Why do I dream about the same thing over and over?

A dream that repeats itself is referred to as a recurring dream. Some recurring dreams repeat themselves only within a short span of several days. There are, however, some recurring dreams that may repeat themselves over a prolonged period of time. You must be careful, however, to distinguish between a recurring dream and a progressive dream. A recurring dream is one that repeats itself and plays out in the same way that it played out in a previous dream. Progressive or continuous dreams, on the other hand, consist of several dreams that take place separately but follow a single progression, scenario, or story. The causes of these two types of dreams vary from one another, so it is important to correctly identify whether yours is a recurring dream or a progressive dream.

There are several explanations as to why a dream may repeat itself. A recurrent dream may be a message that your subconscious is desperately trying to relay to you. In some instances, the actual content of a recurring dream may seem trivial or unimportant, but the message behind the dream may be of tremendous significance to you. It may be something about yourself that you are unaware of, or a repressed desire that is stubbornly trying to surface to your consciousness.

Many recurring dreams can span several years and are often triggered by events and crossroads that are relevant to your innermost desires. If you have repressed ambitions of becoming a singer, for instance, you may encounter recurring dreams that contain elements of exposing yourself to an audience, and these may commonly occur during crossroads in your life when you are about to make decisions regarding your career path or plans. These dreams will continue to recur for as long as the desires that are behind these dreams are not appropriately confronted.

If you are having recurring dreams, therefore, try to become more aware of the elements contained in these dreams. It will help you greatly if you keep a dream journal to jot down all the details that you can remember of these dreams as soon as you wake up. When you’ve listed down the common elements in your recurring dream, try to internalize each element and seek the one that calls your attention the most. The most trivial detail can be very significant if it actually corresponds to something that is very significant to you. There may be an internal conflict within yourself that you need to resolved but have opted to repress for the longest period of time. When you’ve identified what your dreams are trying to tell you, make it a point to confront the conflicts and issues that are being brought up. Recurring dreams often cease when the internal conflict causing them has been resolved.