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After Death Communication
~ Joyous Reunions With Deceased Loved Ones ~
©1995; by Bill Guggenheim & Judy Guggenheim
co-authors of Hello From Heaven! published by Bantam Books
Have you been contacted by a loved one who has died? After-death communication (ADC) is probably as old as mankind, but ours is the first complete research study of this field. These spiritual experiences are extremely common, and in many other parts of the world they are discussed openly and freely.
Between 1988 & 1995, we interviewed 2,000 people who live in all fifty American states and the ten Canadian provinces. Ranging in age from children to the elderly, they represent diverse social, educational, economic, occupational, and religious backgrounds. We conservatively estimate that at least 50 million Americans, or 20% of the population, have had one or more ADC experiences – and the actual numbers may be closer to double these figures!
We collected more than 3,300 firsthand accounts of ADCs from people who have been contacted by a deceased family member or friend. These are spontaneous and direct communications that may occur anytime and anywhere, but no third parties such as psychics, mediums, hypnotists, or devices of any kind are involved.
Based upon our research, the following are the twelve most frequent types of after-death communication people report having with their deceased loved ones:
Sensing A Presence: This is the most common form of contact. But many people discount these experiences, thinking, "Oh, I'm just imagining this." It's a distinct feeling that your loved one is nearby, even though he or she can't be seen or heard. Though most often felt during the days and weeks immediately after the death, you may sense his or her presence months and even years later.
Hearing A Voice: Some people state they hear an external voice, the same as when a living person is speaking to them. However, the majority of communications are by telepathy – you hear the voice of your relative or friend in your mind. When you have two-way communication, it is usually by telepathy. In fact, it's possible to have an entire conversation this way.
Feeling A Touch: You may feel your loved one touch you with his or her hand, or place an arm around your shoulders or back, for comfort and reassurance. You may feel a tap, a pat, a caress, a stroke, a kiss, or even a hug. These are all forms of affection, nurturing, and love.
Smelling A Fragrance: You may smell your relative's or friend's favorite cologne, after-shave lotion, or perfume. Other common aromas are: flowers (especially roses), bath powders, tobacco products, favorite foods, and his or her personal scent.
Visual Experiences: There are a wide variety of visual experiences, which we have divided into two broad categories: partial visual and full visual ADCs. Appearances range from "a transparent mist" to "absolutely solid" with many gradations in between. You may see only the head and shoulders of your relative or friend, or someone you love may make a full appearance to you, and you will see the entire body as well, which will appear completely solid. Some visual ADCs occur in the bedroom, next to or at the foot of the bed. Others may happen anywhere – indoors or outdoors – even in a car or aboard a plane. Typically he or she will be expressing love and well-being with a radiant smile. Loved ones virtually always appear healed and whole regardless of their cause of death. Verbal communication may take place, but not always.
Visions: You may see an image of a deceased loved one in a "picture" that is either two-dimensional and flat or three-dimensional like a hologram. It's like seeing a 35 mm slide or a movie suspended in the air. Visions are usually in radiant colors and may be seen externally with your eyes open or internally in your mind. Communication may occur, especially during meditation.
Twilight Experiences: These occur in the alpha state – as you're falling asleep, waking up, meditating, or praying. You may have any or all of the above types of experiences while you are in this state of consciousness.
ADC Experiences While Asleep: Sleep-state ADCs are much more vivid, intense, colorful, and real than dreams. They are very common. Both one-way and two-way communications are typical. You usually feel your loved one is with you in person – that you're having an actual visit together. These experiences are not jumbled, filled with symbols, or fragmented the way dreams are.
Sleep-state ADCs are similar to those that occur when you are wide awake. Your relative or friend can come to you more easily, however, when you are relaxed, open, and receptive, such as while you are in the alpha state or asleep.
Out-Of-Body ADCs: These may occur while you are asleep or in a meditative state. They are dramatic experiences during which you leave your body and often visit your loved one at the place or level where he or she exists. These are extremely vivid, intense, and real – some say, "more real than physical life." The environments usually contain beautiful flowers and butterflies, colorful bushes and trees, radiant lighting, and other lovely aspects of nature – and are filled with happiness, love, and joy.
Telephone Calls: These ADCs may occur during sleep or when you are wide awake. You will hear a phone ringing, and if you answer it, your loved one will give you a short message. Two-way conversations are possible. His or her voice will usually be clear but may seem far away. If you are awake, you will probably not hear a disconnect sound or a dial tone when the call is completed.
Physical Phenomena: People who are bereaved often report receiving a wide variety of physical signs from their deceased relative or friend, such as: lights or lamps blinking on and off; lights, radios, televisions, stereos, and mechanical objects being turned on; photographs, pictures, and various other items being turned over or moved; and a long list of "things that go bump in the night."
Symbolic ADCs: People frequently ask a Higher Power, the universe, or their deceased loved one for a sign that he or she still exists. Many receive such a sign, though it may take some time to arrive. Occasionally these signs are so subtle they may be missed, or they may be discounted as mere "coincidences." Common signs include: butterflies, rainbows, many species of birds and animals, flowers, and a variety of inanimate objects such as coins and pictures.
According to our research, the purpose of these visits and signs by those who have died is to offer comfort, reassurance, and hope to their parents, spouse, siblings, children, grandchildren, other family members, and friends. They want you to know they're still alive and that you'll be reunited with them when it's your time to leave this physical life on earth – and they'll be there to greet you when you make your transition. Their most frequent messages, expressed verbally or non-verbally, include:
"I'm okay ... I'm fine ... Everything is okay ... Don't worry about me ...
Don't grieve for me ... Please let me go ... I'm happy ... Everything will be all right ...
Go on with your life ... Please forgive ... Thank you ... I'll always be there for you ...
I'm watching over you ... I'll see you again ... I love you ... Good-bye ..."
You may be asked to give a message from your loved one to somebody else. We urge you to write down the message verbatim and to deliver it, if possible, because it may help the recipient far more than you realize.
Nearly all ADCs are positive, joyful, and uplifting encounters that reduce grief, provide lasting comfort and hope, and accelerate emotional and spiritual healing. We encourage you to trust your own experiences and to accept them as being real for you.
Unfortunately, some people react with fear when they have an ADC. This is usually because they are startled by the suddenness of the event, or they may have never heard of one happening to anybody else. Such people may assume they are "losing their mind and going crazy." And others find it difficult to reconcile after-death communications with their philosophical or religious beliefs.
Not all people are contacted by their deceased loved ones. We don't know for certain why some are and some aren't, but it seems that fear, anger, and prolonged heavy grief inhibit the possibility of having an ADC.
Based upon our research, we suggest the following: Ask for a sign that your relative or friend continues to exist. Pray for him or her and others who are affected by the death, including yourself. We recommend that you learn how to meditate, especially if you are currently bereaved or have unresolved grief. Meditation will enable you to relax and soften any fear or anger you may have. It will reduce your depression, improve your ability to eat and sleep, and facilitate your healing process. These deep relaxation exercises will also allow you to unfold your inner, intuitive senses. In fact, you may have an ADC experience while you are meditating.
Our research indicates that after-death communications are a natural and normal part of life. Therefore, we feel ADCs deserve the same public awareness and acceptance that near-death experiences (NDEs) have already received.
For most people, an after-death communication from a deceased family member or friend is valued as a sacred and profound experience that will be cherished for a lifetime. ADC experiences usually expand one's understanding of life and offer a deeper awareness of life after death. They consistently communicate an essential spiritual message: "Life and love are eternal."
Copyright © 1995 - 2009 The ADC Project. All rights reserved.
Webmaster: Will Guggenheim
Comment
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Comment by Storyas Fawnfeather on April 28, 2012 at 9:05pm
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Has anyone read any books by Alison DuBois? Does anyone recommend any other authors that they think might be reputable psychics or spiritualists or whatever you would call them? I know there must be some snake oil salesmen out there, but there must be some reputable people as well.
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Hi,
I lost my daughter 4 years ago she was 36 and right after her death she has come back to me on may occassions. I had her dog max a black lab and irish setter mix, I was laying on the couch and he was laying on the floor right by me he gets up and looks in the kitchen and just stares and says momma momma... I just got goose bumps all over.. I also have felt her hand on my face and back.. it is amazing.. I miss her so much a mother is not suppose to loose her children before we die... I also lost my mother 2 years ago she died from respiratory failure.
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Comment by Diana, Grief Recovery Coach on April 28, 2012 at 12:10pm
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Unbelievable stories!!!! Keep them coming. I love to read them. They do bring tears to my eyes, but they are tears of joy.
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Comment by MIchael A Ballard on April 16, 2012 at 1:21am
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Okay folks! This is getting wierd. I've had many ADC's from my wife Jami. Only one of my Mom pulling up to me in my convertible with my Dad driving. This one was early Sunday morning in my sleep. It was at first her talking to me about helping me with my young child,her grandbaby. She was clear in presence, but not so much appearance in facial or bodily. During this I was amazed in my dream ADC of knowing she passed on but didn't see her right before she passed away in reality. Since she passed in her sleep overnight from the evening I spoke to her over the phone. What got to me was the pattern of the dream, that after a loving encounter, Jami and me were at her casket viewing as we were in real life. Jami passed 3 months after my Mom. "I love you my little Mikey" was what I heard as I awoke! This is what she called me my whole life! So, Mom and Jami dropped in for a little visit to me. And, yes....it was raining again. They both would talk about how much they loved the rain.
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Irwin, thank you for sharing your story That is one of the most unique stories I've heard. Did your wife like flies when she was alive. I know that sounds like an odd question, but some people like insects. I used to have a friend who was just crazy about spiders. I have another friend who is crazy about all bugs and had a degree in - oh, I forgot what it is called - when you study bugs. So, not so odd really to think she might like flies. Or, do flies symbolize something to the two of you. I know the depression that comes when the contacts stop or become less regular. My dad has stopped calling me on the phone. I feel that he is farther away from me than he used to be as between phone calls I could still feel him close. A friend of mine who is a Buddhist oriented type person told me that the veil is thinnest for the first year after someone dies. A year is approaching, and I feel that he is farther away. The phone calls sometimes scared me, but now I miss them. Good luck to you. Many blessings, Storyas
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Comment by irwin Dresner on April 8, 2012 at 2:59pm
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ABOUT 2 YEARS AFTER MY WIFE DIED, I WAS SITTING ON MY COUCH WATCHING TV WHEN I NOTICED
A FLY SITTING ON MY COUCH WHERE MY WIFE WAS SITTING. I WAVED MY HAND CLOSE TO IT AND IT FLEW AWAY ONLY TO RETURN A LITTLE WHILE LATER TO THE SAME PLACE. I PLACED MY HAND NEXT TO IT AND IT DID NOT FLY AWAY. IT WAS THERE FOR AT LEAST AN HOUR. WHEN I WENT TO THE BED ROOM IT WAS ON THE HEADBOARD OF MY BED. AGAIN IT WOULD NOT FLY AWAY WHEN I PUT MY HAND CLOSE TO IT. WHEN I WENT INTO THE BATHROOM IT WAS ON THE SINK. I WAS TAKING PICTURES OF ALL THE EVENT. IN THE MORNING IT WAS ON MY KITCHEN TABLE AND STAYED THERE UNTIL I TOOK MY FOOD TO MY COUCH TO WATCH THE NEWS. IT THEN WENT BACK TO THE SAME PLACE ON THE COUCH. WHEN I WENT TO BED THE EVENS REPEATED. IT WAS WITH ME FOR 3 DAYS AND THEN DISAPEARED. DURING THIS TIME I HAD TAKEN AT LEAST 20 PICTURES OF THIS WITH MY I PHONE CAMERA. I WAS WITH ME 3 DAYS AND THEN DISAPEARED., A YEAR LATER THE FLY APPEARED BUT ONLY FOR ONE DAY. IT LEFT ME VERY DEPRESSED. IRWIN
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Christianlee, thank you! The signs and the communications are amazing! They aren't too far away from us. After I posted the first ADC message today three pictures of my wife and a Valentines day card showed up today! Havent seem them for years!
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Comment by Barbara Sutton on April 3, 2012 at 11:13pm
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Storyas, go read the totem of the dog...see how it fits in to your life, there is a message I am sure. However, dog spelled backwards is GOD..........and for that reason too there is a message and a blessing. I own 2 dogs. I've always had a bond with them and I feel that is because of their unconditional love they give their humans, no matter how bad the day. Huggs
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Barbara, I have known since I was a small child that my totem is actually black panther (which is actually a black leopard as all large cats are called panther). Since that is the case, I'm not sure why the following is true, but I always commune with dogs. I get so close to my dogs, take long walks in the woods with them, take them with me where I go that they are allowed to go. I had a Rottweiler/Golden Retriever mix named Sorsha. In 1997 I dreamed him and was told to name him Sorsha. I was going through an incredibly hard time then and was sure he was sent to help me survive that. I won't go into what was going on. But, right after I dreamed him, his picture showed up on the bulletin board at work. All of his littermates were taken within hours, but he kept waiting for me. I went to take him several times and did not take him, but no one ever did. He stayed unclaimed until I took him. I knew he would be a big dog (got even bigger than I thought he would - weighing 140 pounds at one point in his life), and i was scared. The first night I took him home, I cried, because I feared he would kill my beagle when he grew up. Then, a bigger dog nipped his mouth when he was a puppy, and he ran and hid in a corner and cried and yelped, and I picked him up and comforted him for the first time. Our bond started, and from that moment on I did not know where he ended and I began. There is only one other animal I've ever gotten that close to - a cat named Samson. I'll tell his story another time. I've had lots of animals, but I never had a bond like I had with Sorsha. He was my heart. He died 12/21/10. My father was dying at the same time. My father was so worried for me that Sorsha died. He was afraid I'd loose my mind loosing Sorsha and him at the same time. My dad begged me to take money out of his account and buy myself a dog. I was not interested. At Christmas time, I saw some Christmas puppies for sale. One was a white and black spotted pit bull. I told my dad it was cute. He begged me to let him buy it for him. I told him I never wanted another dog. My dad lived for four months. That entire four months he told me he would get me a white bull dog with black spots. He began to describe the dog in detail. He told me it would be an abuse survivor, and I would help it as I had helped him (me and my dad used to watch 'Animal Hoarders' together. My dad told me the dog woudl remind me so much of Sorsha that I would stop grieving and be happy again. I told my dad I would name the dog Elbert, because that is my dad's middle name. Well, my dad died four months later to the day. At the funeral, we talked about my dad being handicapped all of his life and how strong he was to have overcome the child abuse that caused those handicaps. Two days after the funeral, I was offered an abused dog who had been rescued by a hoarder, so I could help it overcome abuse like I had helped my dad. I said no thank you. I didn't want another dog. But, something kept gnawing at me, so I went back to the email and opened the picture. It was a white bull dog with black spots in all the places my dad said he would have black spots. I knew he was from my dad, so I took him. I named him Elbert. And, for about four months he acted just like Sorsha, and I could feel when I was with him. I now think my dad and Sorsha worked in cahoots with each other to bring me Elbert, or Sorsha saw Elbert with me and hung out for a while to comfort me, to help me build a new bond, or to teach Elbert to be a good dog (which he is). I don't feel Sorsha with him any more, but having those four months feeling Sorsha so strongly let me learn to love Elbert so that when Elbert started acting like Elbert instead of Sorsha, I still was able to love Elbert - not in the same way I loved Sorsha, or my dad, or my mom, but I do love Elbert. I sometimes think this is my imagination or I'm going crazy, but I go back and look at emails I sent to my friends where I told them while my dad was still alive how he kept promising me a black and white bull dog. I sent those emails before I even knew Elbert existed. So, somehow my dad used animals to bring me comfort, and the comfort Elbert brought me kept me alive as I think I might have harmed myself otherwise - I no longer feel that way, so don't worry. I know dog is not my totem, although I'm not sure why since I'm so close to dogs. But, when I read black panther in the Ted Andrews books, it describes me to the letter. It is not a description that could fit anyone - it is me to the letter. And, I have always known black panther is my totem. I have black panthers all over my house, and they bring me peace. I used to go to the zoo when we had a black leopard and just press myself up against the glass and stare eye to eye with her for the longest time, but she is no longer there. So, I'm not sure why dog is the animal bringing me the message or why I'm so close to dogs over all, but this is how an animal played out a message for me. So, I definitely believe that the hawks are a message for you.
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It has been 1 year and one day since I lost my husband. Michael-I have had many experiences but the one that has not left me is that of the hawk. I am not Native American but years ago the hawk visited me often, no matter where I was. I lived rurally so I didn't think much of it until I shared the experience with a friend. She gave me a book on Totems. She told me to find the hawk in the book and read it. Amazingly enough the Totem for me is the hawk, and in so many ways I am like this majestic bird. I believe not only in God, heaven, but I do believe in other messengers like animals, etc. 4 years ago I moved to the city. I have not traveled much in the last month back to my home up north, and amazingly enough, I've seen 4 hawks in the last 2 weeks right here in the city. When I saw them I wondered what the message was this time. Only after pondering the presence of the hawk does it come to me that it was my husband's way of telling me he's still here and that he would find me.. I am sure of it. Last week while working at the back window of my office, I looked up and unbelieveably, there were 2 hawks perching on the lamp post right in front of me. They flew around the parking lot for quite some time before leaving the area. That was a first for me. The Native American's are such visionary people, and like the hawk who is also visionary, it has allowed me to continue to see the angel above that watches over me so diligently.
Just thought I would share.
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