It is not a coincidence that a hug is associated with very positive feelings. Hugging implies physical touch between people, which causes the release of oxytocin and the experience of happiness and affection.
Similarly, having such a dream is often related to a sense of calmness and love. It can bring back dear memories to the mind and remind us of the value of our relationships.
Sometimes such a dream can also evoke negative experiences like confusion or sadness. It is very important whom the dreamer is hugging and what they think of that person.
Is it a stranger or someone familiar? Would you hug that person in real life? What kind of emotions do you experience toward them?
Dream Meanings of Hugging Someone
Having these questions in mind, we arrive at the general symbolism of hugging someone in a dream. Below you can take a look at both positive and negative interpretations, depending on the dream context and the person’s life situation at the moment:
Connection
Hugging someone in a dream can indicate a loving connection with that person. You may be close to them in real life or want a deeper relationship with them. This dream can also symbolize a bond that you may share with the other person that is not easy to see.
Missing Someone
You may dream about hugging people that you deeply miss at the moment. This may be the case if you are currently at a physical or emotional distance from someone.
Dreaming of hugging that person compensates for the lack of closeness in real life and helps you cope with that situation.
Reconciliation
Sometimes we dream about hugging someone with whom we do not get along. We may feel confused or angry about why we have such visions. These dreams may show us the need for reconciliation and forgiveness to the person, or acceptance of their qualities that we find intolerable.
Need for Emotional Support
You can also dream about hugging someone when you feel lonely in your life. If you do not have a sense of support and affection in your current situation, this dream can indicate a deep need for closeness.
Your unconscious mind may be urging you to take care of your emotional needs and seek meaningful connections with others.
Inner Transformation
Hugging someone in a dream can represent the integration of some undeveloped aspects of the personality. On a symbolic level, hugging someone means embracing their inner or outer qualities.
Such a dream can indicate the need to acknowledge the characteristics of the other person inside you.
Venting Negative Emotions
Dreaming of hugging someone can also symbolize the need for calmness and psychological relief. You may feel emotionally or physically overwhelmed in real life.
Having a hug in a dream can indicate the need to be understood and let your feelings out.
15 Common Dream Scenarios of Hugging Someone
As you can see above, hugging someone in a dream can imply different things, depending on your current situation and the emotions you are experiencing. The details included in different scenarios can further expand your dream meaning.
Dreaming of Hugging a Woman
Having a dream about hugging a woman can imply a variety of meanings. You may have a special connection to that woman in real life, or you may need to pay attention to the representation of her image in your psyche. Think about your associations with the woman and how these relate to your inner world.
You may also need to realize some qualities of the woman in your personality. If you are a man, the woman in your dream can represent an inner feminine aspect of yourself that you need to nurture more.
If you are a woman, you may need to acknowledge and embrace some undeveloped characteristics that the other female symbolizes for you.
Dreaming of Hugging a Guy
Similarly to the first scenario, dreaming of hugging a man can offer multiple interpretations.
If you are a woman, you may need to assimilate and accept your inner masculine side. If you are a man, your unconscious mind may urge you to face and integrate some hidden aspects represented by the male in the dream.
Dreaming of hugging a guy can signify the loving connection you have with that concrete person. Such a scenario can also show the qualities of the man that you may share inside your psyche as well.
Dream of A Little Boy/Girl Hugging Me
If you dream about a little boy or girl hugging you, this may point toward reconnecting with your inner child. Think about when was the last time that you felt innocent and carefree. Make more time for having fun and be free of judgment.
Such a scenario can also indicate inner transformation. Children in dreams are symbolic of renewal and unrealized potential of the personality. Dreaming of a boy or a girl hugging you can signify embracing a new aspect of your psyche.
Dream About Hugging Someone You Don’t Know
Hugging a stranger in a dream can represent the integration of something previously unknown into your conscious mind.
Think about what the person in the dream looks like, what feelings they evoke, and how you feel while hugging them.
The answers can tell you more about which personal aspect you need to embrace inside your dream.
Dream About Hugging Someone from Behind
Such a scenario indicates dealing with surprising circumstances in your life. This dream is trying to prepare you to take control and connect to the aspects of yourself that can be useful in the situation.
Dream About Hugging Someone You Love
Having such a dream is significant to the loving connection you share with that person.
You may currently be unable to spend time with the other or show your affection to them. This dream may compensate for a desire to be beside the one you love.
Related: Dreaming of Falling in Love Meaning
Dream of Hugging and Kissing Someone
Dreaming of hugging and kissing another person can indicate the deep connection you share with them in real life. It can also show the need to integrate this person’s qualities into your personality.
Think about what characteristics the person in your dream represents that you may need to nurture for yourself.
Dream of Someone Holding You Tight
Having such a dream can point toward a strong need for closeness and safety. You may long for physical and emotional touch by a dear person.
This dream shows that you need to make space in your daily life for caring relationships and connecting to others on a deeper level.
Dream About Hugging Someone and Crying
This scenario implies that your negative emotions are being successfully let out inside the dream. You may need to vent the stress and worries in your life. Through this dream, your psyche is offering you comfort and creating a safe space for you to heal.
Dream About Hugging Someone Who Passed Away
Dreaming of dead people being alive can evoke mixed feelings inside the dreamer, and so can dreams about hugging them.
Such visions can indicate the special bond that you share with the deceased person. You may also need to develop a valuable quality of theirs and integrate it into your personality.
Dream of Deceased Mother/Father Hugging Me
You may also dream of your dead father or your deceased mother hugging you. Such visions signify the deep love this person has for you and their eternal support.
These dreams also show that you need this person or aspire to connect to an aspect of themselves that may be helpful in your current situation.
Dream of Hugging Dead Grandmother/Grandfather
Dreaming of deceased relatives can have a variety of meanings depending on your relationship with them.
Grandparents are symbolic of our connection with our ancestors and can serve as our spiritual guides in dreams. Hugging them may indicate that you are connecting with their wisdom and guidance, as well as missing them in real life.
Dreaming of My Dead Brother/Sister Hugging Me
If you dream about your dead brother or sister hugging you, you may miss them in your life very much and need their support. Such visions can evoke intense emotions and are a sign of neverending love.
As siblings are symbolic of our alter egos, such a dream may show that you need to embrace a hidden aspect of your personality represented by your sibling. Think about a quality that you admire in them and how you need to develop it into your psyche.
Dream of Hugging an Old Friend
Such a dream can indicate that we need to reconcile and reconnect with the real friend in our life.
Another interpretation of this scenario can be the need for acknowledging a quality we see in them inside of ourselves.
Hugging an old friend can also be symbolic of revealing a forgotten aspect of our personality.
Dreaming of A Celebrity Hugging You
Celebrities in dreams are related to being in the spotlight and craving attention. Having such a dream can symbolize a need for admiration and acknowledgment. You may seek external validation and want to do significant things in your life.
Another dream meaning can be the need to realize the hidden potential inside your personality. Think about which qualities you like in the celebrity and what you would like to develop for yourself.
Also Read: Dream of Holding Hands Meaning
Final Thoughts
Dreaming of hugging someone can evoke many pleasant feelings inside the dreamer. Such dreams can also lead to thoughtfulness, sadness, and confusion.
To investigate their meaning to the fullest, search inside yourself for what hugging someone means to you.