Dreaming that you killed somebody
Does dreaming about killing someone mean anything about me?
Dream content does not indicate intent, desire or character. That is well supported, and it is the most important sentence on this page.
It goes first because of who reads it. People arrive frightened of themselves, having been told somewhere that dreams reveal what is hidden, and that claim does real damage to people who believe it.
The reports do not even describe what the fear assumes. Dreamers rarely describe the act. Where they do, they report no agency: it had already happened, or they were watching themselves, or it occurred without a decision being made. Deciding to kill somebody is close to absent from the reports.
Where there is genuine violent ideation in waking life, that is a matter for a doctor and it is not what this page is about.
Where this reads well
The relief people describe on learning how common this is, and how little it carries, is the entire reason the entry exists.
Where it is harder
The self-suspicion is the harm, it is caused by the interpretation rather than by the dream, and it can last years.
Worth asking yourself
Did I decide anything? Was I acting, or watching? What did I think this said about me before I read this?
Dream interpretation is subjective. Nothing here is a diagnosis, a prediction, or medical advice.
Sources and reviewed references
No sources are attached to this page yet. It has not been through editorial review. How we review material