What It Really Means When You Dream You're Possessed By A Demon

Nightmares are hard to predict, but they are incredibly unpleasant when they come. Everyone experiences nightmares differently, but the most common themes include being chased, falling, dying, or very specific things like being naked in public or your teeth falling out (via Dreams). Whatever occurs, a nightmare will often leave you feeling scared. And during these moments when the body is already working on overdrive, you can have even more vivid dreams, including demon possession.

Demons have been linked to nightmares for hundreds of years; the word itself is derived from the obsolete Old English word "mare" (via Dictionary.com), which was used to describe "a kind of evil or cursed spirit" which appeared in Old English, German, Scandinavian, and Slavic folk tales. Many believed these demons would cause "suffocation and bad dreams" when they visited during the night, hence the name "nightmare" (via Culture Trip). But, what does it mean when you dream you're possessed by a demon?

Dreaming of being possessed by a demon can often come from your subconscious trying to tell you something about your waking life. According to Dark Dreams, these types of nightmares can mean "there is a force you don't understand within you" and that you may re-evaluate particular aspects of your life without knowing it. This force is "beyond your ego, beyond your self-interest, beyond your personality," and "beyond your consciousness," according to the site. Dreaming of being possessed by a demon can mean that you have the "power" within you to change certain things in your life that you've been putting off.

However, these dreams can also be a warning. You may be "losing control" of these aspects of your life, or you may find that you'll be "unable to think for yourself" and be susceptible to "falling under the power of others," like a demon possessing you. On the other hand, it could be that your mind is telling you to stand your ground and prevent external forces from controlling you. According to Liquids and Solids, dreaming of demon possession can also correlate to feelings of stress, depression, and guilt in waking life. These feelings are taking hold so firmly that you dream they are taking control and consuming you.

The color of the demon you may encounter in your dreams can also provide some meaning, according to AuntyFlo. For example, a red demon may represent love or anger in addition to your "life force." If you dream a red demon is possessing you, it "may mean a depressed mind" or that you are "facing life's frustrations." If it has black eyes, this "can indicate that you are suffering with minor anxieties" in your waking life. As for seeing someone else possessed with black eyes, this can represent "external pressures in life — normally by superiors" in your job.

While dreaming of being possessed by a demon can "serve as a bad omen indicating a future problem," as Liquids and Solids notes, you can also interpret these dreams as a wake-up call to solve problems that may arise. So in a way, this sort of nightmare can be framed in a more positive light — mainly if you dream of a demon being exorcised from your body. But this sort of dream or nightmare can occur for a much simpler reason. If you've watched something like "The Exorcist" for the first time and it's stayed with you subconsciously, that may be why you're dreaming of being possessed by a demon.