Dream interpretation: What a spider means

In the interpretation of dreams, it is not so much the disgust that spiders inspire, but rather the way they catch their prey that plays a role.

• Spiders first trap their prey in their web for a long time before ambushing it and devouring it in a flash. They paralyze their prey with their bite. Fear of spiders is therefore justified. In dreams, too, spiders indicate fears.
• If a spider’s web appears in your dream, this indicates a situation in your life in which you feel trapped. This could be a controlling partner or boss, or financial dependence.
• Dream interpreters associate this dependence in relationships, which robs a person of a lot of energy, with the spider’s characteristic of focusing all its actions on robbing its victims of life. It thus also symbolizes real situations in which you feel robbed of your energy.
• The spider also symbolizes deep-seated negative feelings and conflicts within one’s own personality. Thus, spiders in dreams indicate feelings of guilt and fears in relationships. Mother-daughter conflicts also play a role here.
• Like so many symbols in dreams, a spider also indicates sexual needs. The paralyzing bite of the snake symbolizes an orgasm. This dream interpretation may be related to a sexual power imbalance. In such a dream, the spider may be lying in bed, for example.