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
Individuals in palliative care nearing the end of their lives often experience vivid dreams involving deceased loved ones and transitional symbols. Healthcare professionals caring for them observe that such dreams frequently provide comfort, reducing the fear of death.
Elisa Rabitti, from the Palliative Care Local Network in Reggio Emilia, Italy, notes that these dreams provide psychological relief and meaning to those facing the end of life.
Rabitti led a study involving 239 local palliative care doctors, nurses, psychologists, and other health professionals who reported dreams shared by terminally ill patients.
The dreams and visions, whether experienced during sleep or while awake, often feature reunions with deceased family members or pets. For instance, one woman dreamed of her late husband telling her, “I’m waiting for you.” Such dreams offered inner peace and helped patients come to terms with death, according to Rabitti and her colleagues.
Other dreams included imagery of doors, stairways, or light, such as one dream where a person climbed barefoot toward an open door filled with white light. This may serve as a coping mechanism to understand their transition from life to death, the study suggests.
Generally, these dreams left individuals feeling “peaceful” and “comforted.” However, about 10 percent of the dreams were distressing, such as one where a person saw a monster with her mother’s face pulling her down.
Christopher Kerr from Hospice Buffalo in New York state has also researched this phenomenon, finding that dreams about deceased loved ones are common among the terminally ill and become more frequent as death nears. “It’s fascinating that those who appear in these dreams are always the ones who provided love and security,” he states. His findings also indicate that dreams about preparing to leave, such as packing or boarding a bus, are prevalent.
Kerr also believes end-of-life dreams and visions can help “reassemble” people. He recalls a 70-year-old woman, a mother of four, who moved her arms as if cradling a baby while envisioning her first child, who had died stillborn. The vision brought her comfort as she had never been able to discuss his loss. “We’ve also observed many veterans, who often address their burdens or wounds in their end-of-life dreams,” Kerr adds.
He suggests that as death approaches, the frequency of these dreams and visions increases because “dying is progressive sleep.” People drift in and out of sleep, making their dreams more vivid and realistic, often described as feeling more real than a dream.
We often perceive the end of life as sad and frightening due to our inherent survival instincts, but Kerr points out that the final weeks of a terminal illness can be filled with love and meaning, leading patients to a state of acceptance. “One of the most notable elements is the lack of fear,” he concludes.
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