Grief Dreams Newsletter - Winter 2018

Grief Dreams Newsletter

Winter 2018 Did you know that you can get unexpected rewards by asking if someone has ever had a dream of their deceased loved one? ~Joshua Black

Thank you for your interest in the grief dreams newsletter! We have lots of exciting news to share!

Happy New Year!

Joshua Black has been very busy since the last newsletter promoting the topic of grief dreams and completing research. Since the last newsletter, he has been interviewed on different podcast shows and held workshops for those who work with the bereaved. Joshua helped organize and host the 2nd Annual Children’s Grief Awareness Event, at Brock University on November 18th. He was able to bring awareness about the dreams children have after loss. Additionally, he and Jade Karling Black have 2 events lined up on grief dreams on Jan. 27, 2018 in Chilliwack, British Columbia (see event poster below). This is the first time either of them will have presented this topic in British Columbia. Also, he and Deborah Stapleford are presenting in St. Catharines, Ontario on Jan. 22, 2017 (go to presentations tab at griefdreams.ca for more details).

Good News for Grief Dreams!

TV shows and movies (released since the last newsletter) that have grief dreams in them‌ Justice League (2017) (t

Lorem Ipsum

2 1

3

Grief Dream Story Submission When I was a sophomore in

As we wandered I asked her where

college I broke up with my boyfriend

my ex-boyfriend was. She walked me

who was pressuring me to marry

to the rivers edge and pointed to a

him. We had been friends since high

man sitting across the river. He was

school. He went home that night and

sitting in a chair and his body

wrote a three page letter and shot

language was full of pain. His face

himself in the head. The letter explained

was covered in blood. He couldn't see

how I was the cause and to blame. All of

us and didn't know we were there. A

our mutual friends from high school

beautiful woman who radiated love

blamed me openly. It wasn't just our

and peace stood with him. He didn't

mutual friends who blamed me, but I

seem to see her either. My

blamed myself. Even my parents

grandmother explained that he wasn't

blamed me to an extent. My grief was

ready to come over to this side

suffocating. I have little memory of the

yet. But that he would be in time. And

weeks following his suicide. I broke out

that while he waited he would not be

in hives from head to toe. I was

alone. That is where the dream

constantly sick. I was terrified to go to

ended.

sleep. I was falling down a black hole of grief and I was horribly alone.

One night I had a dream. I was in

I woke up and that free fall into grief was over. This was about 6 months after his death. While

a park near my home where a river ran

the world was still a cold and horrible

down the middle. My paternal

place for another few years my ability

grandmother, who I never met, was

to cope returned. I went on to finish

walking with me and explaining that this

my undergraduate degree and juris

was heaven. She would stop from time

doctrate. I moved, had adventures,

to time and introduce me to other

married, and had two children. I

members of family that I had never met.

became again the brave and confident woman I was before.

Loremdreams Ipsum newsletter Grief

The Grief Dreams Podcast has had great success over the last 56 episodes, with over 7800 downloads. The podcast

We want to hear from

continues to grow with each episode as awareness expands. Episodes 55 and 56 are reviews of some of the dreams shared with us over the last year on the podcast.

If you love hearing about these dreams‌then these episodes are for you. The podcast episodes are featured on iTunes (Apple podcast), PodBean.com, Stitcher, and many other podcast platforms (just search Grief Dreams).

you!

If you are interested in being a guest on our Grief Dreams Podcast or have your story featured in our newsletter, please forward us your story and what you would like to share!

You can submit any inquiries to griefdreams@gmail.com

Editors: Jade Black, MA Joshua Black, PhD (student)

Grief dreams newsletter

Winter 2018

Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook Grief Dreams is on now on Instagram and Twitter (under the handle @griefdreams). Follow us for grief and bereavement related content intended to both raise awareness and inspire!

Also if you are not aware, we have a group on Facebook titled Grief Dreams. We use the space to share stories of loss and inspire each other to move forward in healing. Please feel free to join us there!

Newsletter subscriptions are FREE. To subscribe visit our website www.griefdreams.ca

Grief dreams newsletter

6

Research Updates Joshua has submitted his manuscript entitled “Who Dreams of the Deceased?

The Roles of Dream Recall, Grief Intensity, Attachment, and Openness to Experience�. It is based on two studies that investigated what factors predict dreaming of the deceased. Additionally, Joshua has recently finished collecting data for 2 different studies. The first study (in collaboration with Aubrey McCann and Dr. Kathy Belicki) investigated dreams after a loss of a miscarriage/still birth (from both partners) and the second study (in collaboration Dr. Kathy Belicki) explores what factors predict having a negative vs. a positive dream of the deceased.