Grief Dreams Newsletter
WINTER 2017 Every night you are my last thought before I slip into sweet dreams, where my only hope is you will be there to meet me. ~Stephanie Melish
Thank you for your interest in the grief dreams newsletter! We have lots of exciting news to share!
We hope 2017 has been a positive year thus far for you. Joshua Black has been very busy since the last newsletter promoting the topic of grief dreams. Many people continue to be surprised by the topic, and the impact it can have on people’s lives. Since the last newsletter, Joshua has been featured in four newspapers discussing the topic. Additionally, he has been interviewed on different live radio shows and podcasts (see full list on www.griefdreams.ca under media/articles). A first for Joshua (in October) was that he took live calls from listens when he was interviewed on Coast to Coast AM (with George Noory). Also, Joshua helped organize and host the 1st Annual Children’s Grief Awareness Event at Brock University in November. At the event, he was able to shed considerable and much needed light on children’s grief dream experiences.
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Grief Dream Story Submitted by Robert Petsche Robert Petsche recounted a story of how his
smile. He knew it was her, simply because he
son’s dreams of the deceased helped him as he
noticed her gold tooth. You could always see it
moved forward in his grief journey. On January
when she really opened her mouth in a wide
19th of this year, Robert’s wife (Donnie) died. He
smile. She looked really happy.
has not had a dream of her yet, but his son had. Robert shares the 3 dreams his son had (first
The night after Donnie’s death his son had his third dream. His mom was a young girl
two were before she died). The first dream his son
(about 14-16 years old) sitting with a bright
had was at the end of December (2015), a couple
colored spring or summer dress on in the
weeks before she died. His son dreamt that he was
middle of this beautiful grassy area with trees in
in his bed thinking he just woke up and there was a
the background. There were all these young
bright light was shining on his face. Not super
children that were playing all around her on the
bright, almost like when the full moon comes
grassy field. They were jumping and crawling
through the window. He couldn’t open his eyes,
on top of her…like they had not seen her in a
but he wasn’t afraid. He heard a man’s voice softly
long time (almost a reunion of sorts). What
speaking to him “don’t worry everything will be
was strange about this was the next day his son
alright”. It was then his son woke up for real and he
saw a black and white photo of his mom. His
said to himself ‘weird dream’. In the next couple
son commented that it was the same type of
days his mom (Donnie) had a heart attack.
dress and on a grassy terrain (as a teenager)
His son’s second dream was the day before she died. He saw his mom (Donnie) riding on the back of a very large white horse as a passenger, high
from the dream. His son stated he had not recalled ever seeing that photo before. These dreams shared by his son helped
in the clouds above. The person steering the horse
Robert in his grieving process. He stated it
could not really be made out. The same bright
brought him great comfort knowing she is OK.
white light he saw in his earlier dream was in this
He hopes this story can be a source of comfort
one as well. The light was radiating from the horse
as others go through their grief journey. This
and the person in control of the horse. His mom
story showcases the beautiful effect a shared
was looking back and waving at him with this big
dream can have within family.
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The Grief Dreams Podcast has shown great success over the last 14 episodes, with over 1300 downloads. The
We want to hear from
podcast continues to grow with each episode as awareness expands. It has been a fun learning curve for Joshua Black and Shawn Ram. They are pleased to have better sound quality for Episode 11 (which is a full review of the journey in 2016) and on. Additionally, they have figured out how to record interviews on the telephone and through Skype. This will allow them to interview people from around the world and hear their grief journey with dreams.
Joshua and Shawn’s goal this year is to be able to produce a podcast each week starting in February. As a way to
you! If you are interested in being a guest on our Grief Dreams Podcast or have your story featured in our newsletter, please forward us your story and what you would like to share! You can submit any inquiries to griefdreams@gmail.com
produce a podcast each week they have included a guest host (Jade Black) to fill in periodically when Joshua is away to tend to other tasks. The podcast episodes are featured on iTunes, PodBean.com, Stitcher, Overcast,
Editors:
and many other podcast platforms (just search Grief
Jade Black, MA
Dreams).
Joshua Black, PhD (student)
Grief dreams newsletter
WINTER 2017
Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook Grief Dreams is on now on Instagram and Twitter (under the handle @griefdreams). Follow us for grief and bereavement related content intended to both raise awareness and inspire! Also, if you are not already aware we have a group on Facebook titled Grief Dreams. We use the space to share stories of loss and inspire each other to move forward in healing. Please feel free to join us there!
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New Research Article is published! A research article titled “Dreams of the deceased: Can themes be reliably coded?” by Joshua Black and 5 others has been published in the International Journal of Dream Research. This article can be viewed on the grief dreams website (under Joshua Black’s Bio). Some interesting findings: • Eight common themes were found to be reliably coded: 1) Rationalization, 2) Dead, Dying, or Ill, 3) Discomfort, 4) Comfort, 5) Healthy and Happy, 6) Help-Crossing-Over, 7) Separation, and 8) Other • When investigating dream attitudes: o 67.1% stated that dreams of the deceased helped them believe more in an afterlife o 70.9% stated dreams of the deceased helped them feel more connected with the deceased