Death and loss in dreams: 5 dream meanings by folk tradition, psychology and research

Key facts

The theme death and loss has 5 symbols in the dream dictionary.
The most searched symbols of the theme are death, dying, someone dying.
Every symbol is read three ways: folk dream books, psychology and sleep research.
The details of the dream, the colour, the behaviour and how you felt, change the reading.
Dream interpretation is a tradition of reading symbols; it does not predict events.

What death and loss mean in a dream

In the 20th century psychology joined the tradition. Sigmund Freud read dreams as the expression of repressed wishes, Carl Gustav Jung as the psyche’s attempt to restore balance. Modern sleep research shows that the content of dreams is shaped largely by the day’s impressions and by sensations in the sleeping body.

If you cannot find the exact word, start from a theme. Inside each theme the symbols are grouped and compared with one another.

Most searched dreams about death and loss

DeathDeath and lossA dream about death is traditionally read as the end of one thing and the start of another, and folk books often turn it round: death in a dream means long life. Psychology reads it as change, an ending in the dreamer’s life, and research finds death dreams common in grief and in times of transition.DyingDeath and lossA dream about dying, your own death happening in the dream, is traditionally read by opposites as long life and a change of fortune, though Miller reads it as a warning about neglected affairs. Psychology reads it as the end of a stage of life, and research finds the dream common in transitions and in anxiety, never as a sign of a real death.Someone dyingDeath and lossA dream about someone dying is traditionally read as a change in your relationship with that person or as a sign of their long life, not of their death. Psychology reads it as fear of losing them or as the end of a role they play in your life, and research finds such dreams are among the most common and most distressing.Dead relativeDeath and lossA dream about a dead relative is traditionally read as a visit or a message: the person comes with advice, a warning or simply to be remembered. Psychology reads it as grief continuing its work and the person living on as part of you, and research finds such dreams are a normal, often comforting part of bereavement.Dead personDeath and lossA dream about a dead person is traditionally read as a visit: the dead come with advice, a warning or a change in the weather. Psychology reads it as grief still doing its work, and research shows such dreams are common and usually comforting.

All symbols: death and loss

Dead personA dream about a dead person is traditionally read as a visit: the dead come with advice, a warning or a change in the weather. Psychology reads it as grief still doing its work, and research shows such dreams are common and usually comforting.Dead relativeA dream about a dead relative is traditionally read as a visit or a message: the person comes with advice, a warning or simply to be remembered. Psychology reads it as grief continuing its work and the person living on as part of you, and research finds such dreams are a normal, often comforting part of bereavement.DeathA dream about death is traditionally read as the end of one thing and the start of another, and folk books often turn it round: death in a dream means long life. Psychology reads it as change, an ending in the dreamer’s life, and research finds death dreams common in grief and in times of transition.DyingA dream about dying, your own death happening in the dream, is traditionally read by opposites as long life and a change of fortune, though Miller reads it as a warning about neglected affairs. Psychology reads it as the end of a stage of life, and research finds the dream common in transitions and in anxiety, never as a sign of a real death.Someone dyingA dream about someone dying is traditionally read as a change in your relationship with that person or as a sign of their long life, not of their death. Psychology reads it as fear of losing them or as the end of a role they play in your life, and research finds such dreams are among the most common and most distressing.

Questions people ask

What does it mean to dream about death and loss?

It depends on the symbol and the details. Folk dream books give each symbol a fixed reading, psychology asks what this image means to you, and sleep research reminds that dreams rework the day. Open a symbol for all three.

Does the same symbol always mean the same thing?

In dream books, mostly yes. In psychology, no: the same image can mean different things to different people, and your feeling in the dream is the key.

What if my symbol is not here?

Use the search. If nothing comes up, describe the dream in a few words on the search page; the editor reviews suggestions and adds the symbols that people ask for.

Sources

Miller G. H. Ten Thousand Dreams Interpreted, 1901.
Freud S. The Interpretation of Dreams, 1899.
Jung C. G. Man and His Symbols, 1964.
Artemidorus. Oneirocritica, 2nd century.
Hall C. S., Van de Castle R. L. The Content Analysis of Dreams, 1966.
Schredl M. Dream research: an introduction, in various editions.

How this page is made

Each symbol page sets three readings side by side and names where each comes from. A symbol is published only when its page has a full description with sources. Search volumes decide which symbols are written first.

Death and loss in dreams: what they mean