Did a deceased loved one appear in your dream? here is what it means
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Sooner or later, everyone loses someone close to them—it is, unfortunately, a part of life. However, the passing of specific loved ones can affect us more deeply than we ever imagined.
For instance, has a person who is no longer among the living ever appeared in your dreams? The meaning behind their appearance might be something you’ve never considered..
Losing a loved one is incredibly difficult, and how you process grief depends on the individual. Some shed many tears, while many go silent and withdraw into themselves. Others try to avoid the subject or outwardly show no reaction at all. But there is one experience shared by many—dreaming of deceased loved ones. When it comes to what we dream at night, our subconscious is in charge, and if you have ever dreamed of a person who has passed away, there may be a deeper significance to it.
Can Dreams Carry Messages from the Deceased?
According to Patrick McNamara, a professor of neurology and psychiatry at the Boston University School of Medicine, there is a specific term for dreams about dead people: visitation dreams.
This suggests that the deceased person is visiting you in your dream, or as McNamara explains: "Dreams of the bereaved in which the deceased appear to the dreamer and seem very much alive."
The 67-year-old McNamara is an active blogger for Psychology Today under his moniker, "Dream Catcher." Over the years, McNamara has frequently shared his thoughts and findings regarding dreams and their meanings. Visitation dreams usually have a logical explanation, according to him: they help you cope with your grief, loss, and sorrow.
In one of his blog posts, he discusses a dream he had after his parents passed away. It was a classic visitation dream, and afterward, McNamara began to argue that these dreams were a sign of life after death.
"Now, if I, a person who has studied dreams with a skeptical scientific approach, could not shake the conviction that I had just communicated with my dead parents, how much stronger must the conviction be for someone with a less skeptical approach to dreams than mine?" McNamara writes.
Healing Through Dreaming
Patrick McNamara is not the only one interested in these dreams; several studies have dug 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 of the deceased occur frequently, can be very meaningful, and promote healing from loss."
Themes in these dreams included "memories or past experiences, the deceased appearing without illness, memories of the deceased's illness or time of death, the deceased in the afterlife looking healthy, comfortable, and at peace, as well as the deceased conveying a message."
In 2016, a team of Canadian researchers performed an analysis of the dream states of 76 middle-aged bereaved individuals. According to the study, 67.1% of the grieving sample said their dreams of the deceased helped them believe more strongly in an afterlife. About 70% characterized their dreams of the deceased as "visitations," and 71% found that these dreams helped them feel more connected to the departed.
The Four Characteristics of a "Visitation"
Psychologist Jennifer E. Shorter, from the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology in Palo Alto, California, also conducted a study on our brains and what we dream. In her research, titled "Visitation Dreams in Grieving Individuals: A Phenomenological Investigation of the Relationship Between Dreams and Bereavement," she notes that it is unknown exactly how many people experience visitation dreams.
However, they can occur shortly after or a long time after a person has died. In her research, she concluded that four factors characterize a visitation dream:
- Vibrancy: The people in your dream look as they did when they were alive, though often healthier or younger.
- Reassurance: The deceased often says something about their current state—for example, that they are okay.
- Communication Style: The message in the dream is experienced more telepathically than through physical presence.
- Structure: The dream is often calm and organized, almost harmonious.
Have you ever dreamed of a loved one who has passed away? What did it mean to you? Feel free to share your experience in the comments below, and don't forget to share this article if you believe dreams can have a deeper meaning!
