Ian Wallace Interpretation:
Dream: An official-looking group of uniformed people are pursuing you as you desperately try to escape from them. You know they are definitely after you but aren’t sure why. Your pursuers are most often men, usually dressed in black and they are strangers to you. They seem to be very well organized and will often be carrying weapons. You are really scared they will kill you when they finally catch you. No matter where you hide or how fast you run, they always seem to be getting closer as they pursue you relentlessly.
Meaning: If you dream about being chased by the authorities, it usually suggests that you have concerns about your freedom to act and your obligations as an individual in waking life. These dreams often start at a young age, as you try to establish your identity and freedom of action. As you try to negotiate your individual needs within the collective requirements of a larger group, it invariably causes tension with parents, teachers and other figures in authority. This tension can continue through your life as you attempt to balance your responsibilities with your need for freedom and selfdetermination. Although you may appear to be trying to escape your commitments, responsible people with a strong sense of duty most often experience this dream. The people chasing you represent your sense of accountability and duty as you try to control your individual needs. They are part of you and you can’t escape your sense of duty, no matter how much you try. Men tend to symbolize formal authority and represent your ability to give yourself permission to act in a way that you choose. It can seem strange to feel you have this power, and their black clothing shows that this realization is emerging from your unconscious awareness. Their size and organization reflects how well organized you can be. You are scared that your responsible attitude will kill your individuality but you have the ultimate authority for your behaviour.
Action: This dream is giving you permission to take responsibility and authority for your actions. It can be easy to blame other people for apparently limiting your freedom and preventing you from doing what you want to do. However, the more self-disciplined you are in taking responsibility for your actions, the more freedom you will have in life. One of your greatest freedoms is being able to use your power responsibly. If you shirk away from your obligations to your needs, you will always feel that you are prey to the actions of others.
Background: Our first experience of authority is from our parents who try to teach us to be responsible and accountable for our actions. As children, we very often just want to act on impulse and run around enjoying ourselves as much as possible. It often seems as if authority restricts our freedom, particularly when we go to school, but what we learn gives us the opportunity to be free. As adults, we can sometimes think some institutions and authorities are trying to remove our freedoms and so we end up comparing them to fascist societies and totalitarian regimes.