What Does It Mean If You Regularly Dream About Falling?
If you’ve ever had a dream about falling, you’re not alone. Falling dreams are among some of the most common dreams we have and many of us regularly experience this type of dream. And even if you can’t necessarily remember the finer details of the dream itself, I’m sure many of you can relate to the sensation of jolting awake when you fall in your sleep.
But what does it mean if you regularly dream about falling?
In this article, I’m going to look at some of the reasons we dream about falling along with the different types of falling dreams. So, if you’re someone who has ever had a dream about falling, read on to find out more.
What Does It Mean If You Dream About Falling?
As with all dream interpretation, there is no solid scientific evidence to pinpoint what dreams actually mean. And of course, everything is very much a matter of personal interpretation. However, as so many of us dream about falling, patterns do start to emerge which suggest certain emotions are at play.
Dreaming about falling is usually associated with feeling out of control or overwhelmed by something that is going on in your waking life. You may be worried about something or someone and this plays out in your dreams, when your brain has a chance to process some of your thoughts and feelings. Of course, sometimes dreaming about falling can just be to do with the fact you’ve rolled too close to the edge of your bed and sensing that a physical fall is imminent your brain sends a warning through your dreams to wake you up before you fall out. In general though, if you dream about falling it is usually because you’re feeling as though problems are slipping away from you and that you are helpless to stop them. Which is why it’s worth taking a look at the different types of falling dreams we experience so that you can try and get to the bottom of what could be troubling you.
10 Types Of Dreams About Falling
There are lots of different ways we can fall in our dreams, here are 10 of them:
1. Falling Off A Cliff
If you have experienced falling from a cliff in your dream it suggests that you are possibly taking a risk in life at the moment, and the decision you make may literally have you feeling as though you’re hanging onto the edge of a cliff. This is at the more extreme end of falling dreams, in fact it’s closer to being a nightmare than a dream, as it can feel utterly terrifying when you fall from such a dramatic height. Interestingly, people always wake up before impact, but none the less the feeling of being out of control can certainly get the adrenaline pumping and your heart rate raised, which is never a nice feeling to wake up to!
2. Falling From The Sky
Another nightmarish situation is falling from the sky. This type of falling dream again represents a feeling of being out of control, but unlike falling from a cliff where you are able to see what you would land on, falling from the sky is a lot more ambiguous. This would suggest that in the same way you are falling into the unknown in your dream, you may also be dealing with a situation in your waking life that is unknown to you. We usually dream about falling from the sky when we are going through a major life change and this may again evoke feelings of helplessness and being out of control. If your fall is in slow motion, which can often be the case in this type of dream, it may mean that you are struggling to make a decision and that you need more time.
3. Being In A Falling Lift
This is a real heart in your stomach moment, the ultimate falling dream. It’s fast, terrifying, and completely out of your control. Dreaming of being in a lift as it drops to the ground can mean that your mood is not as positive as it should be. The loss of control and the confinement of being trapped inside a small space indicates a loss of self-esteem. Just as you are trapped in the lift, your true self is trapped inside you.
4. Someone Else Falling
Sometimes it’s not us that is the one falling in our dream, it is someone else that we know. Apparently, we can only ever dream about people we have seen. Now of course, if you take into consideration all of the people we pass in the street each day, the people we see on TV, in crowds etc., there are literally hundreds and thousands if not millions of people that we could potentially be dreaming about. However, when it comes to emotionally triggering dreams like falling it is usually people we know, who mean a lot to us, like family and friends.
Perhaps the person who is falling in your dreams is someone that you are worried about in real life. It could be that you worry they aren’t dealing with a situation, or that you can see their life or a problem they are dealing with spiralling out of control. Dreaming about someone else falling can also mean that you are concerned about that person slipping away from you in real life. Maybe a relationship is starting to break down and you are worried about them leaving you. It’s worth paying attention to who the person is that’s falling and reflecting on why it is them specifically who features in your dream.
5. Falling From A Building
When buildings feature in a dream it is usually to signify a new project, however when you are falling from a building it can suggest a break down in the structure of your life, whether that be in a relationship, work, financial problems etc. Similar to falling from a cliff, this type of falling dream is about lack of control but with the added twist of feeling disappointed in yourself for having given up on something too soon and have therefore failed to reach your goal.
6. Falling Down A Staircase
Stairs are a very powerful symbol in the dream world as they represent which direction we see ourselves taking. Either it is a positive sign of us moving up, progressing and reaching our goals, or on the flipside it is seen as a negative sign if we are walking down them, or worse if we are falling down a staircase. Falling down the stairs implies that something or someone is getting in your way in life, that keeps tripping you up, and setting you back.
7. Being Pushed
What if you didn’t trip, but you were pushed instead? Falling dreams aren’t always as a result of our own doing, sometimes it can involve someone else pushing us. If you have experienced this type of dream about falling it may symbolise that someone else is responsible for you feeling out of control. Perhaps they are the source of your current difficulties. They are ones pushing you to the edge.
8. Tripping/Falling Over Yourself
If your dream involves you tripping over yourself it could indicate that you are concerned about falling behind in life. This could be at work, but could also be in other areas of your life such as your relationships. A trip may also point towards you worrying about making a mistake and this could really be holding you back from making progress in certain areas of your life.
9. Losing Your Balance
When you dream about losing your balance it is a direct reflection of your own imbalance in waking life. Maybe you’re having a wobble about something or someone, or perhaps you’re feeling vulnerable or uneasy. Look for clues in your dreams to help you get to the root of what’s going on, in particular locations and people.
10. Slipping Or Losing Your Grip
Dreams that involve slipping suggest that you are worried about slipping up or making a mistake in life. As with all dreams about falling, it is symbolic of losing control and not being able to get a grip on things. Perhaps you feel as though life is slipping by, or that you’re holding on by a thread,
Conclusion
Dreams about falling are incredibly commonplace and as you can see they mostly involve control issues, which can trigger anxiety. If you regularly dream about falling it’s worth keeping a dream journal for a while to see if you can recall some of the more specific details of your dream. This should help you work out what might be troubling you. See it as your own form of therapy if you like. And once you’ve figured that out, maybe your falling dreams will stop and hopefully the only falling you’ll need to worry about is falling asleep!
