Death is a very mysterious subject for most people. Dreaming of death would thus be the mystery that is itself part of the mystery that is life. Although death can be thought of primarily as a symbol of transformation, each time we encounter it, the lack of guarantees and certainties destabilizes us. It is therefore vital to find its meaning.
To understand the meaning of dreaming of death, one must also understand the place from which the dreamer begins to explain and understand death, whether it is related to religion or not. There are those who believe in eternal life, others believe in reincarnation, or that nothing happens and we simply cease to exist.
For this reason, it is also essential to know how the dreamer deals with death, so that we can better understand what dreaming about death means for each person. Because the symbolism of death is not the same for everyone.
As dreams can be a channel of communication with oneself, a form of self-knowledge, we will understand in detail the symbol and what it means to dream of death in different contexts so that you can have the exact meaning of your dream.
In this article we see the different meanings of dreaming about death. Dreaming of someone who is dead or dreaming of someone who died while alive, for example, have very different meanings.
Dreaming of death: What you need to know
What does it mean to dream of a dead person, dream of a dead friend, dream of a dead brother or dream of a dead relative? Is it good or is it a bad sign? To know the answer, it is important to explore what representation these people have for the dreamer.
We should very honestly probe what characteristics of this person marked the dream and how they affected the dreamer.
This dream experience can be done with strong people, both negatively and positively in the dreamer's life, because it is not a rule that dreaming of a loved one implies a “positive” dream – nor the other way around. .
Dreams of deceased public figures, whether they are singers, actors, politicians, spiritual leaders, among other personalities, can also be those who die in dreams. However, death must be considered in as a symbol in its own right, i.e. to what it symbolizes in the dream.
What does it mean to dream of death?
With each great experience – not necessarily concrete, but above all emotional – human beings renew their existence and the meaning they attribute to it. But it is also confronted with the finitude of cycles, of attitudes and, in the case of death, with the finitude of the body.
As Jung wisely explains, symbols related to the process of individuation (self-knowledge) can be symbols of death.
In other words, dreams that bring symbols or content related to death, are those that most refer to profound changes in the dreamer's life, do not indicate a concrete death.
Dreaming of death can occur in countless circumstances of life, which are marked by profound changes, such as:
- The transitions between the stages of human development (childhood, adolescence, adulthood and old age)
- Marriage and childbirth
- marital separation
- The abortion experience
- A highly invasive surgery
- The end of a relationship
- The loss of a loved one or a pet
- A vol
- an experience of abuse
- Every choice is meaningful and relevant to our development, because when we choose something, we usually give up another possibility.
This understanding is very important, because it helps to distinguish when dreaming of death is related to life, and when the dream actually suggests a concrete death. For this, it is necessary to pay close attention to the life of the dreamer and the reality he experiences.
Is dreaming of death premonitory?
There are dreams that really seem to prepare the dreamer for death.
Important studies conducted through the analysis of dreams of terminally ill or very old patients have revealed that symbols emerge from the unconscious that prepare the dreamer for the dying process, and also abound in mythical symbols that clearly show the dreamer the continuity of consciousness in the afterlife. .
Stopping clocks, collapsing trees, trampled crops, a buried animal, and still more obvious as passing through dark, narrow tunnels, the dreamer seeing himself in good health next to a body sick in a hospital bed, among countless others.
It is as if the unconscious understands and expresses itself through dreams that in addition to the great transformations experienced in this existence, death is another moment of profound transformation in the process of the development of consciousness. The unconscious harbors this human experience: the possible continuity of psychic life.
It is impossible not to pay attention, even if not in detail, to the religious belief of the dreamer, in order to understand the dreaming of death.
Different religions deal with death with different approaches and on the basis of different, often even opposing premises, such as beliefs that accept reincarnation and beliefs that accept the resurrection process and eternal life in the afterlife.
The social role of religions has always been to weave a thread of meaning towards death, but this path has not always been sufficient or satisfactory.
There are many dead around us. The big problem is that we were never taught to talk about death, to think and to use certain death as the meaning of life.
We learn to fear death, to cling to our bodies, which are often guided by social conventions that don't even make much sense to us.
What does it mean to dream of death?
Obviously, young people also die in dreams and there are dreams that might worry an analyst - for example, dreaming of a dead child.
We experience death subjectively and, in fact, aspects within us, as well as plans and ideas die daily, but in certain circumstances it is necessary to be careful.
Often dreams of death - whether of our own death or of others - are accompanied by important religious symbols which vary, in most cases, depending on the belief of the dreamer. And this makes the dream again very unique, and it must necessarily be contextualized.
Therefore, if you have dreamed about death, it is important to pay attention to all these details and try to contextualize them with your reality.
Certain questions you can ask yourself can help in this process of understanding dream symbology, facilitating self-reflection and encouraging associations with what you experience in daily life or with situations you have already experienced. And, above all, bring the interpretation to reality and succeed in taking action.
Step One: Questions to Ask About the Dream
- Who was the person in the dream and what did they represent to the dreamer?
- What are the dreamer's interactions with the person in the dream?
- Under what circumstances does this person appear in the dream, what is the scenario?
- Is there a sense that the deceased person is still alive, or in the dream is he aware that he has already left?
- Is the person who appears dead in the dream alive in conscious life?
- Are there any dialogues with this person and what do they say?
- What are the feelings resulting from contact with this inner character?
- What does the death of this person refer the dreamer to?
Step 2: The link with real life
- What must be transformed in me?
- Is there something I need to say goodbye and let go?
- What is difficult for me to manage and watch?
- What aspects of myself am I struggling to transform?
- What is dead in me?
- What must die and what must remain in my personality?
- What should I revise so that I can proceed serenely?
- Do I put a lot of energy into things that destroy me believing that they are good for me?
- What in the collective touches me and asks me for a personal transformation?
- How does the collective interfere in my life?
- How do I understand death and what meaning do I give to life?
The different meanings
The meaning of dreaming about death depends on the context and what is happening in the dream. The dream does not necessarily signify someone's death, in fact, premonitory dreams are rare, but they can, yes, be the amplification of something happening in your life.
Here are some of the main explanations for dreaming about death.
Dreaming about the death of a close person
What does it mean to dream of someone who has already died? When that person is a deceased friend, relative, or loved one, it may be an unconscious way of satisfying a need for contact with that person, given the compensatory function of dreams.
Dreaming of the dead, in general, especially when deceased loved ones appear to the dreamer to say that they are well, to convey a specific message or even to say nothing, but to be there with the dreamer, brings encouragement.
Of course, the opposite is possible, the dream puts the dreamer in deeper contact with his sadness and grief.
Dreaming about the death of someone you don't love
To dream of the death of someone with whom you had difficulty in a relationship may only indicate that part of our psyche that we are not dealing with or understanding very well. It may indicate a need to look at those issues and turn them into yourself.
When identifying the characteristics of the character in the dream, it is up to the dreamer to consider at what times or situations in his life he has already acted in a similar way.
I have heard dreams in which the image of the deceased, however very dear, directs the dreamer to complicated and destructive situations. Which can indicate that what we fully trust can harm us, boycott us or simply hinder our individual development.
Dream about the death of a living person
There are dreams in which the deceased person is perceived as still alive, still present. There is no awareness in the dream that she has already left. It may indicate some attachment and difficulty letting go.
Or, it may indicate that some aspect of the psyche may be "dead" in concrete life but still exist in the dreamer.
Dreaming of a living dead
Dreaming of a dead person who is alive, but appears dead in the dream, makes us reflect on what aspects of us are dying or what aspect of that person within us is dying.
Again, dreaming of dead people requires thinking about the representation of these people in order to understand the symbol of the unconscious.
Dream about the death of a celebrity
Dreaming of dead when it comes to public figures requires taking into account the collective factor.
In other words, dreaming of a personality that has a negative representation for the dreamer, but collectively positive, can indicate a conflicting relationship with the dreamer's collective and internal values.
If there is an alignment between the collective and what the dreamer thinks of this person, one can look for how this interaction of collective and personal values affects, interferes with or helps in the personal development of the dreamer.
Everything will depend on the character chosen by the unconscious.
