Zombies Dream Meaning

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Have your dreams been haunted by the undead? Zombies showing up in our dreams can certainly be terrifying, but don’t worry, there’s only a small chance you will soon be visited by flesh eating monsters.

According to Freud, the things we dream of are strongly influenced by our external stimuli and memories. If you have been exposed to zombies on tv/movies, in video games or books lately, this alone makes it more likely you will dream of them.

What do you think of when you hear the word zombie? Corpses that are driven by the need to eat your brains? Or does zombie mean something more mundane?

“I’m a real zombie in the morning before I’ve had my coffee!”

If you think about each, you will come to the conclusion that both associations really mean the same thing.

One informal definition of zombie is “someone who functions in a robotic or automatic manner, especially due to physical or mental fatigue.”

If you are exhausted because you haven’t been sleeping well, or if you are an undead corpse driven by blood lust, in each situation you are acting in a single minded, automatically driven manner. A mindless drive to survive, no thinking necessary.

Does this sound like you?

What it Means to Dream About Zombies

Detachment

A common theme among zombies in popular culture is that they are detached from humans. You don’t see many zombies having healthy loving relationships with their peers, among the walking dead or the living.

A dream of being a zombie could suggest you are feeling detached from other people in general or perhaps from someone specific in your life. Maybe you feel rejected or left behind.

A feeling of detachment is also commonly felt by people who are depressed, are grieving, or are experiencing burn out. Your dream may be telling you it’s time to reach out to someone. Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it.

Transformation

Zombies are nearly always corpses reanimated. Death, although brimming with negative associations for us in our lives, is actually a positive symbol of change. The undead physically undergo a major change to become their flesh eating, brain sucking selves.

Although it can be gross (and scary) dreams of zombies can represent positive change, growth, and new beginnings. When zombies appear they often go hand in hand with an apocalypse or an end of the world as we know it. This too is another powerful symbol of change or a fresh start.

Think about where in your life you could start anew? Your dream could be about a physical change or transformation you are already undergoing, or it could be an invitation to think about where in your life you need to grow.

Are you carrying around outdated ways of thinking or repeating patterns you know are not in your best 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 simply be telling you that you are very stressed out and overwhelmed with something. Zombies taking over the world seems like an impossible problem to solve, right? Is this how you feel about something in your life?

An undead hoard in your dream might represent something that feels insurmountable in your waking life, or a situation you feel you’ve lost control of.

Maybe you need to find away to take a step away, take a break and regroup. Maybe you need to ask others for help in shouldering your work load. Simply letting go of the need to control a situation can also be very freeing.

Think about where in your life you are feeling burned out. Is there anything you can do right now that would help lessen the load and allow you to relax?

Some other things zombies can represent in your dreams are:

Not thinking for yourself (blindly acting on someone else’s orders/wishes)
Fear of the unknown
Negative impressions of people around you
Hiding from your emotions
Achieving goals
Fear of danger

We will explore some of these below.

“He comes from the grave, his body a home of worms and filth. No life in his eyes, no warmth of his skin, no beating of his breast. His soul, as empty and dark as the night sky. He laughs at the blade, spits at the arrow, for they will not harm his flesh. For eternity, he will walk the earth, smelling the sweet blood of the living, feasting upon the bones of the damned. Beware, for he is the living dead.
—OBSCURE HINDU TEXT, CIRCA 1000 B.C.E.”

Now that we’ve covered some common themes your zombie dreams may represent, let’s take a look at a few scenarios you may have found yourself in that involve the undead.

Common Zombie Dream Examples & Interpretation

You are a zombie

As discussed above, if you find yourself a zombie in your dream, it can mean a number of things. It could be representative of a personal transformation or 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 happening in the dream, and how you felt to better understand what this dream could mean for you. If you know that there are fears or problems you are grappling with in your conscious 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 fresh start. 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 are slow moving or crazy fast) strongly suggests you are running away from something. This could be an external situation, or an internal battle.

What are you trying to escape? Are you avoiding dealing with a conflict with a coworker, family member or significant other? Are you trying to ignore the warning signs of a physical illness? Are there any emotions you are trying to repress?

Any of these could be represented by the zombies in your dreams, hunting you down so they can force you to finally pay attention and deal with it. See related dream symbol: Being Chased Dream Meaning for additional insight.

Being attacked or surrounded by zombies

If you are being attacked by or surrounded by an abundance of zombies, this suggests you are feeling vulnerable to attack in your waking hours. You may feel a lot of stress, trapped, and possibly like you are being attacked in some way.

Do you feel like someone is taking advantage of you? Is someone overtly attacking your reputation or even your physical person?

Killing a zombie

Killing a zombie is a very positive dream symbol. This is likely about you achieving a goal or solving a problem. The act of vanquishing the terrifying monster in your dream is highly suggestive of you conquering the obstacles you are dealing with in your life. This dream speaks to the perseverance and bravery you will need to embody to achieve your objective.

See related dream symbol: Killing in Dreams Meaning

Knowing someone else who turns into zombie

When someone you know shows up undead in your dream, this is representative of how you feel about that person. Maybe you feel like you don’t know them anymore… perhaps they have changed suddenly (for better or worse).

This dream could also be about a misunderstanding, or some sort of confusion in that relationship. It could be that you don’t know where you stand and don’t know how to proceed.