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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 Cynthia Horacek on April 14, 2011 at 8:10pm
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I would like to know if anyone has visited a psychic or medium since their love one died. I think many of us think about doing it, but I am skeptical of these people who would profit from others' loss. I would really like to know if anyone has had experiences with psychics or mediums. Thank you
Cynthia Horacek
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Comment by Patricia Gooderham on April 14, 2011 at 12:41pm
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Thank you for confirming this as I have had some experiences in the past....I knew when someone of my past friends or people that I have worked for, were going to pass. I was very close to these people and I feel the need to share this as I do believe there is spiritual beings out there.
It starts with the street lights going brighter and then dimmer like when a hear beats, this goes on for 3 days, then after that when I passed the funeral home, I saw their name on the board....This happened a few times and it was the people that I knew .
Coach Diane Young, Please let me know that I am not going crazy.....cause I have some kind of gift...another experience is that I knew of a friend that was moving into a new place and I had a dream about some of the contents....when I bumped into this lady at the bank I let her know that I had a dream and explained it right to a tee as she was very surprised to say that I described her new place ....
My experiences have subsided and I am not sure if it's because of the trauma of loosing my mom this past Christmas Day or because of me joining a church that I feel more comfortable and content...the church is the Seventh-day Adventist which they study the New King James version of the Bible and I am okay with this too..
I would appreciate your feedback on this topic......Thank you for letting me share as I am feeling very outcasted , lost, and all those other feelings that go along with loosing a loved one....
God Bless Everyone...
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Comment by Mary Elizabeth Webb on March 31, 2011 at 10:17am
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Love your story. Thanks for sharing it with us!
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Comment by Stephanie E. on March 31, 2011 at 1:12am
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When I was 14 my Poppie came to live with us so my mother could take care of him. She did and he was given 9 more healthy and vibrant years. In those 9 years I came to love him, and we became very close. My grandfather passed away in May of 2004. I stayed at the hospital with him the night he died. I grieved his passing for a long time. In Nov of 2004 I found out I was pregnant. I was happy, but also sad because he wouldn't be there to meet his great grandchild. I still lived in the same house where I grew up in and we decided to make Poppie's old room into the nursery. We painted it bright yellow and gave the room a Winnie the Pooh theme. We set up the crib, changing station, dresser, and rocking chair. It didn't even look like the same room any more, it was very cute, and I knew that he would have approved. Three months later, late one night, I was nursing my beautiful daughter and I got to thinking about him. I was thinking of all the stories I was going to tell her about her Poppie when a toy in her toy box made a noise. Now this toy was a stuffed animal that only went off when you squeezed it's stomach and it would open it arms and say "I love you". It did it three times! I knew it was him, I knew he was there with us and he was telling us that he loved us. It was such a special moment!
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Comment by coachlouise on March 22, 2011 at 3:16am
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I would like to invite you to another member site - just for after death communication.
http://americasgriefcoach.ning.com/
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My husband died November 12. I have a friend who has psychic ability, which she uses only when asked and not ever for money; she in a different profession altogether, but this is something she simply found she can do - sense when there is "spirt" around. The night of the service, she stopped by to bring something over (in Jewish tradition, one brings sweets to the wake to "sweeting the bitterness" left from the loss). As she was leaving, I told her that I didn't feel him around me. It had been 5 days since his death. She told me not to worry; he was making his transition and giving me some space to adjust. About a week later, I awoke in the middle of the night and there was a very, very strong smell of the incense we would burn in our room - sometimes when we made love, sometimes just because. In fact it was so strong, I had to get up right there and then and light a stick of it. After that, I had other experiences. After I replaced our bed (I just couldn't sleep in the bed we had shared) I went to the bathroom in the middle of the night, groped my way back into bed, and then suddenly asked myself, "where's Don?" I knew he had just been there, laying on is side of the bed, on his right side looking at me. Since then, I've had many nights of waking and feeling his presence there. One night I was too warm, and I took off my pajama shirt (I've been sleeping in one of his old teeshirts underneath it) and set it on the bed, next to me. In the middle of the night I woke up (I"m at that age where I wake at night to use the bathroom...), and my shirt was on the floor on my side of the bed. Now, I could have done that in my sleep, or not remembered moving it, but he could also have been saying 'You've got enough things over here - move that." Because I keep three things on his side of the bed - a hummingbird decorated pillow my daughter gave me, a huge flashlight becuase I'm still afraid of the dark, and a journal I keep on his pillow to write things to him, or to write dreams that I think are significant.
The other thing that was really strange, was when he died, and he was at home, I held him as he took his last breath. Then I took the rails off the rented hospital bed and climbed up and lay down and just held him until the mortuary came for him. The dog, for the first time, jumped on the bed, laid on his legs, licked his hand once and then just laid there with me. The dog knows he's not allowed on the beds! And while I was laying there holding him, my mother called, and she just said "Has it happened yet?" And I told her yes, he had just died. Later I asked her how she knew; she said I told her; but I didn't. I reminded her she called me - she said she just "had a feeling." A friend who was at work told me later that when he died, she felt him around her. And she knew he was gone at that moment. I think he went to visit some people who he didn't get to say goodbye to. That's my belief. Reading these posts, I would give anything to acutally hear his voice, feel his touch or see some sign from him. I stil feel his presence at night. Sometimes in the evening, the dog will be laying on my chair with me, and will look down the hall with his ears picked up, like he hears something. Maybe he hears my husband.
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Comment by Judi Cozzi on February 24, 2011 at 3:06am
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My partner Carmen died on Sept. 19, 2010, and came to visit me in a very lucid dream on the evening of Nov. 1st, 2010. Mind you, I've dreamt of her on many occasions, but this was the only time, so far, that she came back to tell me that she was okay. I felt her all around me and then my cell phone rang, and when I picked it up, it was Carmen! She told me to dry my tears and that she was okay. I don't remember the whole conversation, as we were on the phone for over an hour. She also said to me: "I can't explain to you because you would not be able to comprehend it from where you are, but it is so beautiful where I am that you'll just have to believe me." I then woke up and looked at my clock. It was 4:00 am, and I still had her on the phone, but there was nobody around that I could tell this to. I went back to sleep and she stayed with me until 4:30 am. That's when I woke up for good. I felt her with me the whole next day. This was the only time that a loved one has come to me in a dream to let me know that they were okay. And I have lost my younger brother, both my parents, and quite a few close friends. Sure, I've dreamt of them, but they never had a message. I believe Carmen was trying to comfort me in her own way that night. I am waiting for her to come back.
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Comment by Gail laBossiere on February 13, 2011 at 3:02pm
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I've had 2 dream type visitations by my partner while trying to make arrangements for a destitute funeral for him. He appeared bluntly in the middle of a dream and pointed to cremated remains in a gold jar. He had always wanted to be cremated as he told me so, and wanted to be burried by or under a tree or ashes tossed into the sea. Well, he, by luck got burried by a tree in the cemetery, and in a pine cross urn, which I thought he liked. Someone else took some ashes in a special blessed container and will be emptying them in the ocean later this year, so it looks like he'll get all his wishes come true. The other time he appeared was in another dream, bluntly again, driving his old truck when he was much younger but didn't have control over it. So I started saying novenas for him. Then asked him in prayer to stay with me after going to Heaven, and keep watch over me and meet with me after I leave. Well, blunt as he is, he appeared again in a dream, and in one of my memmories of him while he was in hospital, he got up looked straight into my eyeballs and grabbed /half patted my shoulder. I think this was a sign of my request from him. I still look for signs and wonder how his transformation is going in the heavenly light. Bless him.
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http://www.maryelizabethrobinson.com
I recently published my story of the many messages I have received from my parents and brother who all passed away from different cancer; at different times. The most important message is that our connection to our loved ones is never broken. Death is not the end. They watch over us even though we may not be able to see. There is life after life. If you want to read more check out my book's website, above. You can look my story over and order it if you wish.
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Comment by Guy Dusseault on January 26, 2011 at 9:58am
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Hello;
I would like to share our after death communication with our son Billy, who crossed over to heaven on June 26 2004. About 10 months after our son Billy crossed over to heaven we began and continue to receive many signs - moslty through photographs - our favorite are the heart shaped images of the moon, street lights and christmas tree lights of which we have collected hundreds of heart - shaped images. For our complete story we have a website www.oursonbilly.com which anyone is welcome to visit read our story and view a few pages of the amazing type of spirtual signs that we continue to receive. Our loved ones who have croseed over to can and do give us signs that they are still very close by.
Have a great day
Guy
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