The Secret Meaning of 60 Common Dreams, According to Experts

41What does it mean when you dream you’ve gone blind?

Suffering blindness in a dream usually hints that you’re overlooking something in your life or worry you aren’t able to see something. Lennox said, “By dreaming of the inability to see, you may be expressing areas in your life that you may be blind to…You may be dreaming of a situation in your life, or your personality, where you have a blind spot. You may have to go beyond what the eyes can see in a situation to determine how to respond authentically.”

42What does it mean when you dream you’re playing a board game?

While some might dream of fights or athletic competition, if you are someone who has board games appear in your dreams, you are more likely someone who prefers “a civilized approach to expressing competitive impulses and conflict-solving skills,” according to Lennox. If you’re playing Monopoly or Scrabble in your mind, it may be a sign that you prefer some emotional distance to actual confrontation, and the more structured, rules-based logic to conflict that board games bring.

43What does it mean when you dream of an explosion?

While we might usually think of bombs as a destructive force, often when explosions happen in your dreams, it shows that you are experiencing or ready for major change. Lennox advised looking at the specific context in which a bomb detonates and how effectively it destroys its target.

“Whatever or whomever was hunted or destroyed will supply you with the meaning you should assign the symbol,” he said. “The area of life that is suggested by the target is the area of your life that needs a drastic change.”

44What does it mean when you dream that you show up for an exam but aren’t prepared?

Another classic dream scenario is the feeling of showing up for an exam and realizing you are totally unprepared for it. Maybe you feel like you studied for the wrong subject or you can’t even understand the words in front of you, but the likely source of the feeling is that “you are critically examining your own performance in waking life,” per Wallace.

45What does it mean when you dream that you show up for another exam and you’re still not prepared?

Having the unprepared-for-an-exam dream can also be a sign of something positive: you are a high performer who is used to working hard and doing things right. That’s the conclusion of Anderson, who has said that those who have the dream are usually the people who perform well and that “it’s your fear of being unprepared that actually drives you to being totally ready to perform.”

46What does it mean when you dream that you can’t find a bathroom?

If you have a sense that you’re not addressing your own needs, a typical dream you’re likely to have is one in which you’re trying—and failing—to find a toilet. “Toilets are what we use to cleanly respond to some of our most fundamental needs, so there is an issue in waking life where you are finding it a challenge to clearly express your own needs,” said Wallace.

47What does it mean when you dream you need to use the bathroom?

Dreams of needing to use the bathroom likewise can mean that “you literally want to let the crap out of your life. It’s about decluttering and letting go—you want to release something or someone,” Anderson explained.

48What does it mean when you dream that you need to pee?

Of course, it may be that you actually do need a toilet, and your subconscious will alert you to this fact with dreams of water or in which you are seeking out a bathroom in vain.

49What does it mean when you dream that you’re accused of a crime?

Dreams can sometimes torment you by showing you being accused or actually committing a crime. These situations usually arise from a sense that you’re hiding something from yourself in your waking life—and it isn’t always something negative. “The crime we have committed usually represents a conscious choice that we have made in waking life to ignore some of our individual needs and talents in order to gain social acceptance,” Wallace explained.

50What does it mean when you dream you’re entering a lot of new spaces?

If you have a large house in your dreams or spend your dreams going through doors and discovering new spaces, it “indicates that exploring the initial possibility will lead onto a number of other exciting opportunities and give you the chance to expand well beyond where you are just now,” said Wallace. His advice? “You need to be open to opportunity and not close the door on any chances that you create. As you begin to explore one talent, you often start to become aware of other possibilities for using your unique abilities.”