The short answer
Dream interpretation is not prediction and not diagnosis. This article separates what sleep research observes from what popular interpretation associates with the theme.
Dreaming about a funeral or a coffin does not announce anyone's death. The dream tends to appear after a loss, near dates that bring back someone who passed, or in times of farewell, such as moving to another city, the end of a relationship or a job. It is also common after attending a real funeral.
Read also: Dreaming about a cemetery and Dreaming about someone who died.
What research observes
Under the continuity hypothesis, dreams reuse what we live and feel while awake. People who have just been to a funeral, are caring for someone who is ill or are grieving are more likely to dream of these scenes.
A study of bereaved family members found that most had dreamed of the person they lost, and many described these dreams as comforting, a way to say the goodbye that waking life did not always allow.
Source: Wright, Kerr et al., American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine, 2014.
The most reported variations
| Scene | What it usually comes with |
|---|---|
| The funeral of someone who has died | Longing, grief, a goodbye left unfinished |
| The funeral of someone alive | Fear of losing them, distance in the relationship |
| Your own funeral | A time of big change, feeling forgotten |
| An empty coffin | The end of a stage, something that ended without you noticing |
| Arriving late to the funeral | Guilt, feeling you were not there |
Dreams about people who have passed have their own article: dreaming about someone who died.
When to seek support
If the loss is recent and the dreams come with intense sadness, trouble sleeping or getting back to your routine for a long time, talking to a psychologist or a grief support group helps. If the dream has turned into a recurring nightmare, there is treatment.
Source: Morgenthaler et al., Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 2018.
What dream books say
Livro do Sonho, a popular Brazilian dream dictionary, records different readings depending on who is being mourned, and many of them are positive: a stranger's funeral, for example, would be a sign of good news. As with death in dream books generally, the image is rarely read literally, and none of these readings should be taken as a warning that someone will die.
Freud described dream books as a kind of dictionary that translates each image into another with a fixed meaning. Artemidorus of Daldis, author of the oldest dream interpretation book that has survived, advised looking at the dreamer's life before interpreting. If you see the dream as a message, both paths suggest the same thing: ask what this image brings to mind in your life right now. See dream meanings according to science and culture.
Source: Livro do Sonho, Brazilian dream dictionary; Freud, Die Traumdeutung, 1900.
What folklore says
In Brazilian folk reading, dreaming about a funeral is often read the other way around: a sign of long life for the person in the coffin, or of a problem coming to an end. It is a cultural reading with no evidence. See also dreaming about death and dreaming about a cemetery.
Sources
- Wright ST, Kerr CW et al. The Impact of Dreams of the Deceased on Bereavement: A Survey of Hospice Caregivers. American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine, 2014. https://doi.org/10.1177/1049909113479201
- Schredl M, Hofmann F. Continuity between waking activities and dream activities. Consciousness and Cognition, 2003. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1053-8100(02)00072-7
- Morgenthaler TI et al. Position Paper for the Treatment of Nightmare Disorder in Adults: An American Academy of Sleep Medicine Position Paper. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 2018. https://doi.org/10.5664/jcsm.7178
- Freud S. The Interpretation of Dreams (Die Traumdeutung), 1900. Project Gutenberg. https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/66048
- Livro do Sonho. Sonhar com velório. https://www.livrodosonho.com/significado-dos-sonhos-sonhar-com-velorio-2101.htm
Frequently asked questions
Is dreaming about a funeral a warning of death?
No. The dream does not predict death. It tends to appear in times of grief, farewell or change.
What does dreaming about my own funeral mean?
It usually appears in times of big change. It is not an omen.
Why do I dream about the funeral of someone who is alive?
It often reflects fear of losing that person or distance in the relationship.
Is dreaming about an empty coffin bad?
It predicts nothing. The scene is usually tied to the end of a stage.
