Cancer
There are two major links with dreaming of cancer. The first is that many people meet cancer in their dream because it represents death. So the dream is a way of experiencing their fears about death.
The second is that cancer depicts parts of ones emotional or thinking character that are sick and/or unhealthy. With these dreams you need to consider what part of the body you dream has cancer, then understand it psychological meaning. See: body – Body Dreams – Dream Body – Body Images.
Example: Before I knew I was ill with cancer I dreamt that an angel came to me and explained that before we are born we are all angels and are without limitations. When we are born we take on a life of limitations in order to learn something important to us. Then when we die at the end of that life we return to being an angel. All the limitations of life then disappear again.
The man who dreamt this died within a years of lung cancer – he had smoked heavily all his adult life.
Example: Dear Tony, My beloved sister passed away last week of brain cancer after 7 struggling years. I haven’t dreamt of her, however my cousin dreamt of her the morning after her funeral. He dreamt – There was a bright calm meadow, with a small white cottage at the far distant end. My sister then appeared at the foreground of the meadow – appearing as she did before she was ill, and very happy and giddy giggling shyly and smiling to my cousin. She was beautiful and her smile was calm and beautiful to my cousin. My cousin said he felt happiness with her just like the familiar feeling he had with her as when they were kids together growing up. She appeared very happy. Just as he was about to take a photo of her and she posed for him with her smile, his alarm went off in his bedroom and so he suddenly woke up from the dream.
The remarkable thing about the alarm is that he works at home and so never sets the alarm to go off, but it did go off suddenly in his room.
The time on the alarm clock he saw was 8:28am. August 28 was her birthday.
Example: I am “alive” in this underground chamber with thousands of other people (hell is other people). But the girl and I take the chance to escape. Actually I am chasing her on a motorcycle, then I join her. But it is too late, I am nearly dead with cancer when they catch up with me (and let me go walking down the road). (I am afraid that I have cancer.) The dreamer never developed cancer.
In some dreams we see someone else with cancer, but to start with they need to be considered as representing a facet of yourself – such as your worrying anxious self; your sexual self; your business or streetwise self, etc. Dreams accurately predicting the future are very rare. So it is unlikely though not impossible that the person you dream has cancer actually has it or will get it.
Occasionally the dream is an expression of how we feel about other people’s – especially our mother’s – emotional influence on us. This influence might be eating away at our own sense of well being. Or in some cases we sense it in the social attitudes we live amidst that is likewise eating away at our own health and wholeness.
Occasionally it is an awareness of illness in part of ones body. If this is suspected get a good health check. See Example under Death.
Useful Questions and Hints:
Does this feel like a ‘fear of death’ dream? If so see death and dreams.
Am I becoming aware of attitudes or inner problems that are being shown in the dream as cancer – if so can I put into words what they are?
If I describe myself as the cancer in the dream, what do I say, and what do I understand from this?
Comments
Hi,
I had a dream last night that I had cancer in stomach and went around telling all of my friends one by one that I didn’t have long to live etc and crying with them. I then kept going to be sick and some friends were looking after me and it ended when I died and then I could hear what the friends that I had told were saying and that they were crying.
Em
I know exactly how u feel. My cousin does 6 years ago and ever since he died everything became so clear like dreams and etc. I am albanian so we are very spiritual and dreams in our culture mean so much so I can say I have been through a lot of spiritual things like dreams, spirits and depression . I would love to hear your story and email me.
I have been having dreams about people in my life dying or have terminal cancer. First was my father I was attending his funeral in my dream I ran to the back of he church to find him there in a white suit. Then had one with my husband he actually died committed suicide and now I have a dream of my brother with terminal cancer. I wake up my heart beating so fast. Why do I keep having these dreams?
Mary – I believe it is because in dreams we are presented with things we need to learn. Also because in dreams we forget or do not know we are dreaming, the events of the dream are felt as very real so your heart beats faster with the feeling of loss.
So I think that you are learning how to face the loss of those you love – but the dreams are not predictions but practice runs. If we have never really felt what it is like to lose someone it would be an awful shock. But your dreams are helping you to meet the feeling that we are all going to die. Once you are able to meet that without flinching, then your dreams will take you into the wonder of life and death. See http://dreamhawk.com/dream-encyclopedia/questions-2/#Summing
Tony
Hi. I had a dream last night that I was diagnosed with terminal breast cancer. I was very near the end. I have 4 small children, so I was working hard to make sure they knew how much I loved them. I was quickly working to write letters to them and to get a will together. It was all heartbreaking, but when it became harder to breathe and my heart beat was slowing, very near death, I felt such peace and readiness. I am so disturbed by this today. Is there any meaning to this dream? Should I be tested for cancer? Thank you.
I had a dream about old work colleagues -(it wasn’t good when I left) – in it we weren’t getting on well and there was shouting – we were in a restaurant, one if the restaurant rooms had people smoking in it with their young children – I got upset and went to complain – as I went to go through the door of this room a woman that I didn’t know, told me she had cancer, I said I was sorry to hear this, she said she should be ok as they think they’ve caught it early. Does this really mean anything or is it just random?
Tracy – The dream seems to centre around your concern about cancer and its causes. The smoking that could cause cancer even for others who do not smoke, and the woman with cancer. So it sounds as if your dream was experimenting with feelings about what you can do about it. You were upset enough to positively make a move to complain.
Tony
Hi there Tony, i have had in the last two nights in a row now, dreamt that i had cancer. Last night it seemed more intense as if i was disressed and didnt know what to do. I think i dreamt there was a lump on my back and i didnt know how to tell my children. Right now im feelin so worried and anxious as i dont know if this dream will come true, as most of my dreams have come true!!! I look forward to hearing your comment. Many thanks.
Lisa
* I COULDN’T go back to sleep after these dreams. I have issues sleeping for a few years now…
I have had a few dreams about finding a lump on my left breast. I wake up forgetting, until last night. I also dreamt that my father had passed away. my mother died 15 years ago of cancer and I’m very close with my dad. I can not image losing him! I could go back to sleep after having both of these dreams in one night. What is going on?
Lynn – Please read http://dreamhawk.com/dream-encyclopedia/questions-2/#Summing – because you must understand that dreams are in a different league to waking life.
Also you MUST imagine losing your father. It is ridiculous not to because everyone dies, and not to face it is a tragedy for you. For when it happens you will not be able to deal with the emotions that will overwhelm you. If you face it you will see that it is only a silly mask we have been brain washed to believe in.
Have you gone to have your breast scanned to see if in fact you have a lump there? Again you must do it to see that it is not a fact but possibly a fear haunting you. You are obviously terrified of death and meeting your fears can be the first step toward sanity.
Tony
Hi Tony,
I had a rather disturbing and very upsetting dream last night that I woke up from and went back into three times in one night. I dreamt that I had been told I had terminal cancer which was in my stomach. I am only 27 and have a three year old daughter who is very dependent upon me. I was so upset and in denial that it was terminal. It was such a vivid dream and I woke up sobbing on numerous occasions throughout the night. One of my main causes of upset was leaving my daughter. I was absolutely beside myself with this thought. I had to tell all my family and friends I only had a matter of weeks to live which was also extremely upsetting. And I had a conversation with my mum about it, and she explained that there was no hope of treating it and my fate was inevitable. I was full of despair and sorrow.
This dream has had a tremendous effect on me and even typing this, I’m starting to cry. It was so vivid and persistent. I can’t think of anything that serious in my life that I’m worried about at the moment therefore I’m really confused.
I would be extremely grateful if you would be able to shed some light on this.
Many thanks,
Rachel.
Hi, I dreamed the same thing twice recently, and it is about a child of my husband’s friend who has cancer and in both cases the child is a boy almost the same age as my son, and my husband is very upset and crying. In real world though I never met those friends, they don’t exist or if they do they don’t have a child. Now, what does that mean? Should I be worried anyways for my healthy boy?
Sara – I think it will help if you read http://dreamhawk.com/dream-encyclopedia/questions-2/#Summing first as dreams and their imagery can be very strange for most people to understand.
But what you should be worried about isn’t you young son but what you associate with him – which is something I can only guess at. So please read – http://dreamhawk.com/dream-encyclopedia/association-of-ideas-with-dreams/#Working
But the dream does suggest there is a problem with a vulnerable part of you, causing you to feel uneasy. Dreams tend to dramatise, so the cancer is something that could – psychological – harm whatever you associate with the dream son.
Tony
Dear Tony,
I’m not sure I understand your explanation regarding a cancer dream….
I had a dream last that made me feel troubled…
In the dream I have had cancer for a while and the doctor does not know how I have been able to live with the cancer for so long. I have only a little bit of time left but I have accepted that I’m dying is not troubled by the fact. the only people I talk to in the dream is the people in the institute with me (in was not a hospital) they have cancer as well.
I feel that the dream is supposed to mean more to me, maybe you have an explanation?? I’m not normally disturbed by dreams
I’m looking forward to your response,
warm regards
Bernice
This morning I had a dream about my 7 year old son Hezekiah having leukemia
can’t remember why we were sitting in the doctors or hospital with my 7 year old son and my 25 year old daughter. I was sitting there and then the doctor came around the corner and the come this way it isn’t good news, so we walked into the doctors office and they started telling me he has leukemia and it is in the last stages, I was shocked and sadness filled my mind, I called my sisters (they live in New Zealand) and my mothers baby sister (our mother passed away years ago) my son was himself in the dream running around happy, I was really sad and heartbroken then I woke up.
My son struggles at school we has just learnt to write his name, reading, writing is really had, in trys hard, sometimes he tells me it is too much for him he cant think, or his brain hurts, when he was growing up from the time he could tell me he i in pain he has always had issues with his legs and doctors just give meds no real tests and said it is growing pains, the other day we watch an ad about omega3 fish oil about helping develop the brain and next me my 7 year old was asking me to get him some. I asked why? he replied so it can help my brain be smart so I know how to read and write at school.I told hi hat he is smart and doesn’t need those by if he likes we can get him some, plus two days later we got a memory card for his phone it charged then by himself he download two games on his phone and was proud and showed me, I told him see you dont need those tablets you are brainy not all 7 year old can download a game on sony phone without help and even in germany and rubbed his head and gave him a kiss, he smiled. I am hard on my son when it comes to his school work, he very good on PC, ipads photos, games, everything else he really struggles with learning. so I am worried about the dream , Im not the greatest Mum in the world to him
Hey Tony,
I had from what I understand-a fairly uncommon occurrence about a 2 months ago. I awoke to the thoughts of my little brother Dalton being very sick, sick with cancer. It was truly a nightmare to think about and I couldn’t stop the thoughts all day long and throughout the course of my week. 32 Days ago Dalton was diagnosed with AML, a blood cancer. I understand that given the short period of time between the dream and diagnosis there wasn’t reason for alarm, but I have an extreme sense of guilt on my shoulders for not saying anything sooner. I don’t even know why I have gone this far in conversation-maybe to vent. If you have any thoughts please email me if you find the time. I’m looking for explanations for my thoughts and I am having little to no luck.
-Nicholas
Hi Tony,
I know you must be very busy with all the dream posts you receive. Here I am writing to you again with one of my dreams. You provide such wonderful interpretations, which seem to be very insightful and truthful. Please reply only if you feel there is benefit in doing so or some action action I should take re this dream.
I dreamt a few weeks ago of a friend I have not seen for about a year. I hadn’t thought of her recent to the dream. She is older than I, in her 50s I think. I dreamt she was unwell but I did not speak with her, or really see her as a person… I just knew it was her and she was unwell. The focus was just above her left breast, near her collarbone. I was trying to heal this area through waving my hands just above her body (I did not touch her). The feeling I had was extremely clear and focused. I could tunnel in on exactly what I was trying to achieve and I felt I drew out of her the sickness. The dream then ended or changed, I can’t remember.
I spoke with a mutual friend earlier today who said this lady had very recently had a breast cancer scare, he believed everything was okay but he wasn’t sure. I didn’t mention the dream as I’m pretty sure it sounds crazy. I called her then and had a quick chat and have arranged to meet for coffee. I don’t think I’ll mention the dream. How odd!
Thanks Tony 🙂
Kind Regards,
Amy.
it’s nice post.thanks for it. and i will say u someting. when i try to open ur blog with it didnt oprn corretly.u know it?
Thank you for your kind reply. I try to make it work at all times, but occasionally there are problems. But check if it is the speed of your connection, that can sometimes be the cause of not connecting.
Tony