Dreams About Suicide: Meaning, Why They Happen & What to Do

If You Need Immediate Help

If you are thinking about suicide or self-harm, or you are concerned that someone you care about may be a danger to themselves or others, please seek help immediately. You can call the mental health and suicide crisis line by dialing 988 or go to the nearest emergency room. Please know that help is available, and things can and do get better.

Is It Normal to Dream About Suicide?

Dreams about suicide are not an uncommon experience. Dreams can happen for a lot of different reasons and don’t necessarily mean that a person is considering suicide. However, if dreams about suicide are persistent or ongoing, this may be a warning sign of suicide and should be addressed.

Recent statistics relating to dreams of suicide are not readily available. However, one study found that people with depression and suicidal ideation are more likely to have dreams that contain death, violence, or suicide than people without suicidal ideation. This indicates that people who have depression with suicidal ideation and also have dreams about suicide could be at higher risk and should seek professional help right away.¹

What Does it Mean to Dream About Suicide?

Dreams can occur for a lot of different reasons, and there are many possible interpretations. Suicide dreams can indicate letting go of a part of themselves or an unhealthy situation that a person would like to change. While dreams about suicide are not automatically a reason for concern, dreams can be a warning sign of suicide, especially when depression is present.

Here are eight reasons a person may dream about suicide:

1. Emotional Distress

The subconscious mind sometimes uses dreams as a way to work through emotional distress or current stressors. Dreams about suicide may indicate that a person is struggling with higher stress than usual or dealing with an emotionally difficult situation where the subconscious mind is trying to process and make sense of everything.²

2. Depression

One of the symptoms of depression is an increase in thoughts of death or suicide, and sometimes, these thoughts may show up in dreams. Dreams of suicide may also be a symbolic representation of the sadness and feelings of hopelessness that depression can cause. In addition, people with depression may have trouble sleeping, which can cause their dreams to be more vivid.³

3. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Individuals with suicidal obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) might experience intrusive thoughts and fears related to suicide and suicide dreams. Intrusive thoughts about suicide can affect sleep and dreams, and a person with OCD may perform compulsive rituals to try to prevent or avoid these dreams. In particular, the suicidal OCD subtype is focused on obsessive thoughts and compulsions related to the fear of suicide.⁴

4. Fear of Loss

Dreams can sometimes reflect a person’s deepest hidden fears and darker thoughts. A person who is experiencing a fear of losing someone or something that they care about may dream about death or suicide as the subconscious mind tries to make sense of the fear of loss. These dreams may also symbolically feature suicide as a representation of fear, loss, and change.

5. Past Experiences

Another possible dream interpretation is that dreams are a way to work through past experiences. People often dream about things that they have been through in their lives, and one possible interpretation of dreams is that they are a way to make sense of past experiences. Being impacted by suicide, experiencing a traumatic event, or the death of a loved one may influence dreams.

6. Nightmare Disorder

Nightmare disorder is a form of parasomnia, or sleep disorder, and can result in dreams about any number of terrifying situations, including suicide. Nightmare disorder causes a person to have frequent, vivid, and intense nightmares. These interrupt sleep and leave a person with feelings of fear, anxiety, and exhaustion that last well into the daytime.⁵

7. Symbolic Desires

Some people believe that dreams about death are symbolic and indicate that it is time for change. In this interpretation, dreams about suicide would not be taken literally but rather as a message from the subconscious mind that it is time for aspects of a person’s life, job, relationship, or something else to “die” so that something new can come along.

8. Traumatic Events

Nightmares are one of the principal features of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). People who have experienced a traumatic event often have PTSD-related night terrors. The subject matter of the nightmare may or may not be directly related to the trauma that was experienced, for example, a person who witnessed or heard about a suicide attempt dreaming about suicide⁶

Impact of Dreaming About Suicide

Dreaming about suicide can be a deeply unsettling experience. It can result in interrupted sleep, brain fog, and tiredness that lasts into the next day. Dreaming about suicide can create anxiety and spark worries about one’s mental health or the safety of their loved ones. If these dreams are ongoing or severe, they can eventually impact a person’s ability to function in daily life.

What to Do When You Have Suicide Dreams

There are many possible coping skills that can help a person deal with dreams about suicide. The coping strategies that will be most helpful depend on the reason one is having these dreams: For instance, a person fearing a loss may need support and a listening ear, while a person with a nightmare disorder may need to meet with a sleep specialist.

Here are some tips for how to cope with suicide dreams:

Seek Support

Talk to someone you trust about your dreams. Let them know if you need them to just listen or if you would like them to help you come up with solutions or interpret what the dream is trying to tell you. It’s important to have someone you can talk to without fear of judgment, who can simply listen and be there with you and provide support.

Consult a Sleep Specialist

If dreams of suicide are significantly impacting your sleep, you might want to consider scheduling a consultation with a sleep specialist. Dreams can be caused by sleep disorders, circadian rhythm disorders, and other sleep-related conditions. A sleep specialist can assess your sleep and recommend effective treatments. Insomnia can increase the risk of suicide, so it is important to address sleep problems.³

Begin Therapy

A licensed therapist can help you explore the underlying reasons for your dreams. They can work with you to examine the subconscious factors that might be contributing to an increase in stress or anxiety or other factors that may impact your sleep. A therapist can also help you identify and build coping skills to help improve your sleep and help you cope with your dreams.

Try Journaling

Journaling about dreams of suicide can help. Keeping a dream journal is a well-known tool for tracking and understanding your dreams. Keep a notebook and pen near your bed, and write down your dreams before you are fully awake. Over time, this can help you start to notice patterns, triggers, stressors, or even a common theme within the dreams themselves.

Utilize Relaxation Techniques

Techniques like deep breathing exercises, meditation, and progressive muscle relaxation can help to calm the mind and relax the body before bed. This can help reduce anxiety when you wake up from a disturbing dream so that you can get back to sleep.

Here is a simple breath practice for helping your nervous system calm down when you wake up from a suicide dream:

• Take a deep breath, filling the top and bottom of your lungs
• Now, take a nice, slow exhale. Breathe out as if you are breathing through a straw, and be sure to make the exhale longer than the inhale.
• Simply notice the breath by saying to yourself, “I’m breathing in,” “I’m breathing out”
• Repeat as many times as needed before you start to feel your body relax and your heart rate return to normal

Practice Mindfulness & Grounding

Mindfulness and grounding exercises can help you return to the present moment and focus on what’s happening now rather than what you experienced in your dream. Mindfulness can be a very calming experience that can allow your mind and body to regulate.

Here is a music exercise to try to manage post-dream distress:

• Put on headphones with calm, relaxing music
• Pay attention to your breath, noticing your breath coming into and going out of your body
• Notice the music in the background while your attention is on your breath
• Then, shift your attention to the music. Notice each individual instrument, word, and sound.
• While listening to the music, your breath goes to the background
• Toggle back and forth between focusing on your breath and the sound of the music, turning your attention inward and then outward

Limit Stimulants

Reduce caffeine and stimulant intake to help reduce the impact of dreams. It is well known that stimulants like caffeine can interrupt sleep, which contributes to dreams being more vivid and intense. Try reducing stimulants in the afternoon and have a relaxing cup of herbal tea before bed instead.

Put Safety Measures in Place

Put safety measures in place, such as removing hazards from the bedroom, to create a safe sleep environment when dreams involve self-harm or danger. Be sure that there are no utensils, weapons, or anything else within reach that could be a hazard if you should wake up from a suicide dream and be disoriented or agitated.

When to Seek Professional Support for Dreams About Suicide

An occasional dream of suicide is not necessarily a reason for alarm. However, if you experience recurring dreams about suicide, this could be a sign of depression, high-stress levels, or other unresolved emotional distress. In these cases, it is a good idea to talk with a professional who can help you have more restful sleep and peace of mind.

An online therapist directory can be helpful for finding a therapist with the necessary training and expertise to help you with suicide dreams. If you have limited access to transportation or simply prefer to meet from your own home, teletherapy through an online therapy platform can be a helpful way to make therapy more accessible. Check with your insurance company to find out what therapy coverage is available.