Dreaming of the Dead: Why It Happens and What It Means

Key points

Dreaming of those who have died is a commonly experienced phenomena with a variety of possible explanations.

Jungian and Freudian interpretations of dreams are helpful in understanding the meaning of dreams of the dead.

For many, dreaming of the dead provides comfort, meaning, and acceptance.

There are countless popular myths about why we dream of the dead and what it might mean, from the psychological (it is a subconscious processing of grief) to the mystical (it is our deceased loved one communicating a message); but the actual why and what of dreaming about the deceased is multilayered and nuanced, with no single explanation. Nonetheless, there is evidence that deceased loved ones have been common in the dreams of humans likely for as long as humans have been around—a