Seven Reasons You May Be Dreaming About the Corona Virus Pandemic

Vivid, intense, and “busy” dreams are occurring as the corona virus pandemic continues to unfold. There are several reasons contributing to this fact: (1) changes in sleeping habits, (2) taking care of others in need, (3) financial pressure, (4) anger about how the virus is being handled by our leaders, (5) underlying physical issues (which means escalated fear of catching the virus), (6) feeling isolated and lonely from social distancing, and (7) increased stress at work from having to wear a mask.

One client shared how his surge of dreams stems from feeling disconnected from others: “Because I am not spending time hanging out with my friends, I’m alone far more than I’ve ever been. I think this is amping up my inner world and dreaming state. My dreams have never been so intense. I decided this was a good time to write them down and really work with them.”

Are your dreams pertaining to the current pandemic?

Lately, I have witnessed several clients’ dreams pointing to the personal effect the virus is having on our psychological state, such as this one:

I’m in a black Jeep and my husband is driving. We are coming to an end of a road and we both know we are about to go over a cliff and into a deep body of water. As we get closer to the edge, I feel frightened, but I’m also aware that we are going to be okay. As the Jeep goes over the cliff and down toward the water, I think we need to roll down the windows so we don’t get trapped. As we hit the water, I am now out of the Jeep and descending toward the ocean floor, feet first. My toes are pointed downward, and I realize I am going down so deep that I will run out of oxygen. I decide to make myself stop descending and hope I have enough air to make it to back up. I awoke feeling very anxious.

This dreamer was in the process of taking care of her husband who was ill. Also, she was dealing with some of  her own health issues and very worried about contracting the virus. Since this was the third anxiety-related dream she had had in the past few weeks, she got tested for the corona virus and tested negative. However, she did not notice any decrease in her stress levels or upsetting dreams. Together, we began using active imagination to better understand her dreams. She also realized she needed to re-implement her daily self-care routine of listening to meditative music, spending more time outdoors with her dogs, and hiking alone. A few weeks later, her anxious dreams began to decrease.

Most dreams are personal, but not all. Sometimes, our dreams are uprising from the collective unconscious. These dreams are revealing the overall concerns we are experiencing as a “whole”. Some are even prophetic. But most dreams tend to be highly personal. Pay particular attention to your dreams during this time and notice “themes” which may be arising.

Right now is an important time to reflect and pay attention to your internal world. It is tempting to become distracted from the cacophony of the external world. But what matters most, is the wisdom surfacing from deep within you. Your dreams will lead you to making healthy, life-generating choices that feed your mental, emotional and physical well-being.

To watch the video that accompanies this blog, please click this link: https://youtu.be/lj3xXWFKIhk

Namaste,

Laura Grace, PhD