DREAM ABOUT ZOMBIES
Have your dreams been haunted by the undead? Zombies that appear in our dreams can certainly be terrifying, but don’t worry, there is only a small chance that you will soon be visited by carnivorous monsters. According to Freud, the things we dream about are strongly influenced by our external stimuli and memories.
If you’ve been exposed to zombies on TV, in movies, in video games, or in books lately, this alone makes it more likely that you’ll dream about them.
What do you think of when you hear the word zombie? Corpses that are driven by the need to eat their brains? Or does zombie mean something more mundane? “I’m a real zombie in the morning before I drink my coffee!” If you think about each one, you will come to the conclusion that both associations really mean the same thing.
An informal definition of a zombie is “someone who functions robotically or automatically, especially due to physical or mental fatigue” Whether you are exhausted from poor sleep, or a corpse driven by bloodlust, in every situation you act with a single mindset, self-driven. A senseless drive to survive, without the need to think. Does this sound like you?
What it means to dream of zombies
Detachment
A common theme among zombies in popular culture is that they are separate from humans. You don’t see many zombies having healthy love relationships between the undead or the living. The dream of being a zombie could suggest that you feel separate from other people in general or maybe someone in particular in your life.
Maybe you feel rejected or left behind. The feeling of detachment is also common in people who are depressed, grieving, or suffering from burnout. Your dream may be telling you that it is time to reach out to someone. Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it.
Transformation
Zombies are almost always reanimated corpses. Death, although brimming with negative associations for us in our lives, is actually a positive symbol of change. The undead physically undergo a great change to become carnivorous, brain-sucking beings. Although it can be gross (and scary), zombie dreams can represent positive change, growth, and new beginnings.
When zombies do appear, they often go hand in hand with an apocalypse or the end of the world as we know it. This is also another powerful symbol of change or a new beginning. Think about where in your life you could start over. Your dream could be about a physical change or transformation that you are already experiencing, or it could be an invitation to think about where in your life you need to grow.
Are you carrying out outdated thought forms or repeating patterns that you know are not in your interest? Are you currently on a healing journey? Transformation can come in any area of your life, physical, emotional, spiritual, etc.
Stress
Those zombies in your dream may just be telling you that you are very stressed and overwhelmed by something. Zombies taking over the world seems like an impossible problem to solve, right? Is this how you feel about something in your life? A hoard of the undead in your dream may represent something that you feel insurmountable in your waking life, or a situation that you feel you have lost control of.
Maybe you need to find yourself to step up, take a break, and regroup. Maybe you need to ask others for help to support your workload.
Letting go of the need to control a situation can also be very liberating. Think about where in your life you feel exhausted. Is there anything you can do right now that will help reduce your load and allow you to relax? Some other things that zombies can represent in your dreams are:
- Not thinking for yourself (acting blindly on someone else’s orders/wishes)
- fear of the unknown
- Negative impressions of people around you
- Hide from your emotions
- reach the goals
- fear of danger
“He comes out of the grave, his body a home for worms and filth. There is no life in his eyes, there is no heat on his skin, there is no beating on his chest. His soul, as empty and dark as the night sky. He laughs at the blade, spits out the arrow, because they won’t hurt his flesh. For all eternity, he will walk the earth, smelling the sweet blood of the living, feasting on the bones of the damned. Be careful, because he is a living dead. “- DARK HINDU TEXT, CIRCA 1000 BC”
Common Zombie Dream Examples and Interpretation
You are a zombie
As has already been said, if you come across a zombie in your dream, it can mean several things. It can be representative of a personal transformation or a new beginning. It could also suggest a fear of the unknown , fear of your own death, or fear of your emotions.
You may feel out of control, or that you have lost control of a particular situation. Consider what else is going on in the dream, and how you felt to better understand what this dream might mean to you.
If you know that there are fears or problems that you are dealing with in your waking hours, then that is a good clue as to the meaning of this dream. If these ideas don’t resonate, then perhaps the dream is more about your individual growth and a new beginning. Take some time to think about each possible meaning and how it relates to your life.
Being chased by a zombie
Being chased by the undead (whether they’re moving slowly or fast like crazy) strongly suggests that you’re running from something . This could be an external situation, or an internal battle. What are you trying to escape from? Are you avoiding facing conflict with a coworker, family member, or loved one? Do you try to ignore the warning signs of physical illness?
Is there an emotion that you are trying to suppress? Any of these could be represented by the zombies in your dreams, hunting you down to force you to pay attention and deal with it.
Being attacked or surrounded by zombies
If you are being attacked or surrounded by an abundance of zombies, this suggests that you feel vulnerable to attack in your waking hours. You may feel very stressed, trapped, and possibly as if you are being attacked in some way. Do you feel that someone is taking advantage of you? Is someone openly attacking your reputation or physically?
kill a zombie
Killing a zombie is a very positive dream symbol. It may be about achieving a goal or solving a problem. The act of defeating the scary monster in your dream is highly suggestive that you are conquering the obstacles that you are dealing with in your life. This dream speaks of the perseverance and courage that you will need to embody in order to achieve your goal.
Dream that an acquaintance becomes a zombie
When someone you know appears undead in your dream, this is representative of how you feel about that person. Maybe you feel like you don’t know her anymore… maybe she has suddenly changed (for better or for worse). This dream could also be about a misunderstanding, or some kind of turmoil in that relationship. It may be that you don’t know where you stand and don’t know how to proceed. To better understand the meaning of your dream, ask yourself these questions:
- What do you think of zombies?
- Do you have any personal association with zombies?
- What other symbols appeared in the dream?
- Are you going through any major changes right now?
- Is there something you are avoiding in your life?
- Do you feel stressed or burned out?
- Is there something confusing in your life?