We've all been curious before about the meanings behind our strange dreams, especially if they happen more than once. One fairly common recurring dream people have? Dreaming of snakes.

According to dream tracker Lauri Loewenberg, snakes are the third most common animal her clients dream about, behind dogs and cats.

We asked Loewenberg about the many things your snake dreams could be telling you, plus how to process the dream and integrate some of its lessons so you can slither on.

Dreams are personal. So when it comes to interpreting yours, it's important to note the emotions they bring up and how they might connect to your real life.

No dream is random, according to Loewenberg, and while there are common interpretations and symbolism, if you have a personal connection to content within the dream (even things like colors or numbers), that's the first thing to pay attention to.

With that in mind, she says that "the snake most often is going to represent a toxic person or situation in your life." Depending on the specifics of your dream's plot, here are all the things a snake can mean:

"Typically we're very alarmed when we see a snake," Loewenberg notes; "therefore, we connect it to a person or situation in real life we need to be alarmed or wary about." How did you feel when you saw the snake? If it frightened you, you're likely feeling fear about something in your life.

"The second most common thing a snake can represent is a need for physical healing" she adds. "[When] we see the snake in symbols for physicians, pharmacies, etc.—we subconsciously equate the snake with healing." So if you've been bit by a snake, she says, "the bite can symbolically represent a shot of healing serum."

Similarly, if the snake climbs on you, say your leg or around your chest, "it might be connected to an area of the body where you need physical healing," Loewenberg says. Whether you're aware of it or not, your dream may be giving you a sign of an imbalance somewhere in the body.

If your snake dream is recurring, or if you're having lots of different snake dreams, this means you might feel overwhelmed by a toxic person or situation that's constantly present, "like a spouse or co-worker," she notes. "The more present the snakes in your dream, the more present the person is in your life."

"If it's a really frequent dream and it's been going on for a long time, what issue in your life has been going on for as long as the dream has?" Loewenberg asks. "Look at how you are behaving and reacting to the dream, because it will tell you how you're behaving and reacting in real life."

Yes, even the breed of snake you see in your dreams could be significant. "The nature of the rattlesnake is that it gives you a warning first. So that rattle on the snake would represent your gut feeling or a red flag that's already happened with this particular person or situation," Loewenberg says.

If you see a garter snake, which is harmless, it could indicate a seemingly threatening situation that's passed. "The garter snake is not poisonous," she says. "Therefore, it would represent someone we were wary of at first but then realized wouldn't harm us."

Where you see the snake in your dream could correlate to where you feel like there's a "snake" in your real life, adds Loewenberg. So, if it's in the bedroom, "it could be connected to someone you're intimate with," she says.

Again, location is important. As you might imagine, if you're dreaming about a snake or snakes in your office or workplace, you could feel distrusting of who you work with. Or it could mean there's a situation at work that's not sitting well with you.

If you have personal connections with specific colors, take those associations into consideration. If not, Loewenberg says a white snake can represent a new beginning. Did you see a white snake and feel frightened or excited? You may be anticipating changes or a fresh start.

A black snake, meanwhile, "can typically represent the unknown," she notes. Again, note where the snake was in the dream and how it made you feel. While being afraid upon seeing a snake is likely the first reaction for many, if it didn't scare you, home in on what it did bring up for you.

This one's pretty clear, according to Loewenberg: A red snake is a red flag. If you're seeing this in a dream, this could be a sign there's already been a red flag in your life that you're ignoring, and now it's not resting well with your subconscious. "Alarm—stop dealing with this person," she says.

Green can mean jealousy, Loewenberg says. "Is there a jealous, toxic person around you?" she asks. Alternatively, it is possible that you could be the jealous person or the one exhibiting toxic behavior. To find out, try to remember if anyone else is present in the dream, along with where you are.

If the snake in your dream was yellow, "that would be fear," she notes. In this case, definitely take stock of your reactions and thought processes when you saw the snake, and how you ended up getting away from it or confronting it.

If there are other people in your snake dreams, it can be interpreted in one of three ways:

Going back to the idea of snake bites as being healing, it's possible if the snake bites someone else in your dream, you're actually dreaming about them being healed. But, Loewenberg notes, "always start with yourself when figuring out a dream, because sometimes our dreams will give us a third-party perspective so we can better understand how something is affecting us or how you're behaving in that situation."

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Before you can begin overcoming and working past a dream, you have to nail down what the dream's message is. The above interpretations can help you get the ball rolling. Thinking about your day before the dream might help you decipher it, too.

"Our dreams are a commentary on our days," Loewenberg adds. "So, look at the day before, and compare the dream to the previous day. Do the emotions correlate? Do the actions or conversations correlate? That will help you figure out exactly what it is the dream is commenting on."

Once you think you have a good idea of what the dream is trying to tell you, you can "start working on how you can actively correct or end the situation," she says. Once you take action and are able to resolve the issue in real life, the dream should stop. "Look at the dream not as something to be afraid of or annoyed by," she adds. "Look at it as a huge help your subconscious has given to you."

Many people believe that dreams offer a unique view into the inner workings of our minds. If snakes keep showing up in your zzz's, get curious about those dreams and what they mean to you. If the snake represents a toxic person or a need for healing, it could be a message you don't want to ignore.

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