Dreamt Of Someone Dying Who's Still Alive? Here's What It Really Means, From Dream Experts

From dreaming your teeth fell out to dreaming you were attacked by an animal, there are a number of nightmarish dream scenarios that many of us experience at some point. One of those scenarios is dreaming of someone dying who's still alive in real life.

It goes without saying that dreaming about someone dying can feel extremely troubling. If you're superstitious or believe in prophetic dreams, for instance, you may even fear your dream will come true.

The good news, according to professional dream interpreter Lauri Loewenberg, is that this isn't a dream you need to take literally. Rather than speaking to an actual death in your life, she says these dreams often relate to endings or change.

"The subconscious will use death to represent a change or ending because it is the way the subconscious is helping us come to terms with, and understand, the finality of what's going on—to allow us to let go of that which is no longer viable or that we no longer need," Loewenberg tells mindbodygreen.

Further, she notes, characters in our dreams actually often represent us in some way. So even if it's someone else who died in your dream, that could speak to something about yourself or your relationship with that person that's changing. Sometimes, she adds, other people dying in dreams indicates there could be something changing with that person or within the dynamics of your relationship, as well.

Whether it was your mother, partner, or best friend, Loewenberg tells mindbodygreen that dreaming of someone close to you dying often indicates something is changing between you and this person, or something about your relationship with them is changing or ending.

As clairvoyant and medium Catharine Allan previously wrote for mindbodygreen, sometimes our dreams get particularly wonky when we're stressed or processing a lot in our waking lives. If you're having an especially strange dream and someone dies, she says it could indicate pure fear of change or loss.

According to Loewenberg, it's not uncommon to dream that your child gets into a fatal accident. But have no fear, mamas—she assures mindbodygreen that these dreams typically relate to grieving the passage of time and your child growing up.

Sometimes in dreams, we have a vague awareness of something in our mind without it actually being a part of the dream's imagery. In this case, Loewenberg says, hearing about or knowing that someone died in a dream can relate to a change or ending that happened in the past that needs to happen again now.

For instance, if you have a fair-weather friend die in a dream, that may be your subconscious reminding you of how you once cut off a different fair-weather friend years ago.

Dead bodies in dreams represent an issue in your life (including relationships) that is now "dead" and needs to be buried in order to move on. In this instance, Loewenberg says that anything you can remember about the body can help clue you in to what it represents.

In some dreams about death, you may attend the funeral of the person who died. In this case, Loewenberg tells mindbodygreen that funerals are the way we celebrate the life of a person and say goodbye to them, so if you dream you're at a funeral, you're likely actively in the process of getting rid of something in your life.

Last but not least, you may have the unnerving dream that someone you know has turned into a zombie. According to Loewenberg, this one's more common than you might think and often indicates you're holding a grudge, aka "not letting something die."

If you've been having dreams about people dying that are still alive in real life, first things first, according to Loewenberg: "Know that death dreams are common, so don't let it freak you out. They indicate change, and changes can be hard and difficult—but changes also help us grow."

Knowing that dreaming of someone dying often relates to changes or endings (whether in your life or the life of the person who died in the dream), you can then pinpoint exactly what situation the dream is referring to. Assess whether you feel this change or ending in your life is a good thing or if it's something you need to try to keep alive, she notes.

The sooner you can address this change in your waking life, the more likely you are to stop having the dream, especially if it's a recurring dream. This might mean burying a grudge, moving on from a recent change, or diving right into whatever the change is without fear.