Who hasn’t dreamed of a loved one who’s passed away during a particularly emotional night? A dream so real that you’d swear you’d had a conversation, a contact, a smile exchanged. What if it wasn’t just our imagination? What if these dreams told us more than we think? This fairly common phenomenon is as intriguing as it is soothing. Here’s a look at a subject that affects us all, at one time or another.

When our deceased “come back” in our dreams

According to Patrick McNamara, a professor of neurology and psychiatry at Boston University, there’s a very specific name for these dreams: “visitation dreams.” A name that says it all. He believes this type of dream occurs when grieving people dream of a deceased loved one, who is alive and well in their dreams, sometimes even in better shape than before.

These “visits” are not supernatural, according to neuroscience. They are, in fact, a way for our brain to cope with a significant loss, digest grief, and find a path to inner peace.