Dreams about houses are a common dream theme at bedtime. If you or a loved one have been covering this ground at night, you may have questions about what it all might mean. As part of a Huffington Post series on dreams and their meanings, we spoke to Vocata George, Ph.D., a Jungian Analyst at the C.G. Jung Education Center of Cleveland, to get expert advice about the meanings of your or your loved one's dreams about houses. Note: While dream analysis is highly subjective, this post might provide some insight into why this dream occurred or is recurring.
What do dreams about houses mean?"Think of the house as yourself," says George. The image of a house in a dream can mean various things. It can be a place you have never seen before, or maybe it is your childhood home. It can also be seen in various ways: large, small, neat, or falling apart. The meaning of a dream about a house depends on the message the self is trying to relay, she explains.
What can I learn about myself from dreaming about houses?"Some people may find it helpful to write down details about their house dream when first awaking," George suggests. The size and feeling surrounding the dream house can offer clues as to what your subconscious self is trying to reveal.
Are there any tricks to avoiding or inducing dreams about houses?"Of course thinking about a house before going to sleep at night may lead to another dream about a house, but your self knows what it needs to tell you," says George. You may revisit the same house, be shown a different house or the dream can use entirely different imagery.
Beyond analysis, what cultural symbolism can be found in dreams about houses?The house in your dream could be your childhood home and have feelings connected to it that you need to revisit. You could also have a house dream about a home you have never seen before. Since the house is a symbol of yourself, says George, "It could show you that you could be bigger. If you find more and more rooms in a big house, you may need to be more conscious of pieces of yourself not yet discovered."
Who tends to have dreams about houses most frequently?Anyone can dream about a house. A house is a universal symbol that is common to every person.
Where do you begin decoding a dream about a house?"Jungian psychology is not about one dream," says George. "It is a very complex look into your soul. Think about your dreams over a period of time, rather than using one isolated dream. Describing the house from your dream and the feelings connected with it is the first step." She advises that you include as many details as you can recall about your house dream: size, shape, color, and condition. These details can help point you in the right direction.
Vocata George earned her Ph.D. at the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology in Palo Alto, Calif. She then pursued post-Ph.D. inter-regional training in order to become a Jungian Analyst. She is currently a Jungian Analyst at the C.G. Jung Education Center of Cleveland, a center that remains dedicated to the evolution of consciousness and the pursuit of meaning in life through psychological insight and creative expression.