Tuesday, March 21, 2006
On Sunday, during Mom's awakening time, we had an interesting Dead Zone excursion.
As soon as Mom was sitting on the edge of her bed she said, "I had a dream that Mother died. Is she all right?"
I've negotiated enough of these episodes to know that this might be an interesting one. "You mean that you think she's living here, right?"
She looked surprised. "Well, yes, of course."
"And you dreamed that she died?"
"Well, that she was already dead."
"Where was she?" I asked.
"In her bedroom. Laying on her bed."
"And she was already dead?"
"Yes." She was getting a little irritated.
"Which room was her room in the dream?"
She looked at me as though I was loosing my mind. "Well, her bedroom, of course."
"Her bedroom in this house?"
"Of course!"
"And which room was her bedroom in the dream?"
"The back bedroom! Where she sleeps!"
"That's my bedroom, Mom."
"Well, I know that! You sleep with her!"
I had begun to smile, gently. She was looking at me as though I was a child who needed to be indulged. "Mom, this is very interesting. You dreamed that Grandma, your mother, was dead. She's been dead for a long time..."
"I know, that's what you keep saying, but I think you're mistaken."
"Okay. Anyway, for a long time you've been 'dreaming' [I mimed quotes] that she's alive, living with us, and, lots of times those aren't really even classic dreams, they're memories that you think are very short term memories. Well, now you've dreamed that she's dead. And, she is. She's been dead for a long, long time, almost a couple of decades, I think. Maybe this means you'll no longer be thinking of her as alive and living with us."
Mom looked stunned.
"Do you know how she died in your dream?" I asked.
"Well, no, she was already dead."
"In bed, you said."
"Yes..."
"In the back bedroom."
"Yes."
"It'll be interesting to see if you continue to think of her as alive after this."
"I don't expect to, since she just died."
"We'll go over all the death dates later, after we bathe you, Mom, but, believe me, she's been dead for a long time."
"Well, I want to hear this. No one told me."
"Well, yes, not only were you told, but you were around when she died. We'll talk about it later."
When we went over death dates and circumstances later, Grandma was the only one she didn't remember. She remembered everyone else's deaths, although not necessarily all the details, which is interesting. Maybe she's catching up to herself.
She hasn't had any Dead Zone episodes since this one Sunday morning. Of course, she doesn't have them everyday; sometimes not even every week. But, I'm looking forward to the next one, just to see if she has one.
I've negotiated enough of these episodes to know that this might be an interesting one. "You mean that you think she's living here, right?"
She looked surprised. "Well, yes, of course."
"And you dreamed that she died?"
"Well, that she was already dead."
"Where was she?" I asked.
"In her bedroom. Laying on her bed."
"And she was already dead?"
"Yes." She was getting a little irritated.
"Which room was her room in the dream?"
She looked at me as though I was loosing my mind. "Well, her bedroom, of course."
"Her bedroom in this house?"
"Of course!"
"And which room was her bedroom in the dream?"
"The back bedroom! Where she sleeps!"
"That's my bedroom, Mom."
"Well, I know that! You sleep with her!"
I had begun to smile, gently. She was looking at me as though I was a child who needed to be indulged. "Mom, this is very interesting. You dreamed that Grandma, your mother, was dead. She's been dead for a long time..."
"I know, that's what you keep saying, but I think you're mistaken."
"Okay. Anyway, for a long time you've been 'dreaming' [I mimed quotes] that she's alive, living with us, and, lots of times those aren't really even classic dreams, they're memories that you think are very short term memories. Well, now you've dreamed that she's dead. And, she is. She's been dead for a long, long time, almost a couple of decades, I think. Maybe this means you'll no longer be thinking of her as alive and living with us."
Mom looked stunned.
"Do you know how she died in your dream?" I asked.
"Well, no, she was already dead."
"In bed, you said."
"Yes..."
"In the back bedroom."
"Yes."
"It'll be interesting to see if you continue to think of her as alive after this."
"I don't expect to, since she just died."
"We'll go over all the death dates later, after we bathe you, Mom, but, believe me, she's been dead for a long time."
"Well, I want to hear this. No one told me."
"Well, yes, not only were you told, but you were around when she died. We'll talk about it later."
When we went over death dates and circumstances later, Grandma was the only one she didn't remember. She remembered everyone else's deaths, although not necessarily all the details, which is interesting. Maybe she's catching up to herself.
She hasn't had any Dead Zone episodes since this one Sunday morning. Of course, she doesn't have them everyday; sometimes not even every week. But, I'm looking forward to the next one, just to see if she has one.
