Dream meanings: Expert Debbie Ford unpacks the meaning behind common dreams, including dreams about falling, exes, and more

Picture this: You’re fast asleep, walking through an open field, or maybe just around the block, in your dreams. Then suddenly you step off a cliff and start hurtling towards your death.

But before you hit the ground you’re startled awake.

I’m sure, like so many, you’ve experienced the classic falling dream and been left feeling confused.

But what on earth does it mean? Some may think strange dreams like this are simply a coincidence, but one expert says your dreams can tell you a lot about yourself.

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Debbie Ford, a psychoanalytic psychotherapist who analyses dreams, explains dreams are “like a bridge between our conscious and unconscious world” and believes by analysing them, we can tap into warnings, beliefs or desires that may be held deep within our psyche.

While all dreams are individual, Ford tells 9honey there are some common themes that many people may have experienced and unpacking them can help us understand our emotions and needs a little bit better. 

When it comes to some of the most common dream themes, this is what Ford says they could mean.

Falling dreams

Ford tells 9honey the classic falling dream could “have lots of meanings” and it’s important to “look into the dreamer’s circumstance”.

For many, though, Ford believes dreaming about falling can potentially mean we need a bit of a reality check.

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Often, Ford says, “a falling dream can man that maybe we’ve been flying too high” or we have an “inflated” sense of self.

In this instance, Ford posits that the falling dream is a message from the subconscious to slow down and come back down to earth.

Ford states the falling dream could also be a “warning” to the dreamer to “slow down” if they’re living life in the fast lane – perhaps taking on too much at work or juggling too many different priorities in your personal life.

“Sometimes it can be a little warning to slow down, saying to the dreamer, ou know, slow down so you don’t fall,” Ford says.

“Just be more conscious of working through your life at a good pace, you know practicing mindfulness etc., because if you’re falling down something’s not in balance.”

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In this instance, Ford says the falling dream could be linked to work stress or burnout.

Obviously slowing down is easier for some than others, but it’s a good reminder to look at our priorities and make sure we’re not burning ourselves out.

Dreaming about work

Speaking of work, any working professional out there can surely sympathise with the dreaded work dream.

You clock off for the day, trying to leave any work stress or looming deadlines for tomorrow, only to clock back in in your dreams.

In a similar way to the falling dream, Ford says dreaming of work could mean there’s “not enough balance in your life”.

“Maybe too much of your energy is going into your workspace and your mental space.”

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Ford clarifies that it’s relatively normal to dream about work from time to time, as dreams often process what has happened within someone’s day.

But when dreams about work become excessive, that’s when you should probably have a deeper look at what its trying to tell you.

“The dream is trying to wake the person up and say, ‘This is not in balance. This is not normal. There’s too much energy going into the workspace’,” Ford says.

She posits that this would be a sign to look into your work life and assess if you are feeling happy with it. If you are feeling stressed, overworked or there’s conflict at work it might be an idea to consider changes that you can make, she says.

Dreaming about someone from your past

If you’ve ever dreamt of someone from your past, it may have left you feeling confused- especially if you find yourself dreaming of an ex-partner.

Most would think that dreaming of an old romantic partner could mean that you miss them or that you made a mistake leaving them but Ford says that’s not necessarily the case.

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According to Ford, conjuring characters from our past in a dream could simply be a way for our subconscious to process old emotions and can sometimes be linked to grief of a person or a past relationship.

“Our subconsious has no time. Everything’s just thrown all in there,” she says explaining that its possible to randomly dream of someone you haven’t thought of for years.

In fact it happened to Ford herself only weeks ago.

“A few nights ago, I dreamed about my ex-husband. Now, I haven’t been married to him for 30 years. Now I was like, ‘Wow, why am I dreaming about him?'” Ford says.

Ford came to realise it didn’t mean she wanted her ex-husband back but believes it was instead her mind’s way of processing the remaining grief from the relationship that ended.

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“It was nearly for me to get in touch with the [younger] part of myself. But it was also for me to let that final bit of him go and I’d be surprised if I dream of him again,” Ford says.

Ford says dreams are messages from the subconscious and that taking a moment to reflect on the dreams you are having can help shed some light on your day-to-day concerns, and perhaps help you determine any changes you need to make in your life to feel your best.

Ford says she has had many clients, who have made changes in their lives – be it a breakup, a move or a career change – after unpacking the content of their dreams. 

“It’s usually metaphor. It’s usually a story that resonates with us and the dream will wake us up and go, get this, get this message, which is awesome,” she says.

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