Okay, so the other night, I had this horrible dream about my mom. She passed away almost 11 months ago, and in the dream, she was driving, and I was in the passenger seat. We were on this road that ended at a big pond. Out of nowhere, she looks at me, smiles this really creepy smile, and just floors it straight into the pond. The car goes underwater, and I’m freaking out, but I manage to unbuckle both of us and try to help her swim out.
Here’s the thing: my mom was a great swimmer in real life, but in the dream, she kept sinking. I was yelling at her to swim, but it was like she wanted to drown—and take me with her. She was even mad at me for trying to save her. It was so disturbing because my mom was the most caring, loving person. She’d never do anything like that. It looked like her, but it wasn’t her.
I woke up screaming and crying at 2 a.m. and couldn’t go back to sleep. This isn’t the first bad dream I’ve had about her, either. I’ve had this recurring dream where she shows me her rotting body in the coffin, and it’s messed me up so much that I’m scared to sleep some nights.
I’ve had a few nice dreams about her, and I’ve gotten a lot of comforting signs that I believe are from her. But these nightmares? They feel evil, like something’s trying to mess with me by pretending to be her. My mom was religious, and I’ve become more spiritual since she passed, so it’s hard not to feel like there’s some dark force behind this. I just don’t know what to do.
Dreams about deceased loved ones, especially ones that feel sinister, can be incredibly distressing. Here’s a breakdown of the key elements in your dream:
The Car Ride: Cars in dreams often symbolize life’s journey or the direction you’re heading. The fact that your mom was driving could represent her role in guiding you during her life.
The Pond: Water in dreams often symbolizes emotions. A pond, in particular, can represent deeper, unresolved feelings or the subconscious mind.
The Creepy Smile and Sinister Actions: This likely doesn’t represent your actual mom but rather a manifestation of your grief, guilt, or fear. The sinister tone could reflect feelings of betrayal, abandonment, or unresolved emotions related to her passing.
Her Sinking Despite Being a Good Swimmer: This could symbolize your frustration or helplessness in trying to “save” her—whether from death itself or from the pain she may have experienced in life.
The Recurring Coffin Dream: Dreams about a loved one’s decaying body often symbolize the process of coming to terms with their death. They can be graphic and disturbing but are usually a reflection of the mind’s attempt to process loss.
Interpretation: These dreams are likely not about your mom herself but about your own emotions and struggles with her passing. The sinister elements could represent feelings of guilt, anger, or fear that you haven’t fully processed. The recurring coffin dream, while disturbing, may be your subconscious working through the finality of death and the physical reality of her absence.