When You Dream About Someone, Are They Dreaming Of You?

Dreams can be scary, intense, and downright strange. But, every so often, they provide your subconscious with much-needed soothing or even various revelations — about yourself or someone else. But, when you dream of other people, you may wonder exactly what it means. Is it your subconscious telling you something? Or, perhaps, it's a sign that you need to speak to them and get something off of your chest.

Maybe, it could be something else.

The List spoke with Kelly Sullivan Walden, a dream expert and interpreter, as well as the bestselling author of It's All In Your Dreams, to discuss exactly what's going on when your ex's face pops up during your snooze sesh. As for her own experience with dreams, she shares, "One of the reasons I became fascinated by dreams at an early age is because of shared dream and tandem dreaming experiences with my younger sister throughout our growing up years, and still to this day." 

Studying the subconscious and our dreams, Sullivan Walden offered a few interesting insights into what it means when other people make appearances in your mind while you sleep. If you're wondering whether or not the person in your dream also saw you in theirs, there seems to be a classic sign. "In my experience in having worked with hundreds of dreamers and thousands of dreams over the past 20 years," Sullivan starts, "is that the tell-tale sign that your dream about someone else may mean someone else is also sharing the same dreamscape with you is vividness. Vividness of color, feeling, specificity, and peculiarity."

If you dreamed about someone close to you, ask them what they've been seeing in their dreams. You can converse and compare the subject matter to see whether or not the vividness of the experience rings true for them as well. But, "if you aren't able to confirm your dream with your dream co-star," Sullivan Walden says, "then ask yourself what this person represents to you in three words or adjectives."

She also recommends grabbing your journal and just writing. "Stream-of-consciousness journal in your diary what you believe their message to you might have been. Since you are the director, or at least the co-director of your dream, you have the authority to fill in these blanks," she adds.

Even if you're skeptical that you could have shared a dream with someone else, Sullivan Walden insists that they take place more frequently than you would think. "Here's what I know for sure — these dreams do happen, and when confirmation takes place, in the 3-D waking world, those conversations are riveting."

"I always suggest that you consider these magical, synchronistic moments to be a burning bush from the universe. Ask yourself: Why this dream? Why this person?Why now? What can I do to honor this dream or synchronicity?" 

Next time your dream feels way too real and involves someone else, see if you can dive deeper into the experience and maybe even corroborate events with the person in it!