The Decoded Meaning For Your Dream of Being Chased:

Dreams of being chased are not uncommon, but the details of the chase are almost always specific to your life situation. Dream interpreters can use the details in your dream to decode the meaning as it applies specifically to you. The symbolism of being chased is the first important clue.

You can use the context of your dream, the other details such as why you were being chased or what was chasing you, and how you were feeling while being chased, along with these interpreted guides to discover the message your inner-self is trying to send to your waking self.

The starting point for interpreting this dream is to understand that it almost certainly means you are running from or trying to avoid something. You are feeling anxiety or even fear about facing it.

A Jungian interpretation says that "something" could be a person or a particular life issue, but regardless of which it is, it is still a sign that you are afraid of something or don't want to face a situation that you know must be faced. Your subconscious mind, (your inner-self), is sending you a message that you must face it.

From the starting point that dreaming about being chased is a sign of avoidance and anxiety, Jung interpretations rely on the other details and context of your dream to further understand its message.

Of course, the more details you can remember the more specific the interpreted meaning can be. Some dream symbols may point to an emotion-related message, (afraid of love or commitment, or of responsibility and vulnerability), or a dream detail may point to a specific person or waking life issue, (like a co-worker, or acquaintance, or a work or life task).

Here are some questions that can be very important in helping you understand what your dream means to you, not just a generic meaning that applies to anyone:

• What or who is chasing you?
• How do you feel while being chased?
• Are you running wildly, or dodging, or hiding?
• Is what you are running from gaining on you, or are you getting away?

Most people begin to forget the details of a dream within about ten minutes of waking, but some details may be so strongly felt, (like being chased), that they are never forgotten. It is those "other" details, the ones you gradually forget, that you must try to remember to answer these questions.

A person:

If it is a person, a man or woman that you know, it could signify emotional anxiety. You may be feeling fear about something to do with a relationship, either romantic, social, or work-related. You may be trying to avoid or leave a relationship, or that one is drawing you in deeper than you want to go. In this case, the message is that you must turn and face your chaser. You must take a stand.

If the person chasing you is a stranger, it probably means you are avoiding making a decision about some waking-life, or work-related issue. It may not relate to a specific instance or event, but to a general attitude or position. You may be accepting something, (like always being the "go-to" person for extra work tasks or the one person everyone always calls to help), that you don't really want to accept any more. Your decision may be painful to make, but your inner-self knows you must make it and is trying to send you that message.

An animal:

The type of animal is important. If it is a strong or fierce animal, it probably has something to do with an emotion like anger. This anger could be driving many aspects of your waking life. You could be simmering about some on-going issue in your life that either you can't change, or one you are avoiding or afraid of addressing. The message may be that you are holding anger that is harming you, and rather than avoid or ignore it, you must turn and face it.

If the animal is a friendly or safe animal, then the association is most probably with a more personal issue. It may not be an issue or decision that you are afraid of, or trying to avoid, but one that is waiting for you to face. Your inner-self knows you are aware and is reminding you to act.

Something you can't see:

Whatever is chasing you is shrouded in fog or darkness, or is hidden when you turn to see what is chasing you.

This is almost certainly related to anxiety or fear about a general condition of your life. You may be feeling like something bad is going to happen but you don't know what it is. Or some action you have or haven't taken is going to turn out bad.

This is a strong message that you must face your fear. Whatever is causing your fear is not going to go away. You must take action to drive it away. Look for other details in your dream that may be clues to what you are running from.

You are chasing yourself:

Both Jung and Freudian interpretations agree on this meaning. The message is to stop the fear, avoidance, or anxiety, and just deal with it. Your inner-self is telling you that you know the problem must be dealt with and that you know that you can deal with it.

The problem could be anything from a personal development issue to a work or relationship issue, but you can handle it and you know that you must.

The simple interpretation is to stop putting it off, stop procrastinating.

Are you afraid of being caught, or confident of escaping? Are you running in terror, or just running to get away?

Running in terror:

On the surface, almost everything about a dream of being chased points to fear or anxiety. Fear of whatever it is you are running from, fear of what is chasing you, and fear of what will happen when you are caught, but there can be other interpretations that may show a more important message is being sent.

Considering the level of the fear or anxiety you are feeling while being chased in your dream and relating it to things you fear in your waking life can offer another clue to what your dream means.

If you are afraid of forming new relationships in your everyday life, then the message could be related to the anxiety of a new relationship or an escalation of a current one. If you are worried about a work issue; a new task or new boss in your waking life, then the message could be about your fear that you can't handle the change.

Just running to get away:

If you are just running to escape, you don't feel terror or fear of what is chasing you, the most likely meaning is one of avoidance.

You aren't afraid of what is chasing you, you just don't want to face it. This message is fairly clear that there is a change, or anticipated change, in your life that you just don't want to deal with. It could be something like taking on a new task at work or adjusting to a change in a relationship, or a life-change like moving. Your sub-conscience is telling you to take control of your life and face the change.

How you are running away is another indicator of how strongly you feel about the problem, (whatever is chasing you), and how you feel about the serious consequences of being caught.

The way you are running away is a clue to how strong your feelings are about whatever it is you are trying to avoid. Running wildly and dodging frantically is an obvious sign that this is more than just being anxious about facing your chaser, you are fearful of the outcome.

Just loping along ahead of your chaser, or just playfully dodging out of reach indicates you are not fearful of being caught, (facing the problem), just that you aren't anxious to confront it.

To understand what your dream of being chased means to you, you must put the puzzle pieces and clues together. Think about the questions of how and why you were running, then try to add the context and other details of your dream to help determine which of the general interpretations might apply to you.

As an example, if you were fearfully running wildly, then consider where you were in your dream. A dark scary unknown place, or, perhaps you were in familiar surroundings in your dream? One could point to fear, but the other might be pointing to anxiety.

Look for details in your dream that might relate to, or symbolize things in your waking life. Any familiar or meaningful details will be clues to which of the general interpretations fit your dream. Pay particular attention to details that, although not exact examples, may represent some familiar aspect of your daily life.

Also, look for symbols that may direct your attention to the affected area of your life, such as work, or social, or relationship, that your dream is symbolizing. Without considering these other aspects of your dream you will not be able to understand the message your inner-self is sending you. But with them, and the general concepts of dreams about being chased, you may easily decode that inner message.