15 Meanings When You Dream About Your Ex

Dreams about an ex are very common because broken relationships nearly always leave a lot of residual feelings and emotions behind. Depending on the length and intensity of the relationship, this emotional fallout can be huge. Consequently, the time and energy needed to work through everything and truly be able to move on can be significant. The dreams can, therefore, also persist for a long time.

The 15 meanings when you dream about your ex cover this process in its many forms. Hopefully, the dream interpretations will give you a better idea of what is going on in your subconscious mind following a split.

15 Meanings When You Dream About Your Ex

So, let’s get straight to it with a…

1. Dream About an Ex -Boyfriend or an Ex-Girlfriend

There can be a few different meanings for this dream. Possibly the most common is what you’d expect ad is that you still have feelings for them. You have not come to terms with the split, even if it is what you want and still does. Of course, it could also mean that you would like another chance and a reconciliation.

The ex-partner dream can also be interpreted as not being happy in your current relationship. Your ex might have qualities that your present partner doesn’t, and since you now have problems, you are making unfair comparisons.

This is very unhealthy, and you really need to sit down with your partner and talk through whatever issues you have. Don’t let the conversation degenerate into an unnecessary argument. Stay on point and be respectful in your language and actions.

2. Dream of Fighting with Your Ex

This is a sign that you are still trying to come to terms with the failure of your relationship. Your ex is still very much on your mind, and you have not worked through the consequential emotional fallout.

If you had a difficult time with your relationship, it can take time to deal with this, so the way you are feeling is very normal. At the moment, because you cannot let go, your mind is trying to piece together the fragments of your time together.

The ex fighting with you in a dream is telling you that it is time to let all of this go and allow the pieces of the past to scatter and disappear. Leave the past in the past and take the conscious decision to move on once and for all.

3. Dream of Physical Contact with Your Ex

This is a little sad but perfectly normal.

The dream means that you are missing the kind of physical intimacy you enjoyed when you were with your ex. Most likely, you are now alone, and like most humans, you grave to have someone close to you, to be next to, and feel secure.

More worrying is if you have this dream but are currently involved with someone else. This shows that there is something very much lacking in your current relationship. You need to think carefully about what it is and take steps to put it right.

If your drea also contained other information, check out our comprehensive guide to the Kissing Dream Meanings.

4. Dream of Your First Love

If your first love appears in your dreams, it is very common and hardly surprising. That is because they leave such a strong and often permanent imprint on our minds that cannot be shaken.

This kind of dream can be a desire to go back to the intensity, passion, and feelings of being carefree that you associate with your first love. It could be that these things are now missing in your life, and you are yearning for the same experience.

It could also be that you are not in love with your current romantic partner, and you secretly wish they had the same qualities as your first intimate romantic partner. If this is the case, you need to think carefully because it might be the time to sit down with your present romantic interest and have that chat.

5. Dream of Your Ex Being Near You

When your ex is near you in your dream, it means that you still have feelings for them, and you are not ready to move on. Further, you are not sure if a split was the right decision, and you are wondering if it would be possible to give things another go.

Generally speaking, there are good reasons why people split up. Before you let your emotions run wild, think logically about why your relationship ended. If you honestly think the same reasons would cause the same result, you have to stop allowing yourself to love in this fantasy.

If you genuinely think things would be different this time around, then maybe that is something you need to explore. Just try to use your head more than your heart, though!

6. Dream of Breaking Up with Your Ex Again

This is not good at all and has one of the worst of the 15 meanings when you dream about your ex.

So, why is that?

Because it means that you still feel traumatized from your previous breakup. If your ex finished with you, this may have left you feeling rejected and not worthy of being in a relationship. You might be feeling insecure, and you may have lost a lot of your confidence.

Carrying around these emotions is neither healthy nor necessary. You should talk to someone close to you and tell them what is going on. You need to get past these feelings and get back to your normal self.

This is all a process, but you will bounce back even stronger than before.

7. Dream of Your Ex Killing You

If your ex kills you in a dream, it can be a metaphor for having something inside of you being killed. It means that you have lost a part of yourself, such as your ability to trust, your confidence, your self-esteem, or your easy-going nature.

However, it doesn’t have to be something negative, and can actually be anything. Maybe you lost your selfishness, your jealousy, or your anger.

This is a tie to reflect and think more carefully about how the experience with your ex has changed you. Has it been for the better or worse? Are there things that you now need to work on that have been damaged as a result?

8. Dream of Your Ex Rejecting You

This means that the feelings in the dream are the same that you have for your ex. Although you may still feel some level of emotional attachment, you do not want to get back together. You know that if your ex called and asked for another chance, you would reject them as they rejected you in your dream.

This is a good sign because it shows that your subconscious is letting go of many of your emotions connected to your ex. This will leave you in a good head space to move forward and pursue another relationship when you feel ready.

9. Dream of an Ex Giving You Advice

If you get advice from your ex in a dream, it shows that you subconsciously understand that you made mistakes in your relationship. You know that you have to learn from what you did wrong and take steps to not repeat the same errors in the future.

It is a good indication of self-awareness and shows the desire to improve yourself. The dream is also positive since it means that rather than looking back to repair a broken relationship, you are looking forward to when you have the opportunity to build a new one.

10. Dream of Your Ex Dying

Dreaming of a dying ex shows that you have subconsciously realized that the reason for your splitting with your ex was largely down to you. The dream is a reflection of your guilt concerning your past behavior. You know that you could have behaved better, and this is starting to cause you emotional conflict.

It is good that deep down, you understand that you made mistakes. It is now time to bring this into your conscious mind and ensure that you improve yourself and don’t cause the same kinds of problems in the future.

11. Dream of Spending Time with Your Ex’s Family

Any of us are hard-wired to resist change. We don’t like it and rail against it in our waking life and also our dreams. Dreaming about your ex’s family and spending time with them is a sign that you don’t like the change of routine following the split from your ex.

This doesn’t mean that you want to be back with them, far from it; it just means you miss the safety and the feeling of comfort from having a lid routine. This is very normal, and the good news is that with time this kind of dream will slowly fade away and take your ex with it.

12. Dream of Fighting with Your Ex

When you fight with your ex in your dream, it can have two meaning, and neither are good.

The first meaning is that you are going through some kind of internal conflict. This has been unresolved for some time now, and you are getting no closer to resolving your issues. The conflict with your ex dream, in this instance, is telling you to find someone to take this over if you have already.

Alternatively, the dream means that you are having a lot of fights and arguments with your current partner. The issues around the fighting haven’t been resolved and hence the dreams. It is a sign that you need to stop fighting and start talking.

For more information, take a look at our guide to Dreams About Fighting.

13. Dream of a Reconciliation with a Toxic Ex

This is rather worrying because it shows that you have not properly dealt with some deep-level trauma following the split from your ex. You might be left with very raw emotions. You might be feeling scared, humiliated, stressed, anxious, sad, and even suffering from some level of post-traumatic stress syndrome.

If these Toxic Ex dreams continue, it is a sign that you need help. It could well be that just talking to a friend, or relative is not going to be enough in this case. You should, therefore, seriously consider enrolling the help of a suitably qualified counselor to get through this.

14. Dream of Sex with Your Toxic Ex

When you consider the previous dream interpretation, you would think that this must be bad. However, it is the opposite. In fact, this has one of the better of the 15 meanings when you dream about your ex.

So, what are the positives?

The dream means that you have moved past your emotional connection and have made peace with yourself. You have left all of the toxicity behind you, and you may well have forgiven your ex as part of this healing process.

Your dream shows someone who has come through the other side of a traumatic phase in their life. Now, you are truly ready to enjoy your future and whatever comes with it.

For more info on sexual dreams, check out our guide to Sex Dream Meanings.

15. Dream of an Ex Crying

This possibly has the best of all 15 interpretations of a dream about your ex.

Seeing your ex crying in a dream shows that you are still concerned for them and wish them no harm. You have no malicious thoughts or feelings towards them, and you have forgiven your ex for anything bad they did when you were together.

This is all good and shows positive growth and that you have not only learned from the relationship but have also moved on from it. It also shows that you have fully accepted the split and the reasons behind it and have no desire to get back together again.

Was there more information in your Dream?

Depending on the context of your dream about an ex, there could be a lot more to discover. So check out our comprehensive guides to Crying Dream Meaning, Dream About Your Crush Meaning, Dreaming of Old Friends, or a Dream of a Man.

Also, consider where you were with your ex, as there is a lot to learn about your current mental or emotional state when it comes to Elevator Dream Meanings, Beach Dream Meaning, Swimming Pool Dream Meanings, Dreaming of Hotels, Boat Dream Meanings, or a Dream About Airplanes, for example.

Or, simply search the site with the details of any dream that you may have in 2023!

OK, back to today’s topic…

15 Meanings When You Dream About Your Ex – Final Thoughts

So, there you have it. Fully recovering from a breakup and fully getting over your emotional attachment to your ex can be a tricky and difficult process. The dreams you might be having are all part of this journey and are there to help bring your feelings to the surface for your conscious mind to better deal with.

Hopefully, my explanation of what it means when you dream about your ex will have given you some help to better manage your emotions. It is rarely an easy time, but you will eventually come through it.

Sweet dreams.

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