Ever wake up from a dream on a Monday morning going “WTF”? Your dreams probably entail anything from appearing naked infront of a large group of people or giving birth to Michael B. Jordan’s child (we prefer the latter). The interpretation of dreams has been an ongoing fascination for over thousands of years. The Greeks believed that their dreams were an insight into the future and held the key to the solutions to their problems. 

So to get to the bottom of what our dreams really mean, we tapped the Brooklyn-based wellness center; Maha Rose to chat with Shauna Cummins, who is a hypnotist expert that coaches people to dive deeper into their subconscious thoughts. She believes that dreams are an insight into subconscious fears and provide intuitive wisdom. “As a hypnosis practitioner, I have found that working with my dreams act as an intuitive checks and balance system—when I am out of alignment with my greater sense of well-being or [make] choices that are not in my highest interest; my dreams will reflect anxiety, dread or fear indicating to me that I’m out of balance,” says Cummins. 

See below for Cummins’ interpretations into common dream themes and her tips as to how you can make your dreams more powerful.

Common Dream Themes:

Being Chased: This is usually indicative of avoiding an issue or not dealing with something.

Sexual Dreams: Sex dreams are pretty common and can mean a number of different things, depending on the content, but typically, it refers to meaning [that you need to] take charge of an area of your life.

Taking a Test or Public Performance: A very common dream is giving a speech naked, of test taking, or a public performance. [These usually mean] that there is anxiety about failure or proving oneself.

Falling: Typically means fear of losing control or that an area of your life is out of control.

Dying: Rebirth or transformation, being on the verge of a big change.

Interaction with a Celebrity: A desire to be recognized or accomplished.

Cheating with Someone or Being Cheated On: Fear of abandonment or underlying issues of misalignment of distrust in the relationship.

Being Late or Missing a Deadline, Flight, Train, or Boat: This type of dream is manifesting your insecurity or fear of inadequacy.

Now that you know what your dreams could mean, here are a few tips to work with your dreams to make them work for you by asking your subconscious mind to help you heal, transform, and move forward positively. You’ll be surprised at how much you’ll find and how many of the insights you seek are already inside of you.

Dream Your Best Self True

Think of how your future-self feels, how you want to be. Call [upon] an image in the mind of your future self and try to step into it using your senses, breathing into the body of your future self. Try to see through their eyes as if what you want to happen has already happened. Then, write down three states of mind your future self could benefit from (i.e. “free, confident, stable” and repeat) or write down those words as in the form “I am _______” before you go to bed then say it again first thing in the morning. Take note of your thoughts and dreams the following day; we are much more receptive to suggestion before we go to bed so it’s an ideal time to influence yourself positively and plant the seeds or wishes for what you want.

Call on Your Inner Psychic

If you’re struggling with an issue or need resolution about a problem, ask your subconscious mind to help you; just as you would ask a psychic, ask your subconscious mind what you want to know. Write down the question and say it aloud before you go to bed. When you wake up, write down some recollections as well of your insights and feelings. Remember that you don’t have to believe everything you think but you can get a deeper sense of what you feel is right for you. In the dreaming/sleeping state, we have access to a huge reservoir of inspiration and intelligence, which can help point you in the right direction to a resolution

Update Your Operating System to a Positive Program

Before you go to sleep, review your day and choose three things you can thank yourself for that day. For example, receiving that award, going on a date, responding in a new way to a situation that once bothered you. Take a moment to thank yourself just as you would a friend or a family member and feel yourself receiving that appreciation of yourself.

You might imagine light being absorbed into your body or an embrace; this assigns importance to the positive thought and tracks the progress which reinforces new, neural networks and patterns in your mind. Since the brain has a negative bias and registers stressful memories more than positive ones, this exercise serves to strengthen a more positive, compassionate default mindset instead of a fearful one.

Shauna Cummins is a Hypnosis practitioner who passionately helps people make their dreams come true! She works one on one and offers workshops, experiences and immersive hypnosis-inspired performances for individuals and groups. Check out her Insta @thewishcraft.

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Photography via Vanessa Granda