“You create everything in your dreams. Every person you encounter, every place you go, every event you experience is generated by your unconscious self,” he says.
“By understanding why you create your unique dream content, you invariably achieve a profound understanding of who you really are, what you really need, and what you really believe.”
Ian has interpreted over 150,000 dreams during more than 30 years of practice.
Here’s his expert take on five of the most common, their meanings, and what action you should take in your waking life.
1. Falling
What it means: Feeling yourself falling in a dream indicates that you are hanging on too tightly to a particular situation in waking life. You need to relax and let go of it.
What you should do: Rather than being so concerned about losing control, sometimes you just have to trust in yourself and others by allowing everything to fall naturally into place.
2. Flying
What it means: Being able to fly suggests that you have released yourself from circumstances that have been weighing you down in waking life.
What you should do: Although you may regard this feeling of liberation as just luck or coincidence, it is usually because you have managed to make a weighty decision or risen above the limitations of a heavy responsibility, says Ian.
3. Unprepared for an exam
What it means: Exams are how we judge our ability to perform, so this indicates that you are critically examining your own performance in waking life.
What you should do: Rather than immersing yourself in endless self-examination, the real test of your character is being able to accept your talents by celebrating your knowledge and achievements, instead of constantly judging them.
4. Being chased
What it means: There is an issue in your waking life that you want to confront, but you don’t know how to.
What you should do: This issue is often a great opportunity for you to pursue a particular personal ambition. Although they may seem scary, your pursuers are actually bringing your attention to your unrealized talents in your own pursuit of fulfillment.
5. Naked in public
What it means: We choose our clothes to present a particular image to the people around us. Being naked in public suggests that there is a situation in waking life that is making you feel vulnerable and exposed.
What you should do: Although it might be potentially embarrassing, sometimes you just have to open up to others so they can see your real talents.