Dream meaning
Seeing a UFO
The short answer
Dreaming of a UFO usually reflects something unknown appearing in your life: an unexpected event, a new idea or a question without an answer. It often brings curiosity mixed with unease.
7.7% of people in the study had had this dream. No. 53 of the 55 typical dreams · Nielsen et al., 2003
What does a dream about “Seeing a UFO” mean?
What psychologists say
UFO dreams are rare and in the Canadian typical dreams study were more often reported by men; the authors note that differences in such rare themes are less reliable. Media and science fiction are common sources.
Nielsen et al., 2003; Schredl & Hofmann, 2003
The Jungian reading
Jung described UFOs as a modern myth: round shapes in the sky resembling mandalas, images of wholeness. Seeing one in a dream may mark a wish for meaning or order.
Jung, 1958
In history and folklore
Before UFOs, people dreamt of comets, signs in the sky and strange lights, read as omens of great events.
How common is this dream?
7.7% of people in the study had had this dream. From a survey of 1,181 first-year university students in three Canadian cities. No. 53 of the 55 typical dreams.
Common versions of this dream
What if the UFO lands?
Landing suggests the unknown is arriving in your life.
What if it takes me away?
Being taken matches feeling swept away by change.
What if others don't see it?
Seeing it alone can match feeling misunderstood.
Had this dream? Tell it to Oneiros.
Oneiros reads your own dream, not a dictionary entry: what it was about, how it felt and what it may mean for you, and it notices when it comes back.
Oneiros offers reflective readings for self-discovery and entertainment. It is not a medical or psychological service.
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. (1958). Flying Saucers: A Modern Myth of Things Seen in the Skies.