Running away is a common theme in many stories; think of runaway brides, runaway children and runaway trains for a start. But those aren’t necessarily you, so what could it mean when you dream of running away? Are you channeling one of these themes, or are there specific problems you’re running from? Read on to find out.
Table of Contents
Dreams About Running Away
To interpret dreams of running away, one must consider the dream setting, the object or person you are running from, the physical environment, as well as the emotional reaction you have to the dream. Typically, running away in the dream indicates you are trying to escape from a frightening, painful subject.
When you are running in a dream to escape someone, that dream shows you are trying to avoid something or likely, someone. If you are running from someone in a dream, it is very possible you are trying to avoid that person in real life.
See also: Dreams about escape and running away | Dreams about not being able to run
Identifying What You’re Running From
If you cannot identify the person or thing that you are running from in your dream, this may be a sign that you are running from larger issues in your waking life. When you dream about running from a certain stranger or entity in the world, it is a reflection of the fact that you are inclined to avoid real issues in waking life.
If you are running in a dream because someone is after you, then that indicates you are dealing with some sort of subliminal worry in your waking life. Dreaming of being chased can mean you are running away from something that you need to deal with.
See also: Dreams about being chased
Running Dream
Running dreams typically indicate that you are trying to run away from a situation. Running in dreams is sometimes associated with a particular aspect of your life you are refusing to accept.
The dream also captures aspects of your personality, including your propensity for running away from problems in life. The actual interpretation of the dream depends on who the other person is.
Are You Threatening Me?
The most direct explanation for this dream is that you have a threat in your life, which you are trying to escape. You might not want to face a scary person, which is why you are running away from them in the dream.
If you are running away to avoid something in your dreams, that is an indicator you are avoiding problems that should be addressed right away in real life. If you were running away from a friend or family member in your dream, it is a sign that you are experiencing difficulties with their relationships in your everyday life.
What Is The Situation?
It is important to recognize what you are running away from in your dream state. This could be a need for you to get out of a situation, this could be a relationship, or, alternatively, family conflicts.
For example, if you are dreaming about snakes, it may be someone is cheating on you or threatening your life. If you dream that someone you know is following you, you might fear they are discovering a secret or will reveal it to others. Even if the person does not say this in the dream, you know they are trying to kill you.
Where Are You When You’re Running?
The places and people in your dreams are clues as to which one you might be running from. To understand a chase dream, spend some time looking at whom you are running from, and what is going on in your dreams.
If you are dreaming about running after someone and getting caught, that suggests that you are running in order to pursue something in your life. For lack of a better term, the way that your mind represents this is to give you dreams about running after someone and hiding.
Psychological Hints At Danger
Dreams of running may symbolise your fear about possible danger, your intuition warning you about certain threats, your inability to cope with the fears, or a willingness to give up on problems in your life and the wish for a safe place for you to escape all the troubles in your life.
Dreams of running away can also symbolize your knee-jerk reaction of running away from the potential threats and dangers that are still present in your life. Running away from dreams can also suggest your intuition is trying to alert you of an impending danger, giving you the opportunity to prepare to face harm in advance.
Are The Police Or FBI Involved?
Dreaming about running from police or FBI suggests you are working to avoid problems in your wake life. To dream of running away during wartime indicates feelings of anger, anxiety, jealousy, or even contempt in waking life.
Running away in war may contain some good signs, but some may carry negative feelings for the dreamser. A runaway maniac dream may be setting you up for cardinal changes in your life; a dream may even indicate changes to a job or residence.
Feeling Trapped
Being pursued in the dream may also indicate the feeling of being trapped by someone or consumed by them. If the person is running from someone and hides, this same dream represents fear and anxiety of the dreamer, connected to a recent event.
You may be better at interpreting these types of dreams by focusing on negative characteristics of the person from whom you are hiding. Because dreams typically represent our suppressed or semi-expressed emotions, it is very possible that you will experience such a dream if you are suspicious about the person. Also, this dream may indicate you are denying your real feelings.
Making Progress
This dream indicates that you are trying to make progress, but you are not doing it right. This dream is telling you to relax, heal your traumas, be strong in yourself, take pride in your accomplishments, and listen to your needs and desires. If you are running away from an enemy, the same dream says that you must look after your health and take a break.
This dream also means that in your waking-life, you are likely to be surrounded by irritating people that are keeping you from enjoying the moments in your life positively. If you have been shunned lately, dreams like these can reflect feelings of being disconnected and distant. In fact, dreams about being stalked may evoke feelings of dread, stress, and sweaty nights, as you try to outmaneuver any sinister entities that are in hot pursuit.
Are You Anxious?
If you are being pursued by police officers in your dreams, that means that your conscious mind is anxious. If you are watching people running away from something, but are not afraid, this could mean you are trying to accomplish a goal or a dream that you have had for a while.
Summary
In summary, a dream about running away can have a broad range of interpretations, but if you work through the considerations listed out above, you should be able to narrow in on why this dream is occurring for you. Hopefully, this will give you some useful insight into your subconscious mind and even more, into your waking life.