Dreams of dead bodies are disturbing to say the least. A dream like this can follow you around for the rest of the day, where you picture the body again without wanting to.
The emotion caused by this dream can also linger, casting a horrible shadow over the rest of your day. What should have been a good day suddenly turns into a mediocre one, where you can’t stop replaying your dream.
But something worse, of course, is the question of why. Why are you dreaming of a dead body? Is it somehow a prediction of death, bad luck, or does it mean something else entirely?
Let’s find out.
Dead Body Dream Symbol
You’ll be glad to know that when a dead body appears in your dreams, it doesn’t normally signal someone is going to die, or you’re going to be the victim of bad luck.
Instead, a dead body in a dream represents an ending, which then paves the way for a new beginning. This may lead to a period of adjustment, where you will go through a transition to become a better version of yourself.
A dead body can also represent guilt or regret that you’re carrying around wherever you go, or a significant change that is just around the corner.
A corpse in a dream can be something coming in the future, or something that’s already happening to you. Maybe something needs your immediate attention, and it won’t wait.
A dream like this is common when you’ve been lulling yourself into a false sense of security about something. You have convinced yourself that what you want to happen is what’s going to happen, but your dream urges you to recognize the truth.
Maybe you’ve been putting something off because it’s too worrying to begin with, but if you don’t start, things will only get worse.
It’s worth mentioning that while many interpretations focus on bad luck or illness, you should always pay attention to the details of your dream, as they dictate the meaning, and can shape its message into something completely different from the common themes.
Why Am I Dreaming Of A Dead Body?
A dead body appearing in your dream is most likely to happen when your life is about to change dramatically.
Some people believe that a dream of a corpse means that you’re about to have some terrible luck, bad news, or fall ill. This is because of the negative associations with death, including disease and decay.
While many interpretations suggest this should be for the worst, that’s not necessarily the case. This could be a very good thing, which might not involve bad luck, loss, or sickness at all. Instead, it’s simply closing one chapter of your life, and beginning another.
Of course, it doesn’t mean that there is no chance that the change will be bad or difficult, but it’s not exactly a guarantee, either. If you do find things are difficult after a dream like this, the good news is that you’ll be stronger for it.
Dreaming of a particularly frightening dead body points to your fear of change and what the future might hold for you. You’ve had some awful situations in the past, and you know that things won’t turn out well just because you hope they might.
Don’t let these experiences stop you from enjoying the present moment, as the bad things you’re worrying about might not even happen.
Why Dreaming Of A Dead Body Is A Good Thing
Despite what your emotions during this dream might point to, a dead body in your dream is actually a positive sign.
It allows for a glimpse into how you might react to change, which is reflected in your emotional reaction to seeing the corpse, and how you feel when you wake up.
For example, if you are simply curious about why the body was there, this dream tells you that your curious nature will spark a positive change in your life.
However, if you dream of being horrified or terrified when you see the body, you tend to react badly to change, and this shift in your circumstances will be difficult at best to adapt to.
As death in a dream is symbolic of an ending, a dead body can signify bad habits, terrible behavior, and vicious cycles you have managed to conquer.
You know what tests your self-control, and where your limits lie, and this allows you to make choices that are best for you going forward.
But the dead body can also symbolize hopes and dreams which are no longer possible, and how you might struggle to leave them behind.
This is especially true if you dream of the same body over and over, denoting your struggle to leave the past behind. A dream like this urges you to look to the future, and the good things that might come out of it, if you dare to dream.
What Does It Mean To Dream Of A Corpse?
Corpses appearing in your dreams mirror how you feel ‘dead’ in waking life. Nothing feels real, and while you intellectually know that certain circumstances in waking life should be making you feel something, you feel nothing at all.
This is common when you’re under an intense amount of pressure, for much longer than you feel you can take. You feel you can’t change anything, or someone else has been making your choices for you.
Recurring dreams of dead bodies can be a symptom of despair or depression, where you’ve lost what fired you up in the past. You can’t seem to find any hopes that you had, and nothing feels right anymore.
Maybe something that you used to love no longer does anything for you now, whether that’s in a relationship or in your hobby or career. You feel lost without it.
A dead body in a dream can imply that knowing about a problem only makes it much worse than it needs to be when you can’t do anything about it.
You know there’s no magical fix, no solution no matter how hard you work, it’s just something you have to deal with as best you can.
Alternatively, a dream involving a corpse implies that while something is long over, you refuse to confront the emotions that came with the situation, or you still think something has a great influence on you, but you’re only projecting this.
You feel you can’t move past it, or you simply don’t want to. Anger, frustration, grief, or uncertainty is coloring every thought, and you can’t seem to get rid of them.
Why Am I Dreaming Of An Autopsy?
A dream of an autopsy is not as common as a dream where you see a dead body in a different context. This is a little strange, considering that most dramas – if they include dead bodies – usually feature autopsies, too.
But there isn’t always a reason why some dreams are more common than others. Nevertheless, an autopsy dream has something interesting to say to you.
Dreaming of an autopsy implies that you suspect someone is about to try and steal something you greatly value. Or, you feel life is missing something, and until you figure out what that might be, you will always be a little hollow.
An autopsy in a dream can imply that you’re looking for a reason why something has ended. This might be a career path, an abrupt end to a relationship, or something else which makes you question your path in life.
This dream is also likely to happen when you’re examining your life as a whole, and trying to shape it into something worth working towards.
Doing An Autopsy In A Dream
Dreaming of doing an autopsy on a body implies that you’re holding onto something which is long gone.
While the situation is over, it’s left its mark on you, something that will never go away. After all, it’s made you into the person you are.
A dream like this reveals the need to move past it. While it was significant in its way, it’s not relevant to what’s happening now, and you might be missing out on something that seems made for you because your attention is in the past.
Alternatively, a dream of doing an autopsy mirrors a clinical approach that you need to adopt. An age-old issue which you thought you’d put behind you has resurfaced, and you want to make sure you are completely done with it this time around.
If you see yourself carrying out an autopsy from a third-person perspective, you feel detached from other people. You long to reconnect with others, but you are unsure of the best way to go about it.
If you dream of murdering someone and then performing an autopsy, this implies that you’ll make a serious mistake, and you’ll have to find your own way out. This is something you’ll have to do on your own, and more than likely, it points to financial difficulties.
Dreaming Of Being An Autopsy Subject
A nightmare where you’re on an autopsy table means that you’re not focusing on the present. You’re too wrapped up in the past, and nostalgia has you in its claws.
You want to be in the past. Maybe you want to be with someone who is no longer in your life, or revisit a fantastic time which you know cannot repeat itself.
While it feels good to revisit the good parts of your past, don’t get too caught up in the nostalgia. It’s said that every time you recall a memory, you change it.
So the things you might remember the most are some of the details that might be less accurate than you might think.
What Does It Mean To Dream Of Someone Murdered?
Seeing a murder victim in your dream implies that the great change that this corpse represents, needs to come from you. While change is the natural state of the universe, sometimes it needs a little help.
You can’t always leave things to chance.
If you dream of watching someone being murdered, this suggests there is failure entangled somewhere in your future. This might be your own mistake, or someone else’s that will affect you anyway.
But this isn’t all bad. This failure in particular will lead you to a different direction, one which wouldn’t be possible unless you fail. Murder in dreams can also denote grief and unexpected loss.
Dreaming Of A Dead Body In Water
In order to find the meaning behind this dream, it’s worth looking at what water represents. Your subconscious includes water in a dream to mirror your emotional wellbeing.
As a corpse within a dream suggests change is coming, you need to be this change. You’ve been feeling more stressed and anxious than ever before, and you need to find a way to take some time to recharge.
This is especially true if you’ve been physically aching lately. The body can hold stress and tension in specific areas, such as your shoulders, the base of your neck, and around your eyes.
Consciously relax your muscles, and feel a little of that stress drain. Now find a way to release the rest.
Seeing A Dead Body As Part Of A Crime Scene
Dreaming of a crime scene complete with a dead body implies that something has come to its natural conclusion, whether you’ve outgrown it, or it has transformed into something else entirely. This could be a relationship, a chapter in your life, or a career path.
A crime scene with more than one body is considered a bad omen. It means that a person or several will be a source of conflict for you, whether that’s through betraying your trust, or not telling you the truth.
A dream like this reveals that more than one of your relationships has a lot to do with the negative feelings you’ve been carrying around with you. You should explore the cause, and see if there’s anything you can do about it.
If you see a corpse lying in the street, this means that you’re struggling to push forward in life. You feel that you haven’t matched up to your own expectations of where you should be, but don’t be too hard on yourself. Things rarely go to plan.
Dreaming Of Hiding A Dead Body
Hiding a corpse in your dream suggests that you’re in denial. You want to avoid the truth of something, but you know that facing it is inevitable. So why put it off now?
This could be in any area of your life. Maybe you’re hiding your true self because you don’t want to be judged, but this will continue to make you more unhappy and uncomfortable with yourself in the long run.
Or, you’re refusing to accept a situation that you can’t change, because you have no say in it. The action of hiding a dead body in a dream implies that your perception of things is skewed to the point where you cannot see things for what they really are.
Fear or anxiety may be making your decisions for you, and you need to remember how to regain control over these emotions, and you’ll find things much easier.
Burying A Dead Body In A Dream
Sometimes, your subconscious may be a little too creepy. A dream where you bury a dead body does not point to murderous intent in waking life, so don’t worry.
Instead, a dream of burying a body implies that you feel cut off from others, or you feel like everyone is making great progress, and you’re getting nowhere. You’re constantly comparing yourself to others.
Burying a dead body as fast as you can in a dream points to shame, betrayal, and hurt.
Someone has not been there for you like you hoped they would, and this negativity threatens to take over your life in one way or another.
If you dream of burying a body you found out of respect for the dead, this has a different meaning. It means that your morals don’t always line up with those around you, but this is not a bad thing, as long as you stay true to yourself.
You might be relieved to know that these interpretations also have a positive side. These emotions will cause you to bring about constructive change, and you’ll have the motivation you need to move forward in life.
Older Dream Interpretations Of A Dead Body
It’s worth noting that most of the above interpretations attached to these specific scenarios are important, it’s also worth considering that there are some older dream interpretations that are just as relevant.
It’s worth looking through the older ones to see if they resonate with you and your dream any better than the modern ones, so let’s take a look at a few.
If you see many corpses in your dream, this implies that you are stuck in an area of the past.
You might be replaying a certain memory over and over, and while it feels better to do this than focus on the present, you’ll need to turn your mind to it eventually.
You might be tempted to do this when change comes knocking on your door, when the uncertainty gets too much, and the fear of things going badly wrong.
But you have to adapt. How else will you get the best out of what the future holds for you?
Dreaming of being a dead body implies that you’re about to go through a dramatic transformation, where you’ll be able to draw a concrete line between before and after.
Seeing many dead people surrounding you in a dream is your subconscious urging you to let go of what’s holding you back in life, and push past what you think are your limitations.
Seeing a desiccated dead body implies an underlying feeling that you can’t carry on the way things are. You need to bring about the change that the corpse signifies in order for things to improve.
Dreaming of someone who died years ago implies that your waking hours are bringing old memories of this person to the surface.
A dream of a dead loved one who looks alive in your dream reveals how your connection to them is still strong.
You want to see them again – but without life’s troubles bothering them. You might wonder what they’d have to say about your life right now, and what advice they might give you.
If you dream of your parents dying, this mirrors your anxiety of bad things happening to your family.
A dream where you see the corpse of your partner denotes trust issues with them, which will eventually break your connection with them. Or, it reflects conflict and frustration with your partner in waking life.
Seeing the corpse of someone who is alive in waking life reveals conflict with this person, and you’ll both struggle to resolve it.
If you dream of a room full of corpses, this suggests that something you greatly value is about to end, and it will take you some time to reconcile yourself with this.
Talking to the dead in your dream suggests that your waking life is full of worries, and right now, you’re confusing your intuition with the running commentary of anxiety.
It may also reveal difficult news coming your way, money worries, or failure in your work life.
Dreaming of a dead body dressed for a funeral means that you’ll try with everything you’ve got to salvage a project in your work life, and in order to get it done, you will have to drop other areas of your life until you succeed with this one thing.
Seeing a deceased baby in your dream implies that something is about to interrupt your progress along your spiritual path.
A dream of an unknown corpse implies that someone will damage your belief in yourself soon. This may be deliberate or accidental, but it will take some work to recover what you’ve lost.
Seeing a corpse’s head in a dream suggests that now is the time to be careful who you trust, especially in your work life. The business part of your life is about to get rocky, and in this instance, the only person you can rely on is yourself.
A dream where you see many bodies in a war implies that you have an internal struggle on your hands. You’re finding it difficult to balance different areas of your life, and this will only get worse over time.
You may find yourself trying very hard not to pick sides in an argument between people you love. It may be best not to get too involved in the conflict, as this could make things very difficult.
A dream like this can also signal one of your loved ones has a difficulty that you’ll need to help them with. Maybe you’ll see something in a situation that they’re too close to in order to notice, and your help will get them through.
Dead people appearing in dreams can also come as a warning. To see several bodies and feel terrified means that you should be very careful what you tell others, and trust in their motivations, not in their words.
However, bodies appearing in your dream may also suggest a positive end to something, where the close will come as a relief. It can reveal positive news, too.
If you dream of watching the dead being laid to rest in a graveyard, this reveals a discord between you and a relative, or an event that will cause some distance between you.
Talking to the dead reveals that you want more certainty that your current path is the right one, or you want some advice in an area of your life.
Dreaming of dragging a body from your home implies that a troubling situation will tell you everything about your limits, and exactly how you might work with them. It can also imply financial success, or better security.
A dream where you discover a body through a bad smell implies an unpleasant surprise waiting for you in your waking hours.
If you dream of preparing a body for a funeral, this denotes bad luck in the near future. You won’t enjoy what it has in store for you, to say the least. You will become jealous of someone you admire or love, and this has the potential to drive a rift between you.
It may also hint at loss and grief, but as these are older dream interpretations, it’s worth considering them only as another potential message.
These are not certain by any means, and the way to find the meaning behind your specific dream is to look at the details of your dream, align it with events in waking life, and what feels true to you.
Dead Body Dream Summary
- An unknown corpse in your dream: misfortune, a series of difficult issues that come about through no fault of your own
- The body of someone alive in waking life: your relationship with them is about to change
- The corpse of an animal: things will soon improve
- Finding a dead body by the smell: develop your skills to become more independent, so you don’t have to rely on others so much
- More than one corpse: arguments with people you know and love
- A dead relative: someone will reach out for your help. How you respond will dictate the future of your relationship
- A loved one dead, but they’re alive in waking life: you need to focus on your relationship with this person, as it may start to deteriorate
- A body dressed for a funeral: trust your instincts over the advice of other people. Make sure that you don’t take people’s advice just because it’s theirs, and you trust them more than your own intuition
- Preparing a corpse for a funeral: Make sure you can keep to your word and what you promise others. Be honest about what you can do and what you see
- A dead body being buried: optimism, personal growth, and happiness
- A dead baby: something is about to bring your progress to a complete halt. You may question your life’s path, and your spiritual journey may be interrupted
- Bodies in a war: you’re going to struggle when you’re called by someone to help them, as you’ll have enough to deal with. But you will need to find a way to help, even if that means abandoning something for a while
- A corpse in your home: your family will go through a difficult period
- Seeing a head in your dream: broaden your horizons. You need more know-how before you go after something you’ve been dreaming of
- Talking with the dead: searching for advice or guidance. An outsider’s point of view will help you greatly
Final Thoughts
Dreaming of a dead body refers to the relationship between the present and the past, and how you might not be focused enough on what’s going on around you.
A corpse in your dream points to future change, whether you are ready for it or not. It suggests that something is about to come to a close, something that will take you some time to reconcile yourself with.
It can also denote how you feel you’ve lost part of yourself, or you feel disconnected from waking life. Something that used to drive you no longer moves you, and only falls flat. It may reflect how you think you can’t control what happens in your life, too.
But dreams of this type aren’t always so bleak. Sometimes they can mean a future relief at something coming to a close, where it will allow for something new to begin.
This might be a situation that you can’t wait to be done with, a long-term problem, or something that you just want to put behind you, in order for you to move on to something new.