When Loved Ones Visit Us in Dreams: What It Might Truly Mean

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 pattern: the loved one appears as they once were—often healthier or younger—radiating calm. Words may be few, yet the message feels clear, received more through emotion than dialogue. Whether viewed as spiritual connection or subconscious healing, these dreams remind us that love does not end with death. They show that the bonds we form may stretch beyond time, that memory and affection still find ways to speak. So when someone who has passed away appears in your dream, perhaps it isn’t only your mind remembering them—it might be your heart, reminding you that they never truly left.