There is a growing body of literature documenting dreams, visions, and other trans-personal communications that occur as part of the dying process, often called end-of-life dreams and visions (ELDVs) or deathbed communications (DBCs). This paper describes a unique case involving distressing visions at the end of life, provides a review of existing literature around ELDVs, and will provide a framework within which to approach the patient experiencing distressing ELDVs.
BreitbartW.PoppitoS.RosenfeldB.VickersA. K.LiY.AbbeyJ.OldenM.PessinH.LichtenthalW.SjobergD.CassilethB. R. (2012) Pilot randomized controlled trial of individual meaning-centered psychotherapy for patients with advanced cancer. Journal of Clinical Oncology30(12): 1304–1310.
2.
ChochinovH. M.KristiansonL. J.BreitbartW.McClementS.HackT. F.HassardT.HarlosM. (2011) Effect of dignity therapy on distress and end-of-life experience in terminally ill patients: A randomized controlled trial. Lancet Oncology12(8): 753–758.
3.
FenwickP.LovelaceH.BrayneS. (2010) Comfort for the dying: Five year retrospective and one year prospective studies of end of life experiences. Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics51(2): 173–179.
4.
KellehearA.PogonetV.Mindruta-StratanR.GorelcoV. (2011) Deathbed visions from the Republic of Moldova: A content analysis of family observations. Omega64: 303–317.
5.
KerrC. W.DonnellyJ. P.WrightS. T.KuszczakS. M.BanasA.GrantP. C.LuczkiewiczD. L. (2014) End-of-life dreams and visions: A longitudinal study of hospice patients’ experiences. Journal of Palliative Medicine17(3): 296–303.
6.
LawrenceM.RepedeE. (2013) The incidence of deathbed communications and their impact on the dying process. American Journal of Hospital Palliative Care30: 632–639.
7.
Mazzarino-WillettA. (2010) Deathbed phenomena: Its role in peaceful death and terminal restlessness. American Journal of Hospice Palliative Care27(2): 127–133.
8.
Nosek, C. L., Kerr, C. W., Woodworth, J., Wright, S. T., Grant, P. C., Kuszczak, S. M., Banas, A., Luczkiewicz, D. L., & Depner, R. M. (2014). End-of-life dreams and visions: A qualitative perspective from hospice patients. American Journal of Hospice Palliative Care. E-pub ahead of print. Available at: http://ajh.sagepub.com/content/early/2014/01/15/1049909113517291.full.pdf+html (accessed 4 March 2015).
9.
NoyesR.KatholR. G.Debelius-EnemarkP.WilliamsJ.MutgiA.SuelzerM. T.ClamonG. H. (1990) Distress associated with cancer as measured by the illness distress scale. Psychosomatics31(3): 321.
10.
OsisK.HaraldssonE. (1007) At the hour of death, Norwalk, CT: Hastings House.