Background

What are illness dreams about?

Illness are states of poor health or disease. They can be minor like a common cold. They can be major and be life changing. The DreamWell Dream Dictionary is based upon insights from 1,200 dream symbols in over 200,000 dreams. Let’s see what the data has to say about illness dreams.

The word cloud above shows the words that are specifically associated with illness dreams. These are the words that make illness dreams unique compared to all other dream symbols. Just examining the graph and reading the words of illness dreams can be illuminating about show illness affect our dreams. Be sure to check out the example illness dreams at the bottom of the page.

The circular bar chart above shows how illness in a dream will affect dream content as compared to other dream symbols. Higher bars indicate that illness is more related to the specific symbol in the graph. Lower bars indicate that illness is less related to the specific symbol in the graph. Specifically, illness dreams have more health events than 99.9% of dream symbols, more bad dreams than 91.5% of dream symbols, and more pain than 87.8% of dream symbols. On the other hand, illness dreams have less natural places than 82.5% of dream symbols, less vision than 76.6% of dream symbols, and less transportation than 75.3% of dream symbols. Notably, illness dreams might be nightmares! Though even if these dreams are nightmares, it doesn't necessarily mean that they are bad dreams or that illness is a bad thing to dream about. It just means that dreams of illness are more likely to be nightmares than dreams of other things. Finally, dreams of illness are usually described as bad dreams. This does not necessarily mean that all illness dreams are bad. It is just that dreaming of illness might increase the chance that it is a bad dream. Every dream is unique. These are general patterns observed in an analysis of over 200,000 dreams. This analysis is a tool to help you make sense of your dreams. It is best to look at the differences. See how your dream of illness is different than dreams of illness in general.

3.1%

of dreams have illness

How common are illness dreams?

3.1% of dreams have the illness symbol within the dream. That's about 1 out of every 30 dreams. Considering all the dream symbols, it is relatively common.

Identification

How are illness dreams identified?

This symbol is identified by words like sick, ill, and illness. This symbol is part of summary dream symbols events and health events.

Most related

What is most related to dreams of illness?

Illness dreams are notable because they have substantially more fevers, fever dreams, Kuwait, Fiji, disease, El Salvador, vomiting, abscesses, Guatemala, Bangladesh, jackals than 95% of other dream symbols.

Least related

What symbols least related to dreams of illness?

Illness dreams are notable because they have substantially less antelopes, the Truman Show, emaciation, Dobby, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, Bilbo Baggins, Frodo, Gandalf, Gimli, Legolas than 95% of other dream symbols.

Deep dive into illness dreams

Get an overview of characters, emotions, places, events, dream events, and senses in illness dreams.

Who is in dreams of illness?

Who is in dreams of illness?

Illness dreams are more related to family than dreams in general. They are less related to animals, less related to unnamed people, and less related to fantastic beings.

less than usual
the same as usual
less than usual
less than usual
less than usual
the same as usual
more than usual
the same as usual
What are the emotions in dreams of illness?

What are the emotions in dreams of illness?

Dreams of illness are more related to happiness, more related to sadness, and more related to grief and sorrow than dreams in general. They are less related to fun.

more than usual
more than usual
more than usual
the same as usual
the same as usual
more than usual
more than usual
more than usual
less than usual
more than usual
Where do dreams of illness take place?

Where do dreams of illness take place?

Dreams of illness are less related to human-made places, less related to transportation, and less related to natural places.

the same as usual
the same as usual
less than usual
less than usual
less than usual
the same as usual
the same as usual
What happens in dreams of illness?

What happens in dreams of illness?

Dreams of illness are more related to sex, more related to death, and much more related to health events than dreams in general. They are less related to aggressive acts and less related to disasters.

less than usual
the same as usual
more than usual
less than usual
the same as usual
more than usual
much more than usual
How do dreams of illness related to the type of dream it is?

How do dreams of illness related to the type of dream it is?

Dreams of illness are more related to nightmares, more related to sleep paralysis, and much more related to bad dreams than dreams in general. They are less related to weird dreams, less related to vivid dreams, and less related to good dreams.

the same as usual
more than usual
the same as usual
more than usual
much more than usual
less than usual
less than usual
less than usual
more than usual
How do dreams of illness related the senses?

How do dreams of illness related the senses?

Dreams of illness are less related to vision and less related to touch.

the same as usual
the same as usual
the same as usual
less than usual
less than usual

How can you make sense of illness in dreams?

Illness dreams are relatively common. Among other things illness dreams are nightmares and bad dreams. Do you think this is true for your dream of illness? How might your dream of illness be different?

All dreams have meaning

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

Look for the differences

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

Return to the feelings

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 illness in dreams. See how you feel about illness now, in your waking life.

An interpretation of illness dreams

An interpretation of illness dreams

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. While illness in a dream is likely to symbolize something unrelated to physical health, first consider the obvious: you might really be ill, or have an illness developing and aren’t consciously aware of it. For example, a dream about finding sick fish in a fishbowl filled with bad water warns the dreamer that a urinary-tract infection is coming on. By applying a simple home remedy, the dreamer treats the condition before it flares into a full-blown illness. An illness can be represented directly, but is more likely to be referred to using symbolism, such as in the last example. Illness is sometimes referred to as “a bug,” so a dream can represent an illness as an insect or infestation of insects. See: Insects Generally, a reference to illness in a dream is more likely to mean that something is out of kilter, not working as it should. It is “ill,” dysfunctional. That idea can apply widely to create symbolism. For example, a dysfunctional work or home environment is said to be ill. Societies can be ill. The idea applies to dysfunctional organizations and people, too, creating cross-references that can be used as symbolism. “Sick in the head” means mental illness or moral depravity. See: Psychologists Behaviors that cut against the grain can be labeled as mental illness and represented as physical illness. For example, today’s ADHD diagnosis in children used to be called “rebellion” or “free thinking.” Dreams can use this contradiction between what we’re told is illness and what we know to be true to create symbolism. Illness can begin with belief. Belief that you are ill can be a self-fulfilling prophecy, and dreams know the difference. Dreams will create scenarios involving illness then leave it up to you whether to believe it. If you react with disbelief, or a dream character reacts that way, it’s an indicator to examine the connection between belief and reality. What the mind believes to be true—especially about health and the body—becomes true. This is especially true in dreams, because they create simulated realities based on what you believe to be true, and what you believe to be true in a dream can become true when you are awake. For example, author Robert Moss dreamed about seeing through the eyes of another man as the man was shot multiple times in the chest. Moss woke up with welts on his chest where the bullets penetrated! During the dream, he thought it was real, and his body responded in kind. See also: Abscesses, Insects, Chasing, Disease, Doctors, Elderly people, Fevers, Hospitals, Infecting, Insanity, Psychologists, Vultures

Examples of dreams of illness

Reading dreams is one of the best ways to understand dream symbols. Even though the DreamWell Dream Dictionary is based upon data, it is grounded in the experience of reading thousands upon thousands of dreams. We invite you to read examples of illness dreams for yourself. These dreams are actual dreams people have had. As result, they may contain racist, sexist, violent, or otherwise offense language and imagery. This can be true even for illness dreams. Read at your own risk.

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