I was in a house with people whom I don't recognize or know but they must have been school friends. I was supposed to be taking a final apparently because I received a text message from my mother wishing me luck. A man with a gun was then threatening me and the other 3 people in the house. I somehow got the gun away from him and fired some warning shots into the ceiling and furniture in the room. About 15 minutes later I realized I was bleeding from the head and when I went to look in the mirror I saw blood streaming from the top of my head. When I looked in the mirror at the left side of my neck I saw a big bulge and felt a large open wound there as well. I was so frightened I called my mother and tried to tell her what happened, but then I woke up.

This worries me because lately I've been concerned about a pain in my neck while awake. I was sick for a few weeks and now have a persistent neck pain. My family tells me to calm down, so I wonder if this dream is telling me that my own fears are making the pain worse, or if it could be something more. In this dream I was younger...maybe 15 or so. (I'm 25.)

Based on the symbols in your dream, it does not seem to be about your health, but an issue related either to your school/work or family life. The setting and people in a dream can often direct you to the area of your life that the dream is about. In your description, you are certain that the people are school friends.... and you are taking a final. As your mother plays a key role in the dream, the dream may relate to a personal issue involving your family life.

Here are links to the definitions of the symbols in your dream:

text: dreamdoctor.com/dream-dictionary/definitions/threatened.html
exam: dreamdoctor.com/dream-dictionary/definitions/exam.html
threatened: dreamdoctor.com/dream-dictionary/definitions/threatened.html
attacked: dreamdoctor.com/dream-dictionary/definitions/attacked.html
gun: dreamdoctor.com/dream-dictionary/definitions/gun.html
shooting: dreamdoctor.com/dream-dictionary/definitions/shooting.html
bleeding: dreamdoctor.com/dream-dictionary/definitions/bleeding.html
mirror: dreamdoctor.com/dream-dictionary/definitions/mirror.html
blood: dreamdoctor.com/dream-dictionary/definitions/blood.html
neck (throat?): dreamdoctor.com/dream-dictionary/definitions/throat.html
wound: dreamdoctor.com/dream-dictionary/definitions/wound.html
younger: dreamdoctor.com/dream-dictionary/definitions/younger.html

You didn't provide any information about what was going on in your life at the time you had your dream (other than your age), so it's hard to say precisely what generated it. That being said, it seems as if there is a "threatening" man in your life that has caused you some emotional pain and injury. The good news is that it reflects your confidence that you can overcome your "assailant" by taking away his gun.

In the dream, you are being "tested" and your younger age in the dream reflects how this situation and/or person makes you feel... like a kid.

Given your age, could it be about an emotionally abusive boss... where you are being "tested" on the job. The injury to your neck may reflect your sense that you can't or aren't allowed to defend yourself verbally. It is possible that your waking life pain in your neck is a product of "dream incorporation"... your dream incorporated your physical pain into the dream. Your "pain in the neck" may also be a metaphor for the gun-wielding man in your waking life.

Once you identify this man in your dream, the meaning of your dream should come into focus. If you don't mind, please share that with us, so we can all benefit from knowing why your dream took that form.

In the meantime, I hope that helps!

Hi and Thank You!

I had this dream last night, and have recently been very stressed about my health.
I have not yet been able to identify the man in the dream nor the 'school friends'.
Thank you for sharing those links to the key words!

I do not remember every detail of the dream, but what stuck with me was the sense that these 'school friends' were people whom I didn't know too well. Also, the sheer terror of possibly dying felt so real to the point that when I awoke I ran my hands through my hair and over my neck to be sure I wasn't bleeding!

I was also upset in the dream at myself for even firing the 'warning shots' and not having thought or realized that the bullets had ricocheted back and hit me.

I thank you once again for your words. I have always felt that dreams carry meaning in ways we do not always understand in our waking lives, and I'm so glad to have found this site.