Dreaming Beyond Death

by BULKELEY, KELLYBULKLEY, PATRICIA REV

• ISBN13: 9780807077153
• ISBN10: 0807077151
• Edition: Reprint
• Format: Trade Paper
• Copyright: 2006-07-01
• Publisher: Beacon Press

Summary

Documented throughout time and across cultures, dreams experienced by those on the verge of death can offer profound insight into the process of dying and provide deep spiritual solace for the individual passing away. In Dreaming Beyond Death, Kelly Bulkeley and the Reverend Patricia Bulkley bring together their diverse areas of expertise to create a guide to pre-death dreams that offers practical advice and provides a broader understanding of this phenomenon. Book jacket.

Author Biography

Dr. Kelly Bulkeley is a visiting scholar at the Graduate Theological Union

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION	1	(10)
CHAPTER I DREAMS OF MORTALITY	11	(22)
Dreaming and Dying	11	(1)
Across the Life Span	12	(6)
Visitations	18	(4)
Near-Death Experiences	22	(2)
Religion and/or Spirituality	24	(6)
Your Life as a Dreamer	30	(3)
CHAPTER 2 THE NATURE AND MEANING OF DREAMS	33	(20)
Basic Principles	33	(1)
The Strange Language of Dreaming	33	(3)
Metaphors We Live By, and Die By	36	(3)
The Anticipatory Function	39	(6)
New Dreams: What You Can Learn from Them	45	(8)
CHAPTER 3 JOURNEYS	53	(18)
Passing Away	53	(1)
The Last Dream of Socrates	54	(4)
Modern Transportation	58	(4)
Subtle Shifts	62	(2)
Life Reviews	64	(1)
Just Wish-Fulfillments?	65	(6)
CHAPTER 4 GUIDES	71	(20)
Light	71	(2)
Companions on the Journey	73	(1)
Family Visitations	74	(2)
Margie's Second Dream	76	(1)
Pre-Death Dreams as Religious Experience	77	(3)
Following the Children	80	(3)
Following the Elders	83	(4)
Family and Faith	87	(4)
CHAPTER 5 OBSTACLES	91	(24)
Auntie's Visit from Her Mother	92	(3)
Family Traditions, Family Barriers	95	(2)
Dreams, Visions, and Dementia	97	(2)
Painful Secrets	99	(6)
Dying for Her Faith Toy	105	(10)
CHAPTER 6 CARE FOR THE DYING	115	(20)
A Broader Perspective	115	(1)
What Is a "Good Death"?	116	(2)
Exploring a Lifetime	118	(4)
Dealing with Your Stuff	122	(2)
Reconciliation	124	(3)
Tending the Soul	127	(2)
Taking One's Own Life	129	(2)
Hummingbirds	131	(4)
CONCLUSION	135	(8)
Challenges Ahead	135	(2)
A Summary of Methods	137	(2)
The Democracy of Dreaming	139	(4)
APPENDIX: Resources for Caregiving for the Terminally Ill	143	(2)
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS	145	(2)
NOTES	147	(2)
REFERENCES	149