What dreams about being shot really mean, according to experts

If you've woken up from a horrible dream about being shot, you'll no doubt wonder what that means. While this unpleasant nightmare may have been a brief feast of fright in the middle of the night, dream experts say it's likely a message from your subconscious -- and it's certainly worth explaining.

"As I've always said, dreams are information from, to, and about you for the purpose of improving you," says professional dream analyst and author of "Dream," Laurie Quinn Loewenberg at Dream on It: Unlock your dreams and change your life . "So even the scariest of dreams, like the one where you were shot, has valuable guidance inside, tailored to you and your current situation."

That's because dreaming is a thought process, Loewenberg explained. "They're a continuation of your thought flow for the day. Your dreams are usually related to any struggles, achievements, conversations, emotions, or thoughts you're going through, and commenting on them." And because the brain works differently during REM sleep , she said information will eventually come in the form of symbols and metaphors.

To figure out what your dream is trying to tell you or what its subject might represent, Loewenberg recommends comparing the emotions in the dream to what happened the day before, including your conversations. "You'll definitely find a correlation," she said, citing the possibility that you might dream of a barking dog after an argument with someone. (See the similarities?)

With all of this in mind, read on to find out what it means if you dream of being shot.

What does it mean to dream of being shot

1. You are heavily criticized

According to Loewenberg, you're most likely being harshly criticized and/or if you've been receiving hurt.

"Real-life emotional pain and trauma often takes the form of physical pain or physical trauma in our dreams because the subconscious is trying to show you that your emotional and psychological aspects need attention and healing, just like the physical ones," she added.

If you feel someone's words are "a blow to the system," or if their harsh criticism is unfounded, consider what you need to do to make yourself feel better.

2. Someone questions your IQ

Dream details are never random, which is why it's helpful to consider where you were shot when interpreting, Loewenberg said. "For example, if you were shot in the head, the dream is likely to be related to the feeling that your intelligence is hurt," she said.

The connection, of course, is when you feel like your "mind" or intellect has taken a hit. Again, this may indicate that you are battling someone's harsh criticism, but this type of dream can also occur after someone bows their head to you or questions your wisdom.

3. You are heartbroken

Now suppose you are hit in the heart in a dream. If so, Loewenberg said it could mean you're feeling emotionally hurt in your waking life. "Maybe someone said something to you that broke your heart," she points out, like a parent making a hurtful comment, a partner ending a relationship, or a friend saying something out of their own pocket. Whatever the case may be, this dream is a sign that you are feeling "shot in the heart."

4. You didn’t stand up for yourself

If your dream self gets shot in the leg, consider whether you need to "stand up for yourself" lately, but no. "Basically, someone could 'shoot' you and hurt you emotionally," says Lowenberg, which throws you off balance. If this is the case, it might be helpful to think about what you want to say the next time a similar situation arises, so you can learn from the experience and move forward with more confidence.

5. You feel attacked

If a bullet whizzes past you in a dream, it likely means you're feeling attacked in your waking life, says Loewenberg. It could also mean you're "dodging bullets" in real life, perhaps by keeping those things out of your reach, she said.

That said, seeing this horrific subject pop up in your dreams may be a sign you need to consider, if you are really dealing with all the stress, or if you can make some changes to your surroundings so that you are Not having to dodge and evade every turn.

6. You are under a lot of stress

Dreaming of being shot can also mean that you are under a lot of stress, or that you "feel under the gun." According to Loewenberg, dreams love wordplay, and the sleeping brain is very good at introducing common expressions and metaphors. "That's why, if you can find an expression or metaphor in a dream, you've found a large part of its meaning," she said.

7. You are going through a big change

While it's obviously scary to die in a dream, or to feel like you're dying, there's actually a positive spin on this nightmare scenario. "Death in a dream is about change or ending," Loewenberg said. “So ask yourself, where am I changing or need to change? What is the end or need to end in my life?”

This could be a sign that you need to leave your job, end a relationship, or finally admit that it's time to break a bad habit. "Death is the end of life," Loewenberg said, "but for the dreamer, death is the end of life as you know it." That can be a good thing.

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