I recently asked people to share their own experiences with dream visits ... and hundreds replied with their own incredible stories.

When you are in the dream state, your mind is more likely to be open to experiencing a connection with the spirit world.

Here are a few signs that you've experienced a dream visit:

- A dream visit tends to be short and especially vivid

- Your loved one appears healthy, happy, and at peace

- They may say very little or nothing at all

- Your loved one may touch your hand or give you a hug, and it feels so real

- A dream visit seems to stick with you. You'll remember it long after you've experienced it

If your loved one seems upset or you're unsettled after the dream, it's likely that it was a normal dream where your unconscious mind is sorting out emotions. Some people who have experienced a dream visit have reported feeling an incredible sense of peace upon waking, with an awareness in their hearts that what they experienced in the dream state was real.

If you would like to invite your loved ones to visit you in your dreams, try this: Before you go to sleep each night, take a few moments to send some loving thoughts to your people in spirit. You may even want to journal a few sentences about a happy memory that you have of them.