What Does Dreaming about Blood Mean
For some, blood is so visceral an image, just thinking about it can make them pass out. However, if we think about blood while we're already unconscious, we might feel like there is no escaping this crimson terror. However, dreaming about blood doesn't mean you're only playing horror films in the night time movie theater of your dreams. Instead, blood is fundamental to continued human existence. It is used metaphorically in everything from slasher pictures to church services and its red color is incredibly evocative. If you wonder what does dreaming about blood mean, oneHOWTO has some ideas to consider. It's bloody good advice if you ask us.
Steps to follow:
Gory blood dreams
We're going to start with the worst case scenario first: dreaming of gory blood. These blood dreams might be reminiscent of blood filled scenes in horror movies like Carrie or The Shining (both from horror writer Stephen Kind who also made clown horror movie It. This is where copious amounts of blood are everywhere around the scene. It could be that you are being attacked or that you are attacking, e.g. shooting or being shot.
One of the main reasons you might dream of this is because you have watched a scary movie. Horror movies and psychological thrillers are designed to affect our psychologies. They shouldn't affect our behavior, but the images which have disturbed our waking life can still disturb us. One source says that '[d]espite knowing a film isn't real, you feel real emotion'[1]. If you dream of blood, then maybe you simply have some leftover feelings from the move you watched.
Some movies can impact us more, so they might even come into our dreams long after we have seen the movie. It's important to remember that these sort of responses from movies are normal and do not indicate there is anything wrong with you psychologically. It is more likely a sign you are relatively normal.
Blood is for love
If you have ever heard the term 'bleeding heart' used about someone it's in reference to how sensitive they might be. While often used derogatorily, there is nothing wrong with being sensitive. The blood in your dream might simply be representative of caring about something or someone very strongly. Whether it is romantic or otherwise, this feeling is likely to be love.
On Valentine's Day cards you will see cartoon pictures of scarlet hearts and think nothing of it. They are dotted all over children's toys and cutsey pyjamas alike. However, actual hearts are the organ which pumps blood all over the body and looking at a real one might turn your stomach rather than make you skip a beat. Your dreams might confuse or entangle these images. When you dream about blood and someone else is present, then you might want to think if there is any feeling of love.
Again, the love you might be dreaming of doesn't have to be romantic. They say blood is thicker than water and this is in reference to your family. If you dream of blood and there are family members involved, it could be that you are concerned about the. Equally, it could just be your mind reminding you of how strong your bonds are (people often use the phrase 'bound by blood' in reference to family responsibilities).
Blood is for lust
Human sexuality is a complicated thing and blood has often been linked to it. You might say when you see someone you find attractive that they get your blood going. We find many people attractive simply walking down the street, so if someone or even an image related to someone appears in your dream then it might be related to sexual feelings. Blood and passion are firmly related. If you feel passionate about something, you often see it in the face. Blood rises up and these passion feelings are released.
Sexual feelings are normal and they enter our dreams all the time. This is especially so at times when we might have overactive hormones, say during puberty or pregnancy. However, it is also important to remember that just because you do see someone in a dream and there is blood, it doesn't necessarily mean it is sexual. There are many reasons you might see blood in your dream.
Where is the blood?
Where the blood appears in your dream is also very important. Blood on different parts of the body has a wide variety of meanings. If you see blood on your hands in a dream, then it could be a subconscious expression of guilt. The euphemistic phrase to have blood on your hands means that you are culpable of a crime. It doesn't necessarily mean it is a criminal act, but perhaps you have wronged someone in some way and the dream is trying to show how you feel about it. The same goes if you see blood on someone else's hands. Maybe this person has wronged you, or you perceive they have wrong you.
Blood on your back is also a common image in dreams. This is usually because someone has stabbed you in the back. This means betrayal. Blood in your dreams in general can often be related to betrayal. Has something done something to you which you feel equals a betrayal? They don't even have to have done something, but for some reason you feel like they have or will do something. This is particularly common if you are in a relationship with someone. Maybe your own confidence has been knocked and you are feeling insecure about them. Blood stains in a dream might be just one way for this to manifest itself.
Dreaming of drinking blood
If you dream of drinking blood, it means you're a vampire. Only joking! While this may be another visceral image in your mind's eye, it doesn't have to mean it has a literal interpretation. It more often than not is something to do with power. In many ancient traditions across the world, drinking blood is a ritual which has had to do with power.
Maybe your self-esteem or confidence is not at its highest. Your dream might be telling you that you need to take more power over your own life and overcome certain adversity. Equally, you might have just won a big account at work, done something powerful or achieved something useful. Dreaming of drinking blood might just be a (creepy) way of celebrating.
How you react to blood
Whatever the scenario of your dream, the amount of blood is less important than your reaction to the blood. If you are crazed and disregarding of the carnage all around you, it could be you are worried about being desensitised in general. Maybe there is something in your life which has an emotional impact on you, but you are not addressing it. Your subconscious mind could be trying to remind you that if we don't confront problems, they will find other ways to affect us. Blood appearing in our dreams is just one possible way.
Dreams offer a world of interpretations, so if this article has helped you to clarify what you have seen then do not miss out on other interesting meanings, such as:
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