Dreams have long been thought of as gateways into our subconscious mind. In many ancient societies, they were considered divine intervention or a type of supernatural communication. Whether they involve mundane activities, or seem completely irrational, random, or mythical, they are often full of meaning.

At times the meaning may seem obvious, but more often our subconscious mind gives us message through symbolism that is open to our interpretation. While we can’t provide a dictionary on every symbol and interpretation, here are some of the most common dream themes and symbols and their meaning:

Falling:
When someone is falling, they have nothing to hold on to, they’ve lost complete control over their bodies and can only anticipate what will happen once they reach the bottom. This is a common dream when someone is feeling a loss of control or overwhelmed by circumstances in their life. It can include things related to school, work performance, a relationship, or life at home. When this dream appears you’re likely to be looking for stability and security in one of those areas.

Academic Failure
These stressful and often recurring dreams aren’t just for people who may have had a past experience failing a class, they can appear in those who have always done well in school. These dreams often involve a test, or completely forgetting about a class and never attending the whole semester, and then realizing it on the day of finals. This kind of dream reveals a general anxiety about performance and abilities, or that you feel unprepared for some challenge taking place in your life. It’s likely these dreams take place in an academic setting because that’s where we’ve spent so much of our youth trying to prove ourselves.

Caught Naked
Being naked is the ultimate feeling of exposure and vulnerability. If you’ve ever had a dream where you’re out in public, and then suddenly realize you’re missing a major piece of clothing or are completely nude, you probably remember the feeling of shock and embarrassment. This dream can represent a couple of things including fearing exposure over something you did, especially if shame is involved. It can also be that you’ve been feeling vulnerable.

Teeth Falling Out
This strange dream seems to have no real chance of every actually happening, yet its one of the most common dreams. One interpretation of teeth falling out is that it can symbolize fear of loss of personal power, or that it reflects on our inner concerns about self-image or ability to make decisions.