What do your dreams really mean?
Not your aspirations or life goals—but the ones that arrive at 3 a.m., strange and surreal, sometimes with unexpected celebrity cameos. Those weird nighttime visions that leave you wondering, what on earth was that about?
Working in adult mental health and running a coaching franchise that teaches tools like NLP and hypnotherapy, I’ve seen how the unconscious mind works in mysterious but meaningful ways. That’s why, for a time last year, I kept a notebook by my bed and scribbled down every dream I could remember. I was curious to know if my dreams were trying to tell me something deeper – or if they were simply mental clutter.
Here’s what I discovered: dreams can be metaphors. They can be nonsense. But when you pause to reflect on them, they often hold insights that can help you grow.
Let me share two that have stayed with me.
The Spice Girls and a Lesson in Living Fully
One dream involved me on tour with none other than the Spice Girls. Yes, really. Mel B was debating whether to have plastic surgery. Victoria Beckham was too busy to show up. And I found myself deep in conversation (dream-style) about ageing, self-image, and whether we should enjoy life now or save everything for later.
Did the dream mean anything? I’m not sure. But it did prompt me to reflect on how often we put off joy in the name of being sensible. How we judge ourselves and others. How the fear of future lack can prevent us from embracing what we already have.
As someone who works with adult mental health daily, this dream highlighted just how deeply these themes live in our subconscious. We carry worries we don’t say out loud, and sometimes, those worries come out to play while we sleep.
A Client’s Second Chance
The second dream wasn’t mine. It came from a client after a breakthrough session – what we call a turning point, a single extended session designed to bring clarity, healing and momentum.
She emailed me days later to share that she had dreamt of walking her dog on a stormy hilltop. Suddenly, the clouds parted, and a giant hand reached down from the sky. To her, it was a divine sign—a message from God that she had a second chance at life.
Was it divine intervention or a symbolic expression of change? That doesn’t matter as much as what she took from it. That image gave her strength. It became a truth she could hold onto. And that’s what our work is about: giving people new meaning, new language, and a new way to move forward.
This is exactly the kind of transformation that makes our coaching franchise different. We teach our practitioners how to work with clients at both a conscious and unconscious level. Whether they’re working in adult mental health, personal coaching, or hypnotherapy, understanding the symbolic nature of thought, behaviour, and even dreams is part of the toolkit.
So the next time you wake up from a strange dream, ask yourself: Is this just nonsense? Or is it my mind telling me something I’ve yet to say out loud?
Either way, it might be worth listening to.
By Gemma Bailey
