Home > Dream Themes > Dreams about Dying

Dreams about Dying

By: Libby Pelham BA - Updated: 24 Aug 2014 | comments*Discuss
 
Dreams Dream Analysis Dreaming Dream

Many people refer to death as the great unknown, so it is only natural that we dream about dying. Our minds are constantly trying to work out scenarios of situations, but death is the one thing we cannot truly understand until we experience it. For that reason, many people fear death. Quite often, when we fear something, our subconscious uses dreams to try to understand that which we fear.

Dreams of dying can be scary, but it is important to remember that they can be helpful as well. Sometimes we may dream not only about our own deaths, but also of ones we love – our parents, spouse, or children. It is usually horrifying to dream of someone we cherish so dearly dying, but in this case, death may not always represent physical death.

Death of Others

It is not uncommon for parents to dream their children are dying. They usually awake sickened at this prospect, wondering if this dream is truly an omen of things to come. More than likely, this dream is not a premonition but rather your psyche’s way of dealing with current events.

Our children continuously grow and develop through the years. As they grow, they become less and less dependent upon us as parents. Dreams of your child dying can come at important milestones – attending school for the first time, attending their senior school and leaving for college. A dream of death at times such as this is symbolic of the death of an era.

When your child first starts attending school, you may not spend as much time with them. You may be hurt when they come home telling your how wonderful their teacher is, when you were the most wonderful person in their life before. Suddenly, you may not know every detail of their lives and the “baby” that once needed you is, in essence, dying and growing into a young adult.

Once your child gets ready to go to college and leaves the house, they are truly making one of the last breaks of dependence. So if you dream of the death of your child, look at what is currently going on. Is the child pushing you away for some reason? Is he or she becoming more independent? Do you feel like your children no longer “need” you? Understanding these changes can help ease your mind and will probably eliminate the dreams of death.

Death of Yourself

As we grow older, most people think more about death. After all, at some point, we will all eventually die. If you have avoided death before a certain age – say 60 – you may start to seriously think about it. This can be due to many things. Health issues, the age your parents or grandparents were when they died, and having family or friends close to your age die can make you begin to think about death.

When you dream of dying, you first need to ask yourself how your physical health is. Is there a medical problem that has been bothering you, but you have been avoiding the doctor out of fear of bad news? Did your father have a heart attack and die at the age of 60 and now you are worried that that might be your fate as well? Visit your doctor to have a check up. Avoiding medical issues is never the answer.

You may dream of dying if a close friend or family member dies. This is only natural as you age that you will lose friends and family to death. The dream will be a way of your trying to understand the death and loss. While is this sad to lose someone you care about, remember to remain active and get involved in activities that will help create new bonds. If you lose a spouse or parent, check to see if there are any grief counselling classes in your neighbourhood to help you deal with your emotions.

The most important thing to remember when you have a dream about dying, it is meant to be helpful to you in order to teach you to deal with death and loss. Dreams of death usually happen during a time of change, whether it is your children growing older or someone close to your dying. A dream of death is just your mind’s natural response to a scary or upsetting situation. This dream can be a signal that you need to learn to deal with changes, seeking counselling if necessary.

Interested in Branding, a Website or Graphic Design?

You can receieve an elegantly built, fully customised website that generates enquiries for just £399, merchandise design from £59, or illustrations from just £35, all unique to you and your brand. Check us out here.

You might also like...
Share Your Story, Join the Discussion or Seek Advice..
[Add a Comment]
I recently have had a death dream, I'm laying in a hospital with all my Family and loved ones around me, were all talking and I can tell everyone is sad but trying to hide it, I take a last breath and feel a sense of euphoria as I hear all the hospital alarms go off faintly in the background, I then wake up in real life very gently and relaxed, I do not understand why.
Nosams - 24-Aug-14 @ 10:03 PM
To Shadow Nothing is wrong with you. try your very best to get some sleep. also go see a doctor and tell them everything. they are bound to help. As a sufferer of death dreams I think that keeping your mind on the good things in life might be the only cure. Hope I helped you!
lozzakitten - 30-Jul-14 @ 5:24 AM
Also when I was even younger than I am now I kept having repeated dreams about my mums random, mysterious boyfriend killing her. in real like she didn't have a boyfriend. please help!
lozzakitten - 30-Jul-14 @ 5:16 AM
I had a dream that I had something that I found out that I was going to die, this scared me so much that I woke up at 5.00 am crying my eyes out. After I could fully stop I rushed down stairs and tried to find a meaning of my dream. all of the websites say I must be getting old and started worrying about death. but the thing is I am young, very young, I am only 11. please help!
lozzakitten - 30-Jul-14 @ 5:12 AM
Hi I have had 2 dreams this week one my friend of 68yrs told me she had cancer and hadent much time left I woke really worried the 2nd my friend came to visit and she had lost all her hair .Can you help please.June
gardenlady - 8-Jul-14 @ 7:42 PM
every time i go to sleep i dream about death, myself my friends, family, other people i have seen but never spoken too and people i dont know. this has been going on since i was 16, the images were grotesque and i also have a very vivid imagination. its been 2 years now and every night i dream of death. i no longer sleep more than 3 hours because either i don't want to dream or i can't sleep after the "dreams". whats wrong me?
shadow - 20-Jun-14 @ 11:22 AM
for the past couple of years I ONLY dream of people dying. I don't dream at all, unless it is of someone dying. Sometimes it's of people I know, and other times it's just of random people I have never seen before in my life. I told one if my friends and they said that there could be a diagnosis for it, and I would really just like to know if that's true. If you can help me that would be great! Thank you so much!
Mo - 8-Jun-14 @ 11:16 AM
when i was pregnent from my first sun in vancouver before thet my life was pretty hard but i chose that path so was my friend melo who was going out with this guy name ti-criss they went staying in okanagan valey. one night i had a drream that it was foggy and they was tress and true the fog i saw ticriss but in my dream i sais hes name wich is danny then i told my self in my dream danny... danny est mortmean danny is deadone month after some poeple came at my dor saying danny..ti criss is dead he hong him self a a tree this was for me really wierd cause my dream was that danny is dead and one month aftyer that happend thats wierd lol
lezard - 10-Nov-13 @ 6:29 AM
Hi I recently had a dream that my mother rang me to tell me that my nanny had died. I was extremely upset by this as my nanny died about 12 years ago,a day after my birthday and I was really close to her. I was that upset I woke from my sleep crying. Could you please tell me what this dream means as I am finding it very difficult to stop thinking about it. Thank you
Shorty - 10-Sep-13 @ 9:45 PM
Share Your Story, Join the Discussion or Seek Advice...
Title:
(never shown)
Firstname:
(never shown)
Surname:
(never shown)
Email:
(never shown)
Nickname:
(shown)
Comment:
Validate:
Enter word:
Topics