Can you explain what triggers dreams/nightmares about being attacked (and also mess and clutter)?
I am 78 yrs old and have had recurring dreams such as these for over 20 years and am now seeking some clarification.
Dreaming of being attacked is actually quite common. In some cases, people who suffer from post traumatic stress disorder or some other type of anxiety ailment due to an actual physical attack may dream of being attacked as their psyche still tries to deal with the incident.
More than likely though, a dream of being attacked is generally triggered by the suppression or fear of something going on in your life. While in your dream, you may be attacked by any number of things – a man, a monster, or a wild animal – but, what is actually attacking you is some disturbing area in your life that you may not notice or may think you have under control during waking hours. When we don’t openly acknowledge our fears, they show up in our dreams, where our minds are much freer and open to feelings.
Look at all aspects of your life and try to pinpoint the area of stress. You say you have had this dream off and on for 20 years. Go back 20 years and see what was going on in your life. Did you retire when you were 58? If you did, was it of your own free will or were you forced to due to an illness? Or, had you ever worked outside the home? Maybe you felt guilty and less than useful being a homemaker. It may be that at 58, you were re-examining your youth and realized you missed out on something – getting married, having children, having a career.

Describe your dream and get a personalised interpretation of its symbols and meaning.
Try our Dreamscape Dream Analyser free, here on this site →And, it may be that at 58, you began to realize that your body was getting older and time was no longer on your side. Many of us think when we are young that we will never get old, but in your forties and fifties, you really begin to notice physical and mental changes and realize that age is creeping up on you.
If the anxiety that goes with aging is not dealt with, but only suppressed, what is “attacking” you in your dreams is the fear of getting older and eventually death. The dreams of clutter and mess could be that you feel if you died today, there would be areas that would be left in chaos, where it is something physical like the clutter in your home or mental like having a will or telling people you love them.
If that is the case, you may want to seek counseling. Twenty years is a long time to have reoccurring dreams and it may take a professional to help you deal with the issues. If you cannot afford counseling, talk to family and friends about this anxiety and try to come to terms with it. Meditate on seeking peace with this problem each night before you go to sleep. Recognize the anxiety, but concentrate on not allowing it to creep into your dreams anymore.
Your situation may be slightly different. ask a question below ↓ and our editorial team will reply with our advice.
attacking me. In one of my dreams, I had an anxiety attack so bad that I was shaking when I woke up.
When I close my eyes at night even for one second I just image a figure attacking me. I feel like everyone is after me. A lot of people have been attacking me in real life too. I can't sleep at night because I am afraid that won't wake up. I really hate that feeling.
Out socialising with a friend then a random drunk man approaches me for a cigarette, before I say yes he just throws himself onto me which at first felt like a mugging but then became apparent he is intoxicated. This same man then continues to re appear like 3/4 times harassing and attacking me and even throwing stuff at me which I felt the impact from off my head, No one helps but I manage to escape him and then I’m at home. The dream gets weirder at home. I’m suddenly walking down the stairs from being upstairs and find the front door open, I shut it too and as I inspected the rest of the house downstairs I can see from the kitchen the back door is open too which scares me, I’m thinking is this man in the house. I struggle to use my phone as tho I’ve got no signal. And this is the twist. My attention suddenly goes towards the bathroom and I can see the floor is covered in water. I enter to find the bath full with a dark purple coloured water and as I get closer I can see the outline of a body submerged. I grabbed the shoulders pulled up the body and it was my sister, She younger than me but the image in my head I can still picture it was a younger version of herself. her eyes were dark purple like the water very scary but then I realised she was okay and breathing, shouted at her as I thought she was dead and then I woke up. Any clue to the message of this disturbing dream please?
I woke up to actually crying out in my bed here in sarasota Florida.
As I woke up I wanted to snuggle with Steve for comfort...I went to roll over to do that and he wasn’t here
What is the meaning of this?
Also have dreams where cars/trucks are chasing me at my home in the mountains. They are bouncing around and jumping fences climbing the side of the mountains on our property but I do go out there to chase them off and fight back to protect our animals?
Am I going nuts??
But about 7 months ago I was rear ended on the interstate have a lot of injuries from the accident and still currently fighting insurance and employer to get the care I need. Just trying to make sense thanks if you can offer any insight.
i tried running but my legs kept giving out so it was hard for me to keep going but once i got to my house there was this creepy demon thing in the window and my door was stuck and i couldn’t open it
all of a sudden the door flies open and i got inside, i then woke up..
the second dream i had when i fell back asleep, was me and a few other people from theater were in my front yard and there were these random people trying to attack us...
so when they were attacking us basically they had like chain saws and knives and stuff but the random people snatched michael and then curtis got away, i never saw him later in my dream.
but the dude trying to attack ME had a chainsaw, i tried to run away but my legs were slowing down so at the end i just laid down knowing it was the end... he cut off both my arms with the chainsaw and then in my dream i said “my head. just do it.” and he started cutting my head off with it and i woke up and now the back of my neck is burning..
later got up & found scratches on the back of my neck as well.
The attack was so sudden that shocked me and I felt that my heart is beating too fast that I'm gonna die but we all ran off that place but while running they were just behind me with there swords and with loud voices as a mob. Finally I escaped the mob
And now I am awake but I'm still shaking
What was that with the dream because I still feel it that was scary
(which i honestly had no clue who it was)
Kept walking a little scared and right before entering one guy ran up and took asked for our names and we asked why he said he jus needed to know and then said "once everyones in class we are blowing up this school" and all of them had guns in their hands..
So i just ran as fast as i could and a man started shooting but the man who was talking to me told them to stop and when i got into the woods i watched the school get blown up as soon as tht second bell rang and i watched people get shot. I then ran home and told my grandma and she didnt believe me and then i went to a milk shake place and that gang was driving by and the same dude that let me go spotted me but didnt say anything to his gang and out of no where my friend that i was walking with showed up and we were talking about it then we saw cop cars and fire trucks and ambulances rushing by and then i woke up.
please help me this is a very disturbing dream I woke up crying
Anyway my dream, I was having a very soft normal dream about having to drive somewhere with some friends, when all off a sudden my dream was interupted with some bangs then screams of my daughter in reality and the sounds of her being attacked and hurt in the room next to me, however my body wouldnt move initially i was paralysed but i fought it so hard for about 3 seconds i was unparaylised, but everything was silent, everyone still asleep I'd imagined the noises/screams that interupted my initial dream?!?!
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