My daughter passed away in 2005. In my dream I was told to perform the autopsy. I can see her lying there, but that is about all I can recall of that portion. I then recall seeing her head in a bag. Then I’m on the third level of our home, and I fall over the side. My husband is beside me, and I try to grab onto him, but he lets me fall. I wake up shaking. My daughter took an overdose of illegal drugs while I was at work and my husband was at the home. She left behind my grandson, whom we are raising. She had a drug addiction that we were unaware of.

–Jamie, Outer Banks, NC

Lauri:An autopsy is performed to figure out the cause of death, so you are performing the autopsy because you are trying to figure out why she would get to the point that she would use drugs and use them to the degree that it would kill her. You may find yourself wondering, “What the hell was she thinking?” which is why you saw her head in a bag ... her head is about her mind-set ... where was her head? The falling part of your dream means you may feel you “failed” as a mother or that you are falling in spirit. This dream is showing you that you need to find a way to get closure, and you need a support system that will lift you back up, such as a support group, a minister or a counselor.

Jamie replies: This does make sense to me. I was trying to wrap my mind around why she would do such a thing. I never put the two together. Thank you so much for your thoughtful insight!