Dream Interpretation - Dreams About Cheating

Dreams about cheating, either being cheated on or cheating yourself, are some of the most commonly reported, and most troubling, dreams there are.  Many people take these dreams as prophecies, and accuse their spouse, boyfriend or girlfriend of cheating in real life.  While these kinds of dreams are sometimes valid, most times they are not.

When a dream of a cheating spouse, boyfriend or girlfriend turns out to be accurate, it does not necessarily mean you are psychic.  Rather, it probably means that your unconscious mind picked up on some subtle signals that your conscious mind either overlooked or blocked out.  For instance, things like a sudden change in wardrobe, new cologne or sudden interest in fitness can often signal a cheating spouse.   It is possible that your unconcious took note of all these signals during the day, and then used your dream state to send a message.

In most cases, however, a dream about a cheating boyfriend, girlfriend or spouse is not about the spouse at all.  Rather, the dream is most likely caused by insecurity, anxiety or guilt on the part of the dreamer.  For instance, dreaming about catching your boyfriend, girlfriend or spouse with another partner probably indicates a deep seated anxiety on your part, either worry about your appearance, doubts about your attractiveness, or just generalized anxiety about the future.

Likewise, dreaming that you are cheating on your spouse or significant other can result from guilt you feel about other issues.  In some cases these feelings of guilt are not even related to your relationship.  Rather, the guilt could be the result of anything from cutting corners at work to cheating on a test to being less than honest with family members.  Thus the cheating is only a symbol of guilt you already feel, not a prediction that you will be stepping out on your husband, wife, boyfriend or girlfriend.

Dreams about a boyfriend or girlfriend cheating on you tend to be fear based dreams.  These dreams do not necessarily represent fear of being cheated on, although those fears can come out in dreams.  Instead, the fear could be anything, from fear of failure on a project at work to fear of failing a test at school.

The fear expressed through a boyfriend/girlfriend cheating dream could also be the manifestation of a deep seated childhood fear of abandonment.  Children of divorced parents, or children whose parent or parents have died, often express their fear of abandonment through bad dreams, and these dreams can morph into dreams where they are abandoned by a partner or a spouse.

Even though the issues expressed through dreams of cheating and being cheated on are not rooted in the relationship, it is always a good idea to work through the issues that caused the dreams.  That is because the issues associated with these kinds of dreams, issues like trust and fear, are important things to work through.  Issues with trust, and fear of abandonment can be very damaging to even the strongest relationship.

So whether you are the cheater or the cheatee in your dream, it is important to examine the situations you encounter in your dreams.  The situations, places and people encountered while in a dream state often represent real people, places and objects, and learning the connections can allow you to correct the situations that are leading to such feelings of insecurity and anxiety.