LAUGHTER

If this happens, study all the other symbols in your dream and particularly the symbol that most made you laugh, as this will hold the key to your interpretation. The purpose of jokes is to surprise and amuse you in unexpected ways, so if you dream of hearing or telling a joke, your dreaming mind may be trying to draw your attention to a serious issue to which you need to pay attention in your waking life; serious things are often said in jest, even in dreams. Alternatively, dreams of laughter can also have a sinister side, as laughter can reveal emotions of embarrassment, fear or even a sense of paranoia, especially if others are laughing at you. Associated with folklore and wicked witches, if you hear cackling in your dream, it may be your inner voice ridiculing your grandiose pretensions.

A dream that features laughter is expressing a desire for more joy.

If someone is laughing in your dream, interpret that character aspect of self as a quality that is needed to connect more deeply to joy.

The shadow side of this symbol is the embarrassment that can be associated with feeling that others are laughing at you.

If you are suffering from feelings of shame in any area of your life, such a dream may be helping you process this.

If you are the one laughing: you are trying to cover up a burden or worry from others or yourself.

Depth Psychology: Liberating, uproarious laughter is releasing all your tensions, suggesting that it’s better to laugh about yourself than to take everything so seriously.