Dreaming of the dead is very common and it raises a lot of questions in the dreamer. Many will wonder if the images they saw in their dreams were actually the deceased loved one. Usually, there is a personal association between the dreamer and the deceased.
For someone to dream about the deceased, they must have known them when they were alive. It is only in rare cases that people dream of dead strangers.
What Psychologists say
Psychologists believe that dreams about people who were close to us and passed on are just a manifestation of any feelings of depression that we might have because of the loss of our loved ones or any feelings of guilt towards them.
When the dreams occur just a few weeks after the loved one dies then it could just be a normal grief process and may simply be triggered by the desire of the dreamer to see or communicate ‘just once more’ with their loved one.
The dream might also come about if the dreamer is in a state of confusion and needs some kind of reassurance or guidance which they often sought from the deceased when they were alive.
What Mystics Believe
According to mystics, the dead come to the living in their dreams because it is easier for them as spiritual entities to communicate to them when they are sleeping. Reason?
When a person is sleeping they are in a partly spiritual place. During such time, the rational mind and the ego are usually not engaged. A person in the dream world doesn’t usually question things no matter how abnormal or unusual they might seem.
- Read more: 10 Dreams About Dying
When this person who died and appears in the dream we usually don’t question their presence in the dream as we would when we are awake and having the rational thought active in us. In the dream, we accept their presence without argument and sometimes only when we start to think that the person died do we wake up and the dream disappears.
They also believe that the dream world is a connection to other worlds that are inaccessible when we are awake and conscious. Back in the ancient times, there was a widespread belief that dreams of the dead are a very important sign and must never be ignored.
The dead will only come to our dreams with an important message, advice or a warning about something. What the dead said in the dreams was believed to help the living avoid trouble and mistakes.
On some occasions, the dreamer might experience dreams of the deceased as extraordinary, more vivid, more colorful and more “real”, unlike other dreams which are usually fleeting. The feeling about their experience of this dream is what will determine if the dream was symbolic or a ‘visitation’.
When Is It A Visitation
It is not always that when we dream of our dead loved ones, that the dream must be a visitation. Actually, most of our dreams are created by our subconscious.
The subconscious is some sort of director of the scenes in the dream just like the real director does for the movies and shows. It is actually you who needs the dream and it, therefore, selects someone from your memories who will play a certain role in your dream perfectly.
The person from your memories could be dead or alive. It could be your late grandmother who was a loving presence in your life and therefore would best meet the requirement you need for that dream. However, sometimes a true visitation might occur and here is how you tell if it is a visitation or not.
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It Feels ‘Real’
If the dream about the dead person feels real and looks so vivid that even after you are awake you still feel some of its realness, then that is no doubt a visitation.
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You Don’t Need To Ask Whether It is
If you are questioning whether it was a visitation, then it probably wasn’t a visitation. A visitation is usually so real and vivid that you will have no doubt that it is indeed a visitation.
You will actually know from your heart that it was a visitation, just from the way you will be feeling.
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You Remember Them For A Long Time
Since visitation dreams usually feel very real, you will remember them for days, months and years. You will probably remember them for the rest of your life and the dream will still be as clear in your mind as the day after the night that you dreamed it.
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The Dead Will Appear To Be Doing Great
The person or animal in the dream will always appear very healthy and behave in a completely normal way even though they might have died from an illness that caused them to be bedridden or emaciated looking.
They will in most cases never appear sick or injured, neither will they appear angry, disappointed, vindictive or depressed. They will look whole, complete, perfect and you could even say happy.
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They Will Communicate Clearly
When you experience a visitation, your dead loved one will communicate very clearly in the dream even without speaking out a single word.
They might give you the message and you will know exactly what they meant. If they happen to talk, it will not be idle chit-chat but a meaningful message.
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Message will Often Likely Be of reassurance
Visitation messages are often filled with reassurance. Your dead loved one will come in your dream to let you know that they are doing fine and that they want you to be happy.
On some occasions, they might come with a warning, but even with the warning, they will always assure you of their loving support and you will feel comforted and reassured by their presence.
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A sense of Peace and Love afterward
After your visitation dream and you wake up, you will in most cases be filled with this sense of calmness and love. You will feel peaceful in your heart compared to before you had this dream.
Common Dreams Of The Dead Scenarios
There are common scenarios that people experience when they are dreaming of the dead. Some of those dream scenarios and their explanations are as follows:
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A Dead body In The Dream
You can dream of a dead body in your dream. This dead body could someone you knew who died or simply a faceless stranger. This could be an indication of a part of your life that is inactive.
You could be feeling hopelessness in connection with a relationship you want so much to work but it isn’t likely to. The dead body could also reflect the attitude you have towards life in general.
You might be lacking motivation, satisfaction or simply feel like you are “going nowhere” in life. That dead-looking person in your dream could also be a part of your life that you would love to rid yourself of.
The best thing would be to examine your life and start working towards achieving your true potential. Work towards improving that stagnant situation by doing something new that will bring more interest in your life.
The “dead” aspects of your life should simply be dealt with, either by being removed completely or worked on to bring them back to life.
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Dream Of A Dead Spouse
Your spouse might have died recently or a few years ago and you suddenly dream of them. You could dream of making love to them, seeing them in the distance and never reaching them when you run to them, just talking to them or sitting beside them watching TV.
Such a dream could be an indication of the grief of their loss still within you depending on how the dream was. It could also be a visitation reassuring you that they are alright.
If you wake up with a feeling of peace and suddenly want to live your life to the full and even move on, then it was definitely a visitation from your spouse.
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Dream Of Dead Relatives
Many factors will determine the interpretation of the dream of dead relatives. However most dreams with dead relatives especially parents could be an indication of a warning of trouble. If they communicate a message, the message should be heeded.
But, not all dreams about dead relatives will be about the warning of trouble, sometimes it could just be a way for the dreamer to find inner peace, confidence and once they find it many aspects of their life such as their family’s well-being, their business life, their careers and so on, become positively influenced.
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Dream Of Your Dead Enemy
Naturally, an enemy is someone who opposes you and actually hates you. An enemy in your dream represents obstacles preventing you from achieving your goals.
If you dream of this dead enemy, it could be an indication that some of those old obstacles may be resurfacing or about to.
You could avoid making major changes and taking stock of your life first. Look at the things that seem like obstacles in your life and handle them positively. You could turn all the negatives into positives where you can.
Another interpretation of this dream could be that it is time you forgave your dead enemy especially if the dream about your dead enemy is a positive one. For example, you could be dreaming that your enemy is helping you out in a big way.
That could be a sign that your enemy is extending an olive branch to you from beyond and would want you to put aside your resentment. Maybe they might not have been your enemy as you thought because sometimes not everything is at it seems.
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Dream Of Your Dead Pet
You might have tended to your pet during his last days by spending sleepless nights. You might have also spent many happy years with them and had a strong bond. It would be no surprise if you still dream of your pet long after they have passed on.
If you dream of your pet suffering and you suffering along then wake up with this heightened sense of loss, it could mean that you are emotionally burdened and the dream is your subconscious’s way of letting you know that you need to overcome certain negative feelings.
Dreaming of your pet could be your way of dealing with the loss of your pet. When you eventually dream of yourself having a great time with your dog, then it could also be an indication that you have finally gotten over the death of your pet.
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Dream Of The Walking Dead
Dreaming of the walking zombies could symbolize some form of disconnection from others and from various aspects of your life. It could have been caused by some form of trauma, helplessness at a situation or any other factor. You could simply look at various aspects of your life and find out how to establish a connection again and regain control of your life.
If all seems fine in your life then another explanation would be that maybe you are watching or reading too much zombie apocalypse movies and series. A change of the content that you watch and read would be better and you would definitely have better dreams.
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Dream Of A Dead Celebrity
When you dream of a dead celebrity, it could mean that you are worried about your dreams not coming true at all.
Celebrities represent dreams becoming reality and since not everyone will be a celebrity some people realize that their dreams will never come true enough to make them reach celebrity status.
If you dream of a dead celebrity it could be an indication that you have thrown in the towel when it comes to fighting for your dreams to come true.
This can be demoralizing especially when things are not going so well in terms of working towards achieving milestones. It could be that singing, writing, acting or any other career or talent that you have.
Perhaps it is not too late to make those dreams come true. Draw inspiration from wherever you can and keep working towards making your dreams come true.
Let people like Susan Boyle who achieved their dreams in their late years be your inspiration and immediately resume the journey of making them come true. You might not reach celebrity status, but you will no doubt make a difference in the world.
Common Dream of Dead Meanings
Dreams could mean different things to different people. Dreams are usually similar but it is possible to have to people dream the same dream of the dead only for it not to have a similar meaning for both of them.
Usually, it’s the colors, situations, symbols, objects, and situations that influence the dream’s meaning. As much as only dreamers know what their dream about the dead really mean, there are some shared perceptions of the meanings of dreaming of dead people and they are as follows:-
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Resolving Your Feelings Of Loss Of The Loved One
The dream of the person who has passed on may be a way for you to overcome their loss and embrace acceptance. Most times people pass on before we have had a chance to make amends or resolve an issue we had with them.
Dreaming about them might be a way for you to express the unspoken feelings, tie up loose ends and do things right.
If the dead person had wronged you, for example, dreaming about them could help you forgive them and also forgive yourself as a way of healing yourself from the hurt of losing them before you had the chance to tell them.
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You Long For A Quality That The Deceased had
Sometimes you could be dreaming of this person because they had a quality that is very important to you. You might need this quality right now in your life. The deceased might have had traits that you wanted to emulate. This person might have also had qualities that turned you off and you fear that you possess them.
Since death dreams often represent something ending or the beginning of something new, maybe it is time old habits that bring you grief ended and instead you begin embracing new habits and adopting new qualities that would be a positive influence in your life whether the deceased had them or not.
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The Need To Let Go Or End Something In Your Life
Dreaming of death usually represents the end of something and the beginning of another. The dream could indicate that you need to end something in your life.
If you are dreaming of a specific person who died, it could also mean that you need to let go of everything or something associated with this person.
It could be that you have taken your grief about the loss of this person too far and that it is time to let go and move on. Another reason could be that you need to let go of something that is clearly not positive in your life.
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The Need To Resolve Something That Coincided With The Death Of The Person
Sometimes the dead person in your dream may not represent themselves but rather the time period in which they passed away.
If you are dreaming of this loved one or acquaintance many years after they passed, you can take stock of your life and look at what was happening then and if it is happening now.
For example, you could have been pregnant when they passed on and you might be pregnant now. Or maybe you are just dealing with issues that are similar to the ones that happened during that period.
Resolving the issues or experiences you are going through might help, but if it is something that you cannot change, find a way to handle it so that it doesn’t affect your life negatively.
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A Message From The Deceased
There are people who have received a message from a close deceased person in their life through a dream. However, sometimes it could just be a message from your unconscious psyche or the wise part of yourself warning you about something. The message seeming to come from the deceased might also be not as it appears.
It is especially advisable to be cautious when you receive a negative message. This is because negative messages are often a reflection of your own fear, personal thoughts, worries and rarely come from an outside source.
Treading carefully would be advisable instead of over-reacting; the dream could simply be an indication of how negative our fears and worries are to our emotions and how they could affect the decisions we make in life.
When Your Dream Of The Dead Is Recurring
If you are experiencing recurring dreams of your dead loved ones then there three main reasons why this is happening.
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You Are Still Grieving
It could be years since they passed on, but if you keep dreaming of your dead loved ones, you are definitely still grieving especially if you wake up feeling that sense of loss. You could start by talking to close friends and family about your dreams and seeking therapy.
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You Are Too Focused On Their Death
You might be too focused on how they met their death and forget the happy times they had while alive. It would be better if you remember the smiles, laughs, special occasions and many other happy moments.
Shift your focus from the sad last days and moments you had with them and think about how happy they were and how much joy they brought you. Your dreams will change for the better and they might eventually stop recurring.
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You Have regrets
The feeling of regret is the most difficult and complicated. This comes about when your loved one has passed on without resolving an issue you both had.
It would be better if you found a way to get past these regrets. You could talk to a friend, counselor or simply come to terms with your experiences in a way that would work best.
Conclusion
It is common to dream of lost loved ones and these dreams affect us deeply and become the common subject of questions for many online dream professionals.
People always want to know what such dreams mean and most would love to know how to stop such dreams from recurring.
From the above information, the dreamer would better understand such dreams from different viewpoints as explained above and take note of the various solutions offered.
Thank you for taking the time to read this article !