Dream about Death & Death dreams meaning

Dreams about death are a very common theme at bedtime. If you or a loved one have been covering this ground at night, you may have questions about what it all might mean. As part of a Huffington Post series on dreams and their meanings, we spoke to Jeffrey Sumber, M.A., M.T.S., L.C.P.C., a psychotherapist and author in Chicago, to get expert advice about the meanings of your or your loved one’s dreams about death. Note: While dream analysis is highly subjective, this post might provide some insight into why this dream occurred or is recurring.

Common dreams

• Dream about Cheating
• Dream about Snakes
• Dream about Chase

What do dreams about this subject mean?

According to Sumber, dreams about death often indicate “the symbolic ending of something, whether that’s a phase, a job or a relationship.” He suggests that a dream about death can also indicate attempts to resolve anxiety or anger directed toward the self. “It does not, however, suggest that [a person] will actually die imminently,” Sumber notes.

What can I learn about myself from dreams about death?

“Like all dreams, death-related dreaming is an opportunity for introspection and growth,” explains Sumber. He adds that a person can ask herself if she is anxious about something or angry at herself or someone else. “I can potentially learn that part of me is not at peace with the notion of my own death or the ending of something big in my life,” says Sumber. “I have the opportunity to look within, take stock of myself and make adjustments as needed.”

Are there any tricks to avoiding or inducing dreams about this subject?

“There really aren’t any tricks” when it comes to avoiding or inducing dreams about death or any other subject, says Sumber. “Dreaming is the way our unconscious self moves across the threshold of time and space into conscious awareness,” he clarifies. “We dream in order to learn about ourselves and develop undeveloped elements of our personality. The only way to avoid anything from the unconscious is to do our inner work and make peace with it.”

Beyond analysis, what cultural symbolism can be found in dreams about death?

“The majority of human beings are relatively unsure about their own death,” says Sumber. Most people “wonder when it will happen, if it will hurt, and what will occur afterward. Thus, our psyche is constantly working these dilemmas out through our waking as well as subconscious experiences.” Sumber posits that many people live with an underlying anxiety about death — dreams about death, then, indicate the attempts of the unconscious to bring that fear to consciousness.

Who tends to have dreams about death most frequently?

People who have dreams about death tend to be those who are entering or exiting an uncertain phase or period in their life. It could be a potentially life-changing event that creates anxiety and fear of the unknown.

How do you explain the myth that death in a dream predicts imminent death in real life?

“This is a very classic pop culture myth!” Sumber exclaims, adding that it is true “in The Matrix, but not true in our current existence.” The reality, he says, is that “we don’t really understand what happens to us after our bodies die, [so] dreams about death typically end abruptly before or after the point of impact — when the shark bites us in half or the gun is raised to our head. The mind’s computer just doesn’t have enough data to complete the simulation.”

…or moreDream about Death & Death dreams meaning

Death dreams can be quite jarring and scary as if it was a premonition of your own imminent death or a death of a loved one. However, there is no need to be alarmed or panic. And no you do not actually die if you do not wake up before you die in your dream.

In order to best understand your dream of dying, it is important to look at what is going on in your waking life that may have triggered such a dream.

Death means new beginnings:

Dreaming of your own death symbolizes inner changes, transformation, self-discovery and positive development that is happening within you or your life. You are undergoing a transitional phase and are becoming more enlightened or spiritual. Big changes are ahead for you where you are making a new start and leaving the past behind. If you are getting married or divorce, being promoted to a new position, moving to a new country, you may experience dreams of your own death. If you dream of faking your death, then it suggests that you are taking control of your life and making a fresh start. You want change in your life.

If you dream that your ex has died is your subconscious’s way of telling you that the relationship is dead and that you are moving on. To dream about the death of your living parents indicates that you are undergoing a significant change in your waking life. Your relationship with your parents has evolved into a new realm. As a child reaches certain milestones and grows into an adult, dreaming of their death is symbolic of their own self-discovery, transition and transformation into a new stage of life.

Death means a part of you has died:

Metaphorically, dying can be seen as an end or a termination to your old ways, bad habits, destructive behavior or some other aspect of yourself. So dying does not always mean a physical death, but rather an ending of something. In such dreams, the death is often represented by someone else. So if you dream that someone is dead, then it means that you want to repress that aspect of yourself that is represented by the dying person. Whatever that person represents has no part in your own life anymore.

Generally, dreaming about someone’s death implies that your feelings for that person are dead or that a significant change/loss is occurring in your relationship with that person. If you see a stranger die in your dream, then it implies that you are feeling detached from the changes that are happening around you. If you dream about the death of a child, then it inidicates that you need to let go of your immaturity and start being more serious. The death of a child can also mean that your inner child is being stifled.

Death means a wake-up call:

The frightening and alarming nature of death can in itself be a wake- up call for something. It is your mind’s way of trying to grab your attention to something dire in your waking life where you need to take action. Consider how you felt in your dream and think about a situation in your waking life where you felt the same way.

For some, dreaming of your own death may be a health warning. Perhaps you have been putting off a doctor visit. Or perhaps you need to make some unhealthy lifestyle changes.

Death means escape:

To dream that you die may mean that you are desperately trying to escape from the demands of your daily life. This may be some major stressor, obligation, responsibility or perhaps you want out of a painful relationship.

Death means coping with death:

Dreaming of death may be your subconscious way of dealing with the idea of death and your own mortality. It is natural to be anxious about death. When will it happen? How will it happen? Will it hurt? Sometimes it is hard to think about death consciously because it is unpleasant or taboo or you just don’t want to think about it. As a result, you push it into your subconscious where it may play out in your dream.

If someone in your life is terminally ill or dying, then it is not surprising for death to be on your mind and in your dream more often.

Death means self-sacrifices:

In some cases, to dream that you die is symbolic of your sacrifices. You feel that you are always putting your needs of others first.

Death means missing characteristic:

Dreaming about the death of a loved one suggests that you are lacking a certain aspect or quality that the loved one embodies. Ask yourself what makes this person special or what you like about them. It is that very quality that you are lacking in your own relationships or circumstances.

Death means resentment:

More directly, a dream about someone’s death may mean that you are harboring some deep seated resentment toward this person. .

Dreaming of someone who is already dead:

To see or talk to the dead in your dream forewarns that you are being influenced by negative people and are hanging around the wrong crowd. This dream may also be a way for you to resolve your feelings with those who have passed on. Alternatively, the dream symbolizes material loss.

If you dream of a person who has died a long time ago, then it suggests that a current situation or relationship in your life resembles the quality of that deceased person. The dream may depict how you need to let this situation or relationship die and end it.

If you dream of someone who has recently passed away, then it means that their death is still freshly in your mind. You are still trying to grasp the notion that he or she is really gone. If the dead is trying to get you to go somewhere with him or her, then it signifies that you are trying to understand their death. You also don’t want to be alone.

To see and talk with your dead parents in your dreams represent your fears of losing them or your way of coping with the loss. You are using your dream as a last opportunity to say your final good-byes to them.

To see your dead sibling, relative, or friend alive in your dream indicates that you miss them and are trying to relive your old experiences you had with them. In trying to keep up with the pace of your daily waking life, you dreams may serve as your only outlet in coping and coming to terms with the loss of a loved one.

To dream of your dead child is a way for you to keep your child alive through your dreams. For a parent to lose a child is extremely difficult. Such dreams occur because you still cannot accept or understand how or why your child was taken from you so soon.

It is important to keep in mind that even though a person has passed away, it does necessarily mean that your relationship with them is dead; the relationship is just different now. Dreams can serve as a way for you to keep a connection and maintain a relationship.

Conclusion:

Your dream of death should usually not be taken literally. Look at the dream death as symbolic of something in your waking life that is changing or ending.

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