I have a Theory, Lets Test it right now.

[Brian]

I have a theory about dead loved ones.

Fortunately I have not lost anyone really close to me. I still have all of my Parents, Grandparents, Aunts and Uncles so I have no personal experience with this.
My theory is that after a loved one dies, they WILL visit you in a dream. I have tested this with a lot of friends and family members and they have all had this happen to them.

My Girlfriend, Sarah, has dreams once a month where her Great Aunt Mary, who she was very close with, visits her. Sarah explains it very well. She says it always feels more real than your normal dreams. She also says that they will converse and at the end of the dream they always say bye to each other because her Aunt says that she "has to go away". Sarah, always wakes up very emotional after dreams like this.

Now here is where the discussion comes in.

-Have you experienced this personally?
-Do you think this is just memories coming alive in your dreams (like most) or do you think this is something more?

Another thing to note, in Sarah's dreams with her Aunt, she is always with two white Husky dogs. Possible spirit animal? Let us know if your dreams about past loved ones include an animal.

And let's keep this discussion free of religion if we can unless it is an important part of your story.

[Gene]

This is a good one, This is probably going to make it on the show.
I've definitely experienced that anytime someone close has died. Grandma, close friend/family, etc..

but here's the kicker. I've often had the same dreams after breaking up with girlfriends. Especially when breaking up where there is no communication, etc...

Just my opinion but I think it's a pretty simple matter of them being on your mind.

I'm no dream expert but definitely had my major months/years in life where I was really into dreams. (Sometimes journal-ing 8-10 a night)
I've never had a dream where I couldn't explain exactly why everything was in the dream. If there was a shark in a dream it was usually traceable to something possibly in a sub-conscious say, I saw something in the day like say a GI Joe reference which would make me dream of a shark because as a kid I always played GI Joe with a rubber shark that would eat them. Once I could find the clue in my normal life, i could always know exactly that was is. Kind of like when you trace back a thought process. (I.e. I mentioned something about the China and my wife asks me "Where that came from" and I trace it back to something at work or someone at work who was in China, etc...

I also do firmly believe you can only interpet the dreamer and not the dream. The reason why Sarah dreams of a sled dog is totally different than why I would dream of a sled dog.

That's just my take.

-gene

[Brian]

Yeah, I remember you talking on the show about how you were really into dreams for a while. I tried keeping a dream log a few years ago... that lasted about a week. lol.

[Haley_ATL]

This is an intriguing subject. I have unfortunately lost many people in the past several years-both people I was close to and people not so close. I have found that I only dream about the people I was close to and I don't necessarily think it is them visiting me in a dream therefore mine seem to differ from your girlfriend's dreams. It almost seems to me like they are in my dreams because I am missing them and want to see them or have just been thinking about them. I have only had one dream in years past where I felt like the person was possibly visiting me. I have noticed though that the dreams involving my friends/family who have passed seem to stick with me longer-but that is probably only natural. I'd like to read more people's input on the subject!

[Gene]

If anyone has the time to mess around with your sleep schedule. I strongly recommend giving "lucid dreaming" a try.
It's hard to do and takes practice but once you figure out to have one you'll be hooked. Stephen LaBerge has some good books on the subject and created an institute for it. I've never gone but used to call them a lot and was a "member" (whatever that meant) when I was in college.

http://www.lucidity.com/LucidDreamingFAQ2.html

-Gene

[Brian]

I loooove Lucid Dreams. I haven't had one in years. It seems I used to have them a lot when I was younger and not so much as an adult.

[Haley_ATL]

I have dabbled a little with lucid dreams a little myself. I have also noticed that I had them much more when I was younger. I used to be able to wake myself from a dream but haven't been able to in ages.

[Mathew_NJ]

my wife loves my dreams they are so bizzare and i remember the most oddball details.

she also told me I should not eat hot peppers on my Pizza before I go to bed.

[fruittrees]

Although it might be slightly off in regards to topic, I have what I classify as "City or Town Dreams", dreams in which I am wandering the streets or floors of buildings within a particular location. I have never visited these places but I find myself from time to time experiencing feelings of familiarity.

Cheers

[Gene]

In regards to Hot Peppers, are they high in B12? They say B12 is good for dream recall.