Well today I am excited to share with you a professional piece of research which answers that exact question. You can read the full article here: Thematic and Content Analysis of Idiopathic Nightmares and Bad Dreams. But I will summarize the most important findings below! But before we do, here are some key details about this research. The study included 331 participants and ended up recording nearly 10,000 dreams! They also made sure to only include test participants who had “idiopathic” nightmares, meaning that these dreams did not have a known trigger, such as trauma. Keep in mind that the total percentages add up to more than 100% because many dreams had more than one theme expressed in them.

🔍 The Top 11 Nightmare Themes:

1.) Physical Aggression: 48.6% of us dream about confrontations.

(Dreams of threat or direct attack to one’s physical integrity by another character, including sexual aggression, murder, being kidnapped or sequestered.)

2.) Interpersonal Conflict: 21.0% experience relationship drama.

(Dreams of conflict-based interaction between two characters involving hostility, opposition, insults, humiliation, rejection, infidelity, lying, etc.)

3.) Failure or Helplessness: 16.2% feel utterly powerless.

(Dreams of difficulty or incapacity of the dreamer to attain a goal, including being late, lost, unable to talk, losing or forgetting something, and making mistakes.)

4.) Being Chased: 11.1% are on the run!

(Dreamer being chased by another character but not physically attacked.)

5.) Evil Presence: 11.1% feel an ominous threat.

(Dreams of seeing or feeling the presence of or being possessed by an evil force, including monsters, aliens, vampires, spirits, creatures, ghosts, etc.)

6.) Health Related Concerns: 9.1% worry about illness.

(Dreams including the presence of physical illness, disease, health related concerns, or death of a character or of the dreamer.)

7.) Accidents: 8.7% face unexpected disasters.

(Dreams of the dreamer or another character involved in an accident, including vehicle accidents, drowning, slipping, falling, etc.)

8.) Apprehension: 8.7% feel a sense of dread.

(Dreams in which the dreamer is afraid or worried about someone or something, without an objective threat being present.)

9.) Insects/Vermin: 6.7% are bugged by creepy crawlies.

(Dreams including the presence of or infestation, bites or stings from insects, rats, snakes, etc.)

10.) Disasters: 5.5% witness natural calamities.

(Dreams of plausible events ranging from relatively small-scale anomalies such as a fire or flood in one’s house or neighborhood to larger scale disasters such as earthquakes, war, the end of the world, etc.)

11.) Enviromental Abnormalities: 4.7% encounter strange worlds.

(Dreams of bizarre or implausible events appearing in the dream’s environment.)

How does this resonate with you? Which ones have you had, and what do you think they were telling you? Send me an email response and let me know!

I know these dreams might be unsettling, but they’re your mind’s way of processing stress and rehearsing responses to potential threats. Think of them as your brain’s way of saying, “Hey, let’s prepare for this!” As a counselor, I believe in the power of dreams to guide us towards healing. Understanding your nightmares can help you connect with your true self and navigate through mental health struggles with more clarity.

Got a nightmare that’s keeping you up? Let’s talk about it! Drop a comment or DM me, and let’s decode those night terrors together. Stay dreamy! 🌙✨

With Love,

List of references:

• The 11 Most Common Nightmare Subjects | Psychology Today
• Thematic and Content Analysis of Idiopathic Nightmares and Bad Dreams