What Does It Mean If Someone Tries to Kill You in Your Dream?

Interpret a Dream Where Somebody Tried to Kill You

Although interpreting dreams is not an exact science, dreams leave behind some clues that can help decipher their meaning. After waking up from such a horrific nightmare, your thoughts will be racing, but try to remember a few key details from the dream, as these will help explain them better. You might even keep a dream journal where you can jot down these thoughts before they’re swept away by your subconscious. The most important factors to note are the identity of your assailant, where it took place, and the weapon they used.

The Attacker in Your Dream

Think back to your dream… who was trying to kill you? This answer determines a lot about the inner workings of your psyche, and whether or not you have a real person to worry about.

If your killer is a stranger, it’s likely a reflection of inner turmoil. A mysterious figure in your dream points to the unresolved issues and current emotional struggles you might be facing. These negative feelings can be anything from stress, doubt, frustration, anxiety, or fear about certain situations you may be trying to avoid or escape from. Feeling overwhelmed at a job you can’t afford to leave or in a relationship you don’t want to give up on could cause these emotions to bubble over into the dream world. Your subconscious mind still yearns to solve these issues, even while you’re in a REM cycle. In fact, your dreams might be the ultimate reflection of the idiom, “No matter where you go– there you are.”

If your killer is your spouse, this could point to some serious problems at home. If the attacker in your dream is your significant other, this is likely a sign of resentment, distrust, or emotional detachment. It could be that you’re sensing changes in the relationship that frighten you, that you feel your partner is growing distant toward you, or that the real conflict in your real lives is beginning to deeply affect you. This shouldn’t translate into literally fearing for your safety around them, as the symbolism of conflict is really what your dreams are bringing to the surface. Try talking things our with your spouse and see if your killer nightmares don’t turn back into dreams.

If your killer is a friend, or someone you otherwise recognize, it could underscore a strained relationship. Perhaps this person has wronged you before and you’re reluctant to trust them again, or perhaps you’ve wronged them and their scorn is evident in your nightmares. Maybe you just feel threatened by them and your intuition is trying to warn you while you sleep. Do listen to it, but don’t take it literally. Your friend is– probably– not trying to kill you in real life, although it may still be wise to keep them close, as close as you would an enemy– as the saying goes.

The Crime Scene in Your Dream

Ask yourself upon waking: where did the attack take place? The setting plays a key factor in interpreting the dream and the subconscious motivations at play.

If the scene is somewhere familiar, this possibly relates to actual issues in the home. The call–for help– may be really coming from inside the house, so to speak, if that’s where your nightmare took place. It could have to do with fear surrounding setting proper boundaries, or living in a space that doesn’t feel totally safe. A common pattern with dreams is an overflow of real life issues, so reconsider and/or rearrange your living situation and see this doesn’t remedy your dream situation.

If the scene is somewhere you’ve never been before, it could mean that you’re afraid of change or are being forced to face unresolved issues. In dreams, our minds come up with physical manifestations of our problems, and finding yourself in an unfamiliar dream location could be correlated to long-repressed conflicts finally being brought back to life. This rings even truer if you happen to be chased in the dream through an unfamiliar location, as this is likely a metaphor for trying to outrun your problems or your past. Being chased illustrates an innate anxiety about your current state of affairs and well-being, so you may want to evaluate what areas of your life this could be highlighting. If you’re pregnant in the dream while being persecuted, this might assert that you’ve outgrown certain behaviors and are otherwise on a path of transformation. It could also meaning that you have a heightened sense of awareness and are ready to be on the defense—or offense—if needed. Believe it or not, being pregnant while being chased by a killer doesn’t have the ominous connotations that you might think, and generally represents that you’re evolving into a better, more self-assured version.

The Weapon Used in Your Dream

After you wake up and before you forget—what weapon did your attacker use? This an important symbol to decipher, as it can mean the difference between fear of criticism or of actual death.

If your attacker tried to shoot you with a gun, it denotes a feeling of anxiety. It could about being in a vulnerable situation, especially one of physical or emotional harm. Additionally, it could signify that you’re feeling trapped in your life or routine and are dying to break free– pun intended. If you recognize your attacker and they’re pointing a gun at you, this might be your intuition yet again warning you to stay on your toes around that person. Something in your psyche doesn’t trust them and you should trust that. On the other hand, a gun could also symbolize your desire to go on an adventure. And that doesn’t sound too bad, does it?

If you’re being stabbed by a knife in the dream, this is synonymous with being betrayed. Either the dream is a reflection of a betrayal that already took place in the world of the waking, or you’re anticipating a betrayal. It may not be as melodramatic as you think—betrayal could simply come in the form of not feeling supported by those close to you in your personal life.

Being axed to dream-death illuminates a tense conflict or aggression at the core of your life. If you’re about to be hacked in your dream, you may need to cut someone off in real life who is holding you back or promoting negativity. If it’s a sword instead of an axe, that’s a clue to this person’s identity or what they symbolize: criticism and shame. Seeing blood in your dream is a defining detail, as blood can represent anxiety, stress, or fear surrounding some aspect of your life. Try to figure out what your triggers are and note if your dreams become less bloody.

Additional Tips

Seek professional help if your nightmares are getting worse. Speaking to a therapist who specializes in interpreting dreams could help, especially if your death dream is a retelling of a traumatic event in your life. Working with a therapist can help sort some of these larger, more deep-rooted issues.

Remember, dreams are largely symbolic and are not meant to be taken literally. Instead, dreams discuss the issues we are plagued by in the waking world, but are afraid to resolve because they’re too complicated, scary, or involve leaving people behind that we may not feel ready to leave. Whatever the reasons are, dreams hold a mirror to those untapped feelings of discord and urge your conscious self to resolve them. The truth is that if the problems don’t keep you awake at night, they’ll haunt your dreams. So, really, isn’t it best to tackle them headfirst?