A dream of being kidnapped is unsettling no matter how you look at it. This kind of uncertainty can also affect the rest of your day, where you keep dwelling on your experience, wondering what on earth is going on in your head to cause a dream like this.
Sometimes a kidnapping dream can come as a warning dream, urging you to change your attitude or something in waking life so that you can avoid problems before they appear.
But that’s not the only reason why you might dream of a kidnapping (see also article titled ‘True Meaning And Right Interpretation Of Dreams About Rape‘). The meaning depends heavily on the context of the dream, who was being kidnapped, where they were taken, and what happened after that.
Read on to discover what your dream of a kidnapping is trying to tell you, as we take you through the potential reasons why you might have this dream, and what specific dreams kidnapping dreams represent.
Why Am I Dreaming Of Being Kidnapped?
A dream of being kidnapped tends to happen when you feel vulnerable, anxious, terrified, or at the mercy of other people. This is its most common cause, where your subconscious takes those feelings and creates an invented reason in order for you to explore these emotions.
Vulnerability
Perhaps the most common reason why you’re dreaming of being kidnapped is that your sense of security, stability, or safety feels threatened in waking life.
Maybe this is due to financial problems, or something in your life that you’ve always taken as a constant ending, such as a relationship, perspective or lifestyle.
Your dream calls on you to find a new sense of security that you can build on. Fight back against your fears and doubts.
Feeling Trapped In Waking Life
Sometimes your subconscious sends you a message in your dream, though it’s not one you can easily unravel. Dreaming of being kidnapped indicates that you feel trapped in waking life.
Circumstances have left you with little choice in something, and you feel there’s no other option. Just like the situation in your dream, your choices have been taken from you.
This type of dream can also occur when you feel you’re being manipulated in some way. Without realizing you may have given someone else control over your life, and you are worried you won’t be able to take it back without a struggle.
Refusing To Face Your Responsibilities
These might be existing responsibilities, or fresh ones that are niggling at the back of your mind, but you’re too tired or overwhelmed to devote any attention to them.
You have enough on your plate without turning to the things you can’t fit in right now, but your dream is urging you to rethink your priorities.
Facing your responsibilities doesn’t mean the end of freedom, like part of you might suggest. What it will do is stop that nagging voice in the back of your mind, and give you some peace.
Deep Insecurities
Maybe you think your other half is too good for you, or people come to your aid when you don’t deserve it. Perhaps something always stops you from taking a chance and dreaming that things could be better. Do you see the emerging pattern here?
Dreaming of being kidnapped suggests your insecurities are getting in the way of living your life and being happy. You’re constantly dragging them around with you, and this makes it hard to plan for the future.
Recurring dreams of being kidnapped indicate low self-esteem and confidence in your own abilities. You might wish that someone would take control of your life and sort out all of your problems for you, and you think you’d feel less worried this way.
A Call For Help
A dream where you are kidnapped can be a call for help, where you feel that things are so out of control you can’t handle them on your own.
Something in waking life has left you completely overwhelmed, and you’re at a loss to decide how to react. If you can, take some time out for yourself and regroup.
Things Will Work Out
Not all kidnapping dreams are bad omens. Sometimes, a dream of being kidnapped implies something unexpected happening in your life. This thing might be entirely out of your control, but you’[ll be happy about it in hindsight.
Common Dreams Of Being Kidnapped And Their Symbolism
To help find the meaning behind your own dream, it’s worth looking at different dream scenarios of being kidnapped, and their associated interpretations.
A Dream Where You’re Kidnapped And Blindfolded
A dream where you are blindfolded by kidnappers implies that someone is being dishonest in waking life, or you don’t trust them at all.
Dreaming of being blindfolded can also indicate that you are taking far too many risks, and you may soon pay a higher price than you originally intended.
After a dream like this, it’s worth taking another look at where your priorities are, and if this really matches up with what you want from the future. If not, it’s time to make different choices that will point you towards a better life.
Dreaming Of Being Kidnapped And Locked In A Room
Dreaming of a kidnapper locking you into a room reflects waking life, where you feel you cannot get out of a certain situation or lifestyle.
This may be in a relationship that no longer has any love in it, but you feel you have a moral obligation to stay.
Maybe a situation at work has you carrying around so much stress and tension that you don’t feel it’s worth it anymore, but you can’t find anything else.
Or it could be that you are longing for something different in life overall, but you don’t know where this change should come from.
Dreaming of failing to get out of the room you’re trapped in signals circumstances that you feel are impossible to escape. You might be surprised if you try something completely different or unexpected.
Dreaming Of Being Kidnapped And Stuffed Into A Car
A dream where a kidnapper forces you into a car suggests that the decisions that make up your life are not your own. Someone else is making these choices for you.
It can indicate that it’s time for you to dismantle anything holding you back from your wildest goals and far-fetched dreams. Don’t let doubt back you into a corner, and let go of anything that no longer adds value to your life.
Alternatively, dreaming of being kidnapped and stuffed into a car (see also article on dreaming of a car accident) implies that someone in waking life will take you somewhere unexpected, whether that’s on a physical trip or a more spiritual journey.
This dream’s message is to have an open mind.
A Dream Of Being Kidnapped In The Woods
In dreams, forests represent bravery, spirituality, grounding, and your ties to other people. A dream where you are kidnapped while walking through the woods indicates a discord in a few of these traits, or a troubling situation that will cause you to question everything.
Alternatively, dreaming of being kidnapped while in the woods reveals the need to reach out to the people you love. You are craving company and security.
Being Kidnapped In Your Dream But Not Feeling Afraid
A dream where you are kidnapped but you don’t feel afraid at any point is a good sign for the future.
It reveals your own presence of mind and ability to keep your cool in a tough situation, especially one which is unexpected. You trust yourself, and this will take you further than you think.
Alternatively, this dream can imply that you don’t process your feelings in a healthy way. Instead, you repress them completely to the point where they can affect you without you realizing.
Dreaming Of Being Held For Ransom
A dream where you are kidnapped and being held for ransom implies that you don’t expect kindness to come for free. You’ve learned from the past that people always put a price on something.
Alternatively, being held hostage for a ransom reflects any financial worries you have right now, or a hit to your finances in the near future.
It may be worth setting some money aside, and doing some admin so that you have everything where you need it, if you need it.
Dreaming Of Being Kidnapped And Tortured
A dream where you are kidnapped and then tortured reflects pain in waking life, and it can also point to trauma in your past that you haven’t yet managed to come to terms with.
This dream is common for those who are trying to deal with grief, or a life-changing situation.
A Dream Where You Escape From Kidnappers And Get Caught Again
Dreaming of managing to escape kidnappers only to be caught again suggests a vicious cycle somewhere in waking life.
This might be within your own thoughts, where you start to think things are possible, come across complications, and then you back down from achieving something.
Maybe you turn to bad habits or self-sabotaging behavior when things don’t go right.
In any case, this dream draws your attention to the things that are holding you back. Consider the details of the dream, and how they might represent obstacles in your current path, stopping you from moving on from something.
Dreaming Of A Familiar Person Kidnapping You
It’s often said that crimes of kidnapping and even murder (see also article on dreaming about murder) happen between people who know each other. Unsettling! In dreams, being kidnapped by someone you know is more common than a stranger kidnapping you.
One of the possible reasons for this is that your subconscious picks people that mean something significant to you, or embody a ‘trait’ or time in your life in order to get a message across.
Someone familiar kidnapping you in a dream can also point to deep trust issues. Perhaps this particular person is someone you’ve trusted before and suffered for it.
Or maybe their words are wildly different from their actions, and you’re wary of what they might do if you let them get too close to you.
Your Partner Kidnapping You In A Dream
Dreaming of your partner kidnapping you is a surreal experience to say the least. While you might immediately assume that this means there’s something off about your partner, and they might be a secret serial killer, this is unlikely!
More likely, your dream suggests your relationship is changing in a way that you don’t like. Maybe you’ve grown apart from each other, far away from the jokes and the love you had to start with.
Or maybe you’ve gotten too close too soon, and this is dredging up commitment worries that you need to deal with. Either way, your subconscious is telling you that if these dreams persist or the uncertain feeling keeps hanging around, you should do something about it.
It might be worth talking it out with your partner, and see where you’re both going wrong. Maybe you’ve completely misinterpreted their words or actions, or it might confirm that you’re right.
You won’t know until you ask.
Dreaming Of Your Ex Kidnapping You
This is quite a common dream. A dream where your ex kidnaps you suggests you still have lingering feelings for them (though they might not be good feelings!).
Depending on how the relationship ended, you might catch yourself wishing that you were still together. Maybe you just miss your ex.
If things ended badly, this dream implies that you haven’t yet processed the hurt, anger, and outrage at what your ex did to you. Your dream is encouraging you to find a way to move on, and find someone who is more compatible with you.
Dreaming Of Being Kidnapped For No Reason
If you dream of being kidnapped without a reason, this suggests that you need to be more proactive in waking life.
You might be making excuses without realizing, but the fact is that you’ll never get anywhere unless you actually try, and now is the time to dare.
Your dream tells you not to settle for the things that are handed to you, or a goal which is okay and fulfills someone else’s dream for you.
Dreaming Of Being Taken But Never Seeing Your Kidnapper
A dream where you are kidnapped by someone but you never see their face is an interesting one. It implies that the root of most of your problems is a lack of self-esteem, or belief in your abilities to cope with life in general.
This might be in terms of standing up for yourself, or simply being brave enough to go after your dreams and what you want most in life. Recurring dreams of being kidnapped by unknown people suggest that you have a lot of work to do in this area, and it’s time you got started.
Can A Dream Of Being Kidnapped Be A Prediction?
Dreams are very rarely predictions of the future, and this is especially likely when it comes to dreams of being kidnapped.
But that’s not to say that you should put yourself in danger or take any risks. Always guard against what misfortune you can, and try to find what your dream is really telling you.