Dreaming of the Dead

Years ago while in meditation I had a spirit show up that I didn't know. At first, I thought I was wrong and tried to ignore him. He persisted. He was very strong in impressing my mind and invading my meditation. I finally asked who he was and he told me his name was Chris. I then sketched a likeness of him in my journal. I had no idea who this guy was or why he was coming to me - he just kept saying his name. During this time, I was teaching a dream class in Houston and on the night of my upcoming class it was pouring rain along with thundering and lightning. The receptionist at the center where I was teaching class called me and asked me if I was coming - she asked "Please, don't cancel your class there is a couple that are insistent on coming and are driving from Galveston." I told her I had no intention on cancelling the class. Plus, I already had 10 others coming. Once I got to the center everyone but the couple were there in the room. We waited a few minutes but I decided to go ahead and start.
About 15 minutes into the class the couple from Galveston arrived and took their seats. We were in a casual setting and I was describing the different types of dreams. As soon as this couple sat down, my "friend" Chris appeared next to me. He was so excited and kept saying to me that they are my mom and dad. I remember in my mind telling him to calm down I don't want to appear crazy, by talking to a guy only I am seeing - this is a dream class not a medium class!
I had never done any spirit communication with the exception of two other friends who had visited me personally. I was not really comfortable with sharing the experience. At this point, the dad asked me "How do you know when you dream of someone who is dead if it is a visit from that person?" I was beginning to get the picture now. Everyone else was very interested in this answer and so I told them my experience of visitation dreams and what I knew.
In the end, after class was over, the couple walked out. My spirit "friend" Chris was jumping up and down to make contact with them. I told him "Okay,!" at the risk of looking like a lunatic this better be your parents!!
I stopped the couple outside and told them the whole story of my meditation and a young man in his mid twenties who has come to me. I described what he looked like. Both the woman and the man started to tell me that their son had been murdered. I stopped them before they went any further and told them what he looked like and they confirmed with tears that was their son. I told him he is here and he has been with me for two weeks and he was here now. They had been desperately seeking many ways to contact him. He had come to them in dreams but many times in our grief of losing a loved one we are not certain of what is a visit and what is a memory created by our own sub-conscious. This subject of visitation dreams of the dead runs deep but here are a few common traits of a visitation dream:

* a very real, clear, feeling, focused dream, REALity feeling of the visit.
* lack of symbolism as in an ordinary dream - very little of a story or plot
* Strong emotions: love, forgiveness, or peacefulness sometimes but not often anger or fear from the spirit
* A touch or hug - physical contact, a reaching out to you
* Often, the spirit looks happy, younger, more healthy or vibrant than when they passed.
* Knowing..you have the feeling, certainty that it was the person..."I just KNOW it was him/her"
* Sometimes you can feel their presence on near where you are sleeping