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1. Introduction to After-Death Communications
After-death communications (ADCs) are experiences in which people believe they have had direct contact with a deceased loved one. These experiences can occur in many forms, including vivid dreams, visions, hearing a familiar voice, sensing a presence, receiving symbolic signs, or even experiencing physical touch. ADCs have been reported throughout history and across cultures, religions, and spiritual traditions, suggesting that they may be a universal aspect of human experience.
For many individuals, ADCs occur spontaneously and unexpectedly, often during periods of grief following the death of a loved one. Although skeptics may interpret such experiences as psychological coping mechanisms, those who have them frequently describe them as profoundly real, transformative, and comforting. Experiencers often report that the communication conveyed reassurance, love, guidance, or evidence that consciousness survives physical death.
Researchers such as Dr. Ken R. Vincent studying grief, spirituality, and near-death experiences (NDEs) have increasingly recognized the importance of ADCs. Studies indicate that these experiences are remarkably common and are generally associated with positive psychological outcomes, including reduced fear of death, increased spiritual awareness, and relief from the pain of bereavement. Unlike pathological hallucinations, ADCs are typically experienced by psychologically healthy individuals who retain full awareness of their surroundings and often distinguish the experience from ordinary imagination or dreams.
The study of ADCs intersects with broader questions concerning the nature of consciousness, the possibility of life after death, and the enduring bonds between the living and the deceased. ADCs offer a fascinating window into one of humanity‘s oldest mysteries: what, if anything, survives after physical death. As countless experiencers attest, ADCs suggest that death may not be the end of relationships, but rather a transition through which love and connection can continue.
2. About This Article
ABOUT THE BOOK: Spontaneous Contacts with the Deceased: A Large-Scale International Survey Reveals the Circumstances, Lived Experience and Beneficial Impact of After-Death Communications (ADCs) by Evelyn Elsaesser, iffBooks, Winchester, UK, 2023, 332 pages.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Evelyn Elsaesser (www.evelyn-elsaesser.com) is an independent researcher and author in the field of death-related experiences, notably After-Death Communications (ADCs) and Near-Death Experiences (NDEs). She is the project leader of the long-term international research project “Investigation of the Phenomenology and Impact of Spontaneous After-Death Communications”, as well as a founding and current member of the Board of Swiss IANDS (International Association for Near-Death Studies). She lives in Switzerland. Other books by Evelyn Elsaesser Valarino include: On The Other Side Of Life: Exploring The Phenomenon Of The Near-Death Experience , Lessons from the Light: What We Can Learn from the Near-Death Experience, and Talking with Angel about Illness, Death and Survival: A Novel.
ABOUT THE REVIEWER: Ken R. Vincent (died 2024) held a Doctorate in Counseling Psychology from the University of Northern Colorado in 1973. He retired from teaching Psychology and the Psychology of Religious Experience at Houston Community College. He was a member of the Alister Hardy Society for the Study of Spiritual Experience and the International Association of Near-Death Studies (IANDS). He was a founding Board Member of the Christian Universalist Association and the former Webmaster of The Universalist Herald website. Dr. Vincent was the author of several books on NDEs, STEs, and Universalism in World Religions including: The Magi: From Zoroaster to the Three Wise Men: a comparison of the religion of the Magi (Zoroastrianism) to Christianity and shows the parallels of Universal Restoration in both faiths; Visions of God from the Near-Death Experience: The wisdom of the prophets and sages of the world’s religions are superimposed upon the accounts of modern-day near-death experiencers to illustrate the similarities between them; The Golden Thread: God’s Promise of Universal Salvation: documents the solid support for Universal Salvation in the Bible as well as research into NDEs and Mystical / Religious / Spiritual Experiences; and God Is With Us: What Near-Death and Other Spiritually Transformative Experiences Teach Us About God and Afterlife – which examines spiritually transformative experiences in light of Universalist principles found in all the major world religions. Dr. Vincent also has an article published on this website entitled Study of Evidential After-Death Communications.
This article was reprinted with permission from De Numine, Vol. 75, Autumn 2023, 24-25, the journal and newsletter of the Alister Hardy Trust.
3. Book Review: Spontaneous Contact with the Deceased by Evelyn Elsaesser
Reviewed by Ken R. Vincent
This book is based on a survey conducted by Evelyn Elsaesser, Chris A. Roe, Callum E. Cooper, and David Lorimer. This book is a major contribution to research on after-death communication (ADC) and also into evidence for life after death.
ADCs are spontaneous and initiated by the deceased, without intention or solicitation on the part of the experiencer. They are direct and without the use of mediums or other devices such as psychomanteums.
Subjects completed a 2- to 3-hour questionnaire consisting of 194 items in either English, French, or Spanish. A total of 1,004 questionnaires were completed. The respondents consisted of 853 women, 144 men, and one “other.” Women responding more to questionnaires is fairly common, but research shows that men experience ADCs as often as women. My own experience is that if men know you are interested and accepting of ADCs or other spiritually transformative experiences, they will tell you about them but won’t write them down. The age range of the sample was 18 to 89 years, with a mean age of 51 years.
A large number of cases are presented in narrative format, and the evidential cases are mixed with the non-evidential cases. It is important to remember that, while “evidential” ADCs are “gold” to researchers seeking evidence of life after death, both types are meaningful and treasured by the experiencer. I know this because I am one of the cases included in the non-evidential ADC group. The study includes subjects who were awake, asleep, falling asleep, and waking.
One type of evidential ADC is that which occurs before the experiencer was notified by conventional means that their loved one was dead (i.e., phone call, e-mail, or personal visit). These accounted for 21% of the cases. These cases are even stronger for evidence of life after death when the death was not anticipated; this was 44% of cases. The study also includes 4 rare cases, including that of 2 shared death-bed visions and 2 shared death experiences.
A majority of the messages from the deceased include: (1) that they are “alive and well” in the afterlife, (2) messages of love and reassurance, (3) encouraging the loved one to come out of their grief, (4) sometimes the prospect of future re-uniting, and (5) sometimes the dead ask for forgiveness.
Returning to evidential information, 24% of experiencers received previously unknown information and 21% also said others perceived the contact. About 12% were frightened by their ADC, but 32% of that group reported that their fright decreased as their ADC progressed. In spite of this, most of the messages were positive. The study included ADCs from strangers (aka, ghosts) in their sample.
Of the deceased who appeared, 53% were men and 33% were women, 4% children, and 9% “other.” Parents, in-laws, and surrogate parents were most often seen, followed by spouses and sweethearts. Before the ADC, 69% of the experiencers believed in afterlife; after their ADC, 93% believed in afterlife.
Skeptics have often dismissed ADCs as self-generated by the experiencers’ grief. Much of the data of this study refutes this. This is especially true of ADCs which happened before the experiencer has been informed by conventional means (such as a phone call) that the person had died. Also, ADCs from a third person in which the experiencer is asked to transmit the information of the ADC to another. We can’t explain this, but it is often speculated that the deceased cannot “get through” to the loved one and contacts someone who is more sensitive.
One of the most important effects of the ADC is its positive effect on the bereavement process. For 36% of the experiencers, the ADC was life-changing; 49% found it important; 9% found it moderately important. ADCs had a significant impact on the experiencers’ religious beliefs and spirituality.
In summary, this is one of the most important books ever written on evidence of life after death in general and ADCs in particular. As an academic who has gone through life asking, “SHOW ME YOUR DATA,” I am ecstatic about this landmark book. Also, as a person who never gets tired of reading individual spiritually transformative experiences, this book is a delight!
4. Conclusion by Kevin Williams
Spontaneous Contact with the Deceased stands as a landmark contribution to the study of ADCs and the broader question of whether consciousness survives bodily death. Through its unprecedented survey of more than 1,000 experiencers, the book provides a rich collection of data demonstrating that ADCs are not rare, isolated events but widespread human experiences that occur across cultures, ages, and belief systems.
The findings challenge simplistic explanations that dismiss ADCs as mere products of grief, imagination, or wishful thinking. Particularly compelling are the numerous evidential cases involving previously unknown information, shared experiences, and communications occurring before the experiencer had been informed of a loved one’s death. While such cases do not provide absolute proof of an afterlife, they raise important questions that deserve serious scientific consideration.
Equally significant are the profound effects ADCs have on those who experience them. The overwhelming majority report comfort, healing, spiritual growth, and a strengthened belief that death is not the end of existence. For many, the experience transforms grief into a continuing sense of connection, replacing despair with hope and reassurance.
Ultimately, the value of this book extends beyond its statistics and research findings. It gives voice to thousands of individuals whose experiences have often been ignored, misunderstood, or dismissed. By documenting these encounters with care and rigor, Evelyn Elsaesser and her colleagues have created an important resource for researchers, bereaved families, and anyone seeking insight into the enduring mystery of life, death, and the possibility that love transcends both. The evidence presented may not answer every question about the afterlife, but it strongly suggests that the bonds of affection and consciousness may continue long after physical death has occurred.
