Everyone eventually loses a loved one; sadly, this is a fact of life. But losing certain loved ones can have a greater impact on us than we could have imagined.
For instance, have you ever dreamed of a deceased person? You may have never considered the significance of their showing up in your dreams.
It is tremendously difficult to lose a loved one, and each person’s grieving process is unique. While some people cry a lot, others stop talking and withdraw within.
Others attempt to sidestep the topic or act indifferently on the outside. However, many people have the trait of dreaming about their departed loved ones. Our subconscious controls what we dream at night, and if you’ve ever dreamed about a departed person, it might have significance.
Can deceased loved ones leave messages in dreams?
Dreams regarding deceased persons are known as visitation dreams, according to Patrick McNamara, an associate professor of neurology and psychiatry at Boston University School.
According to McNamara, “dreams of the bereaved where the dead appear to the bereaved in dreams and look to be very much alive” indicate that the departed person is paying you a visit in your dream.
The 67-year-old researcher, who goes by the pseudonym Dream Catcher, is a frequent blogger at Psychology Today. McNamara has frequently discussed his ideas and research on dreams and their significance over the years. Additionally, he claims that visitation dreams typically have a rational reason.
They assist you in managing your sorrow, loss, and grief.
He describes a dream he had after his parents died in one of his blog entries. After claiming that the experience was a “visitation dream,” McNamara started to make the case that these dreams were an indication of life after death.
“How much stronger must be the conviction of someone who approaches dreams with less skepticism than I do, given that even I, a person who studied dreams with a skeptical scientific mindset, could not get rid of the belief that I had just spoken to my deceased parents?” McNamara is the author.
These dreams have piqued the curiosity of others than Patrick McNamara, and other research have examined this phenomenon in further detail.
A 2014 study that looked at the effects of mourning dreams was published in the American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care. According to the study, “dreams of the deceased occur frequently, can be highly meaningful and further healing from a loss.”
“Past memories or experiences, the deceased free of illness, memories of the deceased’s illness or time of death, the deceased appeared healthy, comfortable, and at peace in the afterlife, as well as the deceased communicating a message” were among the themes in the dreams.
A group of Canadian researchers examined 76 middle-aged, grieving people’s dreams as they slept in 2016. The study found that 67.1% of the bereaved group claimed that having dreams about the deceased increased their belief in an afterlife. 71% of respondents said that having dreams about the deceased made them feel closer to the deceased, and almost 70% described their dreams of the deceased as “visitations.”
Research on our brains and dreams has also been conducted by psychologist Jennifer E. Shorter of the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology in Palo Alto, California.
The number of persons who have visitation dreams is unknown, according to her study, “Visitation Dreams in Grieving Individuals: A Phenomenological Inquiry into the Relationship Between Dreams and the Grieving.”
However, it might occur shortly before or long after a person’s death. According to her research, a visitation dream is characterized by four factors:
1. When you have a visitation dream, the persons in your dream appear like they did when they were alive, however they are frequently younger or in better health.
2. The departed frequently expresses how they are doing currently, such as that they are doing well.
3. More than through bodily presence, the dream’s message is experienced telepathically.
4. The dream is frequently orderly, serene, and nearly harmonic.
Have you ever had a dream about a deceased loved one? For you, what did it mean? If you believe that dreams can have meaning, please share your story in our comments section and remember to share this post on Facebook!
