Past

Past

What does being in the past mean in your dream?

Opening the door to the past in dreams can create all sorts of crazy feelings when you wake up. Sometimes in life, we have to develop a skin that is tough (I am assuming that you have had a dream about the past) and you are wondering what earth it means. When you dream of the past there is a level of longing or even being stuck in an energy that no longer exists, but still needs to either be healed or purged from the mind of the dreamer.

  • Dreamed of your past home = in an attempt to reconnect to old times.
  • Dreamed of your past friends = you are being controlled by the more primitive or creative side of your psyche.
  • Dreamed of past school = you need to education on something important
  • Dreaming of past traumatic events = reflection of how people affect you
  • Made up with someone you have had a conflict with = time to forgive YOURSELF!
  • Ostrasization in the past = stop hiding away from problems

What does it mean to dream of the past?

Maybe you went back in time, maybe you met someone you have not seen for ages and found yourself in the past? Maybe reliving an event in your mind while you sleep. There is so many ways the past can pop up in our dreams but there is something that I need you to know. If you dream of past friends or relationships, this shows a longing to be back in that place and time. Perhaps a time which was more innocent or less complicated. Your dreaming mind is trying to tell you that it is time to process past experiences so that you might be able to stop reliving them over and over again. If dreams are not serving to help matters become better then they are pointless. Therefore, it is necessary to either accept the past or move on. If you find that in your dream you are behaving as if you were a child again in a certain scenario this symbolizes that you are currently being controlled by your creative or uninvolved side of the mind which prevents the conscience from getting too involved.

Is the dream about the past good or bad?

This really depends on the "theme" of your dream. Remember to take heed when there appears to be a situation coming back in the dream regarding your past. Take note as positive changes may come in the future. Perhaps in the dream, you have a re-occurring event that happened in the past? This is obviously coming to revisit you in your subconscious mind and is a good thing. It is important to understand to never shrink away from the responsibilities of the past, and try to become consciously aware of these past events which will make it easier to purge.

Metaphorically speaking, however, when one dreams of the past it is the attachment or the longing to recreate this past experience that we tend to dream about. This is the reliving of a past relationship that we weren’t ready to finish yet or the processing of a loved one who passed away suddenly and without notice.

You could apologize to somebody that you have fallen out with in your waking life. However, it is just a dream! then you wonder why you are dreaming of such people that you have had conflicts with. The dream state sometimes sorts out personal issues that we have in life. For example, if you fall out with somebody in waking life and then you make it up with them in dreamland, it is a way for the subconscious mind to heal.

Despite the fact that you don't want to reconnect with the people you have fallen out with in waking life, this dream is just a way to heal yourself from that experience. If you find that you are living in a previous home this suggests you are technically repeating old behavior in your waking life.

What does it mean to dream of a past lover?

So many people contact me about this dream. I want you to know this: your person has not moved on and they may be involved with someone else at the moment you are wondering if this is going anywhere and you are stuck in this person's energy and feel your energy, maybe you have tried to walk away from this connection but you can’t and this person feels deeply about you. It is sad but sometimes you have to let someone go, but by doing that you can release yourself. This person "popping" up in your dream can just be the fact they have thought about you recently.

Dreams about a past lover are often viewed as being symbolic of unresolved emotional things inside this particular connection as I mentioned above. To some extent, I feel these dreams can be thought of as manifestations of our subconscious minds; the way we process and communicate our innermost feelings. It's important to note that dreams about a past lover are not necessarily telling you something specific, but instead, they may represent underlying issues such as unaddressed concerns or unexpressed emotions from the relationship.

As it stands, I also believe it is necessary to acknowledge that sometimes these dreams could be entirely unrelated to lingering feelings from a previous relationship and instead are simply reflections on personal growth or changes in perspectives due to time passing by. This could suggest that you're feeling more secure in yourself after some time has passed after the end of your relationship with your former partner—perhaps having worked on yourself since then has allowed for heightened self-reflection which may manifest itself through this dream state.

Overall, when dreaming about a past lover it’s important to ask yourself: Are you sure this dream reflects unresolved feelings from this previous relationship? What insight do I gain from this dream? Is there anything within my current life that could have triggered these thoughts and emotions? Taking into account all factors might lead us closer to understanding what exactly your subconscious is trying tell you!

What does it mean to dream of being back in the past?

This can be a super weird dream, seeing yourself back in the past — could indicate a longing for simpler times and an escape from reality or some form of unfinished business in your life that you are subconsciously trying to face or work out. It is normal to experience nostalgia if we are unsatisfied with our current lives, and this may manifest itself as dreaming about returning to what felt safe and familiar in the past. Was it safe is the question I am asking you. Did you feel chilled out or was you stressed in the dream?

Once you identify these areas, and find ways to incorporate them into your present life (no matter how crazy things are in waking life right now) the dream could help improve how you feel about your current life circumstances.

You'll also want to consider whether there was something specifically going on during that period of time that was causing distress for which there weren't healthy coping mechanisms available — maybe those coping skills exist now but they weren’t accessible before due to age or other factors. This type of dream may simply suggest a need for healing from difficult experiences; while it's important not to dwell too much on whatever happened back then, having constructive conversations with yourself regarding those issues can help bring closure and allow for growth going forward.

I also believe that dreams have unique personal meanings better understood by reflecting deeply within ourselves rather than externally seeking answers from others. With enough contemplation — and possibly just seeing what triggers such dreams, I am confident that deep insight into one’s self can be gained so as to live more fully in present realities instead of yearning after any unresolved conflicts from the past ones.

What does it mean to dream of a traumatic event from the past?

Often times something traumatic has happened in our lives and our brain keeps replaying it, primarily because it doesn’t know what else to do. The replay happens so the brain can feel less and less pain, every time a difficult memory is thought about. For example, if one was abused as a child, it may have left such a significant mark on the mind that the mind repeats it over and over again. This has been known to happen to those people that have been abused as a child and are content and happy in adult life. Because the experience was so traumatic the subconscious mind dreams of the child abuse - in order to close down that part of the dreamer's subconscious.I know that might sound rather contradicting, it must be horrific to have to relive terrible memories of child abuse. It's as if you want to say to the universe was a childhood not enough in terms of pain? For you to continue to have dreams of child abuse may be a sign that you should visit a therapist in order to heal yourself from within.

What does it mean to dream of your past self?

I’m sure you would agree that dreaming of your past self can be a powerful reflection of personal growth and transformation. It may represent how far you've come since a specific situation or experience in the past and means how much you have changed as an individual.

I not so long ago dreamed of a friend-dumping incident may reflect on the emotional damage it caused at the time, but also signify that there has been healing over the course of time. Dreaming of seeing yourself younger in dreams — can often be an indicator that you are grateful for having moved on and determined to take this newfound confidence with you into your future. Feeling empowered by this path is normal – it means that despite difficulties in getting to where we are today, we have managed to turn it around and work hard towards something better than before.

In some cases, dreaming of our past selves can simply mean reliving old memories from different points in life; like being able to look back fondly on occasions filled with joy, laughter, and carefree moments - or acknowledging mistakes made which were part of our journey towards progress. Above all, it allows us to confront difficult feelings/situations without truly being submerged back into them again; which is why these dreams should never be taken lightly nor disregarded as insignificant.

I can spend days looking at myself (past actions) so what I am saying is to see yourself in a dream from the past try to maintain an open mind when processing such dreams – understanding their meaning deeply within ourselves – we may eventually realize greater clarity regarding who we really are at any given point in our lives.

What does it mean to dream of past friends?

To dream of past friends can be a sign that you are missing the closeness and connection that you previously had with them or it could suggest unresolved issues and feelings. It could also reflect the influence those past friendships have had on your current beliefs, values, and life decisions. For instance, if someone dreams of a friend they made in high school last weekend for example, it may be because they are trying to recall the good intentions and positive values they held during that time. If you fell out with a friend in real life and they pop up in your dream this can suggest there is unfinished business.

More than anything else, it is kind of my view that dreaming of past friends can be seen as an attempt by your subconscious to process emotions or thoughts related to those experiences. It is believed that these dreams offer guidance about what we need to learn from our memories or how we should handle similar situations in our waking lives today. Therefore, seeing an old friend can serve as reminder for us to take care of ourselves mentally and emotionally while still being able to move forward with our lives. In short, dreaming of past friends can help us realize some truths about ourselves or provide insight into relationships we're currently having.

What does it mean to dream of a past boss?

Did you leave your job? Were you sacked? Does not matter, as both these things are stressful. To see a past boss may be indicative of unresolved issues that still need to be addressed and it may also reflect your feelings about your current situation. If you watch my video above you will see what I mean. For example, if you’ve tried really hard to make things work with your current job but still feel that you are in a tough spot, then dreaming of an old boss might be symbolic of those feelings.

If you had a bad experience with the old boss or were let go or lost the job under unfavorable circumstances, then dreaming about them could mean unresolved emotions related to those events. It could be anger at how you were treated or regret for not having handled things better - whatever it is that remains unresolved and has been lingering in your mind can come up in dream form when we least expect it.

The content of these dreams may also vary widely depending on our daily outlooks and attitudes; for instance, if we're feeling overwhelmed by our work schedule or perhaps struggling with relationships among co-workers then going back in time to visit our ex-boss could represent a hope for some kind stability within an otherwise chaotic environment. Alternatively, if there's something we've been wanting desperately from life but don't seem able to achieve no matter how hard we try (such as getting promoted), dreaming about our former supervisor may signify a lack of any real progress made toward realizing that goal.

I also must add, those dreams involving an ex-boss could simply point towards past experiences which left their mark on us and refuse to leave us alone — especially if certain email messages sent by them keep resurfacing in our minds during awake hours. Replaying memories like these during sleep time gives us another opportunity to process what has happened without actually reliving all craziness associated with being let go from such jobs — so they should not always be looked upon as negative omens but rather seen as opportunities for self-reflection where deeper spiritual understanding exists beneath surface level interpretations.

What does it mean to find yourself in the past during a dream?

Seeing the past in the dream world is an enticing and intriguing experience (I am sure you will agree) it can offer us a unique window into the subconscious — especially looking back at stuff that happened that might affect us right now. When you find yourself in the past during a dream I think of the 6 of cups in a tarot reading, in that it could be that you are feeling nostalgia for the past and what it had to offer that your current life doesn’t feel like. It kind of reminds you of an opportunity to gain insight into how far you have come in life and all the growth that you have gone through.

The fact of being in a different time period within a dream often heightens our awareness about certain aspects of our lives; we become acutely aware of how small we are compared to everything else in the world, yet at times also have an understanding of how much potential greatness lies within us. This duality often causes us to question who we are and who we want to become as individuals. We feel both free from our current restrictions, but also recognize that so much more lies ahead if only given enough time and effort in crafting ourselves exactly how we would like to be seen by others.

As with any interpretive exercise regarding dreams, people tend to put their own spin on things according to their personal experiences - whether they relate to flying purple people from the past (joke).

That said, being in another era can indicate spiritual energy needing acknowledgment, while other dream theorists like Sigmund Freud feel that going back to old times is a symbol rather than a literal depiction – which means what you experience being in a past situation is likely representative of certain feelings or thoughts that are deep down inside yourself.

What does it mean to dream about past bad experiences?

We have all had things "happen" that we wish to forget. Reminding ourselves that we might not like someone anymore, or that we are done with striving for approval. Dreaming about past bad experiences can be an incredibly intense and emotionally charged experience. It often brings up a kaleidoscope of emotions including regret, guilt, sadness, anger, or fear. Depending on the severity of the trauma we experienced in our dreams, there can be powerful feelings that linger long after waking up.

When it comes to dealing with these kinds of dreams, it’s important to remember that they are just representations of events from our past and not necessarily direct replicas or accurate predictions of what will happen in the future. Though such dreams re-ignite strong emotions associated with those experiences, it does not directly signify that something similar will occur again or that something negative is currently happening in our lives.

When having these kinds of nightmares we should give ourselves time and permission to feel whatever arises without judgement; this isn’t easy as it often forces us to face parts of ourselves we would rather ignore but acknowledging them is an essential step towards healing. No matter how hard you try to deny yourself this experience you may find yourself plagued by recurring nightmares until you take your emotional well-being seriously enough to make changes within your life which help alleviate any current pressures potentially leading to more positive outcomes when sleeping at night.

You might find yourself dreaming about stressful situations involving your job repeatedly reminding you how drained you may become if you don't take care of yourself and learn healthier ways to cope with stress while being employed - remember no matter how pressured you feel taking care for yourself first is key.

Closing thoughts

In some ways, dreams of the past can symbolize growth and change: we all evolve over time as human beings, but our precious memories remain constant in our life stories regardless of how much time has passed since then. Remembering these moments --- both happy ones as well as times that were less pleasant --- provides us with an opportunity for reflection on who we were before and how far we've come since then. In this sense, dreaming of times gone by can help reconnect us with ourselves in meaningful ways even if those memories bring up mixed emotions along the way.

I feel dreaming about one’s own personal history is an inherent part of being human – no matter what age or stage one is at in life there will always be something special about revisiting cherished moments from that person’s history. Dreaming of our own personal history allows us a sort of spiritual outlet through which we can explore ourselves more profoundly and gain insight into life.

Positive changes are afoot if

  • You feel no pain regarding old painful memories which appear in the dream.
  • You find yourself accepting the memories of the past.
  • You dreamed of your past home.
  • You found new ways to get past your issues.

This dream is in association with the following scenarios in your life

  • Reliving past events.
  • A conflict re-lived.
  • Uncertainty of the future.
  • Unwillingness to take responsibility for one’s actions.

Feelings that you may have encountered during a dream of the Past

Happiness. Fear. Avoidance. Clarity. Spontaneity. Lack of responsibility. Misunderstanding. Lack of focus. Anger. Rejection. Pride. Denial.

By Flo Saul
Oct 12, 2012