What It Really Means When You Dream About The Past
Dreams are a curious thing; a manifestation of your subconscious that shows up when you fall asleep. For ages, humans have been fascinated with them. Ancient Egyptians were so invested in the demystifying of dreams that they had books to interpret them, and there were also experts who specialized in the interpretation of dreams as well, per Tour Egypt. In Greece, they had folks divide dreams into the important and unimportant, and they believed so strongly in the predictive nature of the important ones, per Ancient Origins.
This fascination with dreams has held on from ancient times to our modern ones. Dreams are a phenomenon that have puzzled people and evolved into several theories about their hidden meanings, per Verywell Mind. Some believe that dreams simply put a face to your subconscious desires, and others have put forth the theory that dreams are the result of your brain trying to process all the bits and pieces of information stuffed into it all day, per Medical News Today.
However, despite these theories, there is a large chunk of information missing from our knowledge of dreams, but has that stopped us from trying to know the meaning of each dream we have? Of course not.
Dreams about the past are usually connected to the present
Dreaming about your past isn't strange, as we all have the subconscious desire to reflect on our past, reliving the good times, and soaking up the nostalgia, per Dream Astro Meanings. Dreams about your past can be one way your subconscious is reminding you of something similar to an event you've encountered before, per Dream Stop. It could also be a warning of sorts against an impending deja vu moment.
If your dream is about specific people from your past, it could mean different things. Dreams about childhood friends could mean that you long for a simpler time, and that they are the faces you subconsciously associate with freedom and the reduced stress of childhood, per Psychic Library. Dreams about someone from your past who was unpleasant to you could be indicative of your subconscious performing a substitution, using the person from your past as a stand-in for a present acquaintance who brings out the same emotions in you.
Dreams about the past where you have reverted to child-like behavior could mean that your subconscious is still trapped in its own perception of your past self. Ultimately, if you've had a recent dream about the past, the first step in interpreting it may be reflecting on what in the present is currently taking up your thoughts.