He suggests that these dreams may serve a deep psychological purpose: helping our minds process grief, maintain emotional connection, and accept loss while softening its sharpest edges.

Research supports this healing aspect. A 2014 study published in The American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care found that dreams of the deceased are not only common but profoundly meaningful. Participants often described seeing their loved ones healthy, at peace, or sharing comforting messages. Similarly, a 2016 Canadian study showed that over two-thirds of bereaved individuals viewed these dreams as “visitations,” and most said the experiences strengthened their belief in an afterlife. These encounters, while occurring in sleep, can influence waking life—offering solace, closure, and renewed faith in something beyond what we can measure.

Psychologist Jennifer E. Shorter adds that visitation dreams tend to follow a