Having an attractive, healthy body is very important in Western society. Physical health is therefore a common theme in dreams.
Dreams about health and illness can provide you with insight around your physical and emotional well-being. If you are anxious about your health or about a particular part of your body, your anxiety can manifest itself in your dreams. Pain and illness in a dream can also represent worries about other aspect of your life.
A dream that you are physically strong, healthy and vibrant can be a reminder for you to appreciate what you have. If you suffer from an illness in waking life, such a dream can be way to fill you with hope and perhaps provide you with the incentive to take further action toward recovery.
Parts of the Body
If you dream about a particular part of the body, you may be worried about its functioning in waking life. You may also be thinking about the qualities that are associated with that body part. If you dream about the face, you may be examining the way you appear to other people. A dream about the mouth or tongue can be a sign that you are concerned with how you communicate. If you dream about the head, you may be considering your way of thinking. You may associate arms, hands, feet or legs with action. In dreams, we associate the heart with emotion, just as we traditionally make that association in waking life.
In your dreams, your body parts may not be in a normal, healthy state. They may be enlarged, shrunken, injured or malfunctioning. This can be a sign that there is an obstacle or an imbalance in your life.
Dieting and Exercise
Dreaming that you are obese can be a sign that you want to hold on to comfortable things. If you dream that you are on a diet, you may be depriving yourself of something in waking life. If you break your diet in your dreams, you may feel that you have lost control of something, or you may wish to break free of the restrictions in your life. A dream that you are taking part in a fast-moving sport can be a sign that you need more action in your life.
Pain, Illness and Injury
A dream about physical pain can be your unconscious mind’s way of expressing emotional discomfort. A dream about pain can also be a sign of a real physical problem. If you dream that you are in pain, pay attention to where the pain is located, how it feels and how you respond to it. If you are already suffering from pain or are sick or ill in your waking life, the physical feelings that you experience can filter through to your dreams.
Dreams of physical injury can be a sign of emotional harm. If you dream that you have been cut, you may have experienced an emotional scrape. If you dream that you are blind, you may not be looking at something that you need to see. A dream that a wound is festering can be a sign that a problem that you have ignored is getting worse.
Paralysis
If you dream that you are paralyzed, you may be feeling vulnerable or powerless. You could be feeling frustrated about something, or you could be stuck in a bad situation that you can’t get out of by yourself.
Sleep paralysis is a real medical condition that you may experience just as you are falling asleep or just as you are waking up. Your mind is awake and alert while your body remains asleep and paralyzed. While it can be very frightening, it is not dangerous.
Medicine, Doctors and Hospitals
If someone gives you medicine in your dream, pay attention to how you take it. If you are uncomfortable taking it, you may have issues with trust in your waking life. Pay attention to who gives you the medicine and how you feel about that person.
If you dream about doctors, nurses, hospital or ambulance staff, ask yourself what role they perform in your dream. They may represent a desire to absolve yourself of responsibility or to be cared for by someone else. If these people aren’t helping you, it could be a sign that other people are disappointing you in your waking life.
If you receive an anesthetic in your dream, you may be feeling emotionally numb. If you have surgery, you may have a problem that you need to deal with immediately.
If you dream about a hospital, you may be very concerned about being ill, or you may have other serious problems in your life. Many people are afraid of dying in a hospital. Dreaming of being in a hospital can therefore be a sign that you are thinking about your own mortality.