What does it mean to dream of being chased? Is dreaming of being chased a good sign? Dreams of being chased can have various real-life influences and reactions, as well as the dreamer's subjective imagination. Please see the detailed explanation of the dream of being chased as organized by the Zhougong Dream Interpretation website below.
Being chased: The pressures of real life, or inner fears like floods and beasts.
Dreaming of being chased or hunted by people, animals, or even aliens, and you are running breathlessly. Such dreams remind one of the always stressful realities of life, so the source of the pressure is the key to understanding such dreams. If you can identify that the one chasing you is your boss or wife, it will certainly help to clarify the dream's meaning. But if unfortunately, the face of your pursuer is blurry, you can only infer who your 'enemy' might be from the people who helped or accompanied you during your escape. Hence, next time in the dream, try to muster the courage to look closely, then you will understand where your inexplicable fear comes from. Facing the danger is the way to solve the problem.
Regarding the pursuer:
If you can remember the specific person who was chasing you, the interpretation becomes very clear. If it is a boss or colleague, it relates to your work or study environment and pressures; if it is a family member or child, it naturally relates to family oppression.
However, more often than not, the 'enemy' chasing you is often a manifestation of yourself, which is why you can't shake it off. This manifestation is essentially your instincts, such as a sense of morality, responsibility, guilt, etc. If the 'enemy' is a part of you, then the outcome of the chase is very important.
Regarding the outcome of the chase:
You might stand up and confront the enemy, whether by setting traps or picking up a machine gun and firing wildly, representing a temporary rational victory by suppressing your inner fears.
You might find a safe place to hide, which represents a temporary avoidance method to gain inner peace. But this is often a form of self-deception, putting on a disguise to deliberately not feel anxiety. Dreamers with this type of personality are generally weaker.
You might run for a long time and finally get killed or wake up in terror, symbolizing that the dreamer usually suppresses their instincts too much, leading to strong resistance or retaliation from the instincts once the suppression reaches a certain intensity. The more ferocious the pursuit in the dream, the greater the intensity of the dreamer's instinct suppression.
If you inexplicably make peace with the enemy, pay attention to how you turn hostility into friendship in the dream; this is a wisdom gift from the dream outside of the fright. Perhaps using the same method, you can easily solve your real-life confusion.
Regarding the process of the chase:
Analyze how you are escaping, whether you are running swiftly or trying to run but can't run fast. Most people in dreams try to run but can't run fast, making them very scared in the dream. This reflects a self-recognition that they believe they lack the ability to avoid the dangers they face in life.
For example, a netizen once dreamed of being chased by someone, trying to escape but couldn't run fast, then leaped into the air trying to fly up to the sky, only to be grabbed by the ankle. This dream reflects the dreamer's attempt to escape reality through fantasy (flying up to the sky) but being caught by reality.
If you try to hide, but no matter where you hide, you are always found, no matter how tightly you close the door, it’s useless. Wherever you run, the pursuer is always a few steps behind you. In such cases, the person or animal chasing you is part of yourself, your conscience, or your values, or is a symbol of your memories, worries, and pains. Since the pursuer is in your mind, you can’t hide from it because you can’t completely deceive yourself.
Zhouyi Dream Interpretation
Dreams of being chased are probably the most common dreams, almost everyone has had such dreams.
For example, being chased by a dog or a pack of dogs, chased by a gang of bandits or robbers, chased by a group of enemies, etc.
According to Freud's theory, the symbolic meaning of such dreams refers to the conflict between a person's self and instincts. For example, sexual instincts and aggression instincts are often suppressed by civilization and society, so they are generally symbolized by beasts or savage, beastly people. In other words, in such dreams, dogs or other ferocious beasts, bandits, robbers, etc., symbolize the instincts. And the one being chased is usually the dreamer, sometimes it may be someone else, but it still symbolizes the dreamer's self.
Emotionally, this kind of dream is a manifestation of fear. It shows that the dreamer is facing some kind of danger in their life and is very afraid of it, desperately wanting to escape and get rid of this danger.
Running away might have been our animal ancestors' first reaction when encountering danger. When a monkey sees a ferocious beast, it doesn't hide in a cave like a snake, or curl up into a ball like a hedgehog, or retreat into a shell like a turtle. The best choice for a monkey is to run.
Therefore, avoiding due to fear is one of the deepest instincts in human nature. When afraid, you naturally dream of running away, and the dangerous enemy will relentlessly chase you.
Therefore, if an interpreter wants to know what makes the dreamer so fearful, they should ask the dreamer what kind of person is chasing them in the dream; if not a person, then what? The person, beast, or monster chasing them symbolizes the people or things they fear in real life. Although rationally the dreamer might not admit to being afraid of the other party, subconsciously they are already afraid. Making the dreamer aware of their inner fear is not a bad thing. The next step is to help the dreamer face this terrible reality, help them solve the problem, thus eliminating the fear and gaining inner security.
There was once a seventeen or eighteen-year-old girl who often dreamed of being chased. The author asked her who was chasing her. She replied, 'A beggar.'
So the author asked her if there was anyone in her life who, like a beggar, begged her for material or emotional needs.
She replied, 'That would be my parents. I was raised by my grandparents and didn't have much affection for my parents. Now that I live with them, they are always like beggars, begging for my affection. They often blame me for not having feelings for them. So I am quite afraid to see them.'
'They are the beggars in your dream. You want to escape them but can’t, so you are quite afraid. Their behavior is understandable, as all parents want their children to love them,' I said.
The little girl responded, 'So I also feel bad about myself, why can’t I love them?'
'You are not unfilial; emotions have their own rules and cannot be forced. Since you didn’t grow up with them, how can you suddenly have feelings for them? You don’t have to blame yourself for this. And you don’t have to be afraid of them because you are not wrong. Just like dealing with beggars, you can give money if you want, and not give if you don’t want to, no need to run away. They will gradually understand that emotions cannot be forced. After some time, you might actually develop real feelings for your parents,' I said.
If in your dream you don’t know who is chasing you, try to muster the courage to look closely, then you will understand where your inexplicable fear comes from. This is what is meant by facing the danger.
You can also analyze how you were running, whether you were running swiftly or trying to run but couldn’t run fast. Most people in dreams try to run but can’t run fast. The feeling of not being able to run fast makes them very scared in the dream. This reflects a self-recognition that they believe they lack the ability to avoid the dangers they face in life. For example, I once dreamed of being chased by someone, trying to run but couldn’t run fast, then leaped into the air trying to fly up to the sky, only to be grabbed by the ankle. This dream reflects my attempt to escape reality through fantasy (flying up to the sky) but being caught by reality.
Have you ever had such a dream: when being chased, you want to hide, but no matter where you hide, you are always found, no matter how tightly you close the door, it’s useless. Wherever you run, the pursuer is always a few steps behind you. Or like the woman who dreamed of a dog: she tried to hit the dog with a stick, but couldn’t kill it.
In such cases, the person or animal chasing you is part of yourself, your conscience, or your values, or a symbol of your memories, worries, and pains. Since the pursuer is actually in your mind, you can’t hide from it because you can’t deceive yourself.
By the way, do we have to obey our inner conscience? Not necessarily. For most people, the so-called conscience is just the education and family influence they received in their childhood, and it may not be correct. For instance, a person from the old times might think it is very disgraceful, immoral, and against conscience for a widow to remarry, but this conscience is just old morality. Through dreams, we can know what is 'chasing' us internally, and then analyze specifically what we should do. Whether to obey the pursuer, defeat it, or persuade it.
Since instincts do not consider social norms or ethics, often manifesting as sexual impulses and aggressive impulses, they inevitably conflict with a person's self. The outcome of a chase dream typically symbolizes the dreamer's strategy for resolving this conflict.
Generally speaking, chase dreams have the following endings:
(1) The chased person (usually the dreamer) is bitten or killed;
(2) The chased person plays dead or hides, escaping the beast or villain’s sight;
(3) The chased person confronts the beast or villain head-on.
Ending (1) symbolizes that the dreamer usually suppresses their instincts too much, leading to strong resistance or retaliation from the instincts once the suppression reaches a certain intensity. The more ferocious the pursuer in the dream, the greater the intensity of the dreamer’s instinct suppression;
Ending (2) symbolizes that the dreamer often adopts self-deception, turning a blind eye to release some instinctive impulses in daily life, giving these impulses some reasonable disguise, so that the self does not feel anxious. Such dreamers usually have a weaker personality;
Ending (3) symbolizes that the dreamer is still continuing to suppress their instincts in daily life, or the dreamer has suppressed their instincts for so long that they have become a rational machine.
None of the three endings above show a proper attitude towards instincts. The correct attitude towards instincts should be like Yu the Great controlling floods. Letting them flood is not an option, but suppressing them completely can lead to future troubles. 'Guiding' them is relatively more advisable.
Making peace with the beasts or villains in the dream is a form of guidance. If instincts are guided, they become a continuous source of vitality and energy; if suppressed and blocked, they eventually turn destructive; if overly suppressed, vitality and energy will wane.
Psychological Dream Interpretation
Dream Interpretation: Such dreams usually occur due to extreme worry or setbacks in real life. Dreaming of being chased and running is a bad omen, indicating that the dreamer wants to get rid of certain difficulties or pressures as much as possible, but often feels powerless. Actually, when there is no other way, one can seek help from others, using their strength to overcome difficulties.
Psychological Analysis: Dreaming of being chased by your wife indicates a happy life, harmonious marital relationship, and sweet love. Dreaming of being chased by a friend indicates that the difficulties you face will be hard to overcome, and you will lose your friend’s help at crucial moments. Dreaming of being chased by animals may indicate depression due to unresolved work and life difficulties. Dreaming of being chased by a ghost means the dreamer will have a bad reputation, or may suffer mental problems due to work and life pressures. Dreaming of chasing someone else means that all your current efforts are in vain, and achieving your goals requires additional effort. Dreaming of chasing the opposite sex indicates that the dreamer is single and melancholic, but may soon meet someone they like.
Case Analysis of Dreaming of Being Chased (from )
Dream Description: Mr. Cao’s company is a leader in its industry, and his business ability is widely recognized in the industry. Recently, the company arranged for him to take over a management position from a technical post to develop a new project. He started to worry about what if he fails the new project? He was anxious, worried about his ability, making mistakes, and not keeping his current position. His worries grew, and his behavior became more conservative, indecisive in dealing with people, lacking his previous decisiveness, and his work mistakes increased. He became more anxious, fearing failure. One night, he dreamed of being chased by a group of men with nowhere to escape, stepping on air on the stairs, and falling. One man raised a big knife and slashed at Mr. Cao, cutting his face and disfiguring him. He woke up scared.
Dream Interpretation: The symbolic meaning of chase dreams refers to the conflict between a person's self and instincts. For example, sexual instincts and aggression instincts are often suppressed by civilization and society, so they are generally symbolized by beasts or savage, beastly people. In other words, in such dreams, dogs or other ferocious beasts, bandits, robbers, etc., symbolize the instincts. And the one being chased is usually the dreamer, sometimes it may be someone else, but it still symbolizes the dreamer's self. The chase and killing in dreams symbolize psychological conflict. The mind is like a dam; if the water inside accumulates too high, it will break through, so the water inside the dam needs both containment and guidance. The more external demands suppress a person’s natural instincts, the stronger the rebound, and the more likely nightmares will follow. Nightmares suggest paying attention to the balance of body, reason, emotion, and sexual energy.
Therefore, Mr. Cao’s dream indicates that he subconsciously does not want to accept the new position, knowing what is most suitable for him, which is reflected in the dream. The dream’s warning is that if Mr. Cao insists on taking the unsuitable job, he will fail—being chased and falling from the stairs, and losing his current prestige—symbolized by disfigurement in the dream.