Lauri in Verywell Mind: What Dreams About Being Chased Mean

In our words

What Lauri told Verywell Mind

Verywell Mind turned to Lauri to explain one of the most common recurring dreams of all. Her core point: being chased in a dream is rarely about physical danger. It usually shows that you are running from something in waking life, like a conflict, a responsibility, a feeling or a stressor such as bills or deadlines, and that avoiding it risks making the problem worse.

Who or what is chasing you is the biggest clue. Lauri explained that a pursuer with a knife can point to avoiding cutting someone out of your life, while a gun can reflect feeling under pressure or stung by criticism. A dog often points to a relationship or friendship issue you are steering around, a snake to a quietly toxic person, and a shark or alligator to someone with biting remarks.

Because avoidance is such a common habit, she says the dream returns whenever we choose flight over fight. Her suggestion is to wake up and ask one question: what am I running away from right now? Facing that issue is usually what makes the chase dreams stop.

This is our own summary. Read the original at Verywell Mind for the full article.