I know you're not a dream person, so for anybody who wants to chime in:
How much credence do you give to dreams about the recently-dead? Are there any criteria for determining if it was just suggestion burbling up from recent events in your sleep like most dreams, or something meaningful from/about the deceased?
Had one recently: no content in the dream that wouldn't have been readily supplied by musings on the deceased, but... before the dream, I was quite sad about the death, and it was making me all weepy and choked up. And after, I have been completely unable to feel sad about it. Not rational: nothing changed.
The deceased in question had a lifelong severe disability and had never been able to talk, only able to communicate in sort of broad vocalizations indicating happy, sad, pleased, uncomfortable, that sort of thing. Easy for an outsider to write off as "nobody home" but a cheerful, vibrant, and intelligent personality was obvious to anybody who'd spent time around them. You could tell a sneaky deadpan joke, and they'd always be the first in the room to laugh: one saved up jokes for this person. Who doesn't like someone who laughs at your jokes? Anyway, about a week after they passed, I dreamt I had a clear, fluent, totally natural conversation with this person, and they told me a really funny joke (that I so wish I could remember!). And irrationally am not sad anymore. It was the change of feeling that struck me more than the dream itself: plenty of dumb sappy platitudes were said at the funeral along the lines of "X is an angel now and can *fly*!" (barf) that were not at all comforting. One is inclined to see this as a little contact with something real, because it so dramatically relieved sadness.
(shrug)
I know there probably aren't any solid answers to that one. But thought I'd throw it out there and see if relevant insight bounces back ;)
Dreams about the recently dead
How much credence do you give to dreams about the recently-dead? Are there any criteria for determining if it was just suggestion burbling up from recent events in your sleep like most dreams, or something meaningful from/about the deceased?
Had one recently: no content in the dream that wouldn't have been readily supplied by musings on the deceased, but... before the dream, I was quite sad about the death, and it was making me all weepy and choked up. And after, I have been completely unable to feel sad about it. Not rational: nothing changed.
The deceased in question had a lifelong severe disability and had never been able to talk, only able to communicate in sort of broad vocalizations indicating happy, sad, pleased, uncomfortable, that sort of thing. Easy for an outsider to write off as "nobody home" but a cheerful, vibrant, and intelligent personality was obvious to anybody who'd spent time around them. You could tell a sneaky deadpan joke, and they'd always be the first in the room to laugh: one saved up jokes for this person. Who doesn't like someone who laughs at your jokes? Anyway, about a week after they passed, I dreamt I had a clear, fluent, totally natural conversation with this person, and they told me a really funny joke (that I so wish I could remember!). And irrationally am not sad anymore. It was the change of feeling that struck me more than the dream itself: plenty of dumb sappy platitudes were said at the funeral along the lines of "X is an angel now and can *fly*!" (barf) that were not at all comforting. One is inclined to see this as a little contact with something real, because it so dramatically relieved sadness.
(shrug)
I know there probably aren't any solid answers to that one. But thought I'd throw it out there and see if relevant insight bounces back ;)