So why do I keep dreaming about my ex?

Why do we dream?

Good luck getting dream researchers to agree about that, per Dr. Barrett.

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For those reasons, were able to work through problems better in dreams than in waking hours.

Dreams are about all of our hopes and fears, Dr. Barrett says.

Just about anything that we ever think about turns up in dream content.

Theyre about trying to problem solve things were facing in real life.

Is it normal or common to dream about an ex?

Most people dream about their exes to some extent.

Dreaming about an ex just means they were a significant person in your past, Dr. Barrett says.

For most dream elements, its a matter ofwhat is this to the dreamer?

Here are some broadly common dreams that can suggest certain underlying issues and unresolved feelings.

B) You get back together.

C) You search for them.

D) You care for children with them.

E) You see them out and about and are trying to get their attention.

F) You attempt to save them from some death or danger.

But dreams about exes may have nothing to do with themor love, desire, or sexspecifically.

Sometimes they represent who you were at that prior point in your life.

Such a situation could indicate that something in your current life is causing you to experience similar feelings.

When should you be concerned?

In general, you shouldnt worry about dreaming about an ex.

But if the dreams are consistently unpleasant and disturbing, Dr. Barrett advises seeing a therapist.

If you are in a relationship, should you feel guilty?

You should never feel guilty about anything in a dream, Dr. Barrett stresses.

Our unconscious just runs all over the place and has no effect on the waking real world.

Youre not responsible for what you dream.

Consider asking yourself what theyre telling you about your waking life.

How can I stop dreaming about my ex?

Once youre in a new good relationship, you will probably have fewer bad dreams about the past relationship.

Plus dream content simply changes over time as we focus on different issues.