Tornadoes are a literal force of nature, but if you dream about them, they can be a figurative one too. There might be a variety of meanings, relating to sudden changes in your life, emotional distress or some sort of representational destruction. The more you can remember about your dream, the clearer the interpretation may be. This is why we recommend you keep a journal or even some pen and paper beside your bed. You can then write down the images and occurrences in your dreams while they are still fresh in your mind. This will help with dream analysis, especially when you want to know what it means to dream about tornadoes. oneHOWTO looks into their significance and hopefully work out what is troubling you, if anything is indeed troubling you.
Helplessness
Tornadoes are a weather phenomenon which can provide an incredible amount of destruction. The most extreme tornadoes can get up to 300 mph and can be a couple of miles across. The devastation can include laying waste to buildings, picking up heavy objects like trucks and depositing them far away and, of course, killing people. If you were to be stuck in a tornado and are out in the open, there is very little you could do to protect yourself.
If you dream of being in a tornado or fear a tornado coming, then perhaps you are dealing with feelings of helplessness. The reason for this helplessness needs to be considered. If you have a medical condition or are feeling unwell, perhaps this is why you feel like you have lost agency. There some illnesses we can't cure and, whether or not you have one, you can be concerned about getting it. Maybe you are waiting for a diagnosis or are a hypochondriac and have a tendency to fear the worst. A tornado might appear in your dream because you fear you will be unable to to do something about it.
There are many other situations we get in whereby we feel like we can't do anything about them. Maybe you are in a relationship and you feel like you can't leave. It may be you are simply unsure if you should leave, but it could also be something more intimidating. Family circumstances can be equally troublesome. It could involve a relative who is being problematic, but we feel like there is nothing we can do to help them either from their circumstance or their own destructive behavior.
If you have been suffering from poor mental health, then dreaming of a tornado could be a sign you feel unable to get away from certain thought patterns. For many, mental health issues can get so bad that they need some outside help to deal with them properly. A tornado could be a sign you feel like there is nothing you can do about your depression or anxiety. This is a common symptom of both, but seeking help from a mental health professional can start you on a road to recovery.
Destroying homes
If the buildings being destroyed in your tornado dream are houses, then this can be significant. If it is your house, then this could be even more so. Houses are safe places which protect families. If they are destroyed, then it could be a concern about something threatening you or your family. This could even be a cultural shift or recent political concern which you fear is affecting your ideas of what 'family' is. Whether or not this is the case is often subjective.
However, dreaming of a tornado destroying your house is probably more likely you are worried about something specific affecting your home life. If you have a relationship with a partner who you worry is being unfaithful, you might dream of a tornado. This is partly related to the idea of a 'home wrecker', i.e. someone who facilitates the breaking up of a family. Often it is actually the individual circumstance of the family itself which can lead to such problems. Your partner may be behaving in a way which makes you suspicious, but it could also be insecurity on your part which is making you worried about a partner.
It is important to remember that dreams are not oracles. They will not predict the future. Instead, they can help you realize issues about the present so that you can try to make the future a better place for you.
Sudden change
Another aspect of tornadoes which might seep into your dream state is the fact they exist due to a sudden change. This sudden change in weather could be relatable to a sudden change in your life circumstances. This could be just about anything which shakes up the status quo. Maybe you are a child whose parents are about to have another baby. This could make you think that your entire world will be torn asunder, even if the results are ultimately positive. You could have had a bereavement in the family. When someone whom you relied upon is gone, it can be devastating.
The meaning of the sudden change depends on your circumstances and is another good reason why you might want to keep a journal to jot down your dreams. Sometimes, the tornado represents a change which has already happened. Sometimes, it is one you believe will happen. Either way, it could be insecurity or an issue with self-confidence which is leading to the worries.
While a tornado destroying a home might make you feel you will lose a partner, a tornado in any dream might make you fear losing someone close to you. Maybe you have a friendship you think is wearing thin as much as you are worried about a romantic partner.
Your own destruction
While we have looked at tornadoes in dreams representing an outside destruction, you should be careful to be introspective also. Perhaps the dreams you have about tornadoes have more to do with your own capacity for destruction. This could be destruction to other people. Perhaps you have been playing around with another person's feelings or simply behaving in a selfish or caustic way. Your subconscious might be telling you to calm these behaviors down and to focus on more positive habits.
Equally, you might be fine when you interact with others, but you have a spirit of self-destruction. Maybe you don't go for the opportunities you secretly know you should take. Perhaps you push people away when you know it causes you pain. It could even be a physical self-destruction with the abuse of alcohol or drugs. Whatever it is, a dream about a tornado might be a sign you are worried about it all becoming devastating at some point.
Shelter from the storm
A lot of the possible reasons why tornadoes appear in dreams are worries or concerns. It doesn't mean there is necessarily something wrong with you, everybody worries. However, how you react to the tornado in your dream is relevant to its interpretation.
If you dream of a tornado and completely freak out, maybe you are worried about overcoming a particular challenge or upcoming issue. If you aren't able to deal with it in the dream, then you could be worried you won't in your waking life. Talking to someone, seeking some reassurance and finding ways to put yourself in a situation which you can handle should be helpful.
Similarly, if you dream you are in a tornado, but stay safe and warm inside, maybe you feeling quite assured at the moment. You could be in a relationship which is going well or you have worked hard recently and are starting to feel more secure about job prospects. Whatever it is, riding out the dream tornado could just be your mind giving you a little reminder than you are strong and capable.
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- Dreams are open to interpretation. These suggestions are just guidelines to get you thinking about what a tornado might represent in your dream.