I Dreamt About My Ex...But He Was Dead!

Anonymous, 29
New York, NY

i had a dream the other night that my exboyfriend (we broke up 2 months ago) died! YIKES!!!! i feel horrible even sayin it, cause as much as i think he's a jerk, I don't wish anything bad on him at all. In the dream I was upset, cryin and stuff but nothin drastic......what does that mean???

Well, assuming that you woke up, your hands weren't bloody and there wasn't a bloody sharp object anywhere around you, then congratulations! It means that you're not going to jail. LOL.

Caribbean superstitions will say that whenever you dream about a death, it means the opposite: somebody's pregnant and a new life is about to come into the world. But since it's been two months, and I'm assuming you haven't missed your period, then the superstition might not be right on the money this time around. (If you have missed your period, then I guess my granny really isn't senile, and we should rethink the home we recently put her in.)

My (one-course-shy-of-a) psychology degree opinion is that dreams (and drunkenness) are our way of coping with stressful situations in our everyday life, or living out some of the fantasies that cannot really happen in life. Have you ever heard the saying "a drunk man speaks a sober man's mind'? Well dreams are the same way...they speak the thoughts of your subconcious. You guys did just break up, so maybe in some ways, he is dead to you - your subconscious just manifested that as a physical death. I know, it's deep right?

But the explanation I liked best was the one I got from simple Google search. It seemed to make the most sense:

"Generally speaking, however, dreams about death signify much needed change in our lives. Such dreams typically herald symbolic rather than literal death. In this way, death dreams let us know that some part of the self needs to be radically reworked, whether it be one's attitudes, emotions, or
relationships."

Or, this one which seemed to have a similar undertone:

Dreams of death represent the ending of one phase so that a new one can begin. It can show forthcoming finalities such as the end of a marriage or career. These are symbolic dreams and are unlikely to forecast an actual event. If the dead person is someone you know, consider what aspect of
yourself that person represents. For example, if you dream of your mother dying could it represent the 'death' of the motherly side of your own nature. Perhaps you should try to be more caring and maternal or perhaps plans you have should be nurtured rather than killed off. Alternatively, you may also be expressing your hidden feelings about the person shown. Do you have a secret resentment towards them or desire to be independent of them? Dead animals may also represent aspects of yourself. They indicate that you may be rejecting or repressing your instinctive side.

Whichever rationale you use to interpret your dream, the point is a death dream is a positive thing. It's an opportunity for you to be reborn and enter a new, uplifting part of your life without the thing/person that has "died". Seize the opportunity! Don't let your ex die in vain. LOL.