A Dream Interpreter Breaks Down 6 Common Beauty Nightmares
Your palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy — no, you're not listening to "Lose Yourself" for the trillionth time. Your sleep was just interrupted by a terrifying beauty nightmare, jolting you awake.
Instead of just shaking it off and plunging back under your comforter, maybe tonight you've decide to bust out your iPhone and frantically Google the meaning behind your dream. Blue light warnings aside, Cathy Pagano, Jungian psychologist, astrologer, and dream interpreter, encourages everyone to take a deep look at their nightmares. "Dreams tell you what your truth is," she told POPSUGAR. "We should be listening to our dreams all of the time."
On the surface, it might feel like common beauty nightmares are just about aesthetics. For instance, when you toss and turn over a dream about your teeth falling out, you might think it's because that's an objectively terrifying thought. However, those nightmares often have a deeper emotional reason you might not expect. "There are so many layers to dreams," Pagano said. "An interpreter can give you the big picture, but ultimately you shape your own interpretation."
Ready to fully understand the things that keep you up at night? Keep reading to uncover the potential meanings to common beauty nightmares.
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Pagano noted that certain interpreters will tell you that this petrifying image is related to subconscious feelings of insecurity. "If you look this dream up, some Google searches will tell you that it's because you're afraid you're not pretty or beautiful enough," she said. "That's not it at all. The subconscious is ancient, and it doesn't care that right now we have advertisements about whitening your teeth."
Instead, think back to what your teeth are meant to do: chew food. "Your teeth begin the process of digestion," Pagano said. "When you dream about them falling out, it means that you don't have the capacity to integrate whatever life is sending your way."
Perhaps you're stuck in a relationship that's headed downhill, but you've yet to breakup. Or maybe you're unsatisfied with your current job, but slacking on finding a new one. "This dream means that you're letting your experiences have you, rather than you having them. You're not digesting your own experiences."
You probably know that stress is a major cause of real-life hair loss. But when it happens while you snooze, it relates to a specific kind of anxiety. "Hair and nails are one of the few things on our bodies that never stops growing," Pagano said. "So when that falls out, it means that there's an essential part of you that you're losing touch with."
Getting your hair cut could symbolize that you want a life change. "Our face is supposed to be an expression of who we really are," Pagano said. Self-styling is a main way we communicate the personality we want to exude to others. "If you're getting your hair styled or cut short, that means you want to show people who you really are."
Another potential explanation for a haircut dream could be that you talk too much. According to Pagano, "To cut our hair means to cut short some of our thoughts." This could mean that you're struggling to be clear in the wording of a work project, or maybe you're upset about something a friend did but haven't built up to courage to confront them just yet. "Avoid the details — just get to the concise point of what you want," Pagano said.
Pagano said that Zodiac signs such as Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces are especially sensitive flowers, so for them this dream could mean that something in your life is making you feel vulnerable. "It's also about anxiety and fear," Pagano said.
This could be a manifestation of dread caused by frightening world events or headlines. It could also be courtesy of something closer to home. "Someone could be picking on you," Pagano offered, so such dreams might be due to stress over a toxic relationship or an office bully. It could also mean that you're afraid of losing a sick friend or relative.
"A pimple is an impurity inside," Pagano explained. "There's something going on that needs to be released, but you're not letting it go." This could be due to "any kind of toxicity" — maybe you're drinking too much, or not eating right. It could also mean that you're hanging out with the wrong crowd, or spending too much time with people who don't make you happy.
Be warned: this nightmare might be a sign that you're at the end of your rope. "Pimples come to a head," Pagano said. "So no matter what your dream is a metaphor for, it means there a toxin in your life that cannot be ignored any longer."
Pay close attention to which specific eye is falling victim to such prodding. "The right eye is attached to the left brain," Pagano said. "So if the right one gets poked, it means you're not seeing things logically." Maybe you just agreed to tag along with your friend on a three-week trip to Japan, but are having second thoughts over if you're actually prepared to take that much time off.
Meanwhile, the left eye is connected to the right brain, which controls creativity. "This means you're not able to see things with imagination," Pagano explained. If you're feeling uninspired, buy a sketchbook, switch your running route to a more inspiring trail, pop some LSD (kidding) — just do something that will get the creative juices flowing.
Meanwhile, if there is a certain person poking out you eyes, be warned. You might be losing trust in them. According to Pagano, "Someone might be trying to pull something over on you." If you're the one doing the poking, it might mean there's an issue that you're choosing to avoid. It's time to face it.
This is a classic nightmare for a reason. "When we're naked, we're being our unique self," Pagano said. "However, we live in a patriarchal society that says we have to be a certain way, or we're not going to have approval." Your clothes represent the persona you're trying to be, but that attitude sheds once the clothes come off. "When you're naked, you can only express the truth of your body — and that can make you feel vulnerable," she said. "As we get older, it's our job to shine up our character so that people see who we really are, not who we think they want us to be." If these dreams stress you out, it might mean that you should start practicing some self-love. Find an affirmation to compliment yourself with, stop nit-picking every little thing you (and others) do, take a vacation, or test out a new hobby.
