Recent research has suggested that in the days before death, people have similar visions during sleep. Scientists have approached Italian experts to share the end-of-life dreams their terminally ill patients have confided.
- Terminally ill people often experience vivid dreams shortly before death.
- Such dreams often depict a meeting with deceased loved ones or a symbolic transition to another world.
- Positive dreams bring psychological relief and encourage acceptance of impending death.
We can think of dreams as a sequence of images, thoughts and feelings that our mind creates during sleep. Daydreaming is thought to help us process emotions, store memories, strengthen neural connections, reduce stress, solve problems and promote creative thinking. Vivid dreams most often occur during REM sleep, when the brain is particularly active.
We can most often remember the dreams we experience during REM sleep. (illustrative photo)
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Some people, especially women, have reported being able to remember dreams more often during the pandemic, which researchers attribute to increased stress, depression and anxiety. In this sense, it can be assumed that incurable diseases can intensify the ability to remember dreams.
A team of scientists from the Italian institute Azienda USL–IRCCS di Reggio Emilia therefore asked 239 experts in palliative care, hospice volunteers, nurses and psychologists, to reveal what dreams their patients had before they died. The results show that certain common images emerge in the final phase of life.
Many patients who were on the verge of death described vivid dreams of reuniting with deceased loved ones. Others experienced visions associated with transitioning to a different environment, such as bright light, doors, and stairs.
Researchers believe that such dreams can serve as a kind of psychological relief for those who say goodbye to life. “One specialist mentioned a patient who dreamed about her husband. He told her that he was waiting for her, which she interpreted as a sign of inner peace and acceptance of death,” he noted.
But it wasn’t just about positive dreams. Some patients described disturbing visions, such as a monster with their mother’s face dragging them to hell. According to scientists, these nightmares are a sign of internal conflict and reflect the fear of death. “They may indicate unmet emotional needs,” they concluded.
Despite the results of the study, the authors emphasized that the reason for these visions remains unclear and requires further investigation. “Although we have uncovered their meaning, we still lack a clear understanding of such images. Patients often hesitate to talk about their dreams for fear of ridicule or judgment, so they downplay their meaning,” concluded research team leader Elisa Rabitti.
