WHETHER we remember them or not, we all dream. Every night, part of our sleep cycle involves dreaming as our brains process and refresh after the day.

    And whether they’re simply random electrical connections made by the brain as it processes and compartmentalizes information or something deeper, there’s no doubt that what they might mean is endlessly fascinating.

    So we asked psychologist and dreams expert Ian Wallace what common dreams people have, and what they really mean.

    1. Finding an

    unused room

    In this dream, you notice a door in your house that you’re certain wasn’t there before. As you open the door, you find yourself in a room that you had totally forgotten about.

    Meaning: Dreaming about finding an unused room in your house indicates that you are opening up to the possibility of stepping into an exciting new opportunity in your day-to-day life. The room often seems familiar as it symbolizes an aspect of your abilities that you really enjoyed expressing in the past. The reason that the room was forgotten about was that you previously felt that you had to close the door on this part of your life and move on from it. The action from this dream is to open yourself back up to your forgotten talents so you can step back into all the possibilities that they might hold.

    2. Return of an ex

    In this dream, you are surprised to find yourself in a passionate encounter with an ex-lover. Although you are excited to be with them again, you also feel quite guilty.

    Meaning: When you dream about being in an intimate situation with an ex-lover, events in your current day-to-day life are triggering memories of the characteristics that you most closely associate with your ex. Rather than being mere wish fulfilment, you are using your ex to symbolize that these characteristics are becoming apparent in your waking life again. An ex-lover often appears in a dream to warn you of possibly repeating past relationship patterns with your current partner. The action from this dream is to confidently let go of old behaviors that are no longer of any value to you, so that you can truly be with your chosen partner.

    3. Visiting your childhood home

    In this dream, although you may have left your childhood home some time ago, you find yourself visiting it again. It can often feel as if you are looking for something you left there.

    Meaning: Dreaming about visiting your childhood home indicates that you are revisiting some of the fundamental influences that have helped to form your identity. Although you have successfully built on many of these foundational experiences in your day-to-day life, there may be other aspects of your talents that you didn’t have the chance to develop so fully.

    When you search through your childhood home, you are usually trying to reconnect with these qualities so that you can develop them now. The action from this dream is to recognize aspects of your potential that you would like to develop further by having the confidence to take the steps that you need.

    4. Abducted by aliens

    Dreaming about being abducted by aliens often begins with a sudden realization that the normal people around you are actually alien life forms in very convincing human disguises.

    Meaning: When you dream that you have been abducted by aliens, it suggests that you are experiencing some unusual situations in your day-to-day life that might seem quite unfamiliar and alien to you. Being abducted indicates that you have no real control over this and feel that you are being forced to follow the wishes of other people.

    This can often happen when you move into a new and unfamiliar social circle or place of work, and it can seem like a completely different world to the one you are used to. The action from this dream is to use this opportunity to learn new skills and find out more about yourself.

    5. Dressed in

    wrong clothes

    In this dream, you are out in a public place, when you suddenly realize that you are dressed in the wrong clothes.

    Parts of your outfit may seem normal but the rest is completely inappropriate.

    Meaning: When you dream that you are wearing the wrong clothes in a public situation, it suggests that you are reflecting on how your behaviors may appear to other people in your day-to-day life. Your clothes symbolize the image of yourself that you choose to present to the people around you.

    Feeling that you are wearing the wrong clothes indicates that there may be a mismatch between who you feel you really are and who you are trying to appear to be.

    The action from this dream is just to display your individuality rather than trying to conform to the expectations of other people.(SD-Agencies)