Psychologists have found that dying patients in palliative care units often have vivid dreams involving deceased relatives and symbols associated with the transition.
Doctors and nurses who care for patients in palliative care units say that these dreams often give patients a sense of comfort and reduce their fear of death.
Oncology psychologist Elisa Rapetti of the palliative care service in Reggio Emilia, Italy, believes that these dreams "provide psychological comfort and give deeper meaning to the lives of those on the verge of death."
Rabiti led a team that surveyed 239 local palliative care professionals—doctors, nurses, psychologists, and others—about the dreams reported by dying patients. The study's findings were published in the journal Death Studies.
It turns out that the most common of these dreams or visions are those in which the patient encounters deceased relatives or lost pets. For example, one patient dreamt of her deceased husband, who told her, "I'm waiting for you." Researchers suggest that such dreams provide a sense of inner peace and help in accepting the idea of death.
Others dream of doors, stairs, or bright light. For example, one patient recounted climbing barefoot toward an open door bathed in white light. Researchers believe these images may represent a psychological mechanism that helps in processing the transition from life to death.
In most cases, these dreams are accompanied by feelings of reassurance and comfort, while only about 10% of participants reported that they caused them psychological distress. Among the more disturbing examples, one patient dreamt of a monster with her mother's face dragging her downwards.
Christopher Kerr, chief physician at a nursing home in Buffalo, New York, conducted similar studies, confirming that dreams of deceased relatives are very common among terminally ill patients, and become more frequent as death approaches.
Kerr said: "What's interesting is that the people who appear in these dreams are not random, but are often people who loved the patient and gave him a sense of security."
According to him, dreams of "getting ready to leave" are also common, with some patients describing themselves packing their luggage or preparing to board a bus.
Kerr explained that these dreams and visions can help "reshape the dying person's experience psychologically." He said, "In one case, a 70-year-old woman, a mother of four adult children, saw her firstborn child, who had been stillborn. This loss had been silent in her life and she had never spoken about it, but its appearance in a final vision gave her some solace."
Kerr believes that the frequency of these dreams increases as death approaches, describing dying as a "gradual sleep".
He said: "Patients enter a state of sleep and then wake up, and that is why their dreams become more vivid and bright, and they often confirm that it was not just a dream, but seemed completely real."
He concluded by saying: "We fear death because the survival instinct is strong, but the final days of patients can be filled with love and meaning, and they often reach a kind of acceptance. What is most surprising is the absence of fear."
