Dream meaning
Earthquakes
The short answer
Dreaming of an earthquake usually reflects foundations shaking: change that unsettles your sense of security, such as a move, a breakup or job uncertainty. It can also follow news of real earthquakes.
10.8% of people in the study had had this dream. No. 50 of the 55 typical dreams · Nielsen et al., 2003
What does a dream about “Earthquakes” mean?
What psychologists say
Natural disaster dreams are common and tend to follow stress and change. Under the continuity hypothesis, the ground moving matches the feeling that what you stood on is no longer stable.
Schredl & Hofmann, 2003; Nielsen et al., 2003
The Jungian reading
A Jungian reading treats the earthquake as a shift in the deep structure of the psyche: old certainties cracking so new ground can form.
Jung, 1964
In history and folklore
Earthquakes were read in many cultures as signs of divine anger or great change. Folk dream books saw them as warnings of upheaval in business or family.
How common is this dream?
10.8% of people in the study had had this dream. From a survey of 1,181 first-year university students in three Canadian cities. No. 50 of the 55 typical dreams.
Common versions of this dream
What if buildings collapse?
Collapsing structures match fear that something you built won't hold.
What if I'm safe while others aren't?
Safety amid chaos suggests a sense of resilience.
What if the ground opens?
An opening chasm can match fear of the unknown.
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Sources
- Nielsen, T. A., Zadra, A. L., Simard, V., Saucier, S., Stenstrom, P., Smith, C., & Kuiken, D. (2003). The typical dreams of Canadian university students. Dreaming, 13(4), 211–235. doi:10.1023/B:DREM.0000003144.40929.0b
- Schredl, M., & Hofmann, F. (2003). Continuity between waking activities and dream activities. Consciousness and Cognition, 12(2), 298–308. doi:10.1016/S1053-8100(02)00072-7
- Jung, C. G. (Ed.) (1964). Man and His Symbols. Aldus Books.