I had a dream where a shadow figure was after my mum. the moment I saw it in my dream I was scared, it was outside tried to grab my mum head (we were on the deck) & it came inside my house & tried to get to my mum but I stopped it, then it went down the hallway & that’s when I woke up. Even though I was scared it didn’t come,after me even though I was right in front of it at one point. Does anyone know what this dream means?

We’ve touched on some general information about dream meanings here and here, so I’ll only briefly reiterate the following which is typically the most relevant question to ask for any attempt to interpret a particular dream… What do you think it means?

There will always be general symbolism for certain things, but in the end, exact meanings are very dependent on our own experiences – the culture we are from, how we were raised, and/or other influences that we are exposed to on a regular basis. What one person may view as negative, may be positive to someone else and vice-versa. So, there is no single “this is what it means” when it comes to our dreams, and of course, just as importantly, sometimes a dream really is just a dream.

General Interpretation

The short answer… sounds like you are worried about your mother, and/or maybe feel that she needs your help with something, but you don’t know what that something is (hence the shadow figure). It’s not coming after you, because it’s not your something – you are just willing to step up and help make whatever it is go away. Could be a literal person, or a stressful situation – maybe your mom is overwhelmed with work, or a financial issue, etc… and you want to help with it, but it means taking on more responsibility yourself, which can be scary. Or you may also just be scared that whatever you do might not be enough. Given that it was both outside and inside the house, odds are it’s something that weighs on her, no matter where she is.

The longer answer would involve studying and researching the various components of your dream and then analyzing them based on your own personal context, suggest looking up basic components here. A few examples –

• Shadows typically symbolize the unknown – ask yourself if there is a particular “unknown” person, or situation that you are concerned about (in relation to your mother).

• The fact that you went from outside to inside your house could signify taking control of the situation. It depends too though, on what sort of emotions or feelings the idea of “home” invokes for you. Happy homes are often a protective symbol, whereas someone from a dysfunctional/abusive family may find the idea of being inside their own house terrifying.

• Attacking someone, in this case, seems pretty straightforward – a matter of protecting your mother. Ask yourself if there is a particular person or situation that you feel your mother needs your help with.

• Hallways can symbolize transitions – so the fact that your dream ended in the hallway, may just be signifying that you were ready to wake up, or could be that the solution to the issue involves starting something new, or change of some sort (both of which can be scary).

As always – if any readers have additional relevant insight, please feel free to comment back. We’d love to hear from you.