Dreaming about chasing somebody you cannot catch
What does it mean to dream you are chasing someone?
The symmetry is the finding, and it is one of the most useful things in this database.
Being chased is the most reported dream there is, and the distance never closes. This is the same dream with the roles reversed, and the distance still never closes.
That rules out a great deal. If the failure to close were about threat, fear or avoidance, it would not survive the dreamer becoming the pursuer. It does. So the structure is not about the chase at all: it is about a body that cannot execute movement, which is exactly what a sleeping body is.
Every other explanation this dream usually attracts has to account for that symmetry, and none of them does.
Where this reads well
The clearest single argument in this database for the mechanical account, and dreamers can test it against their own records.
Where it is harder
Reported as frustrating rather than frightening, which is mild compared with the pursued version.
Worth asking yourself
Did I gain any ground? Who was I chasing? Have I had the other version?
Dream interpretation is subjective. Nothing here is a diagnosis, a prediction, or medical advice.
Sources and reviewed references
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