In the beginning soon after a loved one has passed, it is common to have dreams of them that are strongly emotional in nature. These type of dreams are emotional release dreams and they serve a purpose to help the dreamer process complex emotions that are difficult to move through in their waking life. Many people report that these type of emotional release dreams tend to be a bit morbid or dark in nature, especially if the dreamer is grieving over a violent or traumatic passing of a loved one.

Listed below are the five categorized stages of grief.

• Denial
• Anger
• Bargaining
• Depression
• Acceptance

It is common, that while moving through stages of grief, the brain and subconscious thought processes will use the REM stage of sleep and dream time to explore and understand situations of conflict, confusion or unresolved emotions. Beyond the emotional release dreams are Lucid or Vivid dreams in which a loved one, through love and intention are able to connect and communicate energetically with the dreamer.

Memories of the Past

Knowing how to identify an actual visit from a loved one who has crossed over when the topic pertains to memories, vivid light, color and presence of "time" is incredibly strong. Oftentimes the memory becomes a preserved moment in time in which the details are full of life that ignite the five senses and more, especially the sense of soulful recognition of the person who has passed.

For example, some memory dreams will pertain to birthday parties or weddings or something good that has occurred before or even after the loved one has died, and they have made the effort to share their presence with the dreamer to let them know they remember or saw the event even from the other side, they reveal they are still connected to them in the physical even after their parting death.

Some memory dreams pertain to the loved ones death and on rare occasion, when the dream moves beyond an emotional release dream of the trauma or experience of death, the loved one who passed will come in the dream state to the dreamer to reveal more details of their passing and give clarification on confusing situations. With passing's that are more tragic in nature such as murder or suicide, sometimes this is a way in which the dreamer is able to learn more details on how their loved one viewed their own passing, or what else happened that needs clarification.

Future Acknowledgement

At times a loved one who has crossed over will appear in a dream to share with the dreamer information that is important pertaining to future events and it is their way of showing the dreamer they are still involved in their life and still see what is going on. With this type of dream, events or details are often revealed very vividly but are also disjointed and mixed together with both literal and symbolic references. Understanding which is which comes through a process of elimination.

• Write down the entire set of details from the dream, whether or not they make sense at the moment.
• Keep track of the small little random clues. Often they are small things that end up happening in the dreamers waking life after the dream has appeared, to reinforce that the bigger details of the dream are relevant and true.
• Take note of the setting, mood, season, time, place or surroundings. Many times details are revealed also in the subtleties to show how far ahead the dream will occur. If it's winter time and the dream takes place in the heat of summer it means to look for the unfolding of dream events in the summer, OR, that the future events are to take place in warm or hot places.

Warnings

Some future based dreams in which a loved one appears at times can seem urgent that needs attention in some way. In this situation, it's a good time for the dreamer to assess the situation and compare current situations to the nature of it. Sometimes it is a way to help the dreamer choose a direction in life if they are in a crossroads. Or other times it's a way to help the dreamer help someone close to them make an important choice.

On rare occasion, a departed loved one will come to warn the dreamer of dangerous events that they can prevent such as a car crash or bad relationship. It is also a way to remind the dreamer they are not alone and that their loved one is still looking out for them even from the other side.

New Life

At times, a dreamer will describe how a departed loved one came to them in a dream in which they brought the news of a new child or birth in the family as a way to say they are with them, they are still part of the family and they are offering their blessing.

Reaching Out

One of the most exciting experiences that happen when a departed loved one appears in dreams is to show the dreamer that there is more beyond the physical plane of existence, and to show them they are okay and still connected to them. It also provides an invitation to the dreamer that they too can reach out to the other side, even if it is a new experience. Dream visitations don't have to be limited to just one experience. There can be many more. Just reaching out through prayer or meditation can encourage even more experiences of visitations through the dream state that often evolve into after life visitations through meditation and prayer in the waking states also.

Keep the Door Open

Whether a loved one has recently crossed over or has been crossed over for some time, connecting to them through the dream state is definitely possible. The perception of time is very different on the other side than here and relating it to even the topic at hand of dreams, time on the other side is very similar to that of the dream state. So patience is key.

Higher emotional energies create a better open door for a dream visit than lower vibrational emotional energies. The higher the vibration, the closer to connecting to our loved one we become. Ask for them to visit and keep an open mind to the form in which they'll arrive.

How to See the Signs

Sometimes a loved one appears not as a soul, a person as you remember them or a ball of light, many times they reveal their presence to us in dreams by ways we would recognize them in the physical. Examples would be to wake from a dream with their favorite song in our mind, or a symbol that would represent them. Something that you would be able to see in the physical that would remind you of them are symbols that can appear in the dream state as an energetic signature from them.

With Love, Not Fear or Anger

Our loved ones want us to receive them openly without fear. And for some of us, that means appearing in gentle ways when we are ready. They honor what we need, even if that is time if we are still harboring negative emotions regarding their passing. So the sooner and more thorough we are able to move through our grief and unresolved emotional conflicts, the sooner we will be able to receive their presence openly in the dream state and other ways.

Perspective

For many people who experience this, at times their dream will have a religious or spiritual nature that parallels their internal belief structure and system. Those who have crossed over want us to welcome the experience and will often appear in a context that we feel is safe that is part of our core understanding of God, spirituality and the survival of consciousness. What is familiar is inviting so they often use what is familiar to enter our subconsciousness to reveal their presence.  

Indirect Contact

One of the most effective and beautiful examples of a dream visitation is when a departed loved one appears in a dream of someone who is either connected to the bereaved or one who could deliver the message of a visitation objectively. Sometimes grief clouds our judgement and for those who would otherwise question the visitation as being authentic, it is not uncommon for the departed to arrive through a dream of someone else who is connected.

When a dreamer can become a messenger on behalf of someone else, even if that grieving person has yet to meet the dreamer, it is a way to facilitate a message and make an even stronger impact on the grieving person that the departed is still connected and is okay.

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 SOURCE ******About Debbie Edwards Debbie Edwards is an International Spiritual Medium, Author, Photographer, Artist and Internet Radio Host. She is the founder and host of Meta Visionaries Global Live Radio. Recent written publications include articles in the newspaper Spirit Connections of the Mount Hood region, The Sentinella Magazine from Spain, and Zodiac Magazine from Norway. She is a featured columnist through newsbf.com and bellesprit.com. Visit her website: http://www.debbieedwardsinternational.com/