After-Death Communication (ADC) has been part of our human experience for thousands of years and can be beneficial to bereaved individuals who experience it. It is the experience of a living person sensing or having direct contact with a deceased person.
Thirty five studies between 1894 and 2013 have shown that it is a common experience, with an estimated 25-40% of the population reporting an ADC at some time in their life.
ADCs can involve just one of our senses or any multiple of them:
- Visual after-death communication involves being visually aware of the deceased being alive and manifesting visually;
- Auditory after-death communication happens when the living person hears the voice or the sounds associated with the deceased;
- Tactile after-death communication occurs when the living person physically senses the deceased person’s body (e.g. feeling the weight of the deceased person brushing into them);
- Olfactory after-death communication involves the sense of smell such as when the living person notices the scent associated with the person who has died;
- Sentient after-death communication involves sensing the presence of the deceased without any of the above sensory impressions.
ADC can occur in many different states of consciousness, including: during a sleep state, in which a particularly vivid, life-like dream of the deceased occurs; while falling asleep or waking up; while awake and alert, and during meditation.
References:
A full list of references is available in the Reference Material section.
- Fenwick, P. and Fenwick E. (2008) The Art of Dying – A Journey to Elsewhere. London: Continuum.
- Kessler, D. (2010). Visions, Trips And Crowded Rooms: Who and What You See Before You Die. UK: Hay House.
- McCormick, B. and Tassell-Matamua, N. (2016). After-Death Communication: A Typology of Therapeutic Benefits. Journal of Near-Death Studies, 34(3).
