Dreams About Drowning & What They Mean
There are few dreams more terrifying than those that depict death or near death experiences. A dream in which you or another individual drowns can be especially hard to deal with. The panic and desperation that comes with drowning, unfortunately, tend to relate to a negative situation in your life. It can represent problems that feel inescapable as well as overwhelming stress and anxieties that you may be having. These dreams are often a sign that whatever you are dealing with has reached a dangerous point. The time for hints and leisurely changing your behavior has likely all but evaporated.
In comparison to other common dreams, ones that include drowning tend to be more meaningful and impactful to your life. Of course, there’s always a chance your dream is just a dream and doesn’t require any action on your part. For those with a curiosity towards frequently seen interpretations, we have expanded on the more common ones below.
You Are In Over Your Head
Unfortunately, a lot of real drowning incidents often result from people who assume swimming is easy. These assumptions bring people to follow friends into the water, making fateful mistakes. This can directly relate to the behavior that many of those who experience drowning dreams are doing. For example, you might think you can tolerate mistreatment in a relationship. Or, you convince yourself that displaying true love and devotion will make the mistreatment stop. For others, it can represent something enjoyable that is fine in moderation but has grown to be an all-consuming addiction.
Regardless of the issue you are dealing with, the warning is the same. A breaking point is coming — will you sink or swim? This dream is going to be your catalyst for change. The most important thing to do is not panic. Panicking only results in making your ability to make smart decisions worse. Change can’t always happen instantly, but do your best to make steady progress. All of us have been in over our heads at one time or another. What truly matters is that you recover with as little damage to yourself and your personal relationships as possible.
It’s Not You, It’s Me
You may have experienced a dream in which someone other than yourself is drowning. This may be due to a mistake on your part, or even intentional in some more worrisome cases. If you witnessed someone else drowning in your dream, it may be a sign of guilt. Some past transgression is nagging at you. In some cases, you may have led your friend astray down a bad path. Unlike you, they were unable to drag themselves away from unsavory habits.
It can also relate to a feeling of hopelessness. For example, you may watch your friend struggle with his or her own demons. Your ability to rescue your friend in your dream can foretell a lot. But, a failure to do so does not indicate that you cannot help them. Offer the support you can, but beware of being sucked into the depths yourself.
In the more fringe cases, sometimes you may intentionally drown someone in your dream. Don’t be fearful or ashamed and think that this says something horrible about you. This could simply be a sign of frustration or anger. The dream gives you a way for to express it if you can’t do so otherwise. In either scenario you should take a deep breath and not think too critically about what you have witnessed. Your actions in your dreams are simply not a reflection of who you really are. Dealing with the underlying frustration is the right choice, feeling guilty or ashamed is not.
Trapped And Slowly Sinking
Some dreams of drowning are long and intense, dragging out the fateful moments before the drowning incident actually begins. In the dream itself, you may have woken up on a sinking ship. These dreams are a red flag that you may be blind to the danger you are in until it is too late. The temptation to stick it out just a little longer will result in nothing but a worse future.
Many slow drowning dreams are related to emotions that you have been ignoring or repressing. You may have brushed off your growing depression, anger problems, or feelings of guilt. Unfortunately, these emotions don’t disappear just because you close your eyes. Sometimes hoping simply isn’t enough and real help and support are needed, possibly beyond what you can provide yourself. Now is the time to be honest about your needs and to discuss what is eating away at you. Ask your friends or family for that life vest and stop simply hoping for the best. Take care of yourself for this can be the only warning you receive before calamity strikes.
Drowning is an intensely frightening experience in any dream, even if you are not the victim. As far as dream meanings are concerned, this is a signal to act and no longer sit by wishing things were different. Even for those that know action is needed, finding the sweet spot between panicked overreaction and making smart, steady changes can be difficult. There is no single answer for every person that experiences these types of dreams. They can personally relate to your individual struggles and situations or they can also simply be a bad dream. Consulting with a skilled dream interpreter can help you get the answers you desire and determine if your dream means something more for you. Discover the meaning of your dreams today with a live, personal dream interpretation uniquely attuned to your experience.
