What It Really Means When You Dream About Jail

If dreams mean nothing to you, or if you take them with a grain of salt, you may be in the minority in that regard. Most of the population of the world believes in the deeper meaning of dreams (via Live Science).

And this belief is not a modern phenomenon. You can trace it back to ancient times where even people in biblical history were worried and devastated when their dreams could either not be interpreted or the meanings they got didn't bode well for them. The peoples of ancient Egypt, Greek, Native Americans were deeply intrigued by dreams as many are in these modern times (via Dream Tending).

Sure, this curiosity about the deeper meaning of dreams isn't always backed up by science (via Discover Magazine), but this isn't the only thing people have continually clung to, scientific proof or not (via The Conversation).

That said, what must also be pointed out is that as dreams vary, so do their meanings and relevance. For example, while a dream about falling in love could signify that love is on the way for the dreamer, while a dream about being locked up in jail does not hold the possibility of anything pleasant.

The very thought of being in jail with its restrictions is enough to make anyone feel uneasy. So having a dream about being in jail can understandably be disturbing. According to Labex Cortex, dreams like this could be indicative of being restricted in life, being held back from things you have set your heart on, or things you really want to be doing.

Michael Rohde Olsen, a scientific researcher on unconscious intelligence says jail dreams could also indicate that you may be holding yourself back from the kind of person that you are meant to be and the kind of life that you should be living. "When you are the one locking yourself up in jail, you need to be searching for how your own limiting beliefs, thoughts about yourself or others, or your actual behavior, currently are preventing you from e.g. being who you really are,” he explains.

On the other hand, if your dreams are about jailbreak, it may be your subconscious trying to communicate that you have some fears that you must face and overcome if you are to lead a meaningful, fulfilling life, per Dream Christ. It won't be easy to challenge yourself and break free from those repressive thoughts, but if you believe that your dreams hold significant meanings, then you may want to act on what this one is telling you — and act fast on it so as to reach the fullness of your potential.