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.

SWIMMING: To understand a dream symbol then try to see what is involved with that symbol especially in terms of your feelings. Swimming is hard work and involves lots of effort. So a swimming dream could link to something involving great effort in reality. Several swimming dreams in our studies followed on from days when the dreamer was attempting to change emotionally. So swimming seemed to represent that effort put into changing.

QUESTIONS to help you make associations(pick the one that makes most sense to you)
- In what ways have you been having to put in a lot of emotional effort(especially the day before the dream)?
- Are you trying to change emotionally in some way?
- Has someone else been putting a lot of emotional effort and thought into something?
- How do you need to get your feelings out of your system?
- What tasks did you find emotionally gruelling yesterday?

KEY WORDS : Emotional thought, effort, feelings, new direction, willing(write down some quotes that capture your key feelings on issues that have been dominating your mind. Then see if any of these words could appear in those quotes)

KEY PHRASES(Pick a quote which captures your feelings right now. Think especially of the day before the dream) :
- "I want to change"
- "he has changed emotionally"
- "making an effort"
- "I need to change"
- "I feel frustrated with my situation and quite miserable"
- "I have been trying to understand my past and my problems"
- "I just cannot get through to him!"
- "I just need to get those feelings out of my system"
- "put some emotional thought into it"
- "my emotions are moving in a new direction"

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

SEE ALSO : Beaches : Drown : Boats : Tsunamis and waves : Pools and ponds
DREAM STUDIES : Water: Seas : Tsunamis and waves : Rivers
--------------------------------------
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.
-----------------------------------
ESSAY : What is the symbolic meaning of swimming in dreams?
Swimming of course takes place in the water. That may seem obvious but water links to the emotions and the unconscious mind so swimming will in some way link to our feelings.

Swimming symbolises specifically the wish to change. It can show that this is what you want - in real life that change maybe has not been achieved. E.g.

"I want our relationship to go in a new direction but he is not taking it seriously. He cannot seem to sense my needs and seems distracted"[Dream symbol - Huge swimming pool dream][the dream on which this quote is based on is featured in full towards the end of this article]

"I know I am abused but I cannot seem to get away from it. But I do WANT CHANGE"[Dream symbol - cannot swim dream]

"After a bit of time apart I now get along with her really well. We have CHANGED EMOTIONALLY and started to accepted the split. Now we get along as friends"[Dream symbol - swim with ex dream]

"He is my boyfriend and I love him. I do not see why the relationship must end - I know he is moving to another state. But if we MAKE AN EFFORT it can continue."[Dream Dictionary - puppies swimming dream]

Swimming often symbolises how you are making an effort to change in some way. It maybe therefore shows that life is unsatisfactory in some way. E.g.

"At first we were both moving forward and MAKING AN EFFORT to progress"[Dream symbol - swim dream]

"I have been really TRYING to understand my unconscious and my own past"[Dream symbol - swim down dream]

"I just feel that things cannot go on like this. I NEED TO CHANGE as I am exhausted with this schedule"[Dream Dictionary - swimming pool dream]

"I feel like I am going to explode emotionally and I just need to get to some NEW SITUATION"[Dream Dictionary - swimming dream]

"I feel quite miserable and sexually frustrated right now"[Dream Dictionary - swimming dream]

Swimming can also symbolise moments of emotional reflection. You maybe making an effort to look at your emotions. It may not suggest that there is an emotional crisis. E.g.

"I know I am thinking about what I want. I know things are about to get more serious but I want to be sure. I just need to put a little EMOTIONAL THOUGHT into this change"[Dream Dictionary - swim dream]

"I bumped into my ex yesterday and ended up thinking over how badly he treated my son. I ended up sending him an email expressing just how I now feel"[Dream Dictionary - swimming underwater dream]

Swimming also links to moments when you have strongly reacted to something that has happened. E.g.

"I know they have lied to me - its just something that I really do not like. I just wish they would look at things from my point of view. I CAN FEEL MY EMOTIONS MOVING in a new direction as a result"[Dream Dictionary - best friend swims dream]

"I am scared that when they find out there will be an EMOTIONAL REACTION" [Dream Dictionary - swimming dream]
----------------------------
DREAM TIP : Try to think of dream symbols as words. Think of swimming in dreams as representing the phrase "exploring my feelings". Now write down some phrases which capture your current feelings. E.g.

"I am upset with my sister after she messed up my computer"

"I have not made any decisions about my relationship right now. I am having a really good think"

"I have injured my shoulder and need to let it rest"

Now work through those quotes and see where the word "exploring my feelings" seems at all relevant. If there is a strong connection then the dream may link to that very issue. Next try the same process with other other phrases linked to swimming(see the KEYWORDS section at the top of the page).
----------------------------
SAMPLE DREAM
----------------------------
THE DREAM I dreamt that I was in my bathing suit, and my boyfriend was beside me and we were in a building that had a huge outdoor swimming pool. I wanted to go swimming more than anything. My boyfriend kept stalling, by socializing with people in the building and window shopping (in the building). He didn't want me going out of his site, so I had to wait for him to go to the pool, so I kept nagging him, and he kept stalling.

THE REALITY The dreamer was wanting to go in a new direction in her relationship. Her emotions were generally unsettled. Her boyfriend was not really able to understand this or sense this need in her.

DREAM ANALYSIS The dream was featuring the dreamers boyfriend. In many cases (the majority) such dreams will link to new feelings about the state of the relationship. In this case she was wanting to go swimming in the dream. Swimming is symbolic of emotions and in particular personal emotions. They show that you wish to make an effort emotionally. They show you wanting to progress towards something new.

Huge symbols in dreams can often relate not so much to us but to our feelings about other people and their behavior. Its about how our feelings are shaped by the actions and behavior of those around us. They are often symbolic of how we wish to change the behavior of others - in this case change how her boyfriend thinks.

In the dream there is a definite feel of nagging and also of her boyfriend stalling. That matched real life. Often emotions in dreams are important. They are also easy to match up to real life as we just look for situations where we feel identical emotions.

In this dream then the symbols capture the following feelings that matched real life - "I have been trying to drop hints about our relationship. I want us to move forward in a more serious way. He does not seem to sense my own emotional needs and just seems distracted by day to day stuff."

Symbolic Meanings
HUGE : "My feelings are affected by the actions of other people - I also want to change their behavior and in particular my boyfriends behavior"
SWIMMING : "I want him to make a real emotional effort with me and for our relationship to progress"

HOW TO HELP THIS WEBSITE: Google rates pages posted on Facebook, Twitter and other social networking sites very highly. So if you have found this site useful please post it using the buttons below.

Tweet

OTHER IN DEPTH ARTICLES - S
• Sad
• Safe
• Sails
• Schools
• Scorpion
• Search
• Sex
• Sexual assault
• Sharks
• Ship
• Shock
• Shoes
• Shop
• Shopping bags
• Shout
• Silent
• Sister
• Skin
• Sky
• Skyscrapers
• Slow Motion
• Snake
• Snow
• Soldier
• Spider
• Space
• Spy
• Stage
• Stairs
• Stare
• Steal
• Store
• Storm
• Stream
• Street
• Struggle
• Suit
• Suburbs
• Sudden
• Suicide
• Surround
• Swamp
• Sweat
• Swimming

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
Links page :Reciprocal links

HOW TO HELP THIS WEBSITE: Google rates pages posted on Facebook, Twitter and other social networking sites very highly. So if you have found this site useful please post it using the buttons below.