Dreaming of your own death is not necessarily a premonition or sign that you’ll meet an untimely demise. In fact, if you die in a dream, it’s often a positive sign that changes and new beginnings lie ahead.

Death in a dream may not actually be about dying. Instead, it often represents change, the closing of a chapter, or the end of life as you know it, says Loewenberg. For instance, if you dream about your death, it could indicate that some part of your life is coming to an end.

After an elderly patient died suddenly during a routine test, scientists accidentally captured unique data on the activity in his brain at the very end of his life: During the 30 seconds before and after the man's heart stopped, his brain waves were remarkably similar to those seen during dreaming, memory recall and meditation, suggesting that people may actually see their life "flash before their eyes" when they die.