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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 Olivia G on September 2, 2017 at 12:42pm
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My connection with my brother was pretty intense. He fixed things that were always breaking. Including putting in a new floor in the bathroom just months before he died. When something would break, my mother would call him to fix it and he would drop whatever he was doing and repair whatever needed repairing. I don't get feelings of him watching over me. But, when the dishwasher broke, I tried to fix it, and it started storming. I started crying because I'm not as savvy as he was. And when I put together the pieces of the dishwasher I had just removed, it started working again.
This kind of thing happens a lot. I want to believe it's Dane. But, I'm still in denial. I don't want him to be gone.
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Comment by Brett Bowman on September 1, 2017 at 12:09pm
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I always say, "Animals are people, too." Losing a pet can be every bit as painful as losing a person that you love dearly. There is so much love in my two little dogs. I cannot imagine that they do not go on. My dogs are getting old. They are both sick. I hope that when they die that they will run to my mom and stay with her. I can't imagine heaven being heaven without them.
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Comment by Dolly on August 13, 2017 at 11:03pm
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I wish I would hear a guitar strum again or see lights turned on by themselves or a song on the computer by itself... none of these are happening any more it seems...
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I have been smelling pipe smoke a lot in the last several months.... just all of a sudden really strong and I keep looking out the window to see if the guy next door is outside on his porch or yard smoking a pipe... but always there's cars in the way between us... weirdly I'm usually not dressed because I'm on my exercise bike so I can't run outside to see better .. if it happens again I'm going to get dressed and go outside... my dad smoked a pipe... nobody else around here does... dad died when he was 93 several years ago...
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Comment by dream moon JO B on August 13, 2017 at 4:25pm
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i fodn a fehtr agan 2 day i did a big 1 so i pict up im getn few 1s laty dolly
dnt no its coz iv had rolcosr yr ths yr dnt np
yrs bean wot u call sh>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>t u cud say nt goin2 pt swer word in bt bean a bad 1
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Shelly... the things that happened after my son's death came right away.. but with my mom and dad it was later on that I had an experience... one was the aroma of roses that came and went... its a long story but there were no roses anywhere... I looked.. I thought it was a room freshener or something... we were practicing music in a little church.. just me and the family... and mom loved roses... and the aroma happened just as I was looking into a little hymnal and had turned to a hymn I never heard of before.. called In The Beautiful Garden of Prayer... right as I was looking at it the aroma started.. and after I looked everywhere for the source and couldn't find any I said 'is that YOU mama?' and immediately the aroma VANISHED ... and my mother's favorite hymn was Sweet Hour of Prayer.. AND my husband's dad's favorite was 'In the Garden'... and he had passed some time before this as well... so the song I was looking at was sort of a combination of the two... my husband had an amazing experience after his dad died too.. he was worried that maybe his did wasn't saved.. and asked God for reassurance... shortly thereafter we were in a little local restaurant and the juke box came on and played ONE song... it was 'A Father's Love Never Ends Amen'... do you know the words to that song? amazing... so people will call us crazy .. but I don't care... I just thank God for the reassurances that our loved ones are alive and VERY well.. with Him..
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Jennifer we lost our son suddenly in 2013 and many of the things that you describe are very similar to things we also experienced... we never ASKED for signs but we got them... you described the loud noise.. in our case it was the loud sound of a toy guitar being played .. just one little riff... my son was severely physically challenged and loved music so we got him all sorts of toy guitars that he could activate by just pushing buttons on the neck of the toy... I KNEW that particular little riff.. I'd heard it over and over played by him ... I was sitting at the computer with my back to his room when the guitar sounded... BUT when I went into the room and checked all the toys in there that particular guitar was NOT THERE.... another similar experience was with a light... we have a little mountain cabin where we lived with our sons for years before moving them into town and we still go to the cabin for a rest.. just me and my husband... there's only solar power there and its very remote and hard to get to.. we kept a manger scene there with a battery operated star hanging over it... just after my son died we went for a visit and the STAR was LIT... I know we didn't LEAVE it lit... but just in case we did [we were pretty much in a state of shock still] I asked God this one time for a sign... I asked Him that if it was Him or my son that had made the light go on that it would happen again.. and we KNOW with NO doubt that we turned the star off before we left... a week later we went back to the cabin and the light was on AGAIN !! and after that it never would work any more ... we also had an instance where our computer just up and played ONE song all by itself... there were no icons anywhere.. no programs open that played music.. and this one song played and then no more... it was by a group my son loved as a child.. the Chipmunks .. but it was a song I'd never heard them do before... it was called 'We are Family'... which was even more amazing to us because our children are adopted... we also had and still have unexplained aromas that would come and go with no source.. mostly lilies.. the flower I used to buy to put on Brandon's little memory table... but there were no more lilies anywhere anymore... but still the aroma would come and go... there have just been so many... unusual sightings of animals we had never seen by our cabin in all the years we have owned it...a whole FLOCK of baby woodpeckers landed right by the house... two scarlet tanagers landed right outside the front door.. and took turns feeding off the insects... they are a VERY shy bird and before this we had only ever seen them very fleetingly in the very tops of the trees... they are so bright that they hide from the hawks... so this was very unusual.. we also saw a doe and a very young baby right outside our side door.... they never come so close usually... we saw TWO fire rainbows near our house in town in the year after he died... I never even had HEARD of a fire rainbow before... and here we saw TWO.... at two different times.... I don't share these stories with most people because they either scoff at them or pass them off as my being in some sort of mental state at the time... but I know they happened and so many of them have NO explanation whatsoever... especially the lights and the song and the guitar and the lilies... I don't understand it and I don't CARE... I'm just so grateful that I have been fortunate enough to be blessed with them and I often ask God to do the same for others who are facing this grief....
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After my husband died we placed his ashes next to the computer printer. That printer went off at odd times, we even unplugged it and it made noises it never had before going off. The other day it began doing it again and then my Roomba started on its own. I like to think it is him, but unlike when my son died and I dreamed of him and heard him speaking to me, I don't feel him around. The grief is worse after losing my husband because it is compounded with the loss of my son, which according to the article could prevent or lessen contact. I just pray to see him and to see that he is ok and isn't mad about me shutting off the life support.
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Jennifer, I am sorry about the loss of your husband. It has only been three weeks and I can promise you that you are still in a state of shock. There is no such thing as meaning in nothing, especially when you are grieving. We all look for, hope for something. It may very well be your husband.
It sounds like you have a loving house with kids and your mom. Lean on them. The best way to make it through grief is to know that you are loved.
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