Many of us will have had a nightmare where we are being chased by a faceless figure (or figures). If so, you'll know it's bloody terrifying.
But dream psychologist Ian Wallace says that there is more to it than simply being a 'bad dream' - a notion he doesn't subscribe to.
Speaking to LADbible, Ian says that although this particular dream can feel a bit scary, it's about regaining some control in your life.
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He tells us: "The most common dream from all around the world, and continues to be, and as far as we know it has been, according to cave paintings, for about 30,000 years, is being chased.
"Working with language, we have this word 'pursuit', which is being chased or chasing something.
"If you are being chased, then you feel that you are maybe a little bit of a victim, that you are maybe a little bit powerless and helpless in this situation and you can't do anything about it.
"So in the being chased dream, you have to consider what powers you have and what choices you have, and you always have more power and choice than you think."
He adds: "Though it can be quite scary, your pursuers are actually bringing your attention to the fact that you are engaged in pursuing an ambition - and your pursuit of fulfilment as you achieve it."
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But it's not always about being chased. Sometimes we find ourselves running, often very slowly, after something in the distance. Again, Ian has an explanation.
"Usually what you are pursuing is an ambition," he says.
"So this is all about a challenge in your waking life where you are pursuing an outcome or an ambition, but you are facing some challenges or frustrations around that.
"If you are actually chasing something, it suggests that you have a clear idea of what you are pursuing, but that target might be very difficult to achieve or to hit or define."
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Surely there are easier ways to reach your goals that don't include waking up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat?
But maybe it's not as bad as we think.
Ian says we shouldn't be afraid of dreams. In fact, he argues, there is no such thing as a 'bad dream'.
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He says: "The dream is not happening to you, you're happening to the dream and you're creating everything in it.
"So if you have a really scary dream, what people term a nightmare, people often divide them into dreams and nightmares.
"But the reality is that all a nightmare is, is a dream where you've turned up the scariness, you've turned up the vividness, turned up the volume a bit, because you want to get your attention because you're processing something really powerful.
"So if you have a dream that you find upsetting or disturbing, what it's actually drawing your attention to is the fact you have the power to do something about it in your waking life."
Featured Image Credit: Pixabay/LADbible