There are numerous theories as to whether or not dreams are meaningful. Spiritual beings would claim that a dream can teach us a lot. They say there are guides who can give you life advice. Many experts, though, would simply state that your brain is processing information. It may appear to be a rerun of your day, an opportunity to confront your worries, or a chance to clear your mind during a difficult period. Occasionally you get unexpected visits from people you used to know. Perhaps you severed relations with that person. Or perhaps they died. What, if anything, does this type of dream represent?

To begin, dreaming about a deceased loved one might elicit a wide range of feelings. You may experience feelings of calm and love. Or you may feel sad because they have wounded you in the past or because you miss them. Dreaming of someone who has recently died is a worldwide occurrence.

This type of dream is frequently regarded as a normal component of the grieving process. According to Healthline, if the person you dream about died recently, it could be a representation of a transformation in your own life. Dying in a dream does not always signify the same thing. That is sometimes the brain’s method of preparing you for a new stage in your life. Have you recently relocated? Have you lately received a new employment offer? Perhaps you’ve just graduated and are considering your alternatives as you plan your future.

Experts advise against focusing on little elements when attempting to understand a dream. Instead, consider how you are feeling. A dream’s sentiment will reveal more about it than anything else you may be thinking or seeing. Nevertheless, dreams are frequently suggestive of something else.

Rubin Naiman holds a Ph.D. in psychology and has studied sleep patterns and behaviors for many years. “Dream interpretation is about decoding the dream,” he says of attempting to grasp what a dream might represent. It enlightens and mentally increases our awareness, [providing] an enlargement of consciousness.” Dreaming of a deceased loved one can often indicate changes in your life and the anxiety or peace you may feel about the decisions you’ve made surrounding this shift.

“A lot of contemporary neuroscientists believe during REM sleep, the brain is involved in maintenance chores, and it mistakenly ‘kicks up dust,’ visually,” Naiman adds. Dreaming is deemed completely worthless at that point. “The other end is that dreaming is more substantial than waking,” he explains. And we see this in ‘dream cultures,’ such as the indigenous Australians, who think that dreaming is essential to our spiritual being.”

Specialists divide this type of dream into four categories:

The first is that you are in mourning. Someone died recently, and your mind is attempting to work with the grief.
You are projecting your own feelings. When a loved one appears angry or disappointed with you, it is often a reflection of how you perceive yourself. You may feel as if things are left unsaid, or you may feel terrible for not making amends before their death.
Another interpretation of a dream involving a deceased loved one is self-sabotage. Lauri Loewenberg is a dream analyst who argues that our deceased loved one may have displayed tendencies such as substance misuse and extravagant spending, and we can see those same traits inside ourselves.
The final typical reason of this type of dream is visitation. Some individuals believe that our loved ones can visit us from the hereafter. They may impart wisdom, issue a warning, or highlight a change that is required in our life. Observe your loved one to see if it was a dream of this type. If they appear to be in good health and cheerful, this dream may come true. Another method to find out is to pay attention to how you feel. If you’re at ease and feel comforted by the visit, it’s possible that it was your loved one dropping by to say hello. While a “visitation” dream may appear absurd to some, professionals such as Loewenberg believe it is a very genuine possibility.

For years, scientists have conducted sleep research and dream analysis in try to better understand how the mind operates. Dreams, on the other hand, offer something far deeper and more meaningful to spiritual creatures. They think that you can receive insight into the soul, a closer connection to the deceased, and the ability to employ wisdom supplied by ancestors or people we’ve loved dearly in this life.