The Profound Symbolism in Dreams of Falling

Dreams of falling, particularly those where one hits the ground, often evoke feelings of anxiety and fear. They can reflect our subconscious struggles with control, failure, and expectations set by ourselves or others. As we navigate the complexities of our daily lives, such dreams may emerge as a manifestation of our inner turmoil or stress.

Falling can symbolize a loss of stability in our waking lives—be it emotional, financial, or relational. According to Ibni Sirin, these dreams may serve as reminders from our higher self or divine guidance, nudging us to address unresolved issues or fears. In a modern context, psychologists see falling dreams as a reflection of our anxieties and insecurities.

By reflecting on the emotions and circumstances surrounding these dreams, we can find insights that may lead to personal growth and empowerment. Understanding the symbolism of hitting the ground can encourage us to confront what weighs us down and to seek balance in our lives.

• Falling dreams can symbolize anxiety or fear of failure.
• Hitting the ground may represent a feeling of impact from life events.
• These dreams often urge us to confront our fears and insecurities.

Symbols

• collision
  • Destroy:
  • Smashing:

    (Bang; Collide; Hit; Impact; Knocking) To bang one’s head against a rock or a wall in a dream means suffering from failing to perform one’s night prayers, (arb. 'Isha)

  • Encroachment:

    (Encroachment; Transgression) To infringe upon someone’s rights, or to slander him, or to insult him in a dream means losing to him, unless if there is a legitimate reason, or a legal point for trespassing. If someone infringes upon your rights in any way in a dream, it means that your ultimate victory over him is sure. Infringement in a dream also means prosperity and success in this world, though the end results may not be as positive as the beginning.

• falling
  • Fall:

    Falling in a dream means despair or disappointment, or it could mean a mistake that cannot be covered. Falling in a dream also means changing conditions from good to bad, or a marriage failure and changing of spouse. It also means changing profession, country or religion.

    Falling in a dram also projects the reverse effects and produces positive results if what one falls over is pasture, or if he falls upon a good community or to join a banquet or the like effects, then it may have a positive meaning. On the other hand, falling into the hand of a bad company, or into a beast’s den, etcetera, means evil consequences, or it could mean stinginess. If one sees himself falling down from the roof of his house, and if he breaks an arm or a leg in the dream, then it reflects a psychological distress, adverse financial conditions, breaking of a friendship or it may mean suffering from persecution by the local authorities.

  • Hurricane:
  • Doze:

    (Sleep) To doze or fall forward on one’s face in a sleep in a dream means going astray.

• dropping
  • Loss of tracks:

    (Absence; Becoming unknown; Loss of tracks) If one disappears from his house or from the country, and if his tracks could not be located in the dream, it means taking a long journey, turning out to be where he is suspected to be, getting married in that place, falling in love with an unknown person, falling sick in a foreign land, or it could mean death if the person is sick. However the disappearance of God’s loving people in a dream perhaps means thinking about one’s beloved, or being exposed to uncommon mysteries of the universe. If one disappears within the earth without going through a hole in his dream, and if he remains a long time therein until people think that he will never come out again in the dream, it means self-deception, arrogance and love for the world, and such a person will die in that pursuit as a consequence of adventuring with his own life.

  • Eyedropper:

    (Dropper) In a dream, a dropper signifies paying one’s debts in installments.

  • Scission:

    (Amputation; Beheading; Cutting; Decapitation; Scission; Chopping off; Severing) Cutting off one’s hand in a dream signifies failure to perform one’s obligatory prayers or being devoid of any need or an income that eliminates the need to ask others for anything, or it could mean repentance from sin. If one’s hand and heels are cut off in a dream, it means corruption in one’s religious life or forsaking the spiritual circles, or it could mean being barren or being freed from the duty to raise children. Cutting off one’s nose or ear in a dream means a punishment for a crime, or it could mean poverty or missing someone’s news.

    Cutting off one’s tongue in a dream means invalidating one’s argument or proof, or it could mean preventing him from asking for anything. If one sees himself dismembered in a dream, then it means that he will undertake extensive travels, or that members of his family will disperse into different locations, or it could mean severing one’s blood ties or paying a penalty.

• impact
  • Investigation:

    (Investigation) If one sees himself being investigated in a court of justice by people he does not know in a dream, it means that he has strayed into innovation, though he remains accountable for his actions.

  • Champing:

    (Champing; Chomp; Love; Rancor) In a dream, a bite signifies perfidy, rancor or extreme love for the one who is bitten in a dream. If one bites himself then spits a piece of his own flesh on the ground in a dream, it means backbiting and belittling others. Biting one’s own fingers in a dream means regret or fury, rage and anger.

    If one’s fingers bleed from such bite in a dream, it means tribulations caused by one’s own shortcomings. A bite in a dream also signifies extreme anger. If one is bitten by another person in a dream, it means that he will enjoy happiness and success at the beginning of his professional life, then he will suffer from an illness, eye inflammation, ophthalmia, or from heart problems.

    Biting on an apple in a dream means satisfying one’s desires. Biting on one’s tongue:

  • Chomp:

    (Champing; Chomp; Love; Rancor) In a dream, a bite signifies perfidy, rancor or extreme love for the one who is bitten in a dream. If one bites himself then spits a piece of his own flesh on the ground in a dream, it means backbiting and belittling others. Biting one’s own fingers in a dream means regret or fury, rage and anger.

    If one’s fingers bleed from such bite in a dream, it means tribulations caused by one’s own shortcomings. A bite in a dream also signifies extreme anger. If one is bitten by another person in a dream, it means that he will enjoy happiness and success at the beginning of his professional life, then he will suffer from an illness, eye inflammation, ophthalmia, or from heart problems.

    Biting on an apple in a dream means satisfying one’s desires. Biting on one’s tongue:

• hitting the ground
  • Bounce:

    (Bounce; Hop; Leap) To see oneself hopping on one leg in a dream means moving from an old place into a new one. If one takes a broad leap with one jump in his dream it means travels. Hopping on one leg because of an illness or an impairment in a dream means loss of half of one’s money or property and finding it difficult to sustain one’s needs with the balance.

    Playing football or hopping with a ball, or jumping while performing acrobatic exercises, or gymnastic feats in a dream means profits or benefits for someone who is used to play such games, or participates in such training. Otherwise, it could mean facing dangerous or severe adversity. In a dream, jumping from place to place also means false news, fabricated accusations, changing moods with one’s friends, or finding oneself bored with them.

    If one jumps over a wall in a dream, it means that he will change from a believer into a disbeliever or follow the advice of a disbeliever. Jumu'a: (arb. See Five times prayers)

  • Hop:

    (Bounce; Hop; Leap) To see oneself hopping on one leg in a dream means moving from an old place into a new one. If one takes a broad leap with one jump in his dream it means travels. Hopping on one leg because of an illness or an impairment in a dream means loss of half of one’s money or property and finding it difficult to sustain one’s needs with the balance.

    Playing football or hopping with a ball, or jumping while performing acrobatic exercises, or gymnastic feats in a dream means profits or benefits for someone who is used to play such games, or participates in such training. Otherwise, it could mean facing dangerous or severe adversity. In a dream, jumping from place to place also means false news, fabricated accusations, changing moods with one’s friends, or finding oneself bored with them.

    If one jumps over a wall in a dream, it means that he will change from a believer into a disbeliever or follow the advice of a disbeliever. Jumu'a: (arb. See Five times prayers)

  • Leap:

    (Bounce; Hop; Leap) To see oneself hopping on one leg in a dream means moving from an old place into a new one. If one takes a broad leap with one jump in his dream it means travels. Hopping on one leg because of an illness or an impairment in a dream means loss of half of one’s money or property and finding it difficult to sustain one’s needs with the balance.

    Playing football or hopping with a ball, or jumping while performing acrobatic exercises, or gymnastic feats in a dream means profits or benefits for someone who is used to play such games, or participates in such training. Otherwise, it could mean facing dangerous or severe adversity. In a dream, jumping from place to place also means false news, fabricated accusations, changing moods with one’s friends, or finding oneself bored with them.

    If one jumps over a wall in a dream, it means that he will change from a believer into a disbeliever or follow the advice of a disbeliever. Jumu'a: (arb. See Five times prayers)

• descending
  • Declivity:

    (Declivity) Descending a mountain, a hill or an elevation in a dream represents losses, migraine headache, humiliation, passing from a higher to a lower condition, separation between husband and wife, losing one’s job, demo¬ tion, degradation, abandoning one’s religion, or it could mean adversities in general. Descending a steep slope in a dream also means safe landing, worldly blessings and nomination for a religious duty. Descending from a mountain in a dream means relief from adversities or change in one’s conditions.

    Coming down from an old ladder in a dream means investing in a business to earn nothing from one’s efforts. If the ladder breaks half-way through in the dream, it means losing to one’s adversary.

  • Degradation:

    (Declivity) Descending a mountain, a hill or an elevation in a dream represents losses, migraine headache, humiliation, passing from a higher to a lower condition, separation between husband and wife, losing one’s job, demo¬ tion, degradation, abandoning one’s religion, or it could mean adversities in general. Descending a steep slope in a dream also means safe landing, worldly blessings and nomination for a religious duty. Descending from a mountain in a dream means relief from adversities or change in one’s conditions.

    Coming down from an old ladder in a dream means investing in a business to earn nothing from one’s efforts. If the ladder breaks half-way through in the dream, it means losing to one’s adversary.

  • Demotion:

    (Declivity) Descending a mountain, a hill or an elevation in a dream represents losses, migraine headache, humiliation, passing from a higher to a lower condition, separation between husband and wife, losing one’s job, demo¬ tion, degradation, abandoning one’s religion, or it could mean adversities in general. Descending a steep slope in a dream also means safe landing, worldly blessings and nomination for a religious duty. Descending from a mountain in a dream means relief from adversities or change in one’s conditions.

    Coming down from an old ladder in a dream means investing in a business to earn nothing from one’s efforts. If the ladder breaks half-way through in the dream, it means losing to one’s adversary.

Practical Strategies for Addressing Falling Dreams

• Reflect on Your Feelings

  Pay close attention to the emotions you experienced during the dream. Were you frightened, anxious, or relieved? Reflecting on these feelings can provide insights into what aspect of your waking life may be causing you stress or concern.

  Keeping a dream journal can be beneficial; write down your dreams as soon as you wake up, noting any feelings or circumstances that stand out. Over time, you may notice patterns that reveal deeper truths about your life and emotional state.

• Confront Your Fears

  Consider what the fall in your dream represents. Are there areas in your life where you feel out of control or insecure? Facing these fears directly can help you regain a sense of empowerment.

  You might try visualization techniques, where you imagine yourself overcoming obstacles related to these fears. This practice can build your confidence and make you feel more grounded in your daily interactions.

• Seek Support

  Sometimes, discussing your dreams with a trusted friend or a professional can provide clarity. These conversations can help you unpack the emotions and themes present in your dreams, offering new perspectives you may not have considered. A therapist or counselor can be particularly helpful if your dreams frequently leave you feeling distressed.

• Practice Relaxation Techniques

  Incorporate relaxation techniques such as meditation, yoga, or deep breathing into your daily routine. These practices can help reduce anxiety levels and promote a sense of calm, which may improve your overall sleep quality and reduce the frequency of distressing dreams. When your mind is at ease, you might find that your dreams become less filled with fear and more restorative.

• Explore Spiritual Insights

  Many find comfort in exploring spiritual interpretations of their dreams. You may wish to engage with literature from religious or spiritual traditions that resonate with you. Understanding the potential divine message behind your dreams can offer solace and guidance, as many hold that our dreams are a channel of communication between us and a higher power.

FAQs

• What does it mean when I dream of falling and hitting the ground?

  Dreaming of falling often symbolizes feelings of insecurity or a fear of losing control in your waking life. When you hit the ground in the dream, it can indicate that these anxieties have come to a head, emphasizing the need to confront and address them. It may be a call to reflect on areas in life where you feel overwhelmed or vulnerable.

• Is a dream of falling a common experience?

  Yes, falling dreams are quite common and widely reported among individuals across various cultures. They typically arise during periods of stress or transition, reflecting the dreamer's inner emotional landscape. Research suggests that around 60–70% of people experience falling dreams, highlighting their universality.

• Can falling dreams indicate something positive?

  While falling dreams are often associated with negative feelings, they can also represent a breakthrough or transformative experience. In some contexts, falling may symbolize letting go of fears or the release of past burdens, allowing for personal growth. The key lies in the feelings experienced during the dream and your current life circumstances.

• How can I prevent nightmares about falling?

  To reduce nightmares related to falling, it's helpful to establish a calming bedtime routine that promotes relaxation. Engaging in mindfulness practices, creating a comfortable sleep environment, and avoiding stressful media before bed can all be beneficial. If nightmares persist, consider seeking guidance from a mental health professional.

• Should I interpret my dreams literally or symbolically?

  Dream interpretation is often more symbolic than literal. While the imagery in dreams can relate to your personal experiences, the emotions conveyed often hold more significance. Exploring the underlying themes and feelings within your dreams can lead to clearer insights into your waking life.

References