away. I remember appreciating my life and my loved ones as my long gray hair blew across my face in the wind. I remember a single tear fall from my face as I knew my time had come to die. Then my life flashed before my eyes, in reverse, back to when I was a child, and with a white light I awoke in my bed with tears on my face.

I cried in earnest then, for the loss of those I loved, knowing that even though they werent real, Id never see them again. I’ll never forget that dream, it was... yeah, no word can describe it, surreal doesnt do it justice. I was 10.

It began with me playing outside, I was a child and had siblings, loving parents, it was was in a mideval time era. I remember my teenage years, I learned...

Source | Show dream

Have you ever had a dream where you fell in love with a stranger?

As the title suggests, I just woke up after experiencing this and feel very weird.

In my dream I was in a mall type of thing at night and this stunning japanese woman bumped into me asking if I had the time. I said yes and continued walking around this mall. A little later I found a huge set of stairs and slid all the way to the bottom on the railings.

At the bottom of the stairs, the girl from earlier was there and timidly asked me if I wanted to grab some food with her. I said yes immediately.

I then remember spending some time talking to her about random stuff, but finding her more and more interesting and attractive. Her friends were cool and played in a weird funk-metal kind of band and asked if I wanted to be involved.

After talking she asked if I wouldn’t mind walking her up to apartment as it was super late. I of course obliged and went with her. After arriving she invited me in and I remember her place being absolutely huge and overlooking whatever city this dream was supposed to be in.

We talked some more about what her future plans were and how similar our goals were. It got to the point where we were close and kissing and eventually slept together. I just remember there being this weird warmth in my chest whilst this happening, and it felt like nothing I had experienced before.

After waking up from this, I feel almost hollow and honestly kind of depressed. I can still remember how she smelt and how I felt when she looked me in the eyes.

The fucked up part of this is that I’ve been dating someone for the past 6 months or so, and after this dream, dare I say that I feel less close to her?

Has anyone else experienced something like this? What does it mean? Is it my mind telling the girl I’m with isn’t the right one for me? I’m so confused.

As the title suggests, I just woke up after experiencing this and feel very weird.

In my dream I was in a mall type of thing at night and this stunning...

Source | Show dream

Super creepy lucid dream in where a man tried to prove the dream world was real.

It started with me at a crossroad, I tried to make cars collapse using telekinesis after finding out I was dreaming. Nothing worked. The strangest thing was that I could use my imagination, visualize things in my head, and then come back to the dream. That's how "stable" it was.

At one point, I encountered a man who wore a black jacket, and had thin black hair. He told me this dream was real.

I sighted heavily. "This can't be real!", I let out.

"Oh really? Well how about I prove it to you?" the man said with a grin.

"I will translate any given word or sentence to French, I assume you don't know any French... You can check Google Translate to see if it's correct when you wake up.", the man added.

I started thinking. What could be a real good torture test here?

"Hmm, I have been to France many times..." I said. "I'm afraid I might've subconsciously seen the word, and it's translation already."

And then I had a grand idea: "What if I translate a sentence that I never had to use IRL in France?!", I thought.

"Ok...", I turned to the man with a smirk. "Translate: I am dreaming".

The man said something back with a French accent. I don't remember the exact word anymore as I really didn't know how to write it. But it was really short.

"Wait that short? There's no way that's the French translation."

"Oh, I'm sure it is, you can check later when you wake up."

"Can you say it again? I really want to remember it clearly..."

The man said it again, it was once again audible but impossible to write down in letters for someone that doesn't speak French (and perhaps dreaming might have something to do with it).

"I'm afraid I can't remember that too clearly", I said, worried but at the same time not willing to let this chance go.

"Just type the English sentence in Google Translate and see if it sounds the same, that should be enough.", the man said very confidently.

-----

After I woke up, you can already imagine the first thing I did. I opened Google Translate (https://translate.google.nl/?sl=en&tl=fr&text=I%20am%20dreaming&op=translate) immediately after waking up as to avoid forgetting any more than I had to. And indeed the translated sentence sounded exactly the same. Creepy...

It started with me at a crossroad, I tried to make cars collapse using telekinesis after finding out I was dreaming. Nothing worked. The strangest thing was...

Source | Show dream

I fell in love... in a dream.

I had a dream a few hours ago, and I can't stop thinking about it. I won't go into the details -- it was a crazy, complicated dream -- but I fell in love with a guy, who was then hit by a car. When he woke up from the coma, I realized I was in love with him, and I just remember hugging him so tightly all night and sobbing because I had almost lost him.

When I woke up, I felt this huge loss. I don't miss him, but I miss that feeling. I can still almost feel my arms around me. I've never been in love before (I'm still in HS) but I don't think I've ever felt like that before -- it wasn't just an infatuation. It was genuine love and deep, passionate caring, like our souls understood each other. Maybe I'm just touch starved.

Anyway. I know I sound crazy. I'm sorry for my rambling. But has anyone else experienced this?

I had a dream a few hours ago, and I can't stop thinking about it. I won't go into the details -- it was a crazy, complicated dream -- but I fell in love with...

Source | Show dream

Does anyone ever establish deep relationships with people in a dream and then becomes devastated when they realize it was all fake?

Today was the second time i kind of fell in love in a dream. The dream lasted a ton of days and basically it was my (almost) ordinary life, but i became friends with a guy and spent most of my free time hanging out with him. The dream ended after we spent all night talking at his house and suddenly it was 8 am and i was incredibly late to class. It was incredibly depressing to wake up and have to accept that he never existed.

Today was the second time i kind of fell in love in a dream. The dream lasted a ton of days and basically it was my (almost) ordinary life, but i became friends...

Source | Show dream
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