Experts reveal the most common dreams people have (and what they actually mean).

Experts have revealed the nine most asked about dreams and explain what they actually mean.

Ian Wallace is a psychologist who specialises in interpreting other people’s dreams. With over thirty years experience, he’s clocked up more than 150 000 dreams that he has analysed.

Recently he sat down with Independent to explain the most common dreams people have and what he believes they really mean.

An out of control car (or bike, train, plane, bus)

If you find yourself dreaming about an out of control vehicle perhaps it’s because you feel as though you don’t have a great deal of control over a situation in real life. Usually, Wallace says, this is related to your control (or lack of control) over success. Wallace suggests that relaxing your mind about the situation and accepting that certain things may be out of your control allows your instincts to take hold and guide you on the best path.

Falling

A dream about falling is often something depicted in movies but in real life it means that you are holding on to something too tightly and need to let go. Wallace says these kinds of dream indicate that people should trust their instincts and stop trying to control things in waking hours.

Flying

Having a dream where you are flying indicates that you have let go of something in your life that was weighing you down, according to Wallace. He says that usually this is the result of having made a difficult decision but it can also be viewed as liberation or freedom from something.

Being naked in public

Unless you’re a weekend exhibitionist, being naked in public is not an ideal situation for most people. We feel vulnerable and uneasy and this, according to Wallace, is exactly what dreaming about being naked in public is all about. Apparently a dream like this says that you’re feeling exposed in the real world. He suggests that the best method for dealing with these dreams is to accept that sometimes we are all vulnerable and to be more confident opening ourselves up to others.

Being chased

Here it is ladies and gents, the number one most common dream Wallace says we are all having. The dream of being chased means that there is something in your life that you want to confront but just don’t know how. Wallace says that we should see situations like this as an opportunity pursue ambitions, rather than something we should run from.