Sixteen years of dreams following spousal bereavement

This study compares two contrasting models concerning the relationship of dreams to phases of bereavement. To accomplish this, a content analysis of a widower's 16-year dream diary was conducted. While there was a small tendency for dreams of the deceased being alive again to occur earlier in the diary, and dreams of being separated from the deceased to occur later, in general there was no evidence of an orderly emergence of dream themes across time. These findings are supportive of more recent views of bereavement that stress the importance of redefining a relationship with the deceased rather than resolving grief in an orderly and timely manner. More generally, the present study contributes to a growing recognition that dreams can be a valuable tool for studying reactions to bereavement.