Have you ever had a cheating dream? Who was unfaithful, you or your partner?
Dreams about infidelity can be very unsettling, especially for individuals in committed relationships. If you’re single, you might find these dreams confusing.
Although dreams about cheating or infidelity don’t feel good, they don’t necessarily make you a bad person. Like most dreams, they could be a message from your subconscious mind.
Maybe you’re emotionally dissatisfied with your relationship (women) or unsatisfied with your intimate life (men). Either way, these visions can reveal many things about the various aspects of your life.
In this dream guide, we will help you uncover the meaning of your dream about infidelity and determine how it relates to your life.
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Why Do You Keep Dreaming About Infidelity?
It’s healthy to experience infidelity dreams because your dreaming mind is trying to show you more about yourself.
However, if the dream is recurrent, you can’t help but wonder if there’s a reason behind it. You are right! There are several reasons you may see your significant other cheating on you.
The most common reasons include:
1. Trust Issues
Trust is one pillar of successful relationships, along with loyalty and love. Without trust, doubt breeds and takes up precious space in your psyche. When this happens, doubt can manifest as infidelity dreams.
Distrust often arises if your current partner has cheated before. Even if you’ve forgiven your loved one, chances are the cheating experience still affects your perspective.
Because of this, you might question everything your spouse does, from the people she (or he) hangs out with to the decisions made.
If you are the cheater in the dream, most likely you don’t trust yourself enough to do the right thing in your waking life.
If this scenario rings true, it’s wise to find an effective way to rebuild the trust between you and your loved one.
2. Feelings of Insecurity
A dream where a partner cheats points to your feeling of insecurity. Maybe you believe you are unworthy or inadequate and don’t deserve love. Your low self-esteem causes you to spend every day wondering when the magic of your relationship will end and your dear one will abandon you.
However, you need not worry because your spouse loves you sincerely. So, cast aside your feelings of insecurity and unworthiness and focus on building a strong relationship. But if you can’t do that, seek the help of an expert to overcome these emotions.
Besides, feelings of insecurity can arise when you don’t achieve your goals or get passed for a promotion at work.
3. Cheating Past
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Another common reason you might have a cheating dream is a cheating past. If you were cheated in the past, probably you fear history repeating itself.
Your unresolved feelings about past experiences can negatively affect your current relationship. You might build walls and barriers to distance yourself from intimacy and vulnerability.
But you should know it was not your fault. Don’t deny yourself a chance at love because of your past traumas. Learn to let go of the past by forgiving your ex. Also, work through the pain, grief, and other experiences to free yourself and be able to engage with your new relationship.
4. Feeling of Guilt
A dream where you cheat with a total stranger signifies guilt. Perhaps you feel guilty about your recent activities that have led to the betrayal of your loved one. Or, you are focusing on something that’s consuming the time you should spend with your spouse.
Guilt might also creep in if you feel you’re a burden to your partner or you haven’t done enough to make people happy.
While guilt might sound like a negative emotion, it can be positive. Through this feeling, your conscious mind tells you that you did something wrong. As a result, you can avoid such mistakes and make informed decisions in the future.
Sadly, excessive guilt can lead to obsessive or depressive trends that can impact your well-being and relationship. That’s where the cheating dream comes in. It’s a wake-up call to learn from your guilt and mistakes and to always discuss issues with your partner immediately.
5. You Feel Like There’s a Third Wheel in Your Relationship
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A third party usually changes the dynamic of healthy relationships. A third party here means an individual or an odd issue that comes between two people.
In a romantic relationship, you might feel like a third wheel when your partner gives more time and attention to someone else or something.
Perhaps your significant other enjoys hanging out with her (or his) friend even when you agree to spend time together. Also, you might feel left out or cheated if your lover is always preoccupied with a job or side project.
The cheating dream brings to your attention the barriers in your relationship. The best way to handle this issue is to talk to your partner. Be honest about your feelings and expectations. This way, you can ensure your interests don’t get compromised to accommodate third parties.
6. Underlying Issues
Dreams of cheating boyfriend/girlfriend can also be traced back to underlying issues. One common issue romantic couples deal with is emotional dissatisfaction.
As it turns out, the emotion you experience in your dream comes from a real place. That means if you feel guilty, jealous, overwhelmed, or anxious in your real life, it will reflect in your dreams.
In emotional relationships, a lack of affection, security, appreciation, and acceptance can lead to emotional dissatisfaction.
Dreams about infidelity occur in different scenarios. As such, it’s not a surprise to see yourself having sex with your Ex or Co-worker. If you frequently experience such dreams, it means you are not satisfied with your sexual relationship.
Maybe sex with your partner is not fun anymore or you want to try something new in bed,
7. Fear of Abandonment
Another culprit behind such dreams is fear of abandonment. You can develop this phobia due to past trauma, loss, and other experiences from childhood.
In relationships, fear of abandonment occurs when you have trust issues or worry too much about the relationship.
This type of anxiety or fear can make you take extreme measures to avoid separation or avoid rejection. But such drastic moves will only cause your mate to pull back and foster grounds for an unhealthy relationship.
Sometimes, you might fear getting abandoned if your partner doesn’t want to commit to the relationship or take the next step in life with you.
However, you need to understand everyone makes their own choices. You cannot force someone to do what you like ( In this case, stay with you).
The best way to deal with abandonment issues is to cut yourself some slack. Focus on self-love and remind yourself of all the qualities that make your good boyfriend or girlfriend. It also helps to talk to an expert about your fear of abandonment.
8. You Are Cheating on Something Else
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Sometimes an infidelity dream might not mean cheating on your significant other. It could mean you’re cheating on other life commitments.
Maybe you promised yourself to work out every three days a week, but you have only been going to the gym once a week. It’s also possible you’re postponing other commitments like going for a checkup or sticking to a diet.
This dream could serve as a reminder to get back on track and shape your life for the better.
9. Something is Missing from Your Relationship
Does something feel off about your relationship?
Maybe the initial spark that brought you together has disappeared, or something in your relationship has shifted. Either way, all relationships go through periods where things can feel off.
However, ignoring or suppressing this feeling can lead to cheating dreams. And the worst part is it can create a distance between you two. Over time, that feeling can cause resentment and bitterness.
If you feel like your relationship misses some excitement, spirit of adventure, or passion, consider talking about it with your partner. Doing this allows both of you to make appropriate changes to improve your relationship.
10. Compromised Principles
Dreams of infidelity can come to light when you feel like you are not being true to yourself. In relationships, partners are bound to desire different things. When that happens, compromise can help both parties find a common ground.
Most healthy romantic relationships involve making compromises because no two partners are the same. That means finding a common ground between your and your spouse’s habits, preferences, and wishes.
But you can’t compromise on certain principles like your sense of independence, opinions, values, and self-respect. Doing so can lead to an unhealthy relationship because you will feel unfaithful to yourself.
The cheating dream implies that you have compromised your ethics unknowingly. If you do nothing, you will not like the consequences.
Conclusion
Dreaming about infidelity can be disturbing and can stir up several emotions, like guilt, insecurity, confusion, and fear of abandonment. But you should not take this type of dream literally.
Dreams are symbolic or metaphorical. Therefore, it’s helpful to reflect on how your vision makes you feel to understand the hidden meanings. You can achieve this by gathering as much information about the dream as possible.
Finally, if you have questions about cheating dreams, leave us a message in the comment section.
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