One of the most familiar dreams that dreamers experience is  being chased. There are many variations on the chase dream, and one of the most prevalent among young professionals is the car chase dream.

In the car chase dream, the dreamer is trying to drive in their car to some destination while being chased by an unknown pursuer. When we dream, the road we are following often represents our career path, and a car often symbolises how we drive ourself towards our career objectives.

The language that the dreamer uses in describing the dream usually provides clues for the situation in waking life that is causing their anxiety. Often they will use phrases such as ‘I was managing to get away, and then the wheels started to come off…’, or ‘As I turned the corner, I realised I was in a dead end…’.

The dreamer’s report may also use homophones, words that have the same pronunciation as another word but differ in meaning.  Our language in waking life and our dream vocabulary are often intertwined, and we routinely use homophones in dreams to express what we are be feeling. Some dreamers who have issues with dress codes find themself unable to select the right gear in their car chase as well as in waking life.

One of my clients had a recurring dream where he was being pursued by a a group of faceless men in a fleet of black taxis. In the dream he felt he had paid his share of the fares and was upset at their constant pursuit. In waking life, he was being pursued by the tax men for payment of back taxes, although he felt he had paid his fair share. The message he took from the dream was to make personal contact with the lead tax inspector and go and meet him to discuss the situation. The simple act of meeting the inspector face to face enabled my client to be able to put a face to the leader of the faceless men who were pursuing him. After some negotiation, he received a sizeable rebate, and the taxi dreams did not recur.

The person pursuing us in the dream is almost invariably ourself, usually because we feel pressured in some aspect of our life and these repressed feelings are projected onto the pursuing vehicle. The best way to keep heading straight towards our objective is to be straight with ourselves, being open and honest about our intentions and needs. If we ditch our values, we will probably become bogged down as our career careers out of control.

An increasing number of dreamers are sharing dreams where they are trying to enter a word or phrase into a search engine like Google. However, they find themselves unable to correctly type the search query, or the answers given bear little or no resemblance to what they were searching for.

In many ways, this is similar to the wrong number dream, where the dreamer is attempting to call someone, but keeps typing the wrong number, or getting through to the wrong person. However, in the wrong number dream, the dreamer is trying to say something and is finding it difficult. In a search engine dream, the dreamer is expecting a certain answer or response, but is not receiving it.

This suggests that the dreamer is finding that what they ask for in waking life, and what they receive is quite different. It may be that they are finding it difficult to articulate their needs and to ask for what they really want. It might be that the person that they are asking is trying to ignore them. It may also be that they are viewing their circumstances unrealistically through rose tinted glasses.

If you are having this dream, then the answer that it is giving you is that you need to state your needs. However, many of us find it difficult to state our needs, so try this simple method. Find somewhere relaxing, clear your mind and gently say to yourself ‘I need…’, and look at and listen to what images and words appear for you. The first answers are usually the most powerful, and you might be surprised at what your real needs are!