Love and relationships in dreams: 4 dream meanings by folk tradition, psychology and research

Key facts

The theme love and relationships has 4 symbols in the dream dictionary.
The most searched symbols of the theme are ex-partner, wedding, sex.
Every symbol is read three ways: folk dream books, psychology and sleep research.
The details of the dream, the colour, the behaviour and how you felt, change the reading.
Dream interpretation is a tradition of reading symbols; it does not predict events.

What love and relationships mean in a dream

In the 20th century psychology joined the tradition. Sigmund Freud read dreams as the expression of repressed wishes, Carl Gustav Jung as the psyche’s attempt to restore balance. Modern sleep research shows that the content of dreams is shaped largely by the day’s impressions and by sensations in the sleeping body.

If you cannot find the exact word, start from a theme. Inside each theme the symbols are grouped and compared with one another.

Most searched dreams about love and relationships

Ex-partnerLove and relationshipsA dream about an ex is traditionally read as unfinished business or news of that person. Psychology reads the ex as what that relationship gave or took, a quality you miss or a lesson not yet learned, and research finds ex-partner dreams among the most common relationship dreams, especially after a recent break-up.WeddingLove and relationshipsA dream about a wedding is traditionally read as a change of state, and in many folk traditions, oddly, as a warning rather than a promise. Psychology reads it as a union of two sides of yourself or a decision you are about to commit to, and research shows wedding dreams cluster around real-life transitions.SexLove and relationshipsA dream about sex is traditionally read by the partner: folk books say sex with a stranger brings news and sex with an ex brings unfinished business. Psychology reads sex in a dream as union with a quality the partner carries; research finds sexual dreams in most adults, often without any sexual meaning.CheatingLove and relationshipsA dream about cheating is traditionally read as a warning about trust, not a report of fact. Psychology reads it as insecurity, guilt or an unmet need in the relationship, and research finds infidelity dreams common and unrelated to whether anyone is actually being unfaithful.

All symbols: love and relationships

CheatingA dream about cheating is traditionally read as a warning about trust, not a report of fact. Psychology reads it as insecurity, guilt or an unmet need in the relationship, and research finds infidelity dreams common and unrelated to whether anyone is actually being unfaithful.Ex-partnerA dream about an ex is traditionally read as unfinished business or news of that person. Psychology reads the ex as what that relationship gave or took, a quality you miss or a lesson not yet learned, and research finds ex-partner dreams among the most common relationship dreams, especially after a recent break-up.SexA dream about sex is traditionally read by the partner: folk books say sex with a stranger brings news and sex with an ex brings unfinished business. Psychology reads sex in a dream as union with a quality the partner carries; research finds sexual dreams in most adults, often without any sexual meaning.WeddingA dream about a wedding is traditionally read as a change of state, and in many folk traditions, oddly, as a warning rather than a promise. Psychology reads it as a union of two sides of yourself or a decision you are about to commit to, and research shows wedding dreams cluster around real-life transitions.

Questions people ask

What does it mean to dream about love and relationships?

It depends on the symbol and the details. Folk dream books give each symbol a fixed reading, psychology asks what this image means to you, and sleep research reminds that dreams rework the day. Open a symbol for all three.

Does the same symbol always mean the same thing?

In dream books, mostly yes. In psychology, no: the same image can mean different things to different people, and your feeling in the dream is the key.

What if my symbol is not here?

Use the search. If nothing comes up, describe the dream in a few words on the search page; the editor reviews suggestions and adds the symbols that people ask for.

Sources

Miller G. H. Ten Thousand Dreams Interpreted, 1901.
Freud S. The Interpretation of Dreams, 1899.
Jung C. G. Man and His Symbols, 1964.
Artemidorus. Oneirocritica, 2nd century.
Hall C. S., Van de Castle R. L. The Content Analysis of Dreams, 1966.
Schredl M. Dream research: an introduction, in various editions.

How this page is made

Each symbol page sets three readings side by side and names where each comes from. A symbol is published only when its page has a full description with sources. Search volumes decide which symbols are written first.

Love and relationships in dreams: what they mean