Why Can I Fly in My Dreams? An Expert Dream Analyst‘s Perspective

Have you ever experienced the incredible feeling of flying high above the world in your dreams? I certainly have, and let me tell you – it‘s an absolutely exhilarating feeling that always leaves me wanting more once I wake up!

As a dream analyst, I‘ve heard from countless people over the years about their own dream flying experiences. In this post, I‘ll provide some deeper insight into why we can defy gravity in our sleep and how you can encourage more dream flights of fancy. Let‘s soar into it!

Just How Common Are Flying Dreams?

While it may feel like a unique experience when it happens to you, dreams of flying are actually one of the most widely reported dream themes.

According to dream research surveys, around 64% of people claim to have experienced dreams where they are flying or floating through the air. One study by renowned dream researcher Calvin Hall showed that flying dreams were the most prevalent positive dream theme amongst subjects:

So clearly dream flights are a common human experience – which raises the questions, what do they mean and why can we defy gravity in our sleep? Let‘s explore some of the leading theories.

Dream Flying as Wish Fulfillment

One of the most common interpretations of flying dreams by psychoanalysts is that they represent unconscious wish fulfillment. We vividly live out our innermost desires to escape and soar above our waking problems.

This makes logical sense – in our dreams we can flee from whatever is holding us down, whether it‘s a stressful job, financial constraints, health issues or relationship problems. For those blissful moments we are untethered from earthly burdens.

When I have worked with clients to analyze their recurring flying dreams, I‘ve found that they often correlate with a desire for freedom and release in their daily lives.

For example, one client who was going through a painful divorce reported multiple dreams of effortlessly gliding above the clouds. The parallels to her waking need to break free from the constraints of her marriage were clear.

Taking Control of Our Dreams

Another key reason that dream flight occurs is that we assume control over our dreaming selves.

While dreams typically feel outside of our control, in flying dreams we seize the reins and consciously decide to defy gravity. I‘ve noticed this is often triggered by realizing we are dreaming – also known as lucid dreaming.

Once we recognize we are dreaming, we suddenly have infinite potential and freedom. Flying often naturally follows this realization for many lucid dreamers I‘ve worked with.

Gaining control over our dream flying can take practice, but I‘ve found the following steps help facilitate the experience:

• Reality testing – Ask yourself periodically while awake "Am I dreaming?". This primes you to do the same while dreaming.

• Dream journaling – Recording dreams in a journal improves dream recall and awareness. Review the journal to identify dream signs that you are flying.

• Flying visualizations – Picture yourself flying before bed each night. Imagining the feeling prepares you for the real deal.

• Rubbing hands – When you gain lucidity, try vigorously rubbing your dream hands together. This dream control trick can stabilize the dreamscape for flying.

Mastering the exhilaration of conscious dream flying takes time, but with the right preparation you‘ll be soaring in no time!

What Does the Sensation of Flying Feel Like?

When clients describe their dream flying experiences to me, they often have a hard time putting the magical sensation into words. But some common themes emerge:

• Effortless, free, weightless – gliding takes no exertion or thought

• Wind, momentum, speed – rushing air and adrenaline

• Aerial view – seeing the world from new heights

• Euphoria – absolute elation and freedom

Interestingly, the mechanics of how one takes flight in dreams matter little. Some report bounding into the sky like Superman, others simply levitate off the ground. What matters is the feeling – our dream self understands instantly how to take flight.

Dream Flying as a Spiritual Experience

For some dreamers, flying represents more than just liberation. It touches the divine.

Certain tribal cultures actively sought out dream flying experiences as spiritual visions. They represented touching an immaterial reality beyond the physical constraints that chain us when awake.

Modern dream scientists tend to focus more on the psychological wish-fulfillment aspects of dream flying. But some pioneering researchers like Scott Sparrow acknowledge a spiritual dimension.

Sparrow describes lucid dream flying as "a universally-accessible transcendental experience". Not bound by culture, these visions represent "our higher selves in action".

While a topic of some contention, there is a universal quality to dream flying that resonates. In defying gravity, albeit temporarily, we transcend our human limits.

Common Dream Flying Themes and Variations

While free-form gliding through blue skies is the classic flying dream, some interesting variations crop up:

• Superman flying – Zooming at supersonic speeds around cities or mountains. Feelings of power.

• Airplane flying dreams – Controlling an aircraft‘s flight. Can represent surmounting challenges.

• Crash landing dreams – Falling from flight signals loss of control or confidence.

• Anxiety dreams – Feeling afraid while flying points to issues with stability in waking life.

• Sleep paralysis flying – Floating sensation arises from REM sleep intruding into waking world.

As we‘ve explored, the exact flying scenario tends to tie into our mental state and degree of dream control. But no matter the specifics – flying free always represents escapism and empowerment.

Why We Can‘t Always Fly When We Want To

Now, most of us have also probably had dreams where we desperately try to take flight… yet stay frustratingly earthbound! What gives when our dreams of flight don‘t take off?

Often this occurs because our dreaming self does not have enough self-belief or mental clarity to override the assumption that gravity rules all. We strain and struggle but can‘t unshackle from the burden of waking-world limitations ingrained in our psyche.

This signals we need to work on our self-confidence and dream control abilities. With dedication and practice things like reality checks, we can train ourselves to take flight whenever we please!

Should You Embrace the Gift of Dream Flight?

In our modern tech-driven, distraction-filled world, dream flying represents one of the few remaining ways we can experience genuine awe, wonder and freedom.

I encourage my clients to indulge in this gift when it arises in their dreams. Floating on air places our cares and worries into perspective while renewing our spirit.

Dream researchers like States and Sparrow take this further – suggesting conscious dream flying can awaken us to new perspectives on reality itself. States provocatively wrote that controlled dream flying "may lead to an entirely different worldview".

So next time you find yourself soaring through the boundless skies of your imagination, fully embrace the experience! Ultimately there is no substitute for the unbridled sensory experience of dream flight.

When we take to the air in our dreams, if only for a fleeting liberating moment, we re-connect with our highest human potential. Our spirit can defy gravity, soar into the unknown and be freed.

Conclusion

I hope you‘ve enjoyed this deep dive into why we can fly in our dreams and how to lucidly take control of your dream flights! Feel free to get in touch if you have any other dream flying experiences or questions you want to discuss. Stay present, reality test often, and fly high!