Dreams about repeating something – what do they mean? (Dream interpretation repetition)
Repetition, to do something over and over again in a dream – what does it mean?
Research shows that many have dreamt that they repeat the same action over and over again. What is this about? (NOTE: Click here if you were searching for the blogpost about recurring dreams)
Dream of repetition as a picture of a feeling of facing an impossible mission or to be “stalled”.
Dreams where you repeat the same action over and over again may simply be a picture of the fact that you in your life are faced with a task/challenge where you feel powerless.
At the same time it can also be a picture that you somehow are stuck in your life, and not really move forward from where you are – either in your development or in your positions. The dream thus indicates that there is an immeasurably need of a new perspective/position, and maybe you can seek the help of another/some you would not normally get involved in your challenges, because you find it difficult to even see a solution to your situation/your problem.
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When trying to understand your dreams it is important to know that your dreams are… your dreams. As such, you are the best person to figure out the true meaning of your dreams.
However, it is important to learn how to generally approach your dreams. Dream dictionaries like this one are only a supplement, and if you want to fully utilize the potential of your dreams, you should start at a different place.
My online course “Unlock your DREAMlife” gives you a great foundation for understanding (and recalling) your dreams.
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Repeating an inappropriate pattern.
The dream may also be a picture that you once again have brought yourself or are about to bring yourself in an unfortunate situation. Perhaps you might be leaving a girlfriend/partner for exactly the same reason as last time. You have not caught sight of something in yourself that is either “forcing” you into the same unfortunate circumstances or “forcing” you out of a good relationship. This pattern may also apply to your work that you in other words once again flee into a new job, without grabbing the root of the problem.
Dream dictionaries are a very helpful tool when interpreting dreams. However, generally learning how to approach your dreams, will give you a better foundation for understanding them. My online course “Unlock your DREAMlife” teaches you how to much better utilize – recall and understand – your dreams.
Return to the index of dream themes and symbols:
Dream interpretation A-Z ↵
Also read: Why I no longer interpret dreams for free
Have you had a dream of repeating a specific action? Please share it as a comment below.
Michael
NOTE: Dreams are 100% individual, and when you dream about repeating something, it’s almost certainly about something else for you than it is for your friend, who also dreamt about repeating something. Dream interpretation / dream analysis is sometimes a difficult art, and a particular interpretation of a dream is only correct if you feel “affected” by it. Therefore, it is not certain that the above mentioned interpretations are relevant to you.
Hai, i had a dream few times when i was a kid, now that i’m grown up, i find myself something i could’nt figure out for years, i dreamed about this 100.000 x 100.000 = repeatingly, it became so frustarating for me. Can you tell me what it means?
Hi Vaness, unfortunately I am no longer able to help out interpretating your dream for free, as I get way too many requests. I am in the process of setting up a payment system so I can help you out once this is in place. Best regards – Michael
Last night I was in an old mansion from the 20’s… I don’t remember anything but the end and the sense that time would repeat itself with every door my eldest Nephew and I opened. For some reason we were so horrified at the previous episode that when we came back to the entrance we took note that my Grandfather was the one who opened the front door in the last adventure and we were scared NOT to repeat this and so we called him. He was in the grand hall (which was dark and dank, like after it rains but we were indoors, like a massive cave). As he was ascending the stairs my Nephew and I danced a celebratory yet jovial waltz together, and when our Grandfather opened the main door the curse of repetition was lifted, and we could go outside again.
Then I woke up…
Hi Tim,
what a scary dream! Unfortunately I am no longer able to help out on interpretation for free, as I get way too many requests. I am in the process of setting up a payment system so I can help you out. Best regards – Michael
I had a dream were someone was repeating break the bell over and over and it seemed to have gone on for the whole dream (or atleast what I rember of it)
Hi Courtnie, what an interesting dream! Unfortunately I am no longer able to help out on interpretation for free, as I get way too many requests. I am in the process of setting up a payment system so I can help you out. Best regards – Michael
Great article. I just woke up and had a dream I lightly tapped another person’s front bumper of his car with mine and slightly cracked it. He wanted to exchange insurance information so we went inside and grabbed some paper. I kept messing up the readability of my hand writing so I started over on new sheets about 50 times…it was very frustrating. I’ve also had this type of repetition happen in my dreams before since I can remember.
Hi Laura,
and thank you for your interesting dream! I have realized that I have no chance (not enough time) in terms of getting back on all the comments I now get, so I have decided not to offer free interpretation any longer. Very soon I will have a payment system on the website, so that I can offer dream interpretation against payment, at that time I would be glad to help you out! Best regards – Michael R Olsen.
I repeat dream I went to China for visiting my family and friends, but I could not come back due to ticket became invilid, such as past date, or forgot forget to confirm date,
I have hard time to understand it.
My current situation is I love or eager to visit China with my daughter, but her father did not want my daughter to go.
Hi Joan,
and thank you for your interesting dream! I have realized that I have no chance (not enough time) in terms of getting back on all the comments I now get, so I have decided not to offer free interpretation any longer. Very soon I will have a payment system on the website, so that I can offer dream interpretation against payment, at that time I would be glad to help you out! Best regards – Michael R Olsen.
Last night I had a dream I was plugging computer mouses in hundreds of computers at my childhood school. I reached the end but my childhood nemesis was there and we joked around. In the same dream I was fighting zombies with my ex in a house I didn’t recognise. The zombies started using weapons which I interpret as new challenges. A weird dream.
Hi Edd,
and thank you for your interesting dream! I have realized that I have no chance (not enough time) in terms of getting back on all the comments I now get, so I have decided not to offer free interpretation any longer. Very soon I will have a payment system on the website, so that I can offer dream interpretation against payment, at that time I would be glad to help you out! Best regards – Michael R Olsen.
Two nights ago I dreamed I was standing at the kitchen sink washing a bowl over and over. This morning I dreamed I was in a public restroom during some kind of assemble or class at a school trying to put on pantyhose that kept getting tangled. After I’d been in there a while a line formed. Someone knocked really loud and hard so I knocked back on my side of the door and yelled that I’d be out in minute. Thinking to myself I may be in here a while, I went back to the business of detangling and putting my knee-highs and pantyhose back on… It went on forever. In the beginning I could figure out why they were tangled. At the end I realized I had on knee-highs that were tangling the foot of my pantyhose and that extended the action of taking them off and attempting to put them on.
Hi Drea,
and thank you for your interesting dream! I have realized that I have no chance (not enough time) in terms of getting back on all the comments I now get, so I have decided not to offer free interpretation any longer. Very soon I will have a payment system on the website, so that I can offer dream interpretation against payment, at that time I would be glad to help you out! Best regards – Michael R Olsen.
I just dreamt that my husband was driving and we passed by a truck who had a flat tire and was in the middle of an intersection. There was a policeman there directing traffic but another car wasn’t paying attention and hit the police car. My husband who was driving was watching this happen instead of the road and we flew off a bridge. Then I was back on the road passing the accident/truck again and I started yelling at my husband that I just dreamt this and he had to pay attention or we would be going over the side. Then we passed that and I asked myself why dreaming what was so important about that that I had to pay attention twice? But then we were at an atm and it was very dark and very scary and I felt so uncomfortable I didn’t want to be there. My husband was getting money and I kept yelling at him to hurry up and come on and I locked the car door and as he walked back over to the car some guy came out of the dark in a purple shirt and stabbed him in the neck with a long steel stick. I put the car in reverse and drove away watching my husband die. I told I loved him but he wasn’t going to make it and then I woke up. Omg! So crazy. So now I’m thinking I need to watch out for that wreck and not let my husband go to any walk up atms!
Hi Marjorie,
thank your for your terrifying dream! From the way I work with dreams I would normally not be too concerned about trucks or atms based on the dream you had. I think you could also see the dream as somehow symbolizing the relatioship you have – or the “life journey” you have together. How are you communicating these days? Where is your focus – as compared to where it might “ought” to be? SOmehow you should try to relate the dream to your life situation right now – and I think more specifically – the relationship btw. you and your husband, or your inner life right now; what are you mostly thinking about at the moment? Our dreams typically deal with those things, but they use images/metaphors which typically confuses the actual (real life) topic of the dream. Best regards – Michael
I dreamed that I was doing the same thing over and over and over again in the same route in the same time frame same place same everything, than when I realized it was a dream and started the repetitive task it was stopped, I was boxed in and could not do anything until I woke up.
Hi Melina – what an interesting dream! Did you read the blog post? It might be relevant to ask yourself where in your (waking) life you are somehow trapped, either in the same situation, or trapped because of always applying the same (destructive?) behaviour/thinking in specific situations, maybe with regards to your relationships to other people (love relationships?). Best regards – Michael
There are places that keep on repeating in my dreams.. like there is a house and i can now remember it. I have never seen any of these places never lived there. What does that signify?
Hi Ashima – since I do not know you/your life situation it is hard for me to know what this might mean for you. Try to also read the blog post on dreams of houses, this might help you. Best regards – Michael
I had a dream that I was a my last job and I was trying to write a sign on paper. I wrote the sign over and over but everytome I wrote it wrong and had to crumble it up and try again. I had the semse in the dream that I couldn’t focus. As I was doing this…the work day was going on around me.
Hi Melissa,
hmm – what an interesting dream!! Maybe somehow you are trying to figure out something specific (about yourself) in your life right now – trying to “break the code” (draw the symbol) – but you are not really getting there. I.e. – your (work) life right now might be going in circles as you are trying to find your way in life. Best regards – Michael
I had a dream that I kept reliving the same day over and over again until I get it right, I never did get it right before I woke up but every time after I started the day again I was so sad that I had lost the good times of the day before.
Hi Kiana – what an insteresting dream!! Quite hard for me to guess what it’s about as I do not know your life situation. Are you somehow stuck in a pattern, of doing the same and the same over and over (maybe unconsciously), and still not getting what you want and feeling sad about it (or something like that)? Best regards – Michael Rohde Olsen
I had a really bad lucid dream last night in which i just kept being killed. I died like I was in a video game, but still felt the pain and fear of the killing stroke. Before i woke up, i had sort of steeled.myself to the repetition, but it was still happening. Do you have any ideas on what this could mean?
Hi Anna,
what a horrifying dream! It is hard for me to know what this might illustrate since I do not know you or your life situation. Have you read the blog post on dreams of death (including our own death)? Often when we die in dreams it is an illustration of how we desparately need to change the way we think about ourselves/life in general – or how we (unconsciously) really really want a different type of life, but we keep holding on to the same patterns. Best regards – Michael
Repeated dreams my partner is cheating and that we break up.. Very detailed and alot of the same people in these although they’re family and old friends of mine my partner hasn’t even met?
Hi Julieann,
thank you for your comment! Since I do not know you or your specific life situation, it is hard to know what this could be about. What are those people doing in the dream? Maybe they illustrate an older (too old) – but firmly fixed – way of thinking. Have you earlier in your life e.g. “learned” that men cannot be trusted or similar lines of thought? It could be your own fear talking, but the dream might also illustrate how your partner is not being true to you somehow (not necessarily seeing someone else), maybe he is very dominating in real life and you don’t get to be yourself? Make sure you look inside yourself before you start blaming your partner. Best regards – Michael
I dreamt a guy was sitting in a chair across from me and he had a very stern scowl. He repeatedly told me to fold my arms and I, without fail, proceeded to do so and that was literally the whole dream. I also dreamt this again but it was a different action.
Hi Patrick,
since I do not know you or your life situation it is hard for the know exactly was this dream might illustrate. In a socalled inner interpretation (seing this man as some side of you, i.e. some unconcious thoughts or behaviour you have yourself) – the man could illustrate how you have a commanding inner voice telling you to do this or that. I.e. – what is your association to this guy? Does he remind you of someone or something placing demands on you? Best regards – Michael
hi
i dreamed 3 times about travelling to a same place again and again. What does that mean?
Hi Meenu,
since I don’t know you or your specific life situation it is hard for me to guess. It could about many things – on the positive side for instance, how you continuously come back to yourself/who you are, i.e. that you are somehow anchored in yourself, but negatively it could also be an illustration of how you always comes back to the same “place”, the place as an illustration of something you maybe ought to get away from, something in your life you need to respond differently to? Try to notice exactly what is happening in your waking life, also in your thinking/behaviour, when you next time have the dream. This no doubt can give you a clue as to what the dream is about. Best regards Michael R Olsen
actually i am an engineer.. and trying hard to get a job which suits my profile. And my health is getting worse day by day.. from 2 year i m not feeling well. whenever i try to focus on my studies my health goes down.. may be it is my fear of my social position that i hadn’t achived anything till now in my life or i dont have confidence.
Hi Meenu – well, yes, that might be it. But the dream could also be saying, that you need to approach your whole situation differently. Maybe the jobs you are applying for are not the jobs you should be applying for? Maybe you should be doing something entirely different? You write that you are studying – so are you still studying to become an engineer? Who’s choice was it that you should study engineering – you or someone else?
But it definitely also seems as if you are banging yourself with the big “I am not good enough, I am not worth anything”-hammer, and that courses you to crumble and become increasingly ill. You need to start understanding that you are good enough as you are – no matter what other people might think. Michael
Omg. We had also the same dream, but my dream was more different and frustating.
You have three chances given to you to better your life don’t pass them.
Last night I had a dream where I was trying to get home, it always began on a bus a few stops from my house and on the bus with me is a friend. We chat and I end up missing my stop and get of with her, together we jump across a busy road to get to the bus stop on the other side and get the bus back, so again I board the bus and I am distracted by people I know on the bus and again I miss my stop but it doesn’t make sense as I end up in the stop I did before. This opens over and over and over again and for some reason instead of just walking home I keep boarding the bus and mising my stop.
Hi Sarah,
thank you for sharing your very interesting dream! I of course do not know you and your specific (life) situation, wherefore it is hard to know exactly what this might me about (the only one who would know that btw is you 🙂 ).
But you are struggling to get home. Our home in dreams often represent our identity/personality/who we are – and the dream could illustrate how right now you might be having great difficulties in figuring out who you are, what your identity is all about. Most of us at the end of your life regret that we didn’t have the courage to live our own life, instead we are highly influenced by people around, and try live up to the expectations of others. The friend you are with might directly/indirectly (in the real world or what resembles her in you) influence you in you life right now. Maybe you look up to her, maybe she has a “clear” idea of what life is all about – but that is her idea of life. What is your idea about how you want to life your life? Hope some of this makes sense.
Best regards – Michael Rohde Olsen
Something you keep doing with this friend trying to make it right but it’s too late what is done it’s done unless you do less then what you always gave.
I was in a large city that looked kind of like the town I live in now but much larger. I was always riding a bike, going very fast and I would end up and this large house on the corner but when I’d get up off my bike suddenly I was riding it again, coming from another direction, but always ending up at that house. I also was in first person view, which I normally dream in third person where I’m watching other people’s events take place that I am not a part of.
Hi Ashley,
thank you for your very interesting and to me potentially very positive dream. Now, I do not know you or the details of your life, wherefore my guesses could to totally off, but it could be about you coming more and more to terms with yourself and who you are. Compared to most of your dreams (in third person), this time you are an active part of the dream, potentially showing how you are now active in your own life, taking responsibility of who you are, and where you want to go. At the same time though, it seams as if you have difficulties getting there (I see the house as the where you are ending up in yourself; the center of who you are), maybe you yourself are somehow constantly trying to avoid going in your own direction, trying to avoid your “life path” if you want. The house could also be some place negative, some place you really do not want to go. Only you would know the right interpretation. The bigger city could also illustrate the many opportunities you start seeing for yourself in your life now. Best regards – Michael
I just dreamt that I was relaxing in a tub filling with hot water… and halfway through the hot water ran out and I kept going to another bathroom and doing the cycle over with the water never feeling the tub to my satisfaction. It was torturous.. :/
Hi Kelsi,
interesting dream! By drawing a parallel to your waking life, you could consider where or how you in your waking life behavior or thoughts keep searching for fulfillment. Going a bit deeper you could also see the warm water as something nice and warm that embraces you fully. Constantly searching for the perfect love? The perfect job? The dream might tell you that it doesn’t exist. Since I don’t know you and your specific situation it is difficult to get close to what the dream might be all about. Best regards – Michael
Water is good a new begining refresh
Just don’t be too hard on yourself .
Be happy with what you are blessed with .
Last night I dreamt that I was trying to tie my hair up but it kept going wrong so I kept taking my hair down and trying again over and over I was so frustrated. What does that mean?
Hi Eve,
not knowing you and your (life) situation, I can only guess – only you know whether my guesses are correct – it might be that none of them are correct 🙂
Now – it could be several things – maybe you are trying to appear as a very “orderly” woman to the outside world – and it’s a challenge to you. Or you are somehow trying to bring something in order (/make it fit into your view of yourself and the world). Another interpretation could be that you currently are very much “in your head” (rationalizing / intellectualizing too much), and you should loosen up, and instead you should trust your instincts / stomach feeling. I.e. “too much brain – too little heart”. Does this make sense to you?
Michael
how about my dreamt that someone is trying to catch me, yes he did caught me but still, i kept on fighting therefor i always got rid of him, and he didn’t stop.. i’m running and he kept on coming after me.. this dreamt repeated 3 consecutive nights..
i also having a dream about my relatives that passed away, they keep on coming to me, we’re so happy, eating together, but they don’t let me taste their food.. and i even told them that i was thougt they were both dead.. but they told me that they’re still alive.. they are always coming to me in my dreams.. why?
Hi Miles,
and thank you for your very interesting dreams! Unfortunately I no longer offer interpretation for free, as I get many requests every day. Instead I offer the following: http://www.michaelrolsen.com/dreamcoaching. Best regards – Michael
I have these dreams where I wake up in my old house and walk down stairs and in the dark there is a scary man with a fork I know my age I was 9 what does this mean
Hi Alex,
and thank for your comment and very interesting dream! Unfortunately I no longer have the opportunity to help out for free, as I get very many requests every day. Instead I offer help via e-mail, telephone or Skype – please read more here: http://www.michaelrolsen.com/dreamcoaching. Best – Michael
Hi, I keep having this same dream of one person gone and I go and run from my dad who doesn’t want me to go get them, I run around and old brick building to a large wood fence, but is a little broken up, there is like a giant stone that I climb and on the top are stone stairs, which I climb with my cousin and my dad is now ok with it after we get over the top I stand on a wood pile next to the fence with the person I was climbing it with.
Hi Madison,
And thank you for your comment, Apologies for my late reply, but I receive many comments every day, and I simply cannot keep up with them. That is also why I have decided to no longer do interpretations for free. Instead I offer the following options: http://www.michaelrolsen.com/dreamcoaching. Best regards – Michael
(Reply ASAP) I’ve dreamt about my brother dying over and over again Kept waking up same day but seeing him die in different ways but same day though.
I dreamed of repeated distributing images of people over and over.. then I’ll run or walk around the bed or wall repeatedly. I felt awake but then I wasnt… I try to make a sound but it was hard… when my voice finally got louder.. the images got more messed up… then it seemed normal for a bit… then I decided to touch the women’s face to see if it’s real then she gAves my hand and won’t let go.. her face changed alot…. everything kept changing… all repeating.. I felt like I was being watched.. please help?
I’ve been recently tying my hair up in a man bun, and I have to say it’s frustrating sometimes haha.
Hi Strand – yep, it’s funny sometimes, the language of dreams 🙂 Do you have an idea as to what this might illustrate?
I dreamt of my “friends” -cant recognize their faces. and I trying to escape a group of people entering our building. Each time we were caught it went back again and again to the point where when we got caught th final time, we were all killed.
It’s a good dream you procrastinate a lot in your life did things more with your friend never took am other chances and when you did you did great .
I just woke up from it and i had a weird “dream”. i’ve been recently trying to stop smoking and today my mom lectured me about not smoking anymore(weed). i had fell asleep on the phone with my friend so he was on ft sleeping while i was trying to sleep. so in my dream i was laying in bed and i kept trying to get out of my room, i couldn’t because i couldn’t keep my balance. it felt as if i was drunk.. i kept falling out of my bed and running into my room walls or even fall right down as soon as i came off the bed. it kept repeating and every time i couldn’t get up i’d call his name and he wouldn’t wake up on facetime. i called my mom once and nothing was happening but the action repeating. i noticed it wasn’t real until the 3rd time it repeated. after at least 15 times of it repeating i woke up and an hour past maybe two past. and now i’m scared to sleep.
Have no fear say your Uri prayers and you will be fine
I keep dreaming about my mother , every time I dream of her its like they made a mistake and shes back with us again , and am thinking in the dream , we got all her stuff what she going to live on , she passed away about 5 years a go , in this dream todayshe was saying I bet you all have been missing me and she was putting up a Christmas tree, had this dream several timesabout her coming back , please tell me what it means.