People sometimes report seeing a bright light during near-death experiences, but this symbolism of transition also commonly occurs in dreams as we approach the end of our life Kirill Ryzhov/Alamy
People in palliative care who are approaching death often have vivid dreams featuring deceased loved ones and symbols of transition. The doctors and medical professionals who look after them say these dreams often bring them comfort and make them less scared of dying.
These dreams 鈥渙ffer psychological relief and meaning to people facing end of life,鈥 write Elisa Rabitti at the Palliative Care Local Network in Reggio Emilia, Italy, and her colleagues in a study.
Rabitti led a team that surveyed 239 local palliative care doctors, nurses, psychologists and other health professionals about dreams recounted to them by people who are terminally ill.
The most common dreams and visions, which occurred while people were awake, involved encounters with deceased family members or pets. One woman, for example, had a dream about her late husband, in which he told her, 鈥淚鈥檓 waiting for you.鈥 These dreams provided a sense of inner peace and helped people to accept death, write Rabitti and her colleagues.
Others dreamed of doors, stairways or light, with one describing a dream about climbing barefoot towards an open door filled with white light. This may be a coping mechanism to explore and make sense of their impending passage from life to death, the study authors write.
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Most commonly, the people felt 鈥減eaceful鈥 and 鈥渃omforted鈥 in relation to these end-of-life dreams and visions. Only a small proportion of them 鈥 about 10 per cent 鈥 were distressing, including one in which one person saw a monster with her mother鈥檚 face dragging her down.
at Hospice Buffalo in New York state has also conducted research showing that dreams about deceased loved ones are very common in those who are terminally ill, and . 鈥淲hat鈥檚 really interesting is it’s not random who comes to you 鈥 it鈥檚 always those people who loved and secured you,鈥 he says. His research has also found that dreams about 鈥減reparing to go鈥 are common. For example, 鈥減atients often describe dreams about packing or getting on a bus,鈥 he says.
End-of-life dreams and visions can 鈥減ut people back together鈥, says Kerr. For instance, he once saw a 70-year-old woman, a mother of four adult children, move her arms as if cradling a baby while having visions of her first child, who died stillborn. She had found his loss too difficult to talk about, but his metaphysical return at the end brought her comfort. 鈥淲e鈥檝e also had lots of veterans, and whatever wounds or burdens they鈥檙e carrying are often addressed in their end-of-life dreams,鈥 says Kerr.
The frequency of these dreams and visions ramps up as death approaches because 鈥渄ying is progressive sleep鈥, believes Kerr. 鈥淸The people are] in and out of sleep, which seems to make their dreams more vivid and striking 鈥 often they say it鈥檚 not a dream; it feels real.鈥
We often assume that the end of life is a sad and terrifying experience because 鈥渂uilt into our survival is a visceral response to threat鈥, says Kerr. But the final weeks of a terminal illness can be rich in love and meaning, and individuals 鈥渋nevitably come to something of acceptance鈥, he says. 鈥淥ne of the most striking things is the absence of fear.鈥
Journal reference:
Death Studies
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