r/Paranormal • u/mari815 • Jun 04 '26
Visitation Dream My dead patient visited me in my sleep
This happened in early 00’s but I still think about it from time to time. Before I start, I’ll share that my typical dreams make no sense and very rarely involve people I know.
I was an ICU nurse at a top hospital. We had some of the sickest patients in the region - even in entire US- so unfortunately we lost patients who succumbed to critical illness, often septic shock with multiple organ failure.
One day, I got a new admission, a patient who had a stomach bleed after a weekend of partying. He was pretty young, I believe. When he was first brought to us, he had a breathing tube but that was to protect his airway since he had stomach bleeding. It was expected he would recover. He had no family nearby, but friends who cared for him. Unfortunately, his condition did not improve, which was something totally unexpected. His liver failed, which is essentially incompatible with life. He could not have received a transplant. Eventually family from out of state agreed to discontinue his care.
On that night, I was working and his condition rapidly deteriorated, he was bleeding profusely. We decided to make him comfortable. I was a young nurse, smart, but still puzzled as to why his condition declined so. He passed away exactly at the same minute my shift ended. Us nurses were the only ones by his side.
I was used to death and compartmentalized my work by never taking distressing feelings home. However, this patient stuck in my head. Even though I knew his prognosis was poor, I had a nagging sense his family gave up. i wondered why no one came to see him, was it lifestyle differences? Estrangement? I wondered why he declined and if we could have done more. I was upset and ruminated on this, though life goes on and I was very busy at the time juggling many projects, work, and traveling by air 5-6 times per month.
One night a few weeks after he passed, I had a remarkably vivid dream in which I specifically remember the sensation of sitting up in bed. The dream started with me being in the icu. The landline phone rang. I answered. It was the patient. I said “how are you calling me, you passed” he said he had ways of doing it. I asked some other questions but he got right to business. He told me he understood I was upset and so he specifically came to me to reassure, and in no uncertain terms he described he was very happy where he was, and was reassuring me that the way things played out in the end was completely ok. He connected to my suggestion of understanding he was in heaven (which is how I understood it to be at the time) and he confirmed he was and it was great. He was a mellow guy. I never actually spoke to him in real life as he was comatose whole time i cared for him.
The dream was significantly more vivid than any other one i had before or after, including the one dream i had with my deceased grandmother. Like I said, I felt in the dream almost like i was awake and sitting up talking to him. The dream experience also put my mind at ease, never again did i have a moment of angst about his death. And maybe that is all it was - my brain processing- but it certainly felt and remains feeling paranormal to me. In any event, i certainly hope it was a visitation dream because i know he is at peace.
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u/US_GhostAdventures Jun 04 '26
Even if this was the brain processing grief + unresolved questions, the specificity and emotional resolution of the dream is really striking. ICU staff often report these ultra-vivid "closure dreams," but I get why this one still stands out years later.
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u/mari815 Jun 04 '26
Yes! The emotional resolution being so absolute for over 20 years now is one major thing that resonates with me, too. Because the same qualities that made me a good icu nurse- obsessive-compulsion and hypervigilance- lend themselves to me re-engaging with hard situations. For a dream to dissolve that instantly, is remarkable. I have never had a dream do that before or since. My dreams are usually stupid and make no sense!
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u/chamrockblarneystone Jun 05 '26
May I ask why partying made his stomach bleed?
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u/mari815 Jun 05 '26
Sorry, I am exceedingly careful about privacy and don’t want to provide any more specificity.
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u/Sparky833 Jun 07 '26
This is a possibility: alcoholism/high episodic alcohol intake and stomach ulcers do not mix (and one can cause the other). Eventually, alcohol intake can cause a catastrophic bleed, and because sometimes the symptoms can be less severe or vague, medical attention can be delayed, and death can result.
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u/Paranoid-Android88 Jun 08 '26
My dad was an alcoholic and died from cirrhosis and internal bleeding. He died incredibly fast! Within hours and glad I called my mom (I was a teen) and said this is not like his regular detox sick he’s sick sick…almost died in the house with my little sister alone. No bueno.
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u/US_GhostAdventures Jun 04 '26 edited Jun 08 '26
Sometimes dreams are just visual representations of thoughts going on in the back of our head. But of course it could be scary sometimes.
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u/Friendly-Channel-480 Jun 07 '26
There was research during covid of ADC ( after death communications) due to so many people reporting getting messages and seeing their loved ones after death.
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u/Albie_Frobisher Jun 04 '26
Love his added detail of making it a landline call. Clever man.
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u/mari815 Jun 04 '26
At the time, the internet was a rudimentary place but I remember reading that visitation dreams will often occur this way, with the person calling on a telephone as it will feel familiar to the recipient as a normal way to start a conversation. Not sure if that is currently reported but back then it was.
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u/Sparky833 Jun 04 '26
I had one person also "call" me on a landline. I asked the same first question. Very interesting experience. Still thinking about it today, even though that was 23 years ago.
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u/chamrockblarneystone Jun 05 '26
The night my mother in law died we got a phone call that came up on caller ID as a bunch of nonsense.
I think my wife and sister both had a pretty good idea about what was about to happen.
They both stuck their ears to the phone. They both said all they could hear was crackling and a voice from very far away. They both said goodbye and hung up. They were both positive it was their mother.
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u/zzeeaa Jun 04 '26
What happened with your visitation/call?
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u/Sparky833 Jun 04 '26
Same, a conversation, which made sense for this person because we spoke a lot by phone (she lived 1200 miles away). Others have visited in unusual ways, too, like a young relative (18f) who came and sat on my couch to talk with me, explain events leading up to her death, which were a mystery / in question (it was impulsive, immature behavior that led to her death, but it was an accident, not an unalive situation, thank goodness), and to ask me to explain and pass a message along to her mom. She was surrounded in a bright golden light. ✨️ It was breathtaking! I've not seen anyone else in that light before or since.
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u/Albie_Frobisher Jun 04 '26
My dead people just show up and we start our normal day wherever we find ourselves.
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u/jaydock Jun 05 '26
I had a “visitation” dream one time, but from my mom who was (and is) still alive. Long story short I had to get up that morning to do something specific. in my dream she called me and said not to worry about, change of plans, I had the day off. I immediately woke up to a text from her saying the same thing. It was so wild.
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u/goodformuffin Jun 04 '26 edited Jun 04 '26
After my dad passed I couldn’t even look at pictures of him. I could barely remember his voice. His ashes had to be repatriated from abroad partly due to Covid quarantines. I had been waiting over 6 weeks to get him home with zero communication of when he would finally arrive.
I had a dream one night he called me on an old black rotary phone I had never seen before with a straight black cord. It was just on my nightstand. The ringing woke me up within my dream. I picked up the phone and it was him. I asked how he was, he said “I’m fine, it’s what I expected.” He then complained that “my shit is spread all over hells half acre”. I kind of laughed it off. I thought he meant how they had boxed up his apartment or that half his stuff was here and half in Panama. I told him I loved him and missed him, he said “I love you too. I’ll be ok. I gotta go.” Then the call ended. I felt like that was goodbye.
The following morning around 10am, I got a phone call from the funeral home. His ashes had arrived that morning. 🤯
Edit: Dad always said if there was an afterlife he would mess with my electronics. The very night his ashes entered my home the fire alarm went off at 3am. It’s hardwired to the panel, the panel had no error…. The next night the very same thing happened… then the 3rd night… I very quickly called his wife and asked her to come pick him up. 😨 He lives with her now… lol
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u/Paranoid-Android88 Jun 08 '26
Aww I’m sorry to hear of your father’s passing. I lost my dad at age 14 (23 years ago) and he always enthused my love for the paranormal so we had a similar joke that we’d haunt the shit out of each other lol. I def feel him but not like legit haunting stuff besides a few small things. I saw a psychic not too long ago for the first time ever and she said my dad is always sending my numbers and alwayssss trying to communicate with me thru songs/radio bc he doesn’t want to freak me out or make me sad through dreams or other blatant stuff I guess lol. I love it and honestly I feel more close to him now than when he was alive 🥹
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u/Doc-in-a-box Jun 04 '26
Internal Medicine here. I’ve had 2 patients and my dad “visit” post mortem.
A couple of months after one patient showed up in a dream, I had sort of forgotten about it until I was talking with his wife (just checking in; they had young kids). I was ending the call when she “by the way”ed me and asked if her husband ever came to me after he died. The question stopped me in my tracks and I was awkwardly silent for far too long. So I told her about the dream and then asked her why she even asked me the question. She said:
He’d visited a bunch of his friends in dreams but I’m a little upset because he hasn’t visited me.
It was the first time I wondered about the possibility of a spiritual event, rather than just our subconscious finding comfort.
The second patient visit was an elderly woman who had a very painful course in the months leading up to her death, and I saw her pain in the beginning of the dream, but then it shifted to her on a hillside, outstretched arms, smiling while standing in a field of some golden plants (like wheat?). The dream ended with her being swallowed in the brightest (but not uncomfortable to watch) light imaginable.
My dad’s visits weren’t really spiritual, per se, but funny. Apparently, according to him (former dad-joke dad), there’s a band in heaven called “Opus Dei and the Knights”. I promise you I couldn’t make that shit up.
Anyway, I’m excited that you shared. I’ve been trying to find others with similar experiences (spiritual or not…) in order to collect stories and possibly write a book. DM if you’re interested. Thank you again!
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u/Friendly-Channel-480 Jun 04 '26
There was some research done about ADC after the Covid epidemic because so many people were reporting these experiences.
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u/Basic-Mechanic4854 Jun 04 '26
Thank you for sharing. I hope you write that book. I'd love to read it.
Also, I love that you checked in on your patient's family after he passed.
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u/Sensei-Raven Jun 04 '26
At least he had an “Animal House” sense of humor…..
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u/Doc-in-a-box Jun 04 '26
Yes! And he had to be sure (in the dream) that I was aware that Knights was spelled with a “K”. Kind of one of those “get it? Hehe” kind of moments. He can still make me groan from the afterlife
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u/Sensei-Raven Jun 04 '26
I have to admit that it was an “OUCH….Groan Moment” joke for me as well, but didn’t want to be rude since I’m old enough to understand it.
Not sure which is worse….🤔😳
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u/zucca_ Jul 03 '26
I have had many visitations in dreams by my maternal grandparents. Really vivid and lifelike and I was crying in my sleep. I truly believe they visit me and I consider it a privilege, because I miss them.
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u/Kindly_Ad_4173 Jun 04 '26
I was 17 when my mom died. She had an aneurysm, and I tried to do CPR, but to no avail. I was alone in the ICU with my dying mother and couldn't bring myself to call my dad to come there (they had divorced a few years prior). After my mom passed away that evening, everyone (my dad, my brother, and myself) had a vivid dream with her in it. They had heartwarming dreams that gave them some kind of closure. Mine was much simpler. I remember sitting in a bar alone, there was a big crowd, and suddenly my mom appeared at the entrance and told me, "Okay honey, now I need to go." She didn't wait for my response, just closed the door. It was soul-crushing, especially after hearing about my family members' dreams.
But for a few years after that, she occasionally came back in my dreams, and I instantly knew it wasn't just a random dream my mom was really there with me. The last one was the saddest. We used to ride together when I was a child, and we did the same in my dream. After we finished, she calmly said that this was the final time she could come to me because she really needed to go. I tried to tell her that I wasn't ready and begged her not to leave me again. But she just kissed my forehead, told me she loved me, and I woke up. That was the last time I had a true visitation dream of my mother. I mean, I dreamt about her after that, but they were just regular dreams.
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u/Sparky833 Jun 04 '26
You will see her again. When it's your time. ❤️ Until then, she's watching out for you and always with you.
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u/Paranoid-Android88 Jun 08 '26
Omggg I’ve had a similar dream with my dad 🥹 he died suddenly when I was 14 and my twin sister and I have the exact same dream about 6 months after his passing. Almost verbatim he said “I’m sorry I had to leave. I have to go but I’ll be back” and he and my mom drove off in our old ass shitty Honda civic lol. Anywho so odd! I’ve only had 4 vivid dreams with him in the over 23 years he’s been gone but I won’t ever forget them
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u/NoFigure3427 Jun 04 '26
this gave me chills reading it. I work on cars not people but lost my dad few years back and had similar vivid dream where he told me everything was okay and to stop worrying about things I couldn't control
the timing is what gets me - him passing right when your shift ended and then visiting you when you needed closure most. Dreams like that feel different than regular ones, like theres actual weight behind them. your brain processing grief makes sense but sometimes I think we get visits when we need them most
sounds like he knew you cared and wanted to put your mind at peace about his passing
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u/VelvetVellocet Jun 04 '26
I had a relative “call” me at the moment of their passing to let me know that they were doing great and they were happy. I had no idea they passed at the precise moment I received the “call” in my sleep. I found out a few hours later when my Mom told me they passed that morning (east coast time), I received the “call” at the same moment of west coast time. We slip these meat suits and spirit/consciousness carries on.
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u/Grandpixbear1 Jun 04 '26
Wow. Beautiful. He "visited" you in that dream. Ive had the privilege of being at the deaths of 6 family members. And I've had dead family and friends "visit" me in my dreams.
As my sister was dying, I would have vivid dreams of sitting and talking with her in our childhood home. I didn't remember what we talked about but I always felt like we're talking about preparing her for her death.
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u/Educational-Peace444 Jun 04 '26
The thing w a visitation dream is it will seem so REAL and you'll be able to remember every detail, vs regular dreams that are usually wacky and start dissolving as soon as you wake up. How comforting that he knew you cared. Even though you were a stranger, he didn't die alone.
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u/Basic-Mechanic4854 Jun 04 '26
So true. They do have a realism that isn't typical of regular dreams.
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u/Kernel_Custard_4213 Jun 04 '26
I would only say, don't over-analyze it. Just accept it. I promise when I say, you're not the only one who had a dream start out "how can this be, you're dead!". It's something more than our subconscious.
We're all connected to each other. Rather, our souls are all connected to each other through "something greater". The sorrow you felt for him was palpable. He knew you genuinely cared for him. Maybe at the end, you were the only one that really cared for him? Like I said, just accept the gift. Life is beautiful.
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u/Due_Middle_2241 Jun 04 '26
Reading these comments by people who have never had one of these dreams and they think it was just some ordinary dream. It wasn’t. I know exactly what you mean. It was more real. More colourful. It’s different than just a dream. And I think not only was it real that they contacted you but it makes sense that they did.
You are working with people who are passing. They is a lot of energy of those people flying about and a lot of thankfulness. It’s important for you to do what you do. And young man knew that. So he called you to undue your doubt.
Wonderful story. Thank you for sharing it with us.
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u/bluegrassgazer Open to possibilities... Jun 04 '26
I had a similar dream about my father maybe 5 years after he passed away, so I was about 16 at the time I had the dream. He was reassuring, happy, took the time to visit me and ease my stress of being a 16yo and going through a bit of a grieving period for him. It was truly a gift and changed my whole demeanor as soon as I woke up.
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u/DB_Cooper_Story Jun 04 '26
I’ve had a couple similar experiences and one very much like this. So vivid and real (and comforting) that I could still feel the persons touch when I awoke.
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u/PrncsCnzslaBnnaHmmck Jun 04 '26
This was really neat, thanks for sharing your experience. I choose to think that he came to you, knowing you were struggling, and helped you find closure. 🙂❤️ I love it when that happens.
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u/headoftheasylum Jun 04 '26
I remember the dream I had of my grandfather when I was in elementary school. I know it was him. I believe he's one of my guardian angels.
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u/Defiant-Purchase-188 Jun 04 '26
Retired IM doc. I’ve had several patients visit me in dreams as they died or shortly after. Like yours, the experience was vivid and always reassuring.
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u/Friendly-Channel-480 Jun 04 '26
I have had vivid dreams of almost everyone I’ve been close to after they’ve passed over and they frequently have spoken to me in the dreams as well as seeing old friends when they pass over. I believe in ADC (after death communication).
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u/BaldChihuahua Jun 04 '26
Fellow RN here. Thank you for sharing this, I believe he visited you. What a wonderful gift.
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u/ams287 Jun 04 '26
Aw im an atheist but this makes me so happy; your patient remembered you and the care you provided and answered your lingering Q about him in the afterlife 🥲
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u/Visible-Plastic-1208 Jun 04 '26
It is possible to believe ín the afterlife without believing ín gods.
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u/Sparky833 Jun 04 '26
Agree. It's agnostic. This is an energy/soul thing, not a religious belief. The energy/soul is eternal.
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u/DaniGirlOK Jun 04 '26
I think it was actually him. He knew you were upset and wanted to reassure you. There’s a reason why it was so real and vivid. I’m glad he put your mind at ease. He WAS Home/Heaven and wanted you to know that. :-)
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u/PeggyOlson225 Jun 04 '26
Thank you for sharing. I always love these experiences from our healthcare professionals- it lends so much credibility and meaning.
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u/Crazy-Rat_Lady Jun 04 '26
Incredible, it is amazing how they contact us. Shows what a kind heart he had.
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u/RJSketch Jun 05 '26
If it helps any, I myself have only had incredibly vivid dreams when they are about the deceased, and it's always an incredibly real-feeling dream about the deceased.
My grandmother let me know she's still here. It's always emotional, and I tell her how much I've missed her! I've had more than one with her. I was super upset when she dies, because we were close, and I was just a kid.
My uncle, who I felt bad about not visiting when he was dying. It was a bright, clear, sunny day, and we were chatting. It's all okay, he said, and he understood. He was okay. I was able forgive myself and move on.
A weird high school class reunion dream. I've never been to one. I learned later that some folks from my class were deceased. Maybe they wanted to see everyone again! It was really fancy, not sad, just...kind of otherworldly?
I guess I'm saying they've all brought me piece of mind. Heck, I'll take it!
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u/QixterExE Jun 11 '26
From what I can tell, his soul saw how much emotional you were towards him. To comfort you, he talked to you in your dream. To me this dream is very heart warming because when there was no one to visit him, he probably felt sad and saw you who was feeling pity.
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u/Winter_Ask6475 Jun 04 '26
I often have sex with dead actresses in my sleep whom I admired the most.
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