Do you wake up this morning and ask yourself – “Why am I dreaming of dead people?” If yes, then you are at the right place. Dreaming about dead people can be extremely disturbing, especially if the deceased was your loved one.
Sometimes, it’s also pleasing and warming to have a conversation with the deceased loved one. It gives birth to a plethora of emotions. But the main question remains the same – “Why are you having such dreams? Are there any hidden messages in these dreams for me?” Keep reading to find the answers to all of your questions.
What does it mean when you dream about dead people? – 10 General Interpretations
Dreams about dead people can be both scary and intimidating. But it does not always signify something negative. It may also represent new beginnings, guilt, or may even be a warning bell!
Our dreams are the mental images formed by our subconscious mind which tries to process the events of our daily life. Dreams are also the connecting pathway between our subconscious mind and the supernatural. It’s a medium by which our higher self tries to give us a message or a warning. It’s also a medium by which our deceased loved ones try to communicate with us.
Depending on your dream type, there are multiple meanings of your dreams about dead people. Let us start with the most general interpretations of such dreams.
1. There’s a new beginning waiting for you
Death is the end of the old and the beginning of the new. If you are dreaming about dead people, it is actually a sign of new beginnings or a new phase of life.
It can be starting a new business that changes your course of life completely. It can be a marriage. It can be moving to a new house or a new city.
Your unconscious mind metaphorically shows the dead people as the remains of your past life.
2. It’s a warning of approaching trouble
Dreaming of dead people is also the symbol of trouble in your waking life. This dream is a warning that trouble may approach you in your real-life soon.
The warning works as a catalyst to analyze your life properly and find out the sources of trouble. Try to find out if there is a person who wants to harm you or a situation that can hurt you.
Sometimes, we are our own enemies. We put ourselves into hard situations ourselves. Keeping a check on our behavior can help us a lot.
3. You feel guilty
It’s common to have dreams about dead people when you feel guilty about not taking care of them.
The dead person can be someone who passed away in real life. You were not as concerned about them when they were alive and you didn’t bother to make efforts in order to make them feel good. Now that they are gone, you are filled with feelings of remorse and guilt.
Care for the people when you still can. Show them they are loved.
4. You have been thinking a lot about death
You will obviously dream about a dead person if you are obsessed with a movie with murder being its main theme. It’s also common to have dreams about dead people if you visited a graveyard or someone close to you died.
The bottom point is that you are thinking a lot about death. You should give yourself a break. Practice mindfulness and try to detach your mind from negative feelings.
Stop watching thriller/murder movies. Spend some good time with your friends.
5. You are receiving a spiritual gift
This is a beautiful situation when you dream about the person who has passed away recently and you feel positive emotions during the dream.
Such dreams indicate that you loved the person dearly and now some of their positive qualities are being given to you as a spiritual gift.
The spiritual gift can be kindness or to lead life with dignity. The dream is a message that the doors have already been opened for you. You can easily adopt the qualities of the deceased as God knows who deserves it the most.
6. The deceased has a message for you!
Dreams are our gates to enter and exit the supernatural. If someone close to you died and didn’t get the opportunity to say you the last goodbye, they come back in your dreams to fulfill what they weren’t able to.
The deceased person shows up in your dreams to state that they are happy and God is with them.
They want to tell you that it’s time you stop grieving for them and be happy for their afterlife.
7. The dead wants forgiveness
Forgiveness travels beyond time. It travels beyond life and death. A person who inflicted pain on you before their death can show up in your dreams to seek forgiveness.
It feels like they realized their mistake when they were on their deathbed but failed to communicate it to you. It’s also possible that the angels asked them to seek forgiveness from you in order to heal and grow.
This closure breaks the cycle of abuse passing from generation to generation.
8. They have some unsettled business
Most times, when dead people show up in your dreams, it’s because they want to finish some unsettled business.
Yeats was of the opinion that when dead people enter the beginning phases of their afterlife, they go through a dream-like state where they revisit everything that happened in their past life.
They try to make sense of what happened in their life. It’s this time when they share or overlap dreams with the living and discuss their unsettled business.
9. They have come back as spirit guides or angels
The soul becomes free of the boundaries of time and space once they leave the physical bodies. The spiritual beings realize such realities of life that the physical being is not able to see and recognize.
For this reason, they make great spirit guides or angels who come back in your dreams to guide you with your life decisions and health.
They show up in your dreams to warn you of the dangerous events of the future. They are also very much concerned about the health issues that continue in families.
10. The deceased wants guidance from us
Sometimes when the deceased appear in our dreams, it’s not because they want to offer guidance to us. Instead, they want to receive guidance from us.
This happens when the soul is finding it hard to move to the next realm. They are stuck and lonely. They can’t trust the guiding spirits available on the next side.
They were so deeply and densely connected to their physical bodies that they have the ability to trust only those with physical bodies.
Dreaming of dead people (dreaming of a dead person)
Death is a difficult event to deal with. It leaves a permanent mark on the minds of the close ones who spend years trying to accept the death of their beloved. Yet, it’s an unavoidable and frightening reality of life. Your dreams about dead people are trying to convey a lot of things to you.
Sometimes, it’s a warning to change a certain aspect of your life. Sometimes, it’s a message or a piece of advice by your dead loved ones. Each and every dream consists of hidden meaning. Here are the different types of dreams about dead people and their varying meanings –
1. Dreaming of dead people talking to you
If the dead people were talking to you in your dreams, it means you are going to receive some unexpected news in the near future.
The news can either be positive or negative. All you can do is to wait and watch.
The other meaning of this dream is that the dead person is not at peace in the other world. This is especially true if they ask for something to eat or drink. It’s advised to do some extra ceremonies to give them peace.
2. Dreaming of dead person coming back to life
Having a dream of a dead person coming back to life means you will restore the element of your life that you lost.
It can be a job, relationship, social status, property, or good health.
Such dreams signify restoration. Whatever important you have lost recently will come back to you. If not in the same form, then in another form.
3. Dreaming of someone dead in your house
So, you had a dream where a dead person was staying with you in the house, doing chores and having dinner together? This dream is a positive sign that suggests growth.
Your family will grow spiritually and financially.
But if the dead people take the utensils with them after dinner, it means your family is going to lose financially and spiritually or someone in your family is going to pass away.
4. Dreaming of a dead person who died long ago
Dreaming of a dead person who died long ago suggests you relate to their life or situation when they were alive. Maybe, things are not going fine in your life.
You are having negative emotions similar to the deceased person when they were alive.
The situation is obviously stressing you. This dream is a message to get hold of the situation, deal with it and throw it out of your life.
5. Dreaming of a dead person who died recently
I know it’s weird if you had this dream. Such dreams feel so real as if it’s reality. The feelings experienced are true as well. In such a case, it just means that the memories of the deceased person are fresh in your mind till now.
They have passed away recently. You are not able to process their death till now and you are still in pain.
6. Dreaming about the death of a dead person
Dreaming about the death of a dead person means you still miss this person and desperately want their presence in your life.
You can’t accept that they are dead even if it’s been a long time now. You are likely to have this dream when you are going through the most important days of your life.
For instance, people who don’t have parents are likely to have this dream when they are getting married and want their parents by their side.
7. Dreaming of dead person rise on judgment day
The hidden meaning of this dream signifies our desire to achieve wealth and happiness in waking life. It means you are doing your job with all your heart and now you are eagerly waiting for the results.
The results can either be negative or positive depending on your actions. You are just not sure about it and looking forward to it as if it’s the judgment day.
8. Dreaming of a dead person smiling
Everything is positive about this dream. There’s no need to be fearful as the dead person who was smiling at you means no harm to you.
Well, this dream also reveals your inability to process the death of the deceased person. You are still in pain due to all the trapped emotions. The dream is a message that you need to let go of your trapped emotions even if it takes a good crying session.
9. Dream of meeting a dead person and talking
Dream of meeting a dead person and talking to them means you are loved by the people who surround you. Not only that, they look at you with respect and consider you as a loving human being.
This dream suggests only positive changes in your life. You are likely to achieve success and make yourself proud.
The dream also means you are going to achieve success in your job or business. You are going to grow financially.
10. Dreaming of talking to a dead friend
It’s more than common to have dreams about your dead friends where you are talking to them and having a good time.
It represents your inner desire to relive the old moments with your dear friend who unfortunately passed away from this world.
On the other hand, this dream also means that your self-respect is questioned by someone in your waking life. There is an urgent need to maintain distance from this toxic personality.
11. Dreaming of a dead person calling you to go with her
Dreaming of a dead person calling you to go with her is not only dangerous but also a symbol of death. The dream becomes more lethal if you agree to go with the dead person in your dream.
The dream suggests a burden of problems in the near future. In worst-case scenarios, it represents death.
However, someone trying to stop you from going with the dead person means someone will save you from the dangers of life.
12. Dreaming of refusing to go somewhere with a dead person
Refusing to go somewhere with a dead person in a dream is a sign of good luck. It means you have the ability to distinguish between correct and wrong decisions.
The dream suggests you will defeat all the problems and dangers that life throws on you.
The hidden meaning of this dream is that you will lead a life full of happiness, success, health, and wealth. You are self-sufficient to protect yourself.
13. Dreams of your dead boyfriend talking to you
The first meaning of this dream is that you miss your dead boyfriend. The other meaning is deep and goes beyond simplicity.
It means your future love life is in danger. But if you remember the dream conversation with your dead boyfriend, you can deal with them.
Try to comprehend the message your dead boyfriend gave you in the dream. It can be of great help to lead a life full of abundance and love.
14. Dream of talking to a dead stranger
Depending on the conversation you were having with this dead stranger, the dream has two meanings.
Your subconscious mind is trying to give you a message or advice in the form of a dead stranger. Listen to it carefully and try to comprehend it for future use.
The other meaning is that not everyone is your well-wisher. Hence, don’t trust everyone and don’t take advice from just anyone.
15. Dreaming of arguing with the dead people
If you dream about arguing with the dead people, it means you are doing something wrong in your life and the dead person is there to guide you.
The meaning stands true especially when the dead person was your loved one. Then it means you are being protected and comforted.
It’s a message that you should bring changes in your behavior to lead a better life. It’s also good to know that your loved one still cares for you.
16. Dream of multiple dead people surrounding you
Dreaming of multiple dead people in your dream is not a positive sign at all. It’s a kind of warning that’s preparing you for the worst kind of situations coming along your way.
The dream suggests hard times, sadness, and dissatisfaction in your near future. It’s a warning of troubles and obstacles.
The dream also suggests not feeling loved and cared for by other people. You may also feel like they dislike you.
17. Dream of dead bodies being washed away
If you have a dream where you see dead bodies being washed away by waves, then it means you are soon going to hear some good news.
The dream is a message that just like the dead bodies, your stinking and rotten problems will get washed away very soon.
Your worries will end as your troubles are going to be solved without you even trying. After all, dream interpreters believe death is a symbol of new beginnings and changes.
18. Dream of a coffin with dead person
Dreaming about a coffin with a dead person is a negative omen and suggests a bad phase of your life. This time required you to be very careful with your decisions.
At this moment, you should not make any relevant or life-changing decisions as they are not going to be fruitful at all.
Take better care of your finances, health, and security at this time. If you were thinking of something big, postpone it for some time.
19. Dream of a dead man stretching out his hand from coffin
The dream of a dead man stretching out his hands from a coffin is the messenger of bad times and bad events. You should be mentally prepared for the future events that you are going to experience soon.
A dead mean stretching out his hands represents danger.
It means someone is trying to put you down or take revenge on you. It also means ill health and a close one plotting against you.
20. Dream of a dead person giving you something
If you dream about a dead person trying to give you something, it means they want to help you with the issues of your waking life. The deceased can try to help you with their wisdom, kindness, or power of spirituality.
If the dead person gives you money in the dream, it means you will achieve a great financial gain in your waking life.
If the dead person gave you flowers and was a late brother or father it means you will receive prosperity.
21. Dream about eating with a dead person
You should be concerned about your health if you dream about eating with a dead person. This dream suggests an ongoing issue with your health and fitness that is going overlooked.
It’s advised to get a medical check-up done to be sure about your health. Not only that, you should be careful about your well-being.
Take care of your diet. Indulge in physical workouts and practice health affirmations.
22. Dream about taking something a dead person offered to you
Accepting something from a dead person in your dream is a negative sign that suggests trouble for you and your family.
Your family has to deal with difficulties and hard times. Their health can be affected as well.
In the worst-case scenarios, a loving family member will pass away. In other cases, your family will deal with a financial drain.
Dreaming of dead relatives
23. Dreaming of dead relatives hugging
The hidden meaning of this dream is pretty similar to the dream of a dead person smiling at you. The dream of hugging a dead relative means you still miss them and want to be close in their presence.
Unlike the smiling dream where you are not able to process their death, hugging a dead person in your dreams means you still want them to be near you. You want to see them and feel their touch.
24. Dreams about dead grandmother
Grandmothers are full of warmth and love. They are supportive and extremely loving. Their love remains even when they depart from their physical bodies.
It’s common to have dreams about our grandparents as they make a large part of our childhood.
Dreaming about your dead grandmother means you love and miss their presence terribly. It also means there is always a supportive and loving figure who is always there to look after you.
25. Dreams about dead grandfather
The love of a grandfather for their grandchildren cannot be defined in words. These figures are extremely wise as they have experienced the world more than you and have also been in the afterlife.
Grandfathers usually appear in your dreams to give you useful advice. Listen to their advice as it can help you a lot.
Sometimes, it’s not really your grandfather but your subconscious mind trying to give you a message with the help of this loving figure.
26. Dream of talking to your dead parents
The most apparent meaning of dreams of talking to your dead parents is that you are not able to accept their death and you miss them each and every day.
The hidden objective of this dream is to help you seek closure and deal with your own demons. Its objective is to help you achieve inner strength and peace.
The dream also means that you will achieve huge success and appraisals in your business or job.
27. Dreaming of dead mother asking for your help
Dreams about your dead mother where she is asking for your help is heartbreaking and not good for your mental health.
The other sad part about this dream is that it has negative meanings as well. It suggests misery and problems.
It means your near future is full of obstacles and problems. To deal with these times, you have to have faith in yourself and move forward with strength and self-belief.
28. Dreaming of dead brother asking for your help
First of all, this dream suggests the possibility of a conflict between you and your family members. It suggests major issues and clashes of opinions in your family or your workplace.
Secondly, this dream represents your guilt. This meaning stands true for those who misbehaved with their brother when he was alive.
Now that he is gone, you feel guilty. You want to change the past but that’s not possible which keeps irking you.
29. Dreaming that your dead grandparents offered you help
The hidden meaning of this dream depends on the events of your waking life. Depending on your situation, this dream has two meanings.
First of all, your health and wealth will be affected in the near future. Your grandparents are here to warn you about future events.
Secondly, the arrival of your grandparents in your dream to offer you help signify great news. A positive news is awaiting you in the future.
30. Dreaming of talking to dead relatives
Let us start with the negative meaning of this dream. The negative meaning of this dream implies that your reputation and social status is in danger.
There are chances that people will not respect you in the future. It’s better to take control of things from now on.
The other meaning of this dream is that you want an opportunity to convey your true feelings to your dead relatives which you weren’t able to express when they were alive.
31. Dreaming of dead grandfather asking you to go with him
No matter how much you loved your dead grandfather, a dream where he asks you to go with him is a bad omen. It represents nothing but danger.
It means you or someone close to you is going to enter a phase where nothing good will happen to them.
It also embarks the cloud of danger on your and your family member’s health. The dream meaning becomes more terrible if you accept to go with them.
32. Dreaming where your dead mother tells you she is not dead
This dream is a dream of those who have lost their mother. If your mother has passed away, then this dream means you miss her terribly.
You are still not able to accept her death. You miss her presence every minute due to which the memories find a way in your dreams.
If your mother is alive then this dream is a message to treat her with love and care. If possible, try to make her relive her interests and hobbies.
33. Dream about talking to your child
The dream of talking to your dead child can give you major anxiety and engulf you with sadness.
As the child is no longer there in the world, the subconscious mind tries to revive the child in the dreams.
The dream occurs because you are not yet able to accept the unfortunate incident. Your defense mechanism is showing you these mental images in the form of dreams to save you from pain.
Is it normal to dream about dead relatives?
It is perfectly normal to dream about dead loved ones. Even when we are entrapped in our physical bodies, our souls keep making connections with everyone we meet. Some connections are stronger than others and continue even when the soul leaves the physical body.
Dreaming about them means you miss them; you want to communicate with them or they want to communicate with you.
What can dreams about a dead person mean about you?
While comprehending the hidden meanings of your dreams, you should reflect more on how the dream made you feel rather than the trivial details of the dream.
Some dreams about a dead person can warm your heart while others can be extremely disturbing. Sometimes, it’s a mixture of both.
If there was a smile on your face after you woke up from the dream, it means you are happy to accept the new changes that are taking place in your life. If you were sweating and scared, it means you are having difficulty dealing with the sudden change.
What does it mean when you keep dreaming about the same dead person?
Dreaming about the same dead person over and over again is enough to take away your good night’s sleep. In reality, it means you terribly miss the connection you had with this person. Such dreams are more common when you have lost a loved one recently.
On the other hand, such dreams also mean this particular deceased person was an epitome of kindness, charm, positivity, resilience, confidence, or other good qualities. You want to have these qualities in yourself due to which you keep having their dreams.
It is also possible that you associate a particular feeling with this deceased person like sadness or cheerfulness which you are feeling in your day-to-day life.
Psychological Meaning of Dead People Dreams
According to the father of psychoanalysis, Dr. Sigmund Freud, dreams are a road to the subconscious. On the other hand, Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung believed dreams join our subconscious to the conscious mind.
According to psychology, dreams are random fragments of thoughts are our subconscious mind combines together to form mental images. Even when we are asleep, our minds are still awake and processing the events of our waking life.
Thus, if you have lost a loved one then it’s entirely possible to have a dream about them. You can also dream of them even if they passed years ago.
Spiritual Meaning of Dead People Dreams
The dream interpretation of a dream about a dead person changes from culture to culture. Here are the different spiritual meanings about dreaming of dead people in popular cultures –
1. Wiccans
According to the popular Wiccans belief, dead people who appear in your dream are actually the spirits of the deceased. These spirits want to communicate with you. As they have no physical bodies, they show up in your dreams.
It’s advised to treat them in the same way you would want to treat them in waking life. Answer their questions if they have any as they want nothing but honest answers to seek closure.
2. Christians
Christians consider the dreams about dead people as having dreams of ghosts. They consider the deceased as ghosts who have some unfinished business in the real world. Some Christians believe that the dreams they are having about dead people are actually ghosts or in some cases, “demons” who are trying to harm them.
Having such dreams is considered dangerous and a negative sign. It’s also considered necromancy which is highly depreciated.
3. Chinese
Dreams about dead people are considered to bring good luck in Chinese culture. It is also considered as a good sign and is not depreciated at all. The positive belief also comes from the fact that the Chinese believe in their ancestors who are always taking care of them.
According to the Chinese, dreaming about a dead person means you are being protected and looked after by a kind and loving spirit.
4. Hindu
In the Hindu culture, the emphasis of the dream meanings depends on the dominating feelings one experiences during the dream. They don’t go deep down to the root to find the meaning of the dream.
Such dreams are considered as a form of memories that just gets replayed in our subconscious mind when we are asleep. While in some cases, it is considered dangerous or a sign of prosperity and wealth depending on the dream type.
Biblical Meaning of Dead People Dreams
The biblical meaning of dreaming about dead people depends greatly on the kind of dreams you are having. If you see yourself as dead in your dream it means your subconscious mind is aware of the big change that is going to take place in your life and is preparing you for future events.
If you see your close one as dead in your dream, it means you are tensed about their well-being, you care for their health and you want to take them out of the depressed state by reviving their happiness. It is also possible that they are toxic to you and you have distanced yourself from them in your waking life. This person can be anyone from your friend, parents, or partner.
Questions to ask yourself to correctly interpret dead people dreams
The hidden meaning of your dream depends on the dream type and the little details we seem to miss. To find out the correct meaning of your dreams about dead people, ask yourself the following questions –
- Where were you in your dream? Was it your ancestral house? Was it a park or your school?
- What were your dominating feelings during the dream?
- Is there any person, situation, or place which makes you feel the same feelings that you were feeling during the dream?
- Who is the dead person who is appearing in your dreams?
- What do you feel about this dead person? Do you like them? Hate them? Love them? Or are you concerned about them?
Final Words!
Dreams of dead people can have so many different meanings.
If you want to interpret it correctly, try to remember every little detail in your dream. One tiny point of difference in reference can change the whole meaning of your dream.
Further, don’t let this dream intimidate you. It is not as scary as you think it is. Keep yourself calm and try to find the correct interpretation of it.
