Dreams of the deceased: A scoping and mixed-methods systematic review

This systematic scoping review (ScR) and mixed-methods systematic review (MMSR) investigates dreams of the deceased (DoD), i.e., experiences where individuals dream of deceased loved ones. We examined prevalence, characteristics of dreamers and the deceased, functions of these dreams, and cultural interpretations. A comprehensive search across five academic databases resulted in 4030 reports initially found, yielding 110 publications for the ScR and 76 for the MMSR. The ScR identified that 60.9 % of the reports were published after 2010, with 51.8 % originating from the USA. The MMSR revealed that qualitative methodologies dominated the literature (73.7 %). Our findings suggest that DoD are prevalent across diverse cultural contexts and serve significant emotional functions related to grief processing. Common themes included feelings of comfort, guidance, and continued connection with deceased loved ones. The impact of these dreams tended to be positive, suggesting their role in facilitating emotional healing. Overall, this review underscores the necessity for interdisciplinary collaboration to deepen our understanding of DoD and their implications for grieving processes and cultural practices.