Cheating

Dreams of cheating — one’s partner or oneself — almost never predict literal infidelity. Jungian analysis reads them as divided loyalty within the psyche: an aspect of the self that is not being honored in waking life, asserting itself through the forbidden charge of the dream. The identity of the dream-lover matters. Often they embody a quality missing from the current relationship, or a part of the self the dreamer has considered disallowed. A dream of being cheated on frequently accompanies periods where the dreamer feels less attended to than they would wish — but the work is usually internal: what part of you have you been neglecting? Discuss these dreams carefully with waking partners, not as threats, but as signals of what wants more attention.