What do sneak dreams mean? An expert breaks down the symbolism

Those snake dreams you’ve been having? They have a message and a meaning.As a professional dream interpreter and the author of “The Alchemy of Your Dreams,” I help people come to insights about recurrent patterns and symbols that pop up in their dreams, like snakes.All dreams are gifts, even the ones that scare you (see: snakes). Every night when we sleep, we are gifted with the opportunity to receive guidance, creative ideas and positive solutions through our dreams.Dreams have been proven to help regulate negative emotion and offer up healing. In a previous interview with TODAY.com, Adriane Soehner, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh and the director of the Pitt Sleep, Affective Neuroscience, and Development Lab, said dreams have a “functional” purpose, aiding with “memory, emotional processing and sensory processing.”Now, this isn’t to say that all of your dreams will feel easy, or a nightly narrative of bliss and pleasure. That’s because our dreams help to guard against self-deception and in doing so, they often pack a metaphoric punch, encouraging you to ask: What is the message I’m not hearing? The “thing” that I’m not seeing? The path I’m afraid to follow? The feeling I’m unwilling to feel?The snake I am unwilling to see?If you’re simply seeing snakes everywhere once you go to sleep, there’s no need to worry. Here’s what to know if one slithers into your subconscious.What do sneaks in dreams mean?Snakes are both universal and personal symbols. From the ouroboros (a snake eating its own tail in a circle like shape) to the cosmic rainbow serpent, snake dreams can alert you to your state of consciousness and well-being, as well as the greater mysteries of life. Snakes in dreams are a call to focus on healing, transformation and changeSnakes are symbols of transformation and change. The Asclepius rod, a rod that has two snakes intertwining it, is a common sign for medical institutes because snakes have long been associated with healing.So, if you dream of a snake in your house, you may need to focus on change, healing and transformation. Periods of change and adjustment often lead to life altering transformations although the process can feel emotionally intense.Sometimes, you have to let go of what was, in order to let something new and better in. And a snake dream may just come to you in order to remind you of your innate ability to do just that.Snakes in dreams also indicate it may be time to make a swift moveSnakes shed their skin in one go. If you dream of a snake in this manner, it may symbolize that you need to shed a pattern, belief, or identity that is no longer serving you, in order to move through life more easily.A dream like this also tells you that this can happen in one swoop movement — just like a snake sheds its skin easily so can you! Ask yourself—what do I need to release in order to transform into a healthier, happier version of me and can I allow these changes to happen with ease?The dreamer will have to look at their own spiritual beliefs and ask themselves what the next right path is. It may be a calling to some type of initiation and learning.Understanding different snake dream scenariosWhat does it mean if a snake chases, attacks or bites you in a dream?II the snake in your dream was threatening or biting you then this type of dream may indicate that you need to pay attention to your relationships and partnerships.As well as your own relationship to your instincts. Do you trust your gut? Are your instincts on sharp form? Have you let something poisonous into your life (unhealthy habits/beliefs/behaviors or people)? If so, the solution to something venomous is to remove the poisonous ‘thing’ from your life. No one needs toxicity in their life, and we all have to address our own negative behaviors too.What does it mean to dream of a specific snake species, like a constrictor or rattle snake?If a very specific type of snake shows up in your dream, you can take that as a sign to research that kind of particular snake. For example: a rattle snake asks you to see what is ‘rattling’ in your life? It is a dream message that is rattling you awake — it is saying that you need to pay attention and remain alert!On the other hand, a boa constrictor could symbolize a situation in which you feel like something is squeezing the life out of you. And like all dreams, both in waking life and sleep, you are the key player. Focus on bringing your awareness to the here-and-now so that you can make conscious, helpful, and positive decisions that will serve you and those around you.This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:Why am I dreaming my teeth are falling out? A dream interpreter breaks it downDreaming about frogs? Why these are actually considered luckyWhat it means to dream about flying, according to an expert