When I was about 10 years old, robbers broke into our house in the middle of the night. My father was away on a business trip so it was just my mum, baby sister, and me.
We were in the middle of nowhere and it was not uncommon for simple burglaries to turn into rape and murder.
Luckily, no harm came to us, but I was traumatized.
Since then I’ve had the recurrent dream of being back in that house, unable to escape.
It’s been many years since the event and though I rarely ever have that dream, when I feel anxious and out of control, I find myself dreaming about that old house.
Some recurrent dreams are universal, whereas others like mine are tied to something that happened at the place you keep dreaming of.
Here are the 11 most common meanings of dreams about the same place:
1) You feel safe and in control in this place
Some recurrent dreams are about places you have been to frequently, such as your grandparent’s home when you were little or a museum or park you loved playing in.
Recurrent dreams like these could mean that you feel safe and in control in these places. You may also have fond memories of growing up at these places.
These are good dreams that make you feel safe and help calm you if you’re experiencing any anxiety during the day.
2) This place helps you cope with your problems
Some recurrent dreams are about places that you have created to cope with your current problems. You may be trying to run away from your problems by imagining yourself in a place that is completely different from your current situation.
In my case for example, when I feel like my life isn’t going the way I planned and I’m facing problems I don’t want to deal with, I dream of going to New York.
That’s because I planned on moving there to become an artist when I was younger. To me, New York represents escape, a life I never had, an alternative to my life now.
3) This is a place where you have had good experiences
Recurrent dreams about places that are happy and joyful are common. You might be trying to re-live the good experiences from your past.
If you’re tired and overwhelmed in your waking life, these dreams of happy places are there to soothe you and help you find the energy to go on.
4) In this place, you are trying to find yourself or discover something about yourself
Some recurrent dreams are about places where you are actively trying to find something about yourself.
This could be something you have forgotten, or it could be something you never knew about yourself.
For example, you could find yourself on stage in a theatre playing a certain part. Think about the part and what it represents.
5) This is a place where you suffered from trauma and feel an overwhelming sense of loss
Some recurrent dreams are about places that are associated with trauma and loss.
You could be trying to heal yourself by confronting your fears, or you could be trying to forget something that happened in the past. Just think about my dream of going back to the house where it all happened.
6) This is a place of danger where you feel threatened by something or someone
Some recurrent dreams are about places that are foreboding, where you are surrounded by danger and feel threatened – such as a dark alley or a cliff, or a town near a volcano.
If this is the case, the dream represents something in your life that scares or overwhelms you.
What are you so afraid of?
6) You miss this person and wish for the person to return
Some recurrent dreams are about people whom you miss, and you wish for them to return. These recurrent dreams could be your way of coping with this loss.
My grandpa passed away a few years ago and still I miss him. I often dream about going back to my grandparent’s place and him being there, as if he was there the whole time and everything has gone back to normal.
I get to hang out with my grandpa in my dreams which makes me both happy and sad.
7) This place symbolizes something or someone in your current life that makes you feel unhappy or unsafe
Some recurrent dreams are about places that are mysterious and scary. They could be your way of expressing your feelings about something or someone in your real life.
Think about the place and why you find it so threatening. Who does it bring to mind? Your boss? An angry neighbor?
8) The place you keep dreaming about is an unknown building or location
If you keep dreaming about an unknown building or location, there could be an unresolved issue in your life that you need to address.
Perhaps there’s a work issue that you need to talk to your boss about, or you might have an issue with a family member that you haven’t had the chance to talk to.
Perhaps you’re worrying too much about the future, and your subconscious is trying to bring your attention to the present.
Alternatively, you might be experiencing some anxiety about the ordeal you’re currently going through. You might be stressed out about how the situation will turn out.
9) The place you keep dreaming about is your workplace
Unless you’re one of the lucky few people that love their job, it’s not exactly a relaxing and happy place to dream about.
However, the workplace is one of the most common places people visit when they’re asleep.
So why are you at work in your dreams?
Well, you might be experiencing some resentment towards your job, your supervisor, or even your coworkers and this could be causing you some stress.
Your subconscious is trying to tell you that this stressor is affecting you more than you think. If there’s a specific thing about your workplace that you’re dreaming about, it might help you identify the cause of your anxiety.
For example, if you’re dreaming about the copy machine, it could mean that you’re feeling pressured to do everything quickly.
Alternatively, if you dream about your computer crashing, it could be a symbol of your frustration with your slow work progress.
If you want to stop dreaming about the workplace, you need to pinpoint the issue and deal with it.
10) The place you keep dreaming about is a school or university
Here’s another very common recurrent dream about the same place.
Often people will dream that they’re back at school.
Though there are many back-to-school scenarios, here are examples of two that I’ve had:
1) You’re supposed to take your exams again
As an adult, from time to time I dream about going back to school and having to retake my exams.
In my dream, I know that I’ve already been through all that and I don’t understand why I have to do it all over again.
If you’re dreaming about being back at school to retake your exams, ask yourself: is there some area in your life you feel insecure about? Do you feel inadequate? Do you feel like you have to prove yourself to some people?
2) You’re on holiday so why are you back at school?
The second dream is one I mostly had when I was still at school.
I really hated going to school and in the middle of the long summer vacation, I would dream about being back at school.
If you’re on holiday and you dream about being back at school, it means that you’re anxious and you have trouble relaxing. Try to stop thinking about what awaits you after your holiday and try to be in the moment and worry less.
All in all, if you’re dreaming about being back at school, it’s either because you feel like you have to go back because you’re not good enough at your job and in your life and you need to learn something or prove yourself, or, because you’re dealing with anxiety and having trouble relaxing.
11) The place you keep dreaming about is your home
- If you keep having a nightmare about your current home, you may be experiencing some anxiety about your current living situation.
Perhaps you’re feeling cramped or overwhelmed by the people living with you.
Or you might be worried about the money you spend on rent or how you’ll ever be able to save up enough to buy a home of your own.
What’s more, if you’re dreaming about specific things in your home, they could be significant.
For example, if you keep dreaming about your messy bedroom, it could be a sign that you need to clean up your act.
A messy bedroom means a messy life which could be causing you a lot of anxiety, so your subconscious brought it into your dreams so that you could deal with the issue.
- If you’re dreaming of your childhood home as I did, it could mean many things.
It could be a place where you had a negative experience and you don’t want to go back there. This is something you would dream of when you’re going through a hard time and can’t find your way out of a sticky situation.
Or, it could be a place full of happy memories. In that case, dreaming about your childhood home is about nostalgia and missing a simpler and happier time.
Conclusion
It is common for people to have recurring dreams about places, objects, or people from their past, as well as dreaming about places they’ve never been to.
They might be nightmares, or they might be a place you love and want to visit more often.
They could be your way of coping with anxiety and stress in your life. You could be trying to work through your problems by dreaming about them.
If you are experiencing recurrent dreams, it is a good idea to try to understand their meaning. This could be an excellent way of dealing with any problems you might be experiencing.
