Last night I dreamed that I was drowning: what does that mean?

The symbolism of water in dreams is one of the most extensive. True reflection of our unconscious, this element can have very different things to make us understand, depending on the form it takes in our dream.

So, when the water – literally – takes over in the dream and we find ourselves faced with drowning (ours or that of a loved one), a dysfunction in our daily lives is felt. Because, if these dreams rarely turn out to be premonitory, they are charged with a clear metaphor.

“For this symbolism, we generally go for the simplest: it is the illustration that we are drowned in life, that we do not manage in certain areaswe lose our footing, the stress comes out even when we sleep”, generalizes Chantal Motto, psychotherapist and author of Deciphering your dreams to properly guide your life (Ed. InterEditions)

But while our specialist recalls thatit is above all a question of putting the dream in context with our current situationshe explains two other interpretations, less addressed and which can be attributed to dreamlike drowning.

Drowning in the dream: symbol of intrauterine life

“In the dream, when we face a large amount of water is often linked to intrauterine life”, begins the expert. There are two choices here.

First, interpret a childhood trauma to address in order to get rid of a disabling situation, which prevents us from moving forward. “Sometimes it’s a sign that we’re looking for answers. It is especially necessary to put this drowning in relation to what could have happened during our birth in order to know if it is necessary to study this track”, underlines the expert.

Conversely, this dream can be a symbol of a desired comfort, or of an upcoming repair.

“If you manage to breathe underwater, you are more concerned with notions of well-being, happiness and plenitude. life in there is something reassuring about the mother’s womb, it’s a carefree period when nothing reaches us. Besides, it’s also common to dream of going back there”, she continues.

Submerged by water: an emotional overflow

If Chantal Motto initially briefly presented the idea of ​​being drowned under the stress of a situation (generally work-related), here she evokes another type of “emotional and affective overflow”.

“Drowning is also like being engulfed and unable to breathe. It can be the symbol of a partner, family or friends who suffocate us“, she explains.

In order to put your finger on the problem to be treated, the expert recommends analyzing the environment of the dream.

“Are people trying to help us? Or are they letting us sink? It is by analyzing the dream as a whole that we can know how to get through this period.”, she supports.

I see myself drowning: what does it mean?

Finally, if you do not have the feeling of being under water but you are the spectator of your own drowning, there resides the symbol of a chapter which closes.

“You literally see yourself disappearing. Generally, in these dreams, we say goodbye to one or more parts of us. It is the symbol of a page that turns and of a new version of ourselves to come”, concludes Chantal Motto.