DREAM DICTIONARY : This dream dictionary is based upon hundreds of real dreams and has been meticulously researched. However, the only person who can truly identify the cause of a dream is the dreamer. Use the questions and quotes on this page to help you find out what has triggered your dream.

PRISONS : To understand a dream symbol then you need to think carefully about what it involves especially in terms of your emotions. A prison is a punishment, its a place where you are trapped which stops you doing things that you would normally do. Having thought deeply you can start to understand prison dreams. One prison dream took place after the dreamer had been wanting to go somewhere but could not that day because of work responsibilities. Therefore the dream represented restrictions placed upon him by his work.

Other dreams in the study seemed to have more abstract meanings. One dreamer had a prison dream when he had been thinking about the image people had of him. He felt trapped by the expectations people had of him. Because of this he felt excluded and shut and out so its obvious to see where the prison metaphor comes from.

Other dreams in the study followed on from days when the dreamer felt shut out by someone who would not talk to them. So the prison in that case refers to a feeling of being shut out.

QUESTIONS to help you make associations(pick the one that makes most sense to you)
- Did you really hate your job at the moment?
- Do you feel trapped and unable to break out of some image that people have of you?
- Are you having to follow rules that you do not like?
- Do you feel excluded by others?

KEY WORDS : Restricted, trapped, rules, excluded, work

KEY PHRASES(Pick a quote which captures your feelings right now. Think especially of the day before the dream) :
- "I feel trapped"
- "there are a lot of restrictions being placed on me"
- "I hate my job"
- "having to follow the rules"
- "I am trapped in the image that they have of me"
- "she will not discuss her feelings. She will simply not let me in"

HOW TO USE THESE SYMBOLS : CLICK HERE
FULL DREAM DICTIONARY : CLICK HERE

SEE ALSO : Guards : Police : Intruders : Unknown man
DREAM STUDIES : Prisons : Guards : Police : Intruders : Unknown men : Prisons
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METHODS : For a full explanation of the methods used in this dream study CLICK HERE
Below you will see a series of quotes. Each quote represents the meaning of a particular dream(these are all dreams where the meaning is understood totally). For instance one dream may have meant that the dreamer was having trouble at work. In that case the quote may simply be "There is a bad atmosphere at work". Some information is included about which dream symbols were included in the dream(within the squares brackets). Often a sample dream is included which shows you how the dream interpretation was reached.
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ESSAY : What is the symbolic meaning of prisons in dreams?
Prisons are a pretty obvious symbol. They link to ways in which you feel restricted, excluded, or trapped.

It maybe that you feel trapped in some image that people have of you and unable to escape from the expectations they have of you - or you have of yourself. E.g.

"My boss never truly respected me. He never valued my ideas yet always wanted me to cover for him. I felt I just had to quit"[Dream Dictionary - Prisoners ashes dream][the dream on which this quote is based is featured in full at the end of the article]

"I feel TRAPPED by the image my parents have built up of me. They have so little expectations of what I can achieve. I just cannot ESCAPE THIS" [Dream Dictionary - prison]

"I suddenly got all down on myself but now have realised it was me who was restricting myself. I can achieve so much"[Dream Dictionary - escape prison]

"I think I have been too hard on myself recently. I tend to judge myself by my own high standards. No one else has made any comments on my performance. I have got to think more positively about my own abilities. "[Dream dictionary - unjustly imprisoned dream]

They can link to some restriction placed on you. That you cannot act in a totally natural way. E.g.

"I hate my job right now and want to leave. I am just wondering what is the best way to do this."[Dream Dictionary - prison]

"I feel RESTRICTED by work. I so much wanted to go to that Halloween party but I was working"[Dream Dictionary - drive by prison]

"I have had to make some compromises about the way that I work. I have had to speed up my artwork or lose an opportunity. I hate having to work quickly but it has to be done."[Dream Dictionary - escape from prison]

"I do not feel I can ACT NATURALLY during this lawsuit. I feel totally RESTRICTED" [Dream Dictionary - prison]

They can symbolise some way in which you feel emotionally excluded. E.g.

"I feel I am EXCLUDED. I am attracted to the grandeur of Catholicism yet I am a non believer. I want to go in their churches but feel unable to do so"[Dream Dictionary - prison]

They can link to ways in which the behavior of others traps you. E.g.

"I want to help her because she is so sick but she will not let me - she just LOCKS ME OUT"[Dream Dictionary - prison]

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SAMPLE DREAM
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THE DREAM The dream began in my parents house, which used to be my grandparents house (they are both dead). Although in this dream, my parents were not present, and my wife and I were in the kitchen. I was trying to get ashes out of a "dustpan" that seemed to have a closed box on the top of it. The ashes, I believed had some connection to dead prisoners, although I have no idea why this is.

While trying to get the ashes out of the dustpan, I was banging on the pan, but no matter what, more ashes kept appearing (apparently from inside the closed box). I then somehow dropped the pan, and the box came open, scattering some of the ashes onto the floor.

My wife in this dream was afraid of the ashes, although I remained calm. A voice said to me "Guard ye well these ashes, for they are the ashes of legends".

The ashes that were spilled then seemed to take on a life of their own (or were blown by a breeze?) across the kitchen floor and went under the sink. I wondered about how I would clean these up, but then quickly forgot about it, and gathered up the remaining ashes in the pan, and headed for the outside door. Instead of going through the door, I opened the wall beside the door and went outside onto the porch, while telling my wife to turn on the outside light and driveway light (it was night time).

I went out to the driveway, where I began dumping the ashes near my grandfathers old car (the car was sold years ago after he died). While dumping the ashes, I noticed a flower pot full of old dried, dead leaves. The leaves seemed to be glowing, and I determined that they were smouldering.

I then picked up the pot and threw it across the driveway into the bushes. About this time, I realize that my wife has not yet turned on the outside lights, and instead is coming out the side walk. She tells me something is wrong, and that something smells like it is burning.

I look across the driveway to where I threw the pot, and now it appears that a large fire has erupted behind a bush. However, when we go towards it, (again, I am very calm, but she is frightened), we discover that all is burning is the remains of the flower pot. I tell her that it will be OK because the grass is wet (like heavy dew). At that time, the flower pot seems to explode into a million little sparks that (like the ashes at the beginning) seem to take on a life of their own, and scurry off into the weeds and disappear.

THE REALITY The dreamer had just quit his job of five years due to stress. The dreamer had taken on too many duties since his boss was not willing or capable of carrying them out. He also developed the store he worked in and created a music section. The dreamer has always been involved in music. He is also a big supporter of the local high school band.

DREAM ANALYSIS The dreamer had just quite his job of five years and that is a life changing situation. Therefore its a fair assumption that the dream will deal in some way with those life changing circumstances and thoughts. Its just a matter of seeing how the symbolism works.

The main symbol that sticks out here is ashes. When we burn something then only ashes remain. That is an excellent metaphor for real life. The dreamer has severed his link with a major part of his life and he is thinking over those ashes.

The ashes are also connected with prisoners. That is clearly a symbol of being trapped. The dreamer felt imprisoned several ways. His hours were long and hard. He saw little of his wife. His boss had a lowly opinion of him even though he had taken on great responsibility and was effectively running the store.

The quote in the dream is quite interesting as its quite biblical. The "legends" that he refers to is symbolic of the major and important part the job played in this life. His involvement in the local band was an epic part of his life. This was something bigger and greater than the hum drum of day to day life.

The dream also features the garden a lot. That's important here. Gardens can symbolise things which are important and deeply rooted in our lives. Here the garden represents the healthy and flourishing aspects of his job. His involvement with the local band and just his sense of achievement at having built up the music side of the store. The dreamer felt that both he and the community at large may lose out because of this.

The weeds are symbolic of bad growth. These represent things in his life which were flourishing but not providing any real enjoyment. That links to the long hours and low opinion his boss had of him.

The dream is also taking place at night. That symbolises the fears linked to the situation. He has made an important decision and cannot see quite what the full consequences will be.

The dream takes place in the dreamers grandparents house. That's often quite symbolic. Grandparents can symbolise the one thing that they have lots of experience of life. They can link to something involving the passage of time. Here they capture the dreamer looking back at his experience at the store.

Overall the dream captured the dreamers current feelings "I just had to quit. I know the music was a major part of my life and helped me become part of something bigger with the involvement with the local band. But my boss was always asking me to lie and cover up for his messes. He never respected my ideas and in the end the sheer number of hours left me disillusioned. "

Symbolic Meanings
ASHES : "the remains of his decision to quite his job"
GARDEN : "things that are flourishing - The friends and involvement that the job gave the dreamer and sense of achievement"
GRADPARENTS HOUSE : "your experience of something - in this case the dreamers thoughts about his time spent working at the store"
PRISON : "the dreamer felt restricted by long hours and imprisoned by his bosses lack of belief in his abilities"
WEEDS : "bad things flourishing in our lives - long hours and lack of respect from his boss"

DREAM MEANING The dream captures the following feeling within the dreamer - "I have just quit my job. My boss was putting on his duties onto me. Yet he was not willing to accept any of my ideas. I really loved my job but I was getting too stressed out. "

See how the Symbolic Meanings above weave together to form a key insight in the DREAM MEANING

OTHER IN DEPTH ARTICLES - P
• Outer space
• Pain
• Paint
• Panic
• Paralysed
• Parking Lot
• Patience/Impatience
• People
• Petrol Station
• Pets
• Phone
• Pictures
• Pig
• Planes
• Plants
• Picture
• Pirate
• Poison
• Police
• Pond
• Pools
• Presidents
• Pressure
• Prisons
• Protect
• Pulling
• Pushing
• Puppy
• Queens

DREAM SYMBOLISM :
DREAM INTERPRETING : A quick guide to dream interpreting
SYMBOLISM : How to use dream symbols
AUDIO PRESENTATION : Learn the crucial facts about dreams using a unique audio presentation
FAQS - Frequently asked questions about dreams and nightmare interpretation
WHY interpret dreams? - Is it possible or useful to interpret dreams?
Dream study : 50 correctly interpreted short dreams
Dream studies : 50 full dreams
DREAMS : A summary of hundreds of dream interpretations. A guide to help you spot what triggered a dream
NIGHTMARES : Understanding what triggers nightmares

DREAMS ABOUT THE SKIES AND HEAVANS
AIRPLANE : Aircraft and their dream meanings
ALIEN : A discussion on their symbolic importance in dream analysis
ASTEROIDS : Asteroids in dream analysis
BIRD : Birds and their various symbolic meanings explored
FIREWORKS : A study on dream interpretation
OUTER SPACE : Space as a symbol and its importance in dream analysis
RAIN : Practical dream interpretation
SKYS : The skies and their various meanings in analysed dreams
STORMS : Storms and their symbolic meanings in dreams
TORNADO : The meaning in real dream studies


LINKS
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