Why You're Having Dreams About Death, According to a Dream Analyst

Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhat Do Dreams About Death Symbolize?What Do Death Dreams Feel Like?Types of Death Dreams and What They MeanCan You Die in Your Own Dream?Do Dreams About Death Indicate a Mental Health Disorder?Why Am I Having Recurring Dreams About Death?Is There a Way to Stop Dreaming About Death?

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

What Do Dreams About Death Symbolize?

What Do Death Dreams Feel Like?

Types of Death Dreams and What They Mean

Can You Die in Your Own Dream?

Do Dreams About Death Indicate a Mental Health Disorder?

Why Am I Having Recurring Dreams About Death?

Is There a Way to Stop Dreaming About Death?

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Dreaming aboutdeathcan be disturbing and unsettling. Whether the dream is about your death or someone else’s, you may wonder what it means and what it says about your life.

In this article, we explore the potential meanings of some commondreamsabout death.

Experts in This Article

Our dreams are rarely ever literal, rather, they speak in symbols and metaphors, saysLauri Loewenberg, a certified dream analyst.

Death in a dream may not actually be about dying. Instead, it often represents change, the closing of a chapter, or the end of life as you know it, says Loewenberg.

For instance, if you dream about your death, it could indicate that some part of your life is coming to an end. Or, if youdream about someone else’s death, it could indicate that your relationship with them, or something they represent to you, is changing.

Rather than taking death dreams literally, Loewenberg recommends looking at them as a message from your subconscious that it’s time to move on and/or grow.

If a part of your life is coming to a close, your subconscious presents it to you as death so you can more easily let it go and open yourself up to the growth that will come from moving on from something that is no longer viable.—LAURI LOEWENBERG, CERTIFIED DREAM ANALYST

If a part of your life is coming to a close, your subconscious presents it to you as death so you can more easily let it go and open yourself up to the growth that will come from moving on from something that is no longer viable.

—LAURI LOEWENBERG, CERTIFIED DREAM ANALYST

Dreaming about death can be distressing and cause you to experience a range of emotions. You might feel sad, scared, anxious, panicked, confused, or even curious, says Dr. Harris.

Apart from intense emotions, you may also experience physical symptoms such as rapid heart rate, shortness of breath, sweating, or leg movements during the dream.

Depending on howvividthe dream is and how much you remember when you wake up, the emotions from the dream can linger and affect your mood.

Having a dream about death may even prompt you to think more about the current circumstances of your life and what the dream may mean, Dr. Harris adds.

It can help to remember that having a dream about death doesn’t mean something bad will happen—the dream just reflects things you’re processing, things you’ve been thinking about, or things you’ve seen/heard.—SHELBY HARRIS, PSYD

It can help to remember that having a dream about death doesn’t mean something bad will happen—the dream just reflects things you’re processing, things you’ve been thinking about, or things you’ve seen/heard.

—SHELBY HARRIS, PSYD

Loewenberg helps us decode what some of the different types of death dreams could mean.

Dreams About Your Partner Dying

A dream that your partner is dying could be an indication that they are changing in some way, says Loewenberg. Alternatively, it could mean that your relationship with them is ending or the way you see them is transforming, she adds.

Dreams About Your Parent Dying

Dreams about a parent dying could be due to changes in your parent’s life or changes in your relationship with them, says Loewenberg.

However, she says your parent may also represent some part of yourself. “In this case, your parent could be standing in for your own role or identity as a parent.”

Loewenberg suggests asking yourself:

Reflecting on these questions can help you pinpoint the cause of your dream.

Dreams About Your Child Dying

This can be the most upsetting death dream to experience because the fear and grief you feel in the dream are very real, says Loewenberg.

“These dreams tend to occur when a phase of your child’s life has ended. It’s your psyche’s way of mourning the passage of time and the end of your child’s dependency on you as the parent,” says Loewenberg.

Dreams About Your Sibling Dying

A dream about your sibling dying could signify that your relationship with them is evolving in some way or that some aspect of their life is changing, says Loewenberg.

However, your sibling could also represent a part of yourself in the dream, says Loewenberg. For instance, she says if you have a personality trait in common with them, or if there’s some part of them that you identify with, this dream of your sibling dying could mean that that part of you is on its way out.

Dreams About Your Friend Dying

Dreaming about your friend’s death could mean that your friendship with them is fading or that there’s some shift in your friend’s life where the person they used to be seems to be no more, says Loewenberg.

Dreams About Your Pet Dying

The meaning of this dream can vary depending on the type of pet in your dream because different animals can represent different things, says Loewenberg.

For instance, she explains that dogs tend to symbolize relationships, due to their nature of being loyal companions, in which case, dreaming about your dog’s death can mean a friendship or even an intimate relationship is on its way out.

On the other hand, she explains that cats can representsexuality, reproductive health, or independence, so dreaming about your cat’s death could point to a lack ofintimacy, fertility, or independence in your life.

Dreams About Funerals or Cemeteries

A cemetery is where we bury the dead, so in a dream, it could represent the need to bury a difficult issue and move on from it, Loewenberg says.

Similarly, a funeral could represent the process of dealing with a difficult issue and mourning the changes it will cause in your life.

Dreams About Killing Someone

While death is natural, murder is forced, therefore a dream about murdering someone could mean that you are forcing something in your life to change or end, says Loewenberg.

Dreams About Being Killed

Dreams About Suicide

Provided you aren’t currently experiencingsuicidal thoughts, this dream may mean you are in the process of transforming yourself or going through a rebirth, says Loewenberg.

Crisis SupportIf you or someone you love are having suicidal thoughts, contact theNational Suicide Prevention Lifelineat988for support and assistance from a trained counselor.For more mental health resources, see ourNational Helpline Database.988

Crisis Support

If you or someone you love are having suicidal thoughts, contact theNational Suicide Prevention Lifelineat988for support and assistance from a trained counselor.For more mental health resources, see ourNational Helpline Database.

If you or someone you love are having suicidal thoughts, contact theNational Suicide Prevention Lifelineat988for support and assistance from a trained counselor.

For more mental health resources, see ourNational Helpline Database.

988

Dreams About Dead Bodies

A dead body in your dream could represent something in your real life that is no longer viable, useful, or effective such as an idea, a relationship, or a job/business, says Loewenberg. “Your subconscious is showing it to you in the form of a dead body so you can better understand its finality, which can help you let it go, bury it, and move on with your life.”

Dreams About Someone Who Has Died

Ifsomeonewho has actually died in real life appears as a ghost in your dream, the dream may represent something from your past that is currently haunting your thoughts, such as an issue or memory you haven’t let go of, Loewenberg explains.

What Does It Mean When You Dream of Someone Who Passed Away?

Some people wake up just before they die in their dreams. Loewenberg explains that this could happen due to various reasons:

On the other hand, some people may dream that they have died as part of the storyline of the dream, says Loewenberg. “Many people even experience dying and leaving their body in their dreams.”

While dreaming about death can be scary and upsetting, it’s important to remember that thedreamis not real. It’s a subconscious metaphor for a transformation that is taking place in your real life, says Loewenberg.

Dreaming about death is common and is not necessarily a sign of a mental health condition, says Dr. Harris.

However, if the dreams are frequent and recurring, she says they could be an indicator of mental health conditions such as:

Many factors can trigger dreams about death. According to Dr. Harris, these may include:

These reasons are unique to each person and it’s important to talk to a mental health professional if these dreams arerecurringand interfering with your ability to live your life as you would like, says Dr. Harris.

Someone who frequently experiences severely distressing nightmares may be diagnosed withnightmare disorderif it’s affecting their sleep, mood, cognitive abilities, energy levels, and daily functioning.

These are some strategies that can help you stop dreaming about death:

What Is Sleep Therapy?

3 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Gieselmann A, Ait Aoudia M, Carr M, et al.Aetiology and treatment of nightmare disorder: State of the art and future perspectives.J Sleep Res. 2019;28(4):e12820. doi:10.1111/jsr.12820Schredl M, Goeritz AS.Nightmare frequency and nightmare distress: Socio-demographic and personality factors.Sleep Sci. 2019;12(3):178-184. doi:10.5935/1984-0063.20190080Rek S, Sheaves B, Freeman D.Nightmares in the general population: Identifying potential causal factors.Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 2017;52(9):1123-1133. doi:10.1007/s00127-017-1408-7

3 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Gieselmann A, Ait Aoudia M, Carr M, et al.Aetiology and treatment of nightmare disorder: State of the art and future perspectives.J Sleep Res. 2019;28(4):e12820. doi:10.1111/jsr.12820Schredl M, Goeritz AS.Nightmare frequency and nightmare distress: Socio-demographic and personality factors.Sleep Sci. 2019;12(3):178-184. doi:10.5935/1984-0063.20190080Rek S, Sheaves B, Freeman D.Nightmares in the general population: Identifying potential causal factors.Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 2017;52(9):1123-1133. doi:10.1007/s00127-017-1408-7

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Gieselmann A, Ait Aoudia M, Carr M, et al.Aetiology and treatment of nightmare disorder: State of the art and future perspectives.J Sleep Res. 2019;28(4):e12820. doi:10.1111/jsr.12820Schredl M, Goeritz AS.Nightmare frequency and nightmare distress: Socio-demographic and personality factors.Sleep Sci. 2019;12(3):178-184. doi:10.5935/1984-0063.20190080Rek S, Sheaves B, Freeman D.Nightmares in the general population: Identifying potential causal factors.Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 2017;52(9):1123-1133. doi:10.1007/s00127-017-1408-7

Gieselmann A, Ait Aoudia M, Carr M, et al.Aetiology and treatment of nightmare disorder: State of the art and future perspectives.J Sleep Res. 2019;28(4):e12820. doi:10.1111/jsr.12820

Schredl M, Goeritz AS.Nightmare frequency and nightmare distress: Socio-demographic and personality factors.Sleep Sci. 2019;12(3):178-184. doi:10.5935/1984-0063.20190080

Rek S, Sheaves B, Freeman D.Nightmares in the general population: Identifying potential causal factors.Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 2017;52(9):1123-1133. doi:10.1007/s00127-017-1408-7

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