14 Things It May Mean If You're Dreaming About Water

All life on earth is connected by water. It's one of the primordial forces of life as we know it. And, because this symbolism is ingrained in the human psyche, its presence in dreams isn't to be taken lightly. Dreams are, after all, according to the influential psychoanalyst Carl Jung, a manifestation of the collective unconsciousness of humankind throughout the ages, when water as a symbol was an essential and imminent part of life.

Jung called such symbols archetypes — remnants of the primitive human brain we all share. And, of these, water is, perhaps, one of the most common dream motifs, but because beliefs, cultures, and symbols change over time, the original archetype of water gets transposed with other meanings and insights.

This is, perhaps, why a dream can mean many things to different people. We might see it as the distinguishing between the two layers of our mental awareness: the unconscious and the subconscious. The unconscious is part of our psyche that we aren't aware of nor can access — where the remnants of the primal brains stored our first notions of water. But, above this layer, in the subconscious, where we can navigate the focus of our awareness, we interpret different stimuli and experiences that give our unconscious interpretation of water new meanings. And, if we pay attention to these meanings of our dreams, Jung suggests we might get closer to revealing our health and even our true nature.

If we continue along the lines of thinking about water as a symbol that gets interpreted through the lens of experiences and interactions with the world, one recurring theme you might notice is its presence in many fairy tales and myths. As a child, such legends help us understand the world, and so it makes sense that water dreams can echo some of the ideas we see in common folktales, as explained in the Journal of Symbols and Sandplay Therapy.

We say common here, but, of course, fairy tales vary vastly across religions and cultures, so you should keep this in mind when investigating the meanings of your own dreams. That said, in research, we know somewhat that the role of dreams is a shared phenomenon in humans as a species, designed to psychologically help us process the events of our waking life. In this sense, a dream of water might be thought of as a way to help us grow and work through whatever issues we're dealing with.

Consider some of the most famous archetypical water stories, such as Noah's Ark, the epics of Gilgamesh, or the Hawaiian creation story of Nu'u. All these stories across different cultures convey an individual going on a journey set amidst great bodies of water. Your dream may be some derivative of these feats, encouraging you to overcome your own limitations and access new levels of personal growth.

Just as dreams of water can spurn us on to address certain parts of our lives, they might also be a response to how our lives are already changing. As we mentioned, it's not uncommon in many texts to see water as a force of life, death, and rebirth. Sometimes these symbols might be quite literal, inferring that the dreamer's subconscious is trying to adapt or make sense of new circumstances or developments in their waking life.

For instance, in his book, "A Dictionary of Dream Symbols," writer and symbol philosopher Eric Ackroyd explains that, sometimes, water can represent the "destruction of your old self or old lifestyle." As we move through life, similar to the flow of water, sometimes the things we've built must be knocked down to make way for better and more resilient structures.

Although dreams of being thrashed around by great waves or of seeing your beloved home flood with water can be distressing, they may actually be a positive indication that your mind is preparing for change. We should accordingly inspect what direction our life is taking and either brace ourselves for turbulent tides or embrace this destruction as a necessary step in moving on to something bigger and better.

Just as religious and cultural symbols can inform the dreamer's perception of water dreams, as in the case of purification, another strongly associated symbol to do with water relates to seeking forgiveness or absolution. It's not necessary for you to have these beliefs yourself, but merely exposure to such ideas or concepts can affect the psyche. The symbolism of water may be a way for your brain to communicate the idea of repentance rather than requiring you to prescribe to any specific tradition or literal means of purification.

In such dreams, we might feel stuck, partially submerged in water, or trying to free ourselves from the lock of an uneasy tide. In other words, these kinds of water dreams can indicate a need for release. And, oftentimes, when we have a guilty conscience or unresolved issue, it can weigh us down.

In Buddhist traditions, for instance, water is one of the main ritual elements of appealing for forgiveness, according to a paper published by the University of the West. For many centuries, monks would perform water rites, but, interestingly, in many cases, the purpose of these practices was not to beg the forgiveness of a specific individual or god — it was for that person's own sense of harmony and liberation. This is a lesson we might also take when we encounter water dreams as a signal to practice compassion and to make amends with ourselves and others.

While, so far, we've looked at how symbols of water can provide multiple answers to why dream meaning might vary from person to person, you may recall we established that shared collective unconsciousness is often the starting point when examining our dream worlds. These remnants of our brain, expressed through DNA, recall the lifestyles and experiences of ancient humans.

In fact, there's a theory that dreams are an evolutionary adaptation of the human brain to help us better respond to and process new information. For instance, imagine a primitive human facing wild and hostile terrain. The brain of this human runs various scenarios through dreams to help them tackle different situations. Dreams of floods, drowning, and torrential waters were certainly real possibilities for early humans, who had to respond appropriately to survive.

In modern life, many of us may be lucky enough to never have to face such difficulties, but these perceptions of water as a threat may hint at other sorts of dangers in our daily lives. Someone battling financial issues might see themselves sinking under the waves, or a couple on the verge of a breakup might dream that a spouse is drowning. In such cases, it's our mind's ancient call to consider what we can do in these situations to take action.

Take a moment to think about the last time you stood by the sea, looking towards the horizon. It might've seemed as if the waters expanded endlessly into the distance. Dreaming of ourselves afloat or abandoned on this vast expanse can make us feel small or insignificant. Relationships are a lot like the ocean in this sense — you can be surrounded by people and yet still feel totally alone.

Water is interesting as a metaphor for our connections with others, but it can also be quite literal in the sense that many societies revolve around this vital natural resource. For instance, some research exploring the study of water in society highlights that, over time, it has become ingrained into the fabric of social relationships as we know them.

Conversely, then, if one dreams of bodies of water that give off feelings of isolation or desolate waters, this may be a sign that something is missing in your social life. And it's also, perhaps, why we see in mental health surveys that people who live in closely-knit communities experience fewer mental health symptoms, while those in happy marriages are less stressed and depressed than singles or unhappily married people. In these cases, it's not the number of social relations we have that matters, but the "quality" they infer in keeping us grounded and connected to the outside world.

When thinking about the meaning of a dream, we should not forget that all dreams do not have deep meanings. For instance, as Sigmund Freud highlights in his book, "The Interpretation of Dreams," some water dreams can be more direct, pointing to a physical need such as dehydration or sweating from illness. As we've touched upon, there is both a physical and mental aspect of dreams. While we've looked extensively at the mind, dreams have also been used in ancient times as a way to make diagnoses for the body.

For instance, in ancient Greece, early early physicians such as Hippocrates suggested that water as an element in dreams meant that a person was unwell. And, some evidence in modern literature seems to agree — as one paper attests, those with poor physical health often had correlating dreams about injuries, death, and sickness.

What's harder to establish, though, in this research, is whether the sickness the participants experienced precipitated the dreams or whether the dreams forecasted them. In any case, dreams of treacherous waters, waterborne disease, or drinking murky waters may be worth taking note of, especially if you're already under the weather.