Many people are dreaming more vividly during Coronavirus. They wonder what their Covid dreams mean.
The press is responding to this interest by interviewing people with knowledge of dreams, including this article I was interviewed for.
Sometimes, dreams are more vivid because our lives are less boisterous and less energy is directed to career and socializing. That frees up energy for what is going on inside. The inner life may be calling, and it is tired of waiting. Now that there is a forced lull, that inner life kicks the dust up, urging us to pay attention by giving us disturbing dreams.
Dreams come from the deepest roots of the personality. When we are living only in the outer world, we are disconnected from our roots. Then when a serious event like a pandemic occurs, a neglected emotional and spiritual root system does not support us, setting the stage for heightened anxiety and existential angst.
These deep roots can support and sustain us during difficult times. But to do that, they need watering. They need care and attention. What might your deepest personality be like? Imagine if there is a you who is not what your relationships have made you, or what your career has taught you. Imagine if there is a you that is older, eternal. Who is that person? Are you interested in learning more about them?
Getting to know this deep part of yourself is what I mean about cultivating an inner life. It is this deep self that creates the dreams which may be disturbing you now. But this does not mean that this part of the personality is something you should fear. As you put in time to water your own roots, learn to feel and hear that part, it feeds you back, and your dreams start to portray images of new life, and even rebirth. You may learn to relate to that part as a trusted ally who warns you of trouble and nudges you along a path to greater authenticity and depth.
As we look at Covid dreams, we do confront some fears. Some people dream they have caught Covid-19, or that they’re looking for their mask or have lost their mask. Sometimes people dream they are hiding out from the world in an apocalyptic setting where it is becoming increasingly difficult to avoid catching it.
The specific meaning of your Covid-19 dream will depend on the details of your dream, the setting, and the other figures besides you who appear in the dream. A dream often presents a problem, describes the inner factors that are in conflict, and may suggest a resolution to the problem.
For example, you might dream that you’re trying to put a mask on your beloved, affectionate pet. In the dream, your pet doesn’t understand why it needs a mask and keeps trying to get free of it. You have to keep an eye your pet constantly to ensure the mask stays on.
Symbolically, we might think of this dream as a conflict between your mind and your instincts. Your pet could represent the part of you that wants affection and will instinctively seek it without awareness of the consequences. That part may not have got the message from your rational mind that physical affection with people you don’t live with needs to be put on hold for the time being. And so the vigilance you have to exhibit in the dream might point to the level of conscious effort you have to regularly put in to watch that your instinct for physical affection doesn’t cause you to put yourself in danger during these remarkable times. You might engage in a dialogue with the instinct for affection and try to nourish it without endangering yourself.
Sometimes your unconscious may use Covid-19 as a symbol, rather than referring to the actual virus. One might say that other contagious factors are spreading worldwide now like a virus. For example, if you dream that you have caught Covid when you have not in waking life, your psyche might be be using the virus to warn you that you’re in danger of catching a heightened irrational fear that contagion is everywhere, in spite of your conscious knowledge you are quite safe because you are following recommended hand washing and distancing practices. Or you might be plagued with the fear that people from different cultures or countries are dangerous, even though under normal circumstances, you wouldn’t feel that way. Irrational fears can be contagious.
Most often, dreams express their meaning symbolically rather than literally. A dream that you have caught coronavirus likely does not mean that you will catch it. But it does have an important symbolic meaning unique to you and your life circumstances, which you can explore through Jungian analysis. Contact me to learn more.