What Dreams About Drowning Really Mean

Though some neuroscientists argue that dreams are nothing more than random brain signals (via Psychology Today), many people today still find dreams meaningful, especially considering the visceral reaction we often feel in response to them. As Freud argued, striking images in dreams — and our reactions to them — seem to offer some insight into ourselves, regardless of whether we were looking for that insight or not.

Per the same source, what is striking about dream interpretation is the surprisingly small number of images that dreams tend to entail, and their near-universal recurrence in the subconsciousness of distinct people from all walks of life. As such, drowning is a common dream motif alongside images of flying, of parents, siblings, and children. 

According to The Cut, drowning in water may be seen as a metaphor for being engulfed by one's own emotions, or that you are being weighed down by stress. However, per Psychology Today, Freud saw images of water as being directly related to birth, either being born or giving birth to someone else.

Disturbingly, The Cut reports that images of drowning in blood and other liquids are also common. Those kinds of dreams reveal a subconscious preoccupation with pain and illness, either real or imaginary.

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