Dreams have long been considered to be our mind’s way of telling us things. It’s believed that the nature of your dream depends on your mood and the type of recurring thoughts you’ve been having recently. A dream is a hallucinatory experience that you experience more strongly during the REM cycles of your sleep.
If you’ve had dreams of someone trying reloading bullets to kill you, don’t fret. It’s not a prophecy. But it may be an indicator of certain psychological conditions or even carry deep spiritual significance. This guide will help you decode your violent dreams.
Dreams of Someone Trying to Kill You
Believe it or not, but dreams of someone trying to kill you are fairly common, as common as dreams like falling off or being naked in public. A cross-cultural study of dreams and their causes published in Science Direct showed that negative dreams are more common than positive dreams.
One of the world’s most prominent psychologists, Dr. Sigmund Freud observed that dreams derive their content from real-life experiences and mimic them. And the fact people can barely remember their dreams led Freud to assert that dreams are the brain’s way of manifesting latent intent, desires, and emotions. And the purpose of a dream is to understand our subconscious better.
Carl Jung also shared a similar outlook towards dreams. He believed that dreams were the psyche’s attempt to communicate important things to the individual. He believed dreams were critical for the development of your personality, individuation, and ideation.
On the other hand, some experts believe dreams have no connection to emotions or thoughts. There are many differing opinions as to why we dream and what their true purpose is. It’s still unclear whether or not dreams are your mind’s way of regulating your emotions. There’s a lot we still don’t know about dreams. So, there can be many possible causes and interpretations concerning a dream about getting murdered.
Dream Description
Dreams of someone trying to kill you can manifest in many ways. After all, there are many ways to die, and let’s admit it, some are far worse than others.
One of the common ways this type of dream manifests is by being chased by someone who intimidates you or threatens you. Often, you will wake up as soon as he/she catches up to you or even before that.
Another common version is being asphyxiated via choking in your dream. This can be dangerous if your brain is far too immersed in the dream and can cause very real trauma.
Some people have dreams of being kidnapped and tied to the back of a van. Some people have dreams of being stabbed or pushed off a cliff. The worst, however, is probably being caught and tortured in some way. Dreams have more depth than people realize. The way you’re being killed or pursued is connected to the underlying emotions that caused the dream.
Meanings
As mentioned earlier, dreams can have more meaning than people realize. The details matter. How you’re being killed in the dream is directly connected to its meaning. Here are some of the factors to consider.
#1. Who Is Trying to Kill You?
If someone you know is trying to kill you in your dreams, such as a close friend, a co-worker, a family member, or your significant other, it may be a sign that you feel subconsciously threatened by them. If you’ve harmed them in the past, it may also be a sign of a troubled conscience desperate to make amends.
However, if you don’t know the person killing you in your dream, it means you’re not afraid of someone specifically. Rather, you might be afraid of a certain quality or situation. For example, let’s say the killer is a police officer. In this case, your killer symbolizes power, authority, and perhaps even corruption.
#2. How Are They Trying to Kill You?
The way you’re being killed is an important detail you need to observe and understand. The nuances of your murder can have drastically different interpretations.
For example, if you’re being stabbed in the back or are caught unaware in some way, it’s a sign you feel betrayed or are worried about being betrayed. If you’re shot in the heart, that may be a sign that you’re worried about the longevity of your romantic relations.
#3. Weapons Used
The weapon used to kill you in your dream can also carry certain symbolism. Being killed with something sharp like a knife symbolizes aggression. Being killed using poison, on the other hand, may indicate a passionate relationship with your killer.
Causes
#1. Stress
Being overstressed is one of the primary causes for all kinds of negative dreams, including dreams of being killed. Try to remember the kind of dreams you’ve been having lately. How many of them are riddled with conflict, fear, and violence? If you’ve been having such dreams multiple times per week, you need to identify the root cause of your stress and start addressing it.
#2. Real Life Conflict
Ongoing conflict with your family, boss, co-workers, friends, enemies, or even strangers may also be one of the causes. Your brain may be trying to caution you by playing out the situations you’re afraid of finding yourself in with this person. Some conflicts are easy to resolve and not worth having.
#3. Crime And Terrifying Events
Witnessing criminal activity like murders, sexual assault, bombings, warfare, or domestic violence can lead to serious trauma. Such terrifying events are an abundant source of fodder for your imagination to highlight your deepest fears and emotional states.
#4. Loss of Control in Your Life
Being killed in your dream may not always have to do with danger. You could not be in danger, not have any trauma, and still have such dreams. In this case, being killed itself is likely symbolic. If you’re losing control in your life and facing adversity, it can feel quite debilitating, thus causing such dreams.
Psychological Facts
Here are some fascinating facts about dreams, or more specifically nightmares, that you might find insightful.
#1. The content of dreams differs among genders. There are certain patterns or details in dreams that you can observe more largely in one gender than the other. For instance, it has been observed that women tend to see clothes in better detail in their dreams.
#2. You can only dream about a person you’ve seen before. Your brain borrows from reality to create dreams, and while it offers unique impressions, it cannot create an entirely new face.
#3. Studies have shown that even though people experience fear strongly in their bad dreams, negative emotions like confusion, guilt, sadness, and disgust are the driving force behind nightmares.
#4. Studies have shown that 8 percent of the general population experiences sleep paralysis, which is the inability to move when you’re in between the state of being asleep and awake.
#5. There is no conclusive evidence for why people dream and what purpose it serves. It’s mostly just speculation.
When Should You Be Concerned?
Negative dreams are a normal occurrence. They’re not something to dwell on or worry about, but you should still make an effort to understand them and what they’re trying to communicate. Nobody knows you better than you, so you are the best interpreter of your dreams.
As for when you need to be concerned? If you have these dreams regularly and they start causing symptoms like sleep paralysis or night terrors, it’s advisable to visit a therapist. Alleviating the emotions that are causing these dreams is the only way to make them stop.
