What do dreams about falling or being chased mean? I am 40 years of age on the 26th of this month. I am happily married with 2 children, ages 18 and 23, from a previous marriage. I have been married for 13 years. I have been pretty stressed the last 2 years since learning of my husband’s illness. What can you tell me?

--Anonymous, Age 40, USA

Hi Anonymous -

I am very sorry to learn of your husband’s illness.

The clue to your dreams comes in your last sentence. You don’t tell us much about your husband’ condition, but we gather his illness is severe, and possibly life-threatening.

Dreams of falling almost always reflect feelings of being out of control - of not knowing “where we are going to land.” When we have a falling dream, we are encouraged to look for areas in our lives where we feel especially powerless. In your case, it is not difficult to see the link between your husband’s sudden illness and your dreams of being in a “free fall.” In both cases, the future is unknown - and frightening.

Similarly, dreams of being chased often symbolize attempts to avoid threatening feelings or awarenesses. For example, we can feel “chased” by an awareness that we rather would not confront. With your husband seriously ill, you may wish to avoid many of the consequences of his illness.

It’s natural to doubt yourself in the face of life’s mysterious challenges. What’s the message of this dream? It’s time to summon your will to rise to the occasion. The future is going to be challenging - and will require all your skills to stay balanced.