Dreaming about death can 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.
If you’ve had a dream about death, you’re not alone. It’s common to experience dreams about death, says Shelby Harris, PsyD, director of sleep health at Sleepopolis.
In this article, we explore the potential meanings of some common dreams about death.
Experts in This Article
- Lauri Loewenberg, a certified dream analyst
- Shelby Harris, PsyD, director of sleep health at Sleepopolis
What Do Dreams About Death Symbolize?
Our dreams are rarely ever literal, rather, they speak in symbols and metaphors, says Lauri 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 you dream 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.
What Do Death Dreams Feel Like?
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.1
Depending on how vivid the dream is and how much you remember when you wake up, the emotions from the dream can linger and affect your mood.2
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.
Types of Death Dreams and What They Mean
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:
- Has your perspective of yourself as a parent shifted?
- Are you struggling to become a parent and feel that the possibility of that happening is dying?
- Are you having a difficult time with a child and feel that your ability to parent correctly has been affected?
- Have you decided you don’t want kids, in which case the idea of being a parent has ended for you?
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.
However, she explains that this dream is most often triggered by milestones in your child’s life, such as:
- Learning to walk
- Outgrowing a cradle
- Taking driving lessons
- Going off to college
“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 represent sexuality, reproductive health, or independence, so dreaming about your cat’s death could point to a lack of intimacy, 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
If you are the one being murdered in the dream then it could indicate that you’re feeling pressured or forced by others to make some sort of transformation or to put an end to something in your life, Loewenberg says. “This dream is very likely about a change you’re resisting.”
Dreams About Suicide
Provided you aren’t currently experiencing suicidal thoughts, this dream may mean you are in the process of transforming yourself or going through a rebirth, says Loewenberg.
Crisis Support
If you or someone you love are having suicidal thoughts, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 for support and assistance from a trained counselor.
For more mental health resources, see our National Helpline Database.
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
If someone who 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.
Can You Die in Your Own Dream?
Some people wake up just before they die in their dreams. Loewenberg explains that this could happen due to various reasons:
- The dream is so jarring that it wakes you up: Dreams about death can be jarring, causing you to experience an emotional and physical reaction in the form of a pounding heart and a rush of adrenaline, which jolts you into wakefulness before the storyline of the dream can be completed.
- The dream is about an ending that hasn’t occurred yet: Sometimes, we wake up before death in a dream because the dream is symbolically mirroring a current ending or change that is currently in progress in real life but has not fully occurred yet. For example, if you are in a relationship that is dying off, where the communication is tapering and excuses are being made, but you have yet to officially call it off, you may dream you’ve been shot and are dying but wake up before you die in the dream because that reflects the state of the relationship.
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 the dream is not real. It’s a subconscious metaphor for a transformation that is taking place in your real life, says Loewenberg.
Do Dreams About Death Indicate a Mental Health Disorder?
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:3
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Bipolar disorder
- Sleep-related disorders
If your dreams are upsetting you, consider reaching out to a mental healthcare professional for support. They can help you explore the feelings stirred up by your dreams, identify triggering factors, diagnose any mental health conditions you may have, and help you develop coping strategies.
Why Am I Having Recurring Dreams About Death?
Many factors can trigger dreams about death. According to Dr. Harris, these may include:
- Stress
- Grief
- Fears
- Life changes
- Unresolved issues
- Traumatic experiences
- Health-related worries
- Mental health conditions
- Movies, books, and other forms of content
- Social or cultural beliefs
- Emotional experiences
These reasons are unique to each person and it’s important to talk to a mental health professional if these dreams are recurring and 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 with nightmare disorder if it’s affecting their sleep, mood, cognitive abilities, energy levels, and daily functioning.2
Is There a Way to Stop Dreaming About Death?
These are some strategies that can help you stop dreaming about death:
- Address unresolved issues: If your life is going through a lot of changes, these dreams may be your subconscious nagging you to let go of something in your life that is no longer working for you, says Loewenberg. “Facing the finality of the issue in real life can help you let go, move forward, and grow.”
- Focus on the future: The best way to stop or prevent a death dream is to shift your focus forward and actively work to build your future, Loewenberg adds. “As you drift off to sleep, think positively about what you’re doing to create an exciting and healthy future for yourself.”
- Seek help: If your dreams are upsetting you, it may be helpful to see a mental health professional who can help you unpack and process them. They can help you explore the factors that trigger the dreams and equip you with coping strategies to deal with them.