Sooner or later, everyone loses a loved one – unfortunately, it’s part of life. However, the death of certain loved ones can impact us more than we ever imagined.
For instance, have you ever seen a deceased person appear in your dreams? The meaning of this could be something you never thought of…
Processing the loss
Losing a loved one is very difficult, and how you deal with the grief is different for everyone. Some shed many tears, while many become quiet and withdraw into themselves.
Others try to avoid the subject or act outwardly without a reaction. But one behavior many have in common is dreaming about deceased loved ones. When it comes to what we dream at night, our subconscious is in control, and if you’ve ever dreamed of a deceased person, it may have a meaning.
So, can dreams convey messages from deceased loved ones?
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Dream: message from the deceased?
According to Patrick McNamara, associate professor of neurology and psychiatry at Boston University School, there is a special term for dreams about dead people – visitation dreams. It means that the deceased is visiting you in your dream, or as McNamara explains it: “dreams of the bereaved in which the dead appear in dreams to the bereaved and look very lifelike.”
Patrick McNamara is not the only one interested in these dreams, and there are several studies that delve deeper into this phenomenon.
In 2014, the American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care published a study examining the impact of grief dreams. The study found that “dreams about the deceased are common, can be very meaningful, and can promote healing from a loss.”
Themes in the dreams were “past memories or experiences, the deceased free from illness, memories of the illness or time of death, the deceased in the afterlife looking healthy, comfortable, and at peace, as well as the deceased conveying a message.”
Dream: is there life after death?
In 2016, a team of Canadian researchers analyzed the dreams of 76 middle-aged bereaved individuals. According to the study, 67.1% of the bereaved said that their dreams about the deceased helped them believe more in an afterlife. About 70% characterized their dreams about the deceased as “visits,” and 71% stated that dreams about the deceased helped them feel more connected to the deceased.
Characteristics of a visitation dream
Psychologist Jennifer E. Shorter from the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology in Palo Alto, CA, has also researched our brains and what we dream.
In her research, she concluded that four factors characterize a visitation dream:
- The people in your visitation dream look the same as when they were alive, although they are often healthier or younger.
- The deceased often say something about how they are doing now, for example, that they are doing well.
- The message in the dream is experienced more telepathically than in the form of physical presence.
- The dream is often calm and organized, almost harmonious.
Have you ever dreamed about a loved one who has passed away? What did it mean to you? Feel free to share your experience in our comments section, and share this article on Facebook if you think dreams can have a meaning!
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