◇ Depends on the scene Lucky or not depending on the scene — see "In this scene" below
Chasing someone or something: strong desire for a goal or person. Catching up means wishes come true; losing sight warns against impatience.
Category: Actions & events (how to read this category)
Psychology
Unlike being chased, chasing reflects an active wish to gain something or get closer to someone. Chasing an admired person suggests love or respect; a fleeing criminal, a sense of justice or anger; an animal, instinctive desire. How you felt while chasing shows how healthy the wish is.
Folklore and history
Japanese myth and legend are full of pursuers and the pursued: Izanami chasing Izanagi as he flees the underworld, or Kiyohime chasing Anchin in the Dojo-ji legend, where intense longing turns fearsome. Dream readers see chasing as rising drive toward a goal, with a warning against obsession.
Haunted-spot exploration often means long hours driving and waiting in the car from late night into early morning, often in mountain or rural areas with no convenience store nearby — a car fridge keeps drinks and snacks fresh for hours. Adjustable from -20°C to 20°C, for either refrigeration or freezing.
IRIS OHYAMA Portable Fridge/Freezer 20L IPD-2A-B (for Vehicle Use)
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This site's view
In this site's view, ask what you meant to do once you caught up. If you cannot answer, you may be enthralled not by them but by the heat of your own pursuit. As the Kiyohime legend shows, too strong a longing can burn its object. If their face was calm when they turned, your feeling is still healthy.
Going deeper: our reading
In Japanese tag, the chaser is called the oni, a demon. Whoever the oni touches becomes the new oni and chases someone else; the fun lies in chaser and chased swapping with a single touch. Some carry the bitter memory of running around as oni forever without catching anyone. In this site's reading, a chasing dream can mirror the loneliness of the oni's role and the instant roles reverse. If everyone escaped and you stayed the oni, you may be tired of relationships where you are always the one reaching out. If the moment you caught someone they turned and you became the chased, a bond you wanted may be about to reverse unexpectedly. If you were laughing as you chased, the chase itself may be what keeps you going now. This is our speculation, but besides chasing, you can also stop and wait for the other person to come.
What to do on waking
Write in one sentence what you really want from the goal or person you are chasing. Knowing the answer changes how you run.
In this scene
- ◎Good It works out, you escape: you can overcome a real challenge (good)
- ▲Warn It fails, you are caught: feeling cornered — rest or ask for help (warning)
- Doing it again and again: an unsolved problem is still on your mind
- It felt good: the lucky reading gets stronger
- ▲Warn It felt frightening or painful: the warning reading gets stronger — rest first
- The same dream again and again: something your mind has not settled yet
Turning a bad dream
In Japan, people once tried to turn a worrying dream for the better: a baku charm under the pillow, telling the dream to a nandina bush, or reciting an old dream-turning poem. Read the column on dream trading and dream-turning
A collection of true stories about stigmatized properties where people, not ghosts, are the scary part, by Teru Oshima, who runs the stigmatized-property information site — a reference for our stigmatized-property articles.
Oshima Teru's Ghost Story Room: Truly Scary Stigmatized Properties (Teru Oshima / Saizusha)
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FAQ
Q. Is dreaming of chasing Someone a good or bad sign?
A. Lucky or not depending on the scene — see "In this scene" below. Chasing someone or something: strong desire for a goal or person. Catching up means wishes come true; losing sight warns against impatience.
Q. Why do I keep dreaming of chasing Someone?
A. A recurring dream usually points to something your mind has not settled yet. Research suggests such dreams tend to stop once the underlying worry is resolved. Keeping a dream diary helps you notice what triggers it.
Q. What should I do after dreaming of chasing Someone?
A. Write in one sentence what you really want from the goal or person you are chasing. Knowing the answer changes how you run.
Related dream essays
- True Dreams and Reverse Dreams: Why We Read Dreams Backwards
- Buying Dreams, Turning Dreams: A Japanese History of Dream Trading and Dream Charms
Read this dream with your own scene in the Dream Dictionary →
More dreams in "Actions & events"
- A House Whose Rooms Change
- A Family Member Turned Stranger
- Living with an Unknown Family
- A Tap on the Shoulder
- Unable to Turn Around
- Eyes That Won't Open
- Catching Something
- Unable to Save Someone
- Protecting Someone
- Betraying Someone
- A Secret Revealed
- Basketball
※ Dream interpretation here is entertainment drawing on psychology and folklore — it is not scientifically proven. "This site's view" is our own interpretation.
