A Father’s Dream Visit Inspires His Son’s Career

If you’ve dreamed of a loved one who passed away and told yourself, “It’s just a dream”, you may want to read on. Below, Joshua tells how dreams with his father led him to study what he calls “Grief Dreams” as he works toward a Ph.D. in psychology.

Joshua’s father died suddenly when Joshua was 24 years old. “It was the first time I had ever experienced a significant loss,” he says. “…I struggled with the heaviness of my grief.” But, about three months after his father’s death, Joshua had a dream that was different than all the other dreams he’d ever had:

“In the dream my dad and I were together in my bedroom. I saw him and I walked over to him…I went up to him and he looked healthy…We talked and I remember that I told him that I loved him and would miss him…We hugged and I woke up shortly after.

“Even though the dream was short, when I woke up I felt something had positively changed within me…Looking back, I feel that the opportunity to say goodbye to my dad helped me in my grief journey.”

And, Joshua began to consider that this dream had been more than just a dream; perhaps it had been a visitation.

In the years since that first experience, Joshua had a number of other dreams with his father until this one five years after his death: Here, Joshua’s dad showed up and said, “Is there anything I can do for you?” And Joshua’s answer was, “No, Dad, I have everything I need right now.”

“I know in my heart that the soul continues to live after the body dies… The beautiful thing about this story beyond me healing from my loss, and believing more about life after death, is where it led me in my career. It may surprise you, but there is very little research and educational guidance on this topic. I decided to develop platform at www.griefdreams.ca to help normalize these dream experiences and educate others.”

If you’ve had dreams with someone close to you who has died, you may want to visit Joshua’s web site and see how many other people have had similar experiences. If you feel like writing about your experience and sharing it for the benefit of others, please have a look at The Meaning of Forever Project website and consider sending us your story. It could end up in our book!