Dreaming About Snakes? Here Are 6 Surprising Things It Could Mean, According to a Dream Analyst

Beth Ann Mayer
·7 min read

Woman upset after having.a snake dream

You are not reliving Taylor Swift's Reputation era and have never seen the movie Snakes on a Plane. It's been forever since you visited the Amphibians at the zoo. Yet, you just woke up from a snake dream, and your skin is crawling. Now, you're here, wondering, "Why am I dreaming about snakes?"

Snake dreams (or nightmares) have various reasons and meanings, according to dream analyst Lauri Quinn Loewenberg, who says they're worth exploring. While dream interpretation can feel like you're heading into the unknown, Loewenberg thinks it can help you unlock clues that can help you live your best waking life.

"In a nutshell, dreams are our built-in problem solvers because dreaming allows us to better understand our issues, our selves, and the world around us," Loewenberg explains. "When you pay attention to your dreams and work with them, you give yourself a huge edge in life because you are essentially partnering with your very wise and intuitive dreaming mind.”

Back to the question that brought you here: What do snake dreams mean? Loewenberg provided some common reasons and dug deeper into what specific scenarios (such as getting bit or seeing more than one) in snake dreams might symbolize—including their biblical and spiritual significance.

Related: 57 Hidden Meanings Behind the Most Common Dreams, Decoded by Experts

6 Snake Dream Meanings, According to a Dream Analyst

1. Toxic people

Dreams are often all about symbolism, and snakes are most commonly a stand-in for a person in the dreamer's life who is untrustworthy and displays toxic, dirty behavior.

"Snakes slither down on the ground in the dirt, and when you come across one, you can't immediately know if it is venomous or not," Loewenberg says.

Consider dreams about more than one snake another telltale sign about the crowd you're rolling with.

"In the case of the snake representing a toxic individual, multiple snakes could mean there are several toxic people in your life, perhaps a toxic work environment," Loewenberg explains.

Related: 13 Red Flags of Gaslighting at Work and How to Respond, According to Psychologists

2. Health

Loewenberg says the second most common reason for a snake dream is health-related because of the caduceus.

Caduceus, or the snake wrapped around a winged staff that we often see on medical transportation end badges, is the symbol for physicians. Even if you never consciously noticed the emblem (or wondered what it means), Loewenberg explains your subconscious registered it and might use it.

"We subconsciously equate them to health because we see this symbol on prescription bottles, on the side of ambulances, in health clinics, hospitals and pharmacies," she shares. "So, if you dream of a snake crawling on your body, pay close attention to where on your body it is as it may be on or near the affected area of concern." 

Black snakes may also pop up in health dreams.

"Typically, black snakes in real life are not venomous," Loewenberg says. "So, in a dream, they can represent a benign health concern."

Related: What It Means When You Have a Dream About Being Chased, According to Dream Experts

3. You've been verbally wounded

Details in dreams matter. Did the snake bite you or try to? That could mean something.

"Snakes can also represent wounding remarks and criticism if the snake is striking out at you or biting you," Loewenberg explains. 

Related: The Spiritual Meaning of Dreaming About Your Ex, According to a Dream Analyst

4. Impending spiritual renewal

Out with the old, in with the new? Maybe. 

"Due to its ability to shed its skin, it can represent the shedding of old ideas and belief systems so that psyche and the spirit can be renewed," Loewenberg says. "When gaining new spiritual knowledge, it is not uncommon to dream of a snake."

In some cultures and religions, snakes are seen as holders of knowledge and wisdom. For instance, one example of biblical significance to this dream comes from the New Testament, when Jesus tells his followers to "be wise as serpents and innocent as doves” (Matt. 10:16).

Once again, snakes—plural—are a potential clue.

"In a spiritual sense, dreaming of more than one snake could mean multiple areas of your life are being affected by your spiritual awakening or there are multiple elements involved in your spiritual awakening," Loewenberg says.

Related: What Does 'Spiritual Health' Mean, Exactly?

5. Unknowns

There's another common reason people specifically dream of a black snake.

"Black in a dream is often connected to something in real life that has a lot of unknowns to it, similar to how you cannot see in pitch black," Loewenberg explains. "A black snake can mean there is still a lot of learning you need to do."

Related: Here's Exactly What a Snake Tattoo Can Symbolize

6. A need for flexibility

Do you love rules and structure? There is undoubtedly a time and a place for those, but too much can be an issue (and a snake dream may be a sign you're a bit too rigid).

"Due to the undulating and extreme flexibility of snakes, they can also symbolize your ability or the need to be flexible in some area of your life or in regard to a particular issue rather than being stubborn and unbending," Loewenberg says. "If the movement of the snake in your dream stands out to you, pay close attention to it as the way it moves may resemble a thought process in your current life." 

Related: What It Means When You Dream You're Pregnant, According to Experts Who Specialize in Dream Interpretation

What To Do About Snake Dreams

1. Pay attention to details

Snake dreams have different meanings, so the specifics of yours are important.

"As with all dreams, you want to pay particular attention to how you felt in the dream, what your thought process was in the dream and what was said in the dream because these things will be comparable to an emotion, thought process or conversation in your recent real life," Loewenberg says.

For instance, did the snake surprise you?

"What or who in real life surprised you recently?" Loewenberg suggests asking yourself. "If you are horrified, ask yourself what or who in your real life right now brings about the same sense of horror or dread. If you were intrigued by the snake, what in real life brings about this same sort of interest or intrigue."

Related: If You Keep Having Crazy Dreams, Here’s What Might Be Going On

2. Is it recurring?

Some snake dreams are one-offs, but others become a regular part of your subconscious rotation.

"If your snake dreams are recurring, then they are likely connected to an ongoing matter in real life," Loewenberg explains. "Try to pinpoint when the dreams started and see if you can connect it to a waking life situation or mindset that began around the same time."

Related: Wait a Minute—What Does 'Snaky' Mean, Exactly?

3. Journal

Loewenberg highly recommends keeping a dream journal.

"This is the very best way to make connections between your dream life and your waking life," she says.

Before going to sleep, she suggests recounting your day on the left side of a page. When you wake up, write down your dreams on the right side.

"This way, you have your day and your dream right next to each other so you can more easily connect the dots between them," Loewenberg explains. "Since our dreams are basically a commentary on the previous day, you should be able to tell what or who is causing your snake dreams."

Up Next: 7 Unexpected Reasons You Might Be Dreaming About Your Teeth Falling Out, Analyst Explains

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