By Bill Murphy, LDE Science Correspondent © 2016
While researching the topic of lucid dreams of the deceased, I reviewed the work of those who have studied various categories of dreams looking for relevant data. The challenge of providing examples of communication with deceased loved ones while in a lucid dream was confounding in some regards while acknowledging there is an undeniable emotional aspect to the subject.
What I looked for was verifiable information gained during a lucid dream with a deceased loved one that was not known while the person in the dream was living. I had hoped this could have led to an understanding of a possible mechanism of what could be considered non-linear communication. Dreams do not have to conform to clocks and calendars but could knowledge be passed in any direction such as the past to the present or even in reverse?
While there is a substantial amount of research pertaining to how grief affects the survivor‘s dreams, some of the testimony that dreamers shared with me has inspired me to continue to study the phenomenon of communication with what many call the afterlife. Since this article is limited to discussing dreams there is no need to expand upon a discussion of the possible existence of discarnate personalities.
With the parameters of this article established, here are a couple of examples of anecdotal evidence of lucid dreams with the deceased presented to me in various interviews.
Norma Sumption shared with me that after her husband Frank unexpectedly passed away, she and her son eventually began looking for some of the electronic devices that Frank had built, specifically the first radio based instrument that bears his name: Frank‘s Box Number One. Frank had cleaned out his workshop several years earlier when he and his wife relocated to a new home and many of his items were stored in cartons that his family had not opened.
Norma Sumption shared with me that after her husband Frank unexpectedly passed away, she and her son eventually began looking for some of the electronic devices that Frank had built, specifically the first radio based instrument that bears his name: Frank‘s Box Number One. Frank had cleaned out his workshop several years earlier when he and his wife relocated to a new home and many of his items were stored in cartons that his family had not opened.
Dr. Simeon Hein stated during an interview several years ago that he had lost his beloved dog, and as many people can attest, pets become integrated into a person‘s family. Dr. Hein reported that during a lucid dream his dog appeared to him and communicated a personal message of well being through scratch marks on the ground that was deciphered during the dream almost like a written language.
This amazing account shows the depth of the connection between different species and how working to become lucid during a dream can reveal surprises that are difficult to categorize.
Photo by cocoparisienne via Pixabay
My wife Anita told me of the lucid dream she had when her late mother appeared and invited Anita to go shopping with her. In the dream her mother was vibrant, healthy, and Anita detected her mom‘s favorite perfume L‘air Du Temps. Realizing she was in a dream, Anita became lucid and expanded the dreamscape which morphed into the outdoors. And on cue, her mother‘s green Pontiac materialized and her mom got in and drove off which prompted Anita to awaken and reflect on the experience.
The components of Anita‘s dream suggest that she was lucid but also relinquished some control to her mother who was the central dream figure. Becoming partially lucid while interacting with characters in the dream that have their personalities intact is a powerful experience for a person to have.
It is of interest to note that lucid and non-lucid dreams with loved ones have been reported throughout the ages, and as society advances, some of the common details change from generation to generation. In his book titled Finding Meaning in Dreams, A Quantitative Approach, author and research Professor G. William Domhoff writes that in a study of dreams with deceased loved ones, a majority of respondent‘s state that the medium most commonly used to communicate within the dream is the telephone.
This certainly would not have been the case 300 years ago, and one can‘t help but wonder how modern culture will infiltrate our dreams with deceased loved ones in the coming centuries.
