Dreaming of a flood: what it may mean, read three ways

What the dream is

In the dream the water rises bit by bit, a flood, a wave, or water seeping into a room. Some people panic, others are oddly calm.

What the old sayings say

The old sayings about water are rich: clear water tends to mean smoothness, muddy water trouble; fast water means something is pressing in. Staying calm in the flood is said to mean a scare without harm.

How depth psychology sees it

In depth psychology water is often tied to emotion. Rising water can mean a feeling is about to cover you: grief, hurt, longing, or a lump you cannot name. Jung saw water as a symbol of the unconscious, and deep water as the part you have not yet seen.

How sleep science sees it

Sleep science notes that the feeling of being flooded can relate to breathing or posture, such as a blocked nose or pressure on the chest. After a day of strong feeling, the night is also more likely to flood.

Ask yourself

• Was the water clear or muddy, rising fast or slowly?
• Was I struggling in it, or watching from the shore?
• What feeling have I not had time to feel lately?
• If the water were a feeling, what would it be?

Also

If you keep waking suffocating and also feel short of breath by day, please see a doctor.

For the whole picture, read Common dreams: being chased, falling, exams, losing teeth, and what is going on; for what the three ways of looking are, see Freud and Jung: two ways of reading a dream.