What Does A Dead Body Mean In A Dream?

This is one of the more unsettling and vivid dreams you can wake up from and still feel dread, before you come fully awake and return to your senses.

Before you instill a lingering panic over the whole of your day, a dead body in your dream very rarely indicates misfortune or death in waking life. It’s a symbolic “death”, an end to something, which will lead to a transformation.

It also embodies the break-down of a relationship, regret, nostalgia, and impending change. While a dead body in a dream is a sign of things to come, it also indicates that something in your life needs your focus right now. 

Maybe you’re not being entirely truthful with yourself about something, or you’ve been kicking something down the road which really needs doing.

Many dream interpretations of dead bodies focus on illness, misfortune, or a nasty run of bad luck, but they are simply interpretations. 

It’s more important to focus on how you felt in this dream, and what it might mean for you, as no two dreams are the same, and blanket interpretations cover a lot of possibilities. 

One thing is most likely though, if you see a dead body in a dream, you will experience change soon, in one part of your life or in all of it.  

The Meaning Behind Your Dead Body Dream

Instead of focusing on the negative in your dream, or worrying about where this change may come from or what it might mean for the future, embrace the ideas of new possibilities. 

Things could drastically improve, especially if you move toward the future with that intention in mind. 

Dreaming of a corpse connects to your outlook, and how this will shape your future, and how you deal with change as a result. 

Dreaming of a dead body does indicate the chance of difficult situations in your future, but it’s not a promise. If they do come to pass, you’ll emerge stronger when you come out the other side.

 If you felt particularly horrified or scared when you saw the body in your dream, this denotes the apprehension you have for the future. 

You know very well that things aren’t always going to be great, and situations don’t always go well just because you want them to, but that doesn’t mean you have to worry about things that might never happen. 

Taking an anxious approach toward your future will only hold you back from the good things to come.

What does it Mean to Dream of Seeing The Body of a Murder Victim?

Dreaming of a murder victim suggests that you need to begin some transformation yourself. 

Don’t wait around for something to happen – make the change you’re hoping for. 

Dreaming of someone being murdered and then seeing their body indicates you’ll soon fail at something, or someone else’s failure will soon affect you. 

This mistake or falling short of a goal will lead to unexpected success, along a path you wouldn’t have otherwise been able to take had you been successful the first time around. Dreaming of a murder can also suggest loss, which will come as a complete surprise.

What does Dreaming of Hiding a Dead Body Mean?

Dreaming of hiding a dead body reflects your efforts to escape truth in waking life. Are you concealing part of yourself from other people? 

Is there something you know but don’t want to bring yourself to accept? Are you editing out parts of your feelings, or unwilling to let yourself feel something in particular? 

This dream is a refusal to come to terms with something, or wanting desperately to change, and you feel you’re not getting anywhere. 

Fear is a big part of your life at the moment, and while you want to change that, it’s not always easy to figure out how.

Hiding a dead body in a dream represents something blocking your ability to view things objectively, though you’ve pushed through the difficult times regardless.

What does it Mean to Bury a Body in a Dream?

This is one of those dreams that you can wake up from, and you feel a little creeped out by yourself. You’ll question exactly why you were dreaming of this, or what led you to such an unsettling image, especially if there’s no real “cause” in waking life that’s prompted this. 

Dreaming of burying a body indicates you feel isolated from other people, or they are moving forward with their lives, and it looks like you’re barely moving by comparison.

You feel like someone should have had your back or taken your side in a situation, but they didn’t. Feelings of betrayal, anger, and hurt are circling you over and over.

You may be hiding how you feel from someone, or you’re reeling from a conflict or a particularly nasty argument in waking life. 

The good news is that all of these horrible things will bring about a positive change in your life. You’ll resolve the situations that are causing you grief, those you’ve been dragging round with you wherever you go. 

You’ll start afresh, and you’ll be able to take your experience and wisdom with you, using it to avoid similar situations in the future.

What does Dreaming of a Dead Body in Water Mean?

As water in a dream reflects your emotional state and your current wellbeing in waking life, and a dead body indicates change, this dream involving the two indicates you won’t feel this way forever.

It stresses the need to take a break from something, especially if you feel exhausted, or life’s being tough on you right now. You know that life can be hard, so you should take breaks where you can, even if that’s just for five minutes. 

Notice where you’re holding tension – in your jaw, your shoulders, unclench your teeth and take a breath. Get some fresh air. 

You can’t control everything, and sometimes it’s better to drop something and start it from the beginning. Focus on maintaining a balance of work and your personal life, and what you want out of life. You’ll get there.  

What does it Mean to Dream of a Dead Body in the Street or as part of a Crime Scene?

If you dream of a dead body lying in the street, this suggests you’re having trouble bettering yourself, or you don’t feel as though you’re where you should be in life. 

If you dream of a crime scene with a dead body, this denotes that something has reached a natural end – a relationship, a job, or a lifestyle you’ve outgrown.

If you dream of more than one corpse (see also Zombie Dream Interpretation), this is a bad sign for the future. It suggests that some people in your life will not be honest with you, or they will betray your trust in some way.

Your relationships are full of negativity, and that might just be a result of a bad situation, but you need to rectify it all the same. See if you can improve your relationships, and claw some of that positivity back into your life. 

If you can’t, or you know that it’s more trouble than it’s worth, it’s time to broaden your social circle, and your life in general. 

In a more symbolic sense, this dream could be telling you to let go of someone who has died – they are not suffering anymore, and by worrying about them, you’re the only one that is.

Older Dream Interpretations of a Dead Body Dream

Dreaming of many dead bodies suggests that you need to move on from past situations, in order to get the best out of the future, and you must not fight change, as this will only make things worse. 

Go with it, and be open to new experiences, as you never know where the future might take you. 

If you dream of seeing yourself as a corpse, this symbolizes shedding your past self, or you’ll change drastically from the present version of you. 

If you dream of dead people standing around you, this indicates you need to shed what’s holding you back, and realize your full potential in waking life. 

A dead body in your dream indicates a suppressed thought of feeling as though you cannot continue in waking life the way you are, so there’s an important need for change that you shouldn’t ignore.  

Dreaming of being in a room with a pile of corpses indicates an impending end to something, though it will take a while to process after it is over. You may still need to work through the emotions the situation created. 

If you dream of speaking to a dead person, you’re full of anxiety, and you find it hard to let go of your suspicions about those around you. This dream can also point to bad news in the near future, and a business venture that will fail, and potentially financial trouble. 

A dream of a dead baby symbolizes a disruption in your life, one that will halt your progress on a spiritual journey for a time. 

In your dream, if you see a corpse dressed in black, you’ll scramble to save a work situation that’s gone south, and in doing so, you may need to neglect other parts of your life to focus on it.

Dreaming of a person who died a long time ago suggests a situation in waking life is resurfacing old feelings of this person. Someone in your present life or a situation is reminding you of them. 

Dreaming of your parents dying reflects a fear of losing your family, and how you would be afraid of being unable to cope without them. 

If you dream of a deceased loved one, but they look alive and well in your dream, this is a wish fulfillment dream. You long to see them again, and how they looked when they were happy. 

You want to relive the time you were able to spend with them, or you wonder what they’d tell you now, if they were able to.

If you see the dead body of someone who is alive in waking life, this indicates future arguments with this person, or a string of bad decisions.

If you dream of your partner being dead, this indicates that deep down, you don’t trust them in one or all aspects of life. It also points to future conflict.

 Is this relationship worth continuing? Are you doubting the resilience of the connection between you? This could be a sign they’ve simply made you angry in waking life, and this is your subconscious’s way of expelling those feelings. 

If you dream of the dead body of a stranger, this suggests that other people will knock your confidence. This could be due to gossip, or them making a decision which will mean you’ll have to deal with the fallout. 

If you dream of a disembodied head, this dream is telling you that you should be wary of others. You’ll experience some turmoil in your professional life, and you won’t be able to trust people to be honest. 

They may leave you to do all the work in a group project, or someone else’s incompetence will hinder some progress if you don’t keep an eye on them.

Dreaming of being in the middle of a war and seeing dead bodies represents a conflict between two different sides of your life. You’ll struggle to find a balance between work and your family life. 

Or, you’ll be caught in the middle of a conflict between two loved ones, and a relationship will suffer some damage, which may not be repairable. This can also indicate a struggle at work or in a loved one’s relationship with their partner, which you’ll need to help them through. 

Seeing dead people in your dream is a warning dream, which suggests the company you keep cannot be trusted in a situation, or several, but you might already be aware of this. 

Dead people in your dream can also symbolize impending good news, the likes of which you’ve been hoping for, for a long time.

Dreaming of a dead body being buried in a graveyard indicates you’ll lose touch with a relative, or if you have a deep connection with them now, something in the future will cause you both to distance yourselves from each other. 

If you dream of speaking to a dead person, this indicates the desire for wisdom or guidance in your life. 

If you dream of taking a dead body out of your house, this suggests you’ll enjoy an uptick in your finances soon, or your resources, or your general resilience. A current situation will teach you a lot about what you’re capable of. 

If you dream of a bad smell, and you discover a body, something will similarly shock and maybe even disgust you in waking life. 

Dreaming of dressing a dead person for their burial is a bad omen for the future. You’ve already prepared for the worst of a situation. That’s what you’re expecting. 

This dream also suggests that you’ll suffer from envy, a cluster of troubles, or even an impending death in the future. 

It’s worth keeping in mind that these are all older dream interpretations of a dead body dream, and the meaning may not apply to the dream you had. 

It’s more important to look at the potential meanings and feel what resonates, or what fits in with your dream, and go from there.

Your Dead Body Dream Meaning At A Glance

• Seeing a dead body of someone you don’t recognize – this points to bad luck in the future.
• Seeing the body of someone you know in waking life – it may be time to reevaluate the relationship you have with this person. You may have outgrown it, or it’s a sign of a deepening connection.
• A dead body of an animal appearing in your dream – your future will be better than the present.
• A corpse that smells – this suggests you need to be more independent. Don’t trust others to do everything for you.
• Several dead bodies in your dream – you’ll suffer from several conflicts with the people you love.
• Seeing a dead relative – people will turn to you for help or your perspective soon, and you’ll feel a lot of pressure to give them the right answers, not the ones they want to hear.
• Seeing a loved one dead, but they’re alive in waking life – their relationship with you needs some attention, and you need to improve your connection with them.
• A dead baby (see also What Do Babies Mean In Dreams?) appearing in your dream – future problems that will question your sense of self, stop your progress in its tracks, or you’ll be prevented from growing spiritually for a short period of time.
• Seeing a dead body dressed in black – don’t trust the words or advice of others in a current situation. Listen to your own intuition, and what feels true to you.
• Being in the middle of a war, and seeing dead bodies – you’ll be under pressure to help someone when they need you the most, and it will come at a time when you feel busiest, but you’ll have to drop something in order to help this person.
• Seeing a dead body in your house – you’ll go through a difficult situation involving your family, it will be a rough time, but you’ll get through the other side.
• Seeing a disembodied head of a dead person – you need to widen your perspective, or gain more knowledge about a situation or someone before you can attempt something. 
• Seeing a corpse being buried – you’ll enjoy a wealth of happiness and self-improvement in the future. You’ll be ready to tackle anything that comes your way.
• Talking with the dead – you’ll look for someone’s advice soon, as your own wisdom will fall short of a troubling situation. You’ll need an outsider’s perspective in order to solve something, as it will involve your emotions, and they will be hard to see past.
• Dressing a dead person for a funeral (see also Dreaming Of Your Own Funeral) – avoid making any promises that you cannot keep, or you doubt you can keep. Tell someone what is true, not what they want to hear.
• Seeing an elderly person who is dead – you’ll benefit from a lot of wisdom in the future.
• Seeing a dead priest – there will be some religious celebrations in the future, or you’ll be invited to a nonreligious ceremony where there will be a lot of happiness.

What does a Dead Body in a Dream Mean?

Dreaming about corpses largely suggests you’re refusing to let go of something, though it has no hold on you now, or the situation is over. 

You’re refusing to move on, or you feel incapable of doing so. A particular emotion is at your heels no matter what, and you can’t seem to get rid of it, though you’ve tried your best.

Alternatively, you feel disconnected from life and situations that should be causing you a lot of emotion, but you feel “dead” inside. 

This is a sign of a lot of stress, which you’ve been suffering from for a long time, or a lack of control over your life, which has made you believe you are powerless to change your own life. 

A dead body in your dream can be a sign of suffering from depression, and reflects how you feel devoid of life or motivation, you no longer feel the positive emotions, or you’re unable to see the positives in waking life right now. 

This dream can signify that you’ve lost a passion in part of your life – you no longer have a drive for the work you do or gain any satisfaction from completing it, or you no longer feel the affection you did in a romantic relationship, or a friendship which used to seem so important now feels pointless. You feel empty. 

Dreaming of a dead body can also indicate you know exactly what’s troubling you, what’s going wrong in life, but knowing doesn’t help, it makes it worse. 

You feel powerless to change it, to make it into a positive – maybe there is no right answer here, no solution – and all you can do is carry on, though you feel you can’t, you know you have to.

Pushing through in a situation like this will get you through it eventually, you’ll be tired, but eventually, you’ll be relieved, as no situation can drag on forever. You might be in a state of complete denial – you don’t want to change your situation, as you feel change will only make things worse than they are now. 

Why Your Dream of a Dead Body is a Positive Sign

On a lighter note, dreaming of a dead body is a good sign. How you react within your dream, and how you felt upon waking, points to how you will react in the future and what it holds for you, and what path you’ll take. 

This dream allows you to gain a deeper insight into your adaptability and your reactions to situations, which will allow you to make decisions more readily in the future. 

You’ll be able to decide what’s best for you, more easily, after a dream like this. 

Dreaming of a dead body can represent the negative things in life which you’ve managed to conquer, and negative thoughts or past bad habits which you’ve shed in order to improve your life. 

You have a better idea of your resilience and self-control, and you can kick any harmful habits or thoughts, so they don’t impact your future or your ability to make the best decisions for yourself. 

Though, this can work the other way – the corpse in your dream can represent positive opportunities which have been prevented by negative forces in your life. 

After a dream like this, it’s a good idea to reflect on what you want, and how you can get there.

What does Dreaming of an Autopsy Mean?

It’s interesting to note that the oldest surviving record of an autopsy was carried out in 44 BC, on the 15th March, when Julius Caesar was murdered by members of the Senate at a meeting. 

Many admired him, and his portrait appeared on coins (see also coin dream meaning) – which was unheard of for a living person to have this honor. 

The Senate and the wealthy parts of society worried he would reinstate the monarchy, and take power for himself, as some people referred to him as “King” when they greeted him. 

Instead of hiding the body, or disguising the murder as an accident, Caesar was initially left where he fell for everyone to see. 

Eventually, he was brought back to his house, and a doctor called Antistius examined the body. Among the 23 stab wounds Caesar suffered, it was a single wound to his chest that killed him. 

The record was made public at the Roman forum, and this is where the term “forensic” comes from, which translates as “from the forum”.  

Dreaming of an autopsy or seeing someone remove organs from a body is symbolic of waking life, where someone is planning to take something from you. 

It can indicate you’re lacking something important in life, and you need to find out what it is, and fix it. 

Dreaming of an autopsy suggests you’re trying to find meaning behind the end of something – something in life has come to a close, like a job, a relationship, or a situation, and you’re wondering why now. 

You’re reflecting on your life as it is, and you’re coming to terms with everything that has happened, and the choices you’ve made that’s led to your current situation. 

You might be doing some exploration of your subconscious mind, to transform your present life into something you really want, and how you might feel when you get there. 

What does it Mean to Dream of Carrying Out an Autopsy?

Dreaming of carrying out an autopsy indicates you’re unwilling to let go of your past, or something that happened that’s shaped who you are. 

This dream suggests that you need to move on, and stagnating as you are could risk you losing out on opportunities that were meant for you. A problem that you thought you were done with has come back with a vengeance, and you need to resolve it completely this time. 

A dream where you see yourself carrying out an autopsy can suggest you feel lonely, or you will, and you’ll wonder why you’re so isolated, and this dream is symbolic of trying to find the reason. Reach out.

If you dream of killing someone and then disposing of the body or maiming it, this suggests you’ll go through a tough financial time, in which case you should prepare for this – and if you avoid it, you’ll still be in a better place financially.

What does it Mean to Dream of Being the Subject of an Autopsy?

Dreaming of being cut open in an autopsy suggests you’re caught up in nostalgia. You’re longing for a past chapter in your life, a person who is no longer in your present, or a situation in your past.

Something in waking life has caused you to look back and reminisce, and while things may have seemed better in the past, or you feel you didn’t know how good you had things back then, keep in mind that your memory isn’t always correct. 

Memories get a little more distorted each time you remember, and the things we preserve aren’t always in the “truest” sense. Point your gaze toward the future, as that’s where the good stuff is. 

Positive Changes are Coming, If

• You didn’t recognize the person who had died
• The person who was dead tried to harm you earlier in the dream, or you were at odds
• The dead body was an animal
• You didn’t feel disgusted, shocked, or saddened when you saw the body

Feelings You May Have Experienced During Your Dead Body Dream

Terrified. Shocked. Anguish. Disgusted. Betrayed. Relief. Filled with regret.