There is a spiritual or psychic threat. We often become aware on very subtle levels of threats or challenges to our beliefs and ideals and these can manifest as warnings of, or actual, attacks. If we are the attacker we need to defend ourselves by positive self-expression - we are making attempts to destroy some urge or feeling in ourselves or others. Being attacked in a dream indicates a fear of being under threat from external events or internal emotions. Unknown impulses or ideas force us into taking a defensive attitude. If we are being attacked by animals we are turning our own aggression and/or sexuality inwards; we have fear of our own natural urges. In a womans dream, being attacked will often be to do with her feelings of vulnerability. In a man?s dream, being attacked perhaps highlights his poor self-image. In both men?s and women?s dreams, playing the part of the attacker suggests frustration and lack of control. You might also like to consult the entry for Wound.