Reed, Henry (1997).The Dead Visit in Dreams. Electric Dreams 4(6). www.dreamgate.com/dream/ed-articles/ed4-6ree.htm (July 29, 1997)

The Dead Visit in Dreams

By

Henry Reed

Have you been visited by the dead in your dreams? Chances are close to one in five that you will. In a survey of close to 250 college students conducted at Harvard Medical School, 45 respondents reported a total of 77 dreams of the dead.

An analysis of these dreams, reported in Omega: Journal of Death and Dying, revealed that most commonly (39 per cent of all dreams of the dead) the deceased person appears to be alive. Such a dream occurs close to the time of death, to someone intimate with the deceased. The predominant theme is denial of death or feelings of guilt about not being able to have prevented the death.

The second most common dream (29 per cent) involves the deceased saying good-bye to the dreamer. This dream occurs an average of 3 years after the death, to someone intimate with the dreamer. The predominant theme is the acceptance of death.

The third most common dream (23 per cent) involves the deceased person giving advice to the dreamer. This dream occurs an average of 3 years after the death, usually to someone close to the dreamer, but not always. There is no predominant theme, except that it involves something of concern to the dreamer.

The fourth most common dream (18 per cent) involves the deceased providing some information about the state after death, or teasing the dreamer with the prospect of such information. This dream occurs an average of five years after death and may occur to anyone, even someone who was a stranger to the deceased. The predominant theme in such dreams seems to be the dreamer's own mortality. A significant aspect of these dreams is that more than half of them involve the deceased talking to the dreamer on the telephone. Since telephones appear in only three per cent of all dreams, their regular appearance in these "communications from the dead" dreams may be significant.

For more information, contact Deirdre Barrett, Ph.D., Behavioral Medicine Program, Harvard Medical School, 1493 Cambridge Street, Cambridge, MA 02139.