Typical Dreams of “Being Chased”: A Cross-Cultural Comparison Between Tibetan and Han Chinese Dreamers

The present study is a cross-cultural comparison of typical dreams of “being chased” between Tibetan and Han Chinese dreamers. The research is based on 208 interviews combined with responses to a Dream Questionnaire. In total 569 subjects were involved in the research project: 278 Tibetan and 291 Han undergraduate college students. Results show an overall occurrence of a being-chased dream in 90% of the sample population. Moreover, the results also revealed that when being chased in dreams, there is a significant difference on the chasing agents. In addition, more than 95% of all participants experienced negative feelings while in the dream, especially fearful feelings. Also there were significant differences between Tibetan and Han Chinese on the feelings of anger and other (unspecified feelings). For the first reactions in the dreams, Tibetan and Han Chinese showed a significant difference on running away and seeking help. In addition, even though petrified then waking up is the most common final outcome in both groups, there were significant differences on not being caught and petrified then waking up between the two groups. Tibetan and Han Chinese take significantly different approaches, especially on the way of telling others, chanting and praying, self-interpretation, and ignoring and forgetting. The significance of these differences is analyzed in relation to the living environment