What are demon dreams about?

You can gain insight from thinking about any dream, no matter how strange. Only you, as the dreamer, have final say on what your dream may or may not mean. Each dream is unique.

The DreamWell dictionary provides information on how each dream symbol appears in dreams in general. Finding how experience demons in dreams can be a key to understanding its meaning.

Our emotions in dreams can help us understand its meaning. Pay attention to how you felt in the dream. Pay attention to how you feel about demons in dreams. See how you feel about demons now, in your waking life.

Look at the demon in your dream. Do you see anything about yourself: a personality trait, a bad attitude, a problem that won’t go away, a foul mouth, disregard for the welfare of others, something you can’t control or that’s looming over you?

Does it remind you of someone you know, or a situation?

Most dream characters are reflections of something about you, but it’s not to say you’re demonic because you dream about a demon. Instead it’s an exaggeration that fits. It expresses how you feel, or captures the dynamics of a behavior or thought process.

In simplest terms, a demon is bad. Start there.

Demons are commonly associated with fear. In the demon you see fear personified. Demons tend to symbolize a plague of fears because demons generally come in bunches. Devils, on the other hand, tend to be singular and specific. For example, demons could symbolize fear of spiders in general, and a devil can symbolize fear of the spider you saw lurking in your laundry room. A demon might symbolize a group of people you fear, and a devil symbolizes a specific person. This is only a rule of thumb.

Fear of death and consequences are commonly symbolized as demons, because demons are conceived as what’s waiting for bad people after they die. This association can branch out to include subjects related to doing the right thing and taking responsibility for actions. The entry for Hell has a terrific example. See: Death, Fear

A demon might symbolize a person you know whom you fear, or someone who uses fear or intimidation.

Fear is at the root of many personality disorders, bad personal problems, neuroses, and complexes, which can take form as dream characters such as demons. They are your “personal demons.”

A demon is a helluva symbol for something about yourself or another person that you can’t stand, and it won’t go away.

Demons are associated with possession, and a person can be possessed by a mood, thought, feeling, or compulsion, among other things. Possession can mean “not behaving like your usual self,” especially if that behavior is compulsive or destructive, or involves loss of control. See: Possessing

It can mean you are possessed by your Shadow. See: Shadows

Exorcising a demon can symbolize confronting a dark side of yourself or of someone you know. But think more expansively to consider possibilities such as confronting a bad situation or bad influence, or just needing some sort of higher power to intervene. Exorcism can symbolize getting something bad out of your body or mind, such as disease or addiction. See: Addicts, Cancer

You can dream about a demon as a way of trying to explain something that seems inexplicable, such as why someone commits suicide or murder. The person must be possessed.

Demons are associated with temptation. It’s likely to be a powerful temptation if it’s symbolized as a demon. Could be something like drugs or sex, something “sinful.” Dreams can make exaggerated comparisons, so perhaps a temptation symbolized by a demon is related to something like eating rich foods, lashing out when angry, or shocking or inappropriate statements.

An infestation of demons can symbolize many temptations. See: Infesting

Demons are associated with dark personality and character. A demon dream can characterize what you observe about a person or yourself—especially if it’s hidden or shadowy. Some people give off a bad vibe. Some act selfishly. Some are abusive. Some take advantage of others. Some are bigots. Some have bad habits and addictions. Some rob, cheat, and kill. Dreams translate these baddies into imagery such as demons.

When you sense something wrong about a person, or the person acts in a way that strikes you as wrong, your dreams can compare him or her to a demon. This is an especially strong possibility if you have recently been abused or the victim of a crime, racism, or misogyny. You see the worst in people, and dream about that feeling as a demon or demonic possession.

Anything repressed or neglected in yourself will try to get your attention in your dreams, and what better way to do that than to take form as something shocking or scary like a demon? The more something about yourself is repressed or neglected, the scarier it becomes. A demon can be something you ignore or don’t want to accept about yourself.

Demonic characters appear in dreams during times of conflict. They can symbolize the negativity of a situation, or powerful feelings such as anger, jealousy, and resentment that are brought out by conflict or abuse.

They can symbolize a grudge, revenge, guilt, dread, or severe anxiety.

They can be used to symbolize the source of problems in your life, especially when the problem seems inexplicable or intractable. For example, you have arguments with a sibling or spouse and realize there is something deeper to the conflict you can’t put your finger on.

If you have been abused, there is a good possibility that recurring dreams about demons are related to the abuse. Think back on when the abuse started and ask yourself whether the dreams started around the same time. If so, the possibility increases to very likely.

If you have recurring dreams about demons, it strongly suggests that something needs to change. Remember, dreams use demons as an analogy. Your job is to figure out what’s behind the comparison. If you suspect something spiritual is haunting you, a great resource for you is www.religiousdemonology.com.

You can dream about demons or devils because of sleep paralysis, also known as REM atonia. Sleep paralysis occurs when you wake up but are still dreaming. Dream imagery and sensation overlap with your waking reality, making you believe the imagery is real and really happening.

Sleep paralysis is at the root of myths about incubi and succubi, demonic beings that seduce people in their sleep. The experience is so vivid and real that it can convince even the most rational and non-religious people that they’re being attacked by real evil. See: Sleep paralysis

For people with a religious bent, their minds can be chock-full of demonic imagery. Because this imagery carries a strong emotional charge, it’s very likely to be expressed in dreams. And “spiritual warfare” is a common theme in these dreams. In this sense, demons can symbolize anything contrary to your spiritual beliefs.

Demons and evil characters can simply be a way of saying you can’t explain something that feels dark or terrifying. In this sense, demons are catch-all characters similar to aliens. See: Ufos

See also: Addicts, Black, Cancer, Creatures, Darkness, Death, Devils, Enemies, Evil, Fear, Hell, Monster, Nazis, Nightmares, Shadows, Sleep paralysis, Ufos

This interpretation is from ""The Dream Interpretation Dictionary: Symbols, Signs, and Meanings" and is provided by J.M. DeBord aka "RadOwl". He is the author of several acclaimed books about dreaming, the host of The Dreams That Shape Us podcast, and is a moderator of r/Dreams, one of the largest dream sharing communities on the internet.