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1. Bill and Judy Guggenheim’s Research
According to ground-breaking after-death communications (ADCs) researchers Bill and Judy Guggenheim (www.after-death.com), ADCs are defined as:
“A spiritual experience that occurs when someone is contacted directly and spontaneously by a family member or friend who has died. An ADC is a direct experience because no psychics, mediums, therapists, rituals, or devices are involved. And an ADC is a spontaneous event because our deceased loved ones always choose when, where, and how they will contact us.”
Their research was published in their book “Hello From Heaven: A New Field of Research, After-Death Communication Confirms That Life and Love Are Eternal“. The authors’ research confirms that these spiritual experiences offer hope, love, and comfort for thousands of people. More than 350 first-hand accounts of those whose lives have been changed and even protected by messages or signs from the deceased are documented in their book. The Guggenheims conservatively estimate at least 60 million Americans — or 20% of the population of the United States — have had one or more ADC experiences. And some polls indicate the actual numbers are double these figures — that more than 125 million Americans, or 43% of the population, have had an ADC. As a result, after-death communications appear to be the most common form of spiritual experiences that people have. If you had an ADC and would like to share it with the world — or if you would like to read more ADC testimonies — visit Dr. Jeffrey and Jody Long’s After-Death Communication Research Foundation website (ADCRF.org).
2. Introduction to After-Death Communications (ADCs)
Have you been contacted by a loved one who has died? An after-death communication (ADC) is defined as an experience occurring when a person is contacted directly and spontaneously by a loved one who has died. ADCs are probably as old as human history and may explain why ancient cavemen buried their dead in ways suggesting they were aware of their afterlife. However, the Guggenheim’s study of ADCs during the twentieth century was the first complete study and analysis of this phenomenon. ADCs are extremely common all over the world and are discussed openly and freely. Between 1988 and 1995, the Guggenheim’s interviewed 2,000 people from all over the U.S. and Canada, ranging in age from children to the elderly, who experienced an ADC. They came from diverse educational, social, economic, religious, occupational backgrounds. The Guggenheim’s conservative estimate is that at least 50 million Americans (or 20% of the population) have had one or more ADC experiences. In their study, they collected more than 3,300 firsthand accounts of ADCs from people who spontaneously and directly had such communications. No third parties such as hypnotists, psychics, mediums, or devices of any kind were involved.
3. The Twelve Types of ADCs
Based upon the Guggenheim’s ADC research, below are the 12 most frequent types of ADCs people report having with their deceased loved ones:
- Sensing a Presence: This is the most common form of contact. However, many people generally discount such experiences, thinking it is just their imagination. But ADCs are the sudden, distinct feeling that a deceased loved one is nearby even though they cannot be seen or heard. ADCs are usually felt during the days and weeks immediately after the death; but people can have them months and even years later.
- Hearing a Voice: Some people report hearing an external voice; the same voice heard when the person was alive and speaking to them. The majority of such communications occur through telepathy where the voice of the loved one is heard in the mind and not audible to others. When two-way communications are involved, they are usually through telepathy and an entire conversation is possible this way.
- Feeling a Touch: This type of ADC involves feeling a loved one touching you with their hand, or placing their arm around your back or shoulders for reassurance and comfort. It may feel like a caress, a tap, a stroke, a pat, a kiss, or even a hug. These are all forms of love, affection, and nurturing. Often times such reassurances occur when the deceased loved one is aware of the tremendous grief from the one being touched.
- Smelling a Fragrance: Sometimes the ADC occurs by means of a sudden sense of smelling the fragrance of your loved one’s favorite cologne, after-shave lotion, or perfume. Other common fragrance reported are: flowers (especially roses), bath powders, tobacco products, favorite foods, and his or her personal scent. The human sense of smell is the best source for memories no matter how distant.
- Visual Experiences: ADCs such as these include a wide variety of visual experiences and are divided into two categories: partial visualizations and full visualizations. Such appearances can range from seeing a “transparent mist” to seeing an “absolutely solid” vision of a loved one with many gradations in between. It may be only the head and shoulders of a loved one, or it may be a full appearance where the entire body can appear completely solid. Some visual ADCs occur in the bedroom, next to or at the foot of the bed. Other such ADCs can occur virtually anywhere. The loved one typically expresses love and reassurance with a radiant smile and often with a bright light surrounding them. Loved ones who died from devastating illnesses or accidents, even with missing limbs or demented minds, virtually always appear healed and whole regardless of how they died. In such cases, the loved one often appears visually in order to communicate this message. Verbal communication may also take place, but not always.
- Visions: These ADCs occur where an image of a deceased loved one can be seen as a “photo” either two-dimensionally or three-dimensional like a hologram. They may also appear as a movie suspended in the air. Visions such as these usually occur in radiant colors either externally with your eyes open or internally in your mind. Audio communication may occur, especially while meditating.
- Twilight Experiences: Such ADCs occur while the experiencer is in an alpha brain-wave state: such as when waking up, or just falling asleep, praying or meditating. This type of ADC may involve any or all of the above types of ADCs while in this state of consciousness.
- ADCs During Sleep: Sleep-state ADCs are much more lucid, vivid, intense, colorful, and real than normal dreams; and they are very common. Both one-way and two-way communications can occur and are typical. Usually the loved one is there with you in person in a dream situation rather than in a more usual dream experience. These ADCs are not symbolic, confusing, jumbled or fragmented as usual dreams are.
- Out-of-Body ADCs: These ADCs occur while you are asleep or in a meditative state and involve a dramatic out-of-body experience where you visit your loved one lives in the afterlife. These are extremely intense, lucid and resemble near-death experiences. The afterlife environment usually contain beautiful flowers, butterflies, colorful bushes and trees, radiant lighting, otherworldly representations of nature and are filled with love, joy and happiness.
- Telephone Calls: Strange as it may seem, this type of ADCs can occur while asleep or wide awake. The phone rings and you answer it. Then you hear a loved one giving you a short message. Two-way conversations have been reported. The loved one’s voice will usually be clear but may seem far away. If you are awake when it occurs, 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 loved one including: lights blinking on and off; mechanical objects being turned on; photographs and various other items being moved or turned over; or a wide variety of so-called poltergeist activity.
- Symbolic ADCs: People frequently ask God or their loved one for a sign they still exist. Many report receiving such a sign, though it may take some time to arrive. Occasionally these signs are so subtle they may be overlooked, or they may be discounted as a mere coincidence. Common signs include: butterflies, rainbows, many species of birds and animals, flowers, and a variety of inanimate objects such as coins and pictures.
4. The Most Frequent Messages Expressed During an ADC
According to the Guggenheim’s research, the purpose of these visits and signs from the “Other Side” are to give comfort and reassurance to surviving families or friends who are grieving. They want to convey the message that they’re still alive, that you’ll be reunited with them when it’s your time to die, and they’ll be there to greet you when you do. The most frequent messages expressed verbally or non-verbally during an ADC include the following:
“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 pass along a message to somebody else. The Guggenheims recommend writing down such messages verbatim and to hand deliver it, if possible. Such an action may help the recipient far more than one realizes.
Nearly all ADCs reported are joyful and uplifting encounters that can reduce grief, provide lasting comfort and hope, and accelerate emotional and spiritual healing. The Guggenheims encourage people to trust their own experiences and to accept them as being authentic afterlife communications. People who are aware of this ADC phenomenon generally have no trouble accepting and dealing with it. Unfortunately, some people react with fear when they have such an experience which usually stems from ignorance. They may be startled by the “paranormal” aspect of it, or fear they are “losing their mind” or “going crazy.” Other people might find it difficult to incorporate their ADC with their philosophical, religious, or non-religious beliefs.
Obviously, not everyone are not always contacted by a loved one who has died. The reasons for this are unknown; but it appears that anger, fear, and prolonged grief can inhibit the possibility of having one.
5. Recommended Steps For Inducing an ADC
Based upon the Guggenheim’s ADC research, they recommend the following:
a. Ask for a sign from heaven that your deceased loved one continues to exist.
b. Pray for them and others who are affected by the death, including yourself.
c. Learn how to meditate, especially if you are recently bereaved or have unresolved grief. Meditation enables a person to relax and soften any negative feelings you may have. It reduces depression, improves your ability to function, and facilitates the healing process. Deep relaxation exercises also allows a person to get in touch with their inner self and intuitive senses. You may even have an ADC while meditating.
The Guggenheim’s ADC research reveals how ADCs are a natural and normal part of life. ADCs have been recorded in ancient religious texts such as the Bible where they are mostly mentioned as dream state ADCs. The Book of Revelation appears to be the record of an out-of-body ADC where John of Patmos is actually taken to heaven. ADCs deserve to have the same common knowledge and acceptance as NDEs. For most people, an ADC from a deceased loved one is a profound and sacred experience that will be cherished for the rest of their lives. ADCs can also expand one’s understanding of life, death, and life after death. They are consistent in communicating this critical spiritual message: “Life and love lasts forever and does not end with death.”
Another technique to induce ADCs is a method discovered by Dr. Allan Botkin (www.induced-adc.com). He began experimenting with variations of a relatively new and very powerful psychological treatment called Eye-Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). He discovered, by accident, how one variation of EMDR reliably induces an experience almost all patients believed was authentic spiritual contact with the deceased. Dr. Botkin believes the most important aspect of this discovery is its clinical application: it simply works and it gives relief to people who are suffering from the loss of a loved one.
6. Examples of Actual Cases of ADCs Reported in the Guggenheim Study
a. Tragedy foretold: a visual ADC experience
Christine Baker, a 37 year old real estate manager in Florida, had a blessing of compassion bestowed upon her at the precise instant she truly needed it. Here is what she experienced:
Our fourteen-year-old daughter, Heather, was spending the night at her girlfriend’s house. My husband and I had gone to bed at 11:00. I was asleep when the telephone rang and woke me up about 1:00. A dispatcher on the other end said, “Mrs. Baker, the police are at your front door. Would you please answer it?”
I said, “Okay,” and hung up the phone and kind of just sat there on the side of the bed. I was thinking, “Did I leave the light on in the car or what?”
I put my robe on and was zipping it up as I got to the door of our bedroom. In the hallway, I could see Heather and her grandfather, whom she had been very close to. But he had been dead for six years! They were standing in the air, and he had his arm around her. They were very solid, and I could see them just as clear as day. It stunned me! I kind of shook my head and thought, “Why am I seeing Dad with Heather?”
Then Dad said, “She’s okay, Baby. I have her. She’s fine!”
He was my father-in-law and he always called me “Baby.” It was his voice – I could hear him. Dad was smiling at me and was very peaceful. They were both very happy. I shook my head again in amazement.
The minute I opened the front door, the police were standing there, and they asked me to sit down. I said, “Tell me what’s wrong. Please, just tell me!”
They told me Heather had been killed in a tragic car accident. I realized later that Dad was trying to lessen the blow for me, and I knew Heather must be with him. This experience has helped me in accepting the loss of my only child.
b. More than one witness: an example of a verified visual ADC
Benjamin, age 21, works in the publishing business in Iowa. He and his wife, Mollie, age 20, reported having a virtually identical after-death communication with his mother just a few days after she died of cancer.
Mollie’s Testimony:
The night of his mother’s funeral, my husband, Ben, and I went to her house and visited with his family. We were there quite late. As we got back in the car, I looked at the front door. I saw his mother standing in the open doorway waving good-bye to us! She looked very peaceful, very healthy, and younger. In times past, when we would visit her, she always stood by that door and waved good-bye. So this was just like she had done many times before.
I looked over to Ben and said, “Did you …?” and he started crying real hard. I realized we had both seen his mother at the same time, but Ben wasn’t able to speak. As soon as I looked over to him, she was gone.
I think the reason I was allowed to see his mother was for confirmation for Ben so he would know she was not a figment of his imagination.
Benjamin’s Testimony:
The day of my mother’s funeral, my wife, Mollie, and I visited my cousin and her husband at Mother’s house. We stayed well into the night, and then Mollie and I got into the car. I put the key in the ignition, and as I did I looked up. About ten yards away, I saw my mother standing in the doorway behind the clear glass storm door! She would always stand in the doorway out of kindness and courtesy to make sure we had gotten safely to the car. This was a common practice of hers – I had seen it a thousand times.
The inside door was open so the light from the house was illuminating Mother from the back, and the porch light was illuminating her from the front. She appeared to be in good health and was very solid. She was there waving good-bye. She seemed relieved – less tired, less stressful. I got the definite impression that this was a “don’t worry” type of message.
Instantly, I had a tremendous physical feeling, almost like being pinned to the ground. It was like a wave came over me and went completely through me from head to toe. It seemed like an eternity, yet it seemed like a split second. I tried to speak but I couldn’t. At the same time, Mollie said, “Ben, I just saw your mother in the doorway!”
I bowed my head and said, “So did I,” and I began to cry.
That was the first time I had shed any tears over my mother’s death. I have never wept so hard in my entire life. And I felt a sense of relief, like “good-bye for now.”
c. A sinner goes to heaven: a visual ADC
Emily, an office manager in New York, was deeply concerned about her brother, Leon, after he died of cancer at age 49. Her is her description of her experience:
Leon was not a religious man, and when he was dying of cancer, I decided I would try to get him to accept Jesus into his life before he passed over. The Lord had made a big difference in my life, and I wanted my brother to be with him, too. But when Leon died, he still had not accepted the Lord into his life, and that really worried me. I was so fearful he was in hell, and I just couldn’t accept that. I prayed about it a lot, and I told everybody how worried I was. I had many, many other people praying for my brother, too, and each day I asked for some sign that Leon was finally with Jesus.
About five months later, I was driving home from my sister’s house one afternoon. It had been raining hard with thunder and lightning, when suddenly the storm started to clear and the clouds separated. A vivid ray of sunshine came down through the clouds, and when I looked up off to my right, my brother was there with the Lord!
They were life-sized – very, very real, very solid and distinct and three-dimensional. They were very close, shoulder to shoulder, and I only saw the upper portion of them. Leon was facing me, the Lord was wearing a robe and facing him, and they were both smiling. My brother appeared younger than when he died and looked very healthy. Nothing needed to be said – Leon was with the Lord, and that’s all I wanted to know.
That was so wonderful! I was so relieved to finally have my answer, and I was so thankful. It was absolutely total relief for me because I knew Leon was finally at peace and with Jesus. I had assumed you could not be saved once you died. I suggest that anyone who is under the same assumption I was to not give up their prayer vigil. I think prayers finally made it possible for my brother to be with the Lord.
I gained an awful lot from this experience, and my own walk with the Lord became that much stronger. Anything is possible through the Lord. I believed it before, but now I know there is nothing that is impossible!”
d. Healing a vengeful heart: a visual ADC
Glen is a mail carrier in the Southwest. He had this spiritually transformative after-death communication with his son, Ron, age 21, who was murdered, and with Ron’s mother, Helen, who had died of cancer 16 years earlier. The following is his description of the experience.
My son, Ron, was killed on a Monday night, but I didn’t find out about his death until Tuesday morning. The next day, because it was a homicide and I was the next of kin, I had to go down and identify his body. That’s probably the hardest thing I ever did in my life. This image of him lying on the table in the morgue remained whenever I would think about my son. It would come speeding to the front of my consciousness, and that’s all I could see – this ugly, dirty picture of my boy.
On Thursday, I woke up about 4:00 in the morning and raised up and looked at the alarm clock. Suddenly, Ron was there standing in front of me! It was like there was a floodlight in back of him, but I could see all of him clearly. He was dressed in a T-shirt and blue jeans. He looked solid, he looked real! When he smiled at me, I knew he was in perfect health. His teeth were all beautifully formed and totally white. Before he was killed his teeth were chipped and discolored.
Then he brought his mother, Helen, to me. When I buried her body sixteen years earlier, I buried her in my mind too. I didn’t believe in God, and I didn’t believe in an afterlife or heaven. I didn’t believe in anything except this life. Ron and Helen were holding hands. She looked perfectly healthy with all of her hair. She had lost her hair to chemo and radiation treatments. Now she looked like I remembered her when we were first married. She was in a flowing dress and looked very pretty.
I said, “Helen, I’m sorry. I forgot…”
And she said to me, “I understand, Glen.”
She understood that I had forgotten about her. Then she was gone, and I could hear myself sobbing. Ron smiled again, and I realized that my son was in heaven or that he was going to go to heaven. I filled up with a glow – I’ve never known a feeling like that before. I felt like I was going to bust all over – I felt so good!
All of a sudden, I believed! I knew that God, Jesus, the Holy Ghost, the saints, and everything that I had been taught was true! I just knew it. Then Ron said, “No hatred, no anger, Dad,” and he repeated it, “No hatred, no anger.”
I think he was trying to tell me he didn’t hate anybody and wasn’t angry with anybody. And he didn’t want me to hate or be angry with anybody either. Ron also said, “Don’t worry about me. I’m happy.”
That made me feel good, and I asked him if he would be there to meet me when I die. He said, “Hey, Dad, I’m just a rookie here. I don’t know!”
Then my present wife, Linda, who was sleeping beside me, woke up and touched my arm. That ended my experience with Ron. Even though I could no longer see or communicate with my son, I felt so euphoric, so at peace.
A month or so later, I thought, “What if it was the devil that did all this?”
Then I kind of slapped myself in the face and said, “Hey stupid, why would the devil do something like that to turn you away from him?”
Satan had me in his grasp for about forty years. Now I know that God is a lot stronger than the devil. After Ron was murdered, I was going to terminate the man that killed him. I was going to make sure that man’s life was ended. Now I don’t feel that way anymore. I feel sorry for him because he has to live every waking minute with the fact he murdered my boy. You can’t believe how happy I am that my son is in heaven with his mother! This experience changed my life. It opened my eyes. It made me know that there is a God and there is a heaven and he created all of us.
e. An experience validated: a visual ADC
Leslie, age 39, is a volunteer worker in Virginia. She had this happy reunion with her father 4 months after he died of cancer. This is her description of her experience:
I had just gone to bed and turned the light off when I saw my father standing in the doorway! All the lights were out in the house, yet I could see him very clearly because there was a glow around him. I kept thinking, “This is really Daddy! This is really him!”
I was so excited that I sat up and said, “Daddy!”
I wanted to go over and touch him, and I started to get out of bed. He smiled and said, “No, you cannot touch me now.”
I began to cry and kept saying, “Let me come to you.”
He said, “No, you can’t do that. But I want you to know that I am all right. Everything is fine. I am always with you.”
Then he paused and said, “I have to go look in on your mother and Curtis now.”
Curtis is my son, and he and my mother were in the next room. I got up and followed my father to the hallway. But he disappeared – he just faded away. So I went back to bed and kept saying to myself, “This is just your grief. Daddy wasn’t really here.”
Then I finally fell asleep after tossing and turning for quite some time. The next morning I got up, and Curtis, who was three, almost four at the time, came out in the hallway. He said, “Mommy, I saw Granddaddy last night!”
My mouth fell open and I said, “You did?”
He said, “Yes! He came in my room. He was standing by my bed.”
How could a three year old come up with that? I questioned him, “Were you dreaming?”
He said, “No, Mommy. I had my eyes open. I was awake. I saw him!”
So then I knew that Daddy had to have actually been there. There was no way to refute what had happened. It was a wonderful experience for me because I learned that love continues on.
f. A dream of hope: an ADC during sleep
Gwen, an artist in Maryland, had a dream and this after-death communication after her 22 year old son, Christopher, died when his neck was broken in a motorcycle accident. Her experience is as follows:
The day after Christopher’s funeral, I was feeling so awful. I was in a terrible state! The next day, while everybody was out, I was going to take sleeping pills in order to be with my son. That’s how low I was.
That night I had a dream. I was in a place that was very light, and there was soft music playing in the air. I’ve never heard such instruments or such music – it was beautiful. Stretching out from me as far as I could see was this big table covered with a white cloth. On the table were gold dishes with food. Everything was very attractively arranged like you would see on an ocean liner. There were a lot of people there walking around very slowly. Some were helping themselves to the food, and they all looked very happy. Everybody was dressed in long robes of different colors. It was such a beautiful, peaceful, happy scene!
Then I heard Christopher say, “Mom,” and when I turned, he was standing there! He had on a white robe and a large gold cross on his chest. He was all shiny with light and seemed very happy. It was such a joy to be with my son again! Christopher had a big plate of food, and he held it out to me as he said, “Mom, this is for you.”
He seemed very proud to be giving me this food. Then Christopher smiled and turned his head to each side to show me that his neck was no longer broken.
I woke up knowing deep in my heart that I had actually been with my son. And I threw the sleeping pills away at once! Christopher saved my life – I’d swear to it! I’ll believe it until the day I die. And I feel when it’s my time, he’ll be there for me.
Whenever I’m down, I think of this experience, and it lifts me up again.
g. Excessive grief holds a loved one back: hearing a voice ADC
Neil is a retired mail carrier in Mississippi. His 19-year-old son, Ken, died suddenly in his sleep from heart arrhythmia.
For about a year and a half, I couldn’t turn Ken loose because I couldn’t believe that he was gone. I figured if I could just hold on to him someway, I could bring him back.
I always planted beautiful flowers at my son’s grave and kept them watered. One day, I was at the cemetery pulling weeds out of them. I was kneeling down when, out of the clear blue. Ken’s voice came to me. It was happy and real joyful. I heard him externally, so loud and clear, like he was standing there, and I felt his presence. I raised up on my knees and looked around, but there was nobody else in the cemetery.
Ken said, “Dad, it’s me! I wish you would turn me loose so that I could enjoy where I am. You and Mom always taught me and brought me up to be with God. Now you’re keeping me from Him and from enjoying heaven. I cannot reach the fulfillment that God wants for me because you’re holding me back. I would appreciate it if you would just turn me loose and let me enjoy it here.”
He told me that he was perfect in God’s sight. And he described how beautiful and how peaceful it was there. I just busted out crying because I couldn’t believe it. Then I realized. “Who am I to hold him back from what God would want him to do?” So I said, “All right, Ken. This is it then. Son, I’m going to turn you loose and let you go.”
I’m not saying it was easy, but I knew that it was the right thing to do. I had almost hated God before. Then I just sat there and cried and asked God’s forgiveness. And when I did, the whole burden in my heart raised up off of me – it felt like a ten-pound ball leaving. All the pain left, and I felt so much peace in my heart. This reaffirmed my whole faith, and since that day I have drawn a lot closer to God than I had ever been.
When Ken came to me, it all changed. This put everything into perspective. From that day on, it’s been better. It still hurts but not like it was. Now I can look at Ken’s picture and say, “Son, I love you,” and go right on with my day.
h. Stepping into a vision: an out-of-body ADC
Daniel, a social worker in Minnesota, had this illuminating series of ADC visions on four consecutive nights following the death of his 28-year-old wife, Kathy, from cancer:
When I went to bed the night after my wife died, I was just so tired and drained. As I tried to relax, my mind raced with thoughts. Suddenly, a radiant picture of Kathy popped into my head. Her image was there even when I opened my eyes. I felt such a peace and sense of presence. Kathy was so beautiful, with perfect features, wearing a brilliant, white flowing dress. She was more radiant than any time I had ever known her! She had her beautiful, long brown hair again, as she had prior to chemotherapy and radiation. I was so absorbed by her striking beauty!
We talked telepathically, and Kathy said she was very, very happy and that she had met her grandpa and grandma and other relatives too. I told her I loved her and how glad I was that she had gone on and didn’t have to suffer anymore. We enjoyed each other for quite awhile, and I thanked her for being there for roe. As her image faded, I recalled that Kathy had promised to be with me when I needed her.
The second night, after the wake, I felt numb as I lay down in bed. Thoughts started running nonstop through my mind – wonderings about Kathy and if everything we had done for her was okay. Again, I felt her presence and had a beautiful vision of Kathy wearing an even brighter and lighter flowing gown. Light radiated around her, behind her, and from her. She said she had met some more friends and relatives and was very busy. I told her she should go meet St. Francis, since he had meant a lot to her, and she said she would.
We talked about the kids, and Kathy assured me that she would be nearby and not to worry. She thanked me for taking care of her, and I thanked her for trusting me with her care. Then I just drifted off to sleep.
The next day we buried Kathy, and my mind could not comprehend all that had happened. As I went to sleep that night, again this wonderful vision of Kathy returned. She appeared more and more radiant and bright, almost as if a pure light was taking over her body. I asked her what heaven was like, and she replied, “I am so happy here. There are no barriers between us. We can experience totally the goodness we have in ourselves and the goodness we behold in each other. We grow through the experience of coming to know totally the goodness that is in each one here. Our capacity to know goodness is increased, and we are freer yet to know greater goodness in others we meet. I can’t wait for you to know this love and freedom!” We continued to share our thoughts until the vision faded.
The fourth night, as I lay down to sleep, the vision returned. With my eyes open or closed, it was there just as before – except there was less of Kathy visible and more bright light. She said, “Come with me. I want to show you something,” and I somehow stepped into the vision. We moved down a little path to the base of a big valley, with two tall, rugged mountain ranges on each side leading to a summit up the valley far away.
“This is life,” she said. “The paths are many through the valley, and you will meet many people. Each will have their own ideas of what is right and wrong, so just enjoy them for who they are. Some of us get to go to the front of the line. Others have to spend a lifetime working their way along the paths to the top.”
Then Kathy’s features slowly disappeared into a bright, white light at the head of the valley. She was totally enveloped in that light, and the light just disappeared into a similar light at the top of the mountain. It was not as if Kathy was leaving me – it was as though she was in the light, she was the light, and there were no bounds to that light. The light radiated from her to me, and the experience of that light would never leave because now it is a part of me. There was no sense of loss when the visions stopped. These experiences were so vivid and real and reassuring that I had no doubts or questions about them. They seemed complete and whole in and of themselves.
7. More Examples of Types of ADCs Reported in the Guggenheim Study
a. OBE ADCs: Out-of-Body Communications
Out-of-body ADCs (or OBE ADCs for short) sound very much like near-death experiences (NDEs), but there is one extremely important difference. All the people who had these OBE ADCs were in good health and were not in any kind of physical danger or close to dying when they made their trip. OBE ADCs come from people who stated they had contact with a deceased relative or friend during an out-of-body experience. Spontaneous OBE ADCs can occur while you are awake, in the alpha state, or when you are asleep. They are extremely vivid, intense, colorful, and vibrant experiences that people often say are “more real than life itself.”
The following account is an example of an OBE ADC.
Ellie is a dam processor in Michigan who attained a new understanding of life four months after her son, Don, was killed in an automobile accident at age 26:
I had gone to bed and had my eyes closed, but I know I wasn’t asleep. Then I noticed I was moving towards a tiny pinpoint of light. I was in a tunnel and the light was getting bigger and brighter, but it didn’t hurt my eyes. I knew this wasn’t an NDE because I wasn’t even sick!
This intensely bright light was peaceful and comforting – I couldn’t take my eyes off of it. It seemed to pull me towards it, and I could see the outline of a figure in a flowing robe with his hands outstretched like he was welcoming me.
As I came closer, I could tell it was my son, Don! He was in this light. I heard Don’s voice in my head very firmly say, “Stop! It’s not your time yet, Mom. Go back! I’m all right and you have much to do.”
I don’t remember going back down the tunnel. The light just pulled away from me and disappeared, and than I was fully awake. I had never thought about my own mortality before, but now I’m not afraid of death. I know that someday, when my work is done here, I’ll be with Don again.
This certainly sounds like a typical NDE account, and just like many NDErs, Ellie was emphatically told, “It’s not your time yet.” This supports the theory that physical life on Earth is a school, and we are not ready for graduation until we have completed all our courses. Our primary spiritual lessons seem to be learning how to love and serve one another.
b. Evidential ADCs: Communications of Validation
Some of the most fascinating ADCs from the Guggenheim’s research are ADCs which are evidential, that is, when the experiencer learns something they did not know and had no way of knowing before. For instance, the experiencer may be told the location of an object that is lost which is later confirmed by acting upon the information and finding the missing item. Such veridical ADCs assure the experiencer that their contact with their deceased loved one was genuine. All sorts of evidential information can be received from deceased loved ones in this manner. However, their true intention seems to be to convince the experiencer that there is life after death and they are watching over you with loving kindness.
The following account is an example of an evidential ADC.
Debra is a 48-year-old psychologist in Florida. She assisted her grandfather with some unfinished business after he died very suddenly from a heart attack:
After my mother called and told we my grandfather had died, I lay down in bed to pray for him and say good-bye. With my eyes closed, I received a message from him telepathically that was very strong and very specific.
Grandpa said, “In my apartment there is a credenza. In the left-hand top drawer there is a yellow legal tablet. It contains a list of stocks and bonds. Some need to be sold immediately. It is imperative that your father get this information!”
He was very intense and very eager to impart this knowledge. There was no endearment at all – he was strictly business. This was very much in character for my grandfather. I got up and called my mother and told her my experience. A few days later, I found out my father had gone to Grandpa’s apartment and looked in the credenza. The legal pad was exactly where Grandpa said it would be. It contained a list of securities, just ache had told me.
I don’t know what my father did about those stocks and bonds – we never discussed it. The only thing my father ever said was, “There must be something to this, Debra, because you had no way of knowing about that list.”
It’s likely Debra entered a semi-meditative state while praying for her grandfather. This can be a very effective way to have an ADC experience.
c. ADCs for Protecting the Living from Harm
Nearly all ADCs are inspired by the ongoing love and concern your deceased relatives and friends feel for you. It is, therefore, understandable that they might attempt to protect you from time to time, especially if you are facing imminent physical danger or some other threat to your well-being. There is no stronger personal evidence that an ADC is real than having your life actually protected or saved by one. And imagine how fulfilled your deceased family members and friends must feel when they accomplish a successful intervention.
The following account is an example of an ADC of a deceased loved one protecting a living loved one from harm.
Bernice is a writer in the Northwest whose son, Gene, gave her some strong advice about three years after he took his life at age 32 when he was terminally ill with Hodgkin’s disease:
The Captain of the Golden Odyssey sent us an invitation to go on their Mediterranean cruise in the spring of 1977. My husband wanted to go, and he asked me to make the reservations.
The next morning I got all dressed up to go to the travel agency. Halfway to the car, I heard my son, Gene, say, “Mom, you must not take that plane to Athens.”
My son’s voice was very calm, but he made me feel we mustn’t go. So I turned right around and went back in the house. That night I told my husband what had happened. He accepted it, and we didn’t make the reservations.
On the night we would have taken the plane From Los Angeles to Athens, I sat in our living room and felt sad that we weren’t going. The next day the same plane took off from Tenerife in the Canary Islands and collided with a Dutch KLM airliner. It was the greatest passenger plane crash in history – 581 people were killed!
This account suggests that our deceased loved ones may have foreknowledge of some human events and, if appropriate, can alert us to life-threatening situation, Perhaps they are telling us indirectly that it is not yet our time to die, as NDErs are frequently told. The implications of this theory are far-reaching because they support the belief that each of us has a spiritual purpose for our life and enough time to fulfill it.
d. Prophetic Death ADCs: Receiving Information of Death in Advance
Some ADCs occur when a deceased loved one contacts the experiencer before they actually learn of their death. That is, first an ADC occurs where the experiencer receives the news of a loved one’s death; then, at a later time (usually very soon), the experiencer is informed that indeed their loved one has died.
The following account is an example of a prophetic death ADC.
Dominic is a 38-year-old physician in Florida who had an ADC while he and a classmate isolated themselves in a country cottage to study for their medical school examinations:
While my friend and I were studying. I experienced the extremely strong and distinctive smell of a medication that my mother used on Grandmother – camphor and alcohol. This home remedy was used as a cold compress that was applied to her forehead when she was feeling weak. There was definitely no alcohol or camphor in the cottage. Yet the odor was so strong that I told my friend I believed my grandmother had just died.
He sort of brushed it off, but noted the time when it happened, 10:10 a.m. Shortly after that, I felt the very peaceful presence of my grandmother. I realized that something extraordinary was happening! The whole feeling was that she was saying, “Good-bye. Don’t worry. Everything is fine.”
Grandmother had Alzheimer’s disease. In the last months of her life, she was incoherent. But when I felt her presence, she was the person I had known before she became ill. She left me with a sense of relief and serenity and peace.
When I went home that day, my mother was waiting for me. She said. “Your grandmother has taken a turn for the worse.”
I told her, “Don’t worry. I know what happened. She died at 10:10 this morning.”
Then my mother confirmed that my grandmother had died at exactly that time.
e. Visual ADCs of Partial Appearances
Some ADCs occur as only a partial appearance of their deceased loved one. That is, they were able to see only a part of their body, or if they saw the entire body, it appeared to be less solid. These accounts describe seeing a loved one in one of the following ways: as a bright light, as a face in a bright light, only the upper portion of a body, or as a complete body ranging in solidity from a transparent mist to not quite solid.
The following account is an example of a visual ADC of partial appearance.
Rosalyn, a 39 year old chemical dependency counselor in Washington, had the healing power of prayer and forgiveness dramatically revealed to her:
Uncle Mickey came to live with us when I was seven years old after my parents divorced. He was an active alcoholic, and my mother was trying to help him out. But he sexually abused me during the two years he lived with us, and this was emotionally very traumatic for me. By the time I was seventeen, I was an active alcoholic myself. And at eighteen, I was very heavily into drugs. I drank and drugged for years, and then I sobered up.
In order to stay sober, I had to go back through my past and look at the people, places, and things that had harmed me. I had to be as honest as I could about the effect those things had on my life. I also needed to make peace with my uncle because I chose to believe that if he had been sober he wouldn’t have abused me. So I wrote Uncle Mickey a letter and told him how I felt and told him that I held nothing against him. But I don’t know if he ever received it. Over the years, I asked the Lord to let my love cover that sin for my uncle.
In the spring of this year, I was sleeping and woke up. I turned over and Jesus and Uncle Mickey were next to my bed! I only saw their heads and shoulders, and there was a light behind both of them. There was an overwhelming presence of love and a seriousness too. The Lord was asking me a question that I heard in my mind. There was authority and power and yet a gentleness in his voice.
Jesus said, “Do you hold anything against this man?”
I told him, “No, I don’t.”
Then Jesus turned and looked at my uncle and said, “Neither do I hold anything against him.”
I knew then Uncle Mickey was at peace and was with the Lord – and that he was free. A couple of days later, I got a letter from my mother that said Uncle Mickey had died.
f. Visual ADCs of Full Appearances
In visual ADCs involving the full appearance of the deceased loved one, the experiencer sees their deceased loved one’s complete body which looks absolutely solid and real. Such ADCs often show the deceased as being healed and whole, regardless of their age when they died or their cause of death. Nearly all such apparitions appear much happier and freer than when they were wearing a physical body. Such full appearance by a deceased loved one is generally a very healing event where experiencers gain a new mental/emotional portrait which can replace any old, painful memories they may have.
The following account is an example of a visual ADC of full appearances.
Deborah, a medical researcher in Kentucky, felt grateful when her brother, Joseph, returned after he died of cancer at age 44:
I was a card-carrying skeptic before this experience. I’d had dreams about my brother, but this wasn’t a dream. About three months after Joseph died, I was asleep in bed with my husband. I felt somebody shaking my leg to wake me up. I looked over, and there was Joseph sitting on the edge of the bed with his hand on my leg.
He looked real, like any living person sitting there. He looked great! He radiated a warm, yellowish white light like an aura. He looked very calm and peaceful. He hugged me – I felt his hug – it felt wonderful and warm and loving. And I smelled his cologne too.
Joseph told me, “I am all right, and you shouldn’t be unhappy. Everything is all right. It is beautiful where I am.”
I talked to him with thoughts, and I told him I loved him. Then he just gradually faded away. I felt relief because I didn’t have to worry anymore about my brother being all right.
A number of interviews the Guggenheims conducted began with a statement similar to Deborah’s, “I was a card-carrying skeptic before I had this experience …” Their research reveals that having prior belief in ADCs is not a requirement for having communication with a deceased loved one, as Deborah’s special encounter with her brother clearly indicates.
g. ADCs of Physical Phenomenon: Poltergeist Activity
Many people have an ADC involving unusual physical or “poltergeist” occurrences following the death of a relative or friend which the Guggenheim’s call “ADCs of physical phenomena.” Examples include lights being turned on and off; radios, stereos, televisions, and other electrical devices being turned on; mechanical objects being activated; pictures and other items being moved; and a long list of similar happenings.
The following account is an example of an ADC of physical phenomenon.
Mildred is a retired real estate agent in Florida who reported these affectionate incidents after her husband, Albert, died from cancer at age 70:
One time when Albert was still living, we were cutting up, just kidding each other. I said, “If you die before I do, come back and do something so I will know that it’s you.”
We had two little ceramic dogs. We kept them sitting on the windowsill in the kitchen. Everybody that knew us knew that when we were upset with each other, we would move the dogs apart, separating them. And whenever we were happy, they were kissing each other, snuggled up. Even the kids, when they came home, would go to the kitchen window to see how these little dogs were getting along.
A few days after Albert died, I was standing at the sink in the kitchen looking at the windowsill. His little dog was knocked over. Since I live alone, I thought, “I wonder how it got knocked down?”
So I picked his dog up and put it back with the faces snuggled together. Then I didn’t think anymore about it. About three days later, his little dog was turned backwards, walking away from my little dog. They were about six inches apart! Then I understood that Albert wanted me to know that he had to leave me. This really happened! But sometimes you are scared to tell people things like this for fear they will think you are nuts!
Albert chose a very familiar and trusted method to convey his message. Their long-standing form of nonverbal communication allowed Mildred to easily comprehend his intended meaning, “Now it’s time for me to say good-bye.”
h. Fearful ADCs: Unintentional Fearful Contact
Almost all ADCs are positive, joyful, and uplifting events, and they generally accelerate spiritual growth. But for a variety of reasons, some people may experience fear when one occurs. Many people have never heard of ADCs, so if they have one, they may think they are going crazy or losing their mind. This is especially true if they are bereaved and don’t have a support system which accepts the possibility of ADCs. Adults who have an ADC may have difficulty reconciling it with their own personal philosophy or religions beliefs. Young children may become confused when they attempt to tell their experiences to their parents, who don’t believe them. But based upon the Guggenheim’s research, it is not the content of an ADC that is fearful; but rather the experiencer’s reaction to it.
As the following example clearly illustrates, the intentions of the deceased loved one seem as positive as other ADCs.
Charlotte is a 43-year-old nurse in New Jersey who became a widow when her husband, Glen, died of cancer:
The night Glen died, I needed to talk to someone. So I sat down in the living room and called my girlfriend, Joni, who lived next door. As I was talking with her on the phone, I saw Glen standing right in front of me, just inches away!
He was as solid as a rock, and I couldn’t see through him. But he didn’t look the way he did when he was sick – he looked absolutely healthy! Glen leaned down and put his hand on my knee and said, “Charlotte, it’s me. I’m okay. Everything’s all right. I don’t have any more pain. I feel great!”
Well, all I did was scream! He scared the daylights out of me! And the more I screamed, the more he said, “It’s okay, Charlotte. It’s okay. It’s okay. You don’t have to worry about me. I’m okay!”
That was it, and then Glen just kind of evaporated. I sat there frozen in my chair – spellbound with disbelief! Joni wondered what on Earth had happened. So she came over and we talked, and gradually I calmed down.
Though Charlotte was shocked when she saw Glen and felt his touch, he was probably equally unprepared for her hysterical reaction. The intention of our deceased loved ones who appear to us in an ADC is certainly not to frighten us.
i. Symbolic ADCs: Butterflies, Rainbows and Synchronicity
Many people report receiving a “sign from heaven” which affirms their deceased loved one has survived death and continues to live on the afterlife. The Guggenheim’s call these “symbolic ADCs” or “ADC signs.” They are a relatively common type of ADC. Some people are given a sign spontaneously as a gift, while others ask or pray to receive one. Depending upon one’s belief system, a person may ask their deceased loved one to give them a sign, or they may pray to God or the “universe” for one. Typical symbolic ADCs include butterflies, rainbows, flowers, many different species of birds and other animals, and any number of inanimate objects. Whether a sign comes immediately or takes days or weeks to arrive, most people intuitively recognize their sign right away and feel it was intended just for them. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross often spoke of the numerous drawings of butterflies she saw in the barracks at Hitler’s concentration camps in Europe. These lasting symbols of hope were scratched into the wooden walls by courageous children and adults during the Holocaust. Today, pictures of butterflies can be found throughout almost every hospice. This symbol is also used extensively by many grief counselors, spiritual centers, and support groups for the bereaved.
The following account is an example of a symbolic ADC.
Al is a retired New York police officer now living in Florida who had this unforgettable contact ten months after his daughter, Diana, died in an automobile accident when she was 17 years old:
On the Fourth of July, we were up at our summer home in Pennsylvania. I was there with my wife and her aunt, her uncle, and her cousin. We were sitting out on the lounge chairs, and I was having a cigar. This butterfly just happened to be flying around. I looked at it and right away thought of my daughter, Diana. I thought, “If it’s you, Diana, come down and tell me.” And it did!
Immediately, the butterfly landed on my finger! It waked up and down on my finger, then onto my hand, back and forth. I could even see its little feelers moving. I couldn’t believe it! My wife sort of looked at me – I think she knew what I was thinking.
I finished my cigar and got up. The butterfly stayed right on my hand. I walked all the way to the house, went to the kitchen sink, and drank a glass of water. The butterfly was still with me – I couldn’t believe this! I said, “Well. I gotta go take a shower. You gotta go outside.”
I opened the door and went out on the deck. I sort of pushed the butterfly with my finger and it flew off. I watched it fly away, down the yard. It was just unbelievable! Never had a butterfly landed on me before.
Then I went in to take a shower and cried. I really didn’t know that the butterfly had any significance to The Compassionate Friends until I went to their annual conference a few days later. During the opening ceremony, I realized, “Oh, my God! Their symbol is the butterfly!”
Founded in 1969, The Compassionate Friends has more than 650 local chapters throughout the United States and Canada. It is the largest self-help organization for bereaved parents, siblings, and grandparents in the world.
j. Olfactory ADCs: Smelling Their Fragrance
Some ADCs involve smelling a fragrance associated with a specific deceased loved one. They are a relatively common type of ADC and the Guggenheims call them “olfactory ADCs.” Typical scents include the fragrance of a perfume, cologne, or aftershave lotion; the essence of roses or other flowers; and the aroma of a food, beverage, tobacco, or commercial product. The variety of odors that can be identified is virtually unlimited. During such ADCs, people reported smelling a fragrance which was clearly out of context with their surroundings. The room or area they were in was suddenly filled with a particular aroma, but it had no physical source. Occasionally, two or more people who are together in the same place at the same time can smell this scent. In fact, according to the Guggenheims, an olfactory ADC is the one type of after-death communication that is most often shared by a group of people.
The following account is an example of an olfactory ADC.
Lorraine is employed by an optometrist in New York whose daughter, Tammy, was 25 years old when she was killed in an automobile accident:
When my daughter, Tammy, went to the Bahamas, she bought me a bracelet and a necklace. The night that she died, she had the bracelet on and it was destroyed. For over two years since the accident, I had been trying to find a new bracelet to match my necklace. I would have paid anything for it! It was nighttime, and we were coming out of one of the attractions at Epcot Center at Walt Disney World. My other daughter, her friend, and my husband were with me. My daughter turned to me and said, “Ma, do you smell that?”
I said, “Oh, yeah!”
We were smelling the Gloria Vanderbilt perfume that Tammy always wore! But as we looked around, there was nobody near us. Her girlfriend smelled it too and said, “Why don’t we go in here?”
So we all went into the store and I began browsing in the front. My daughter called, “Ma! Ma! Come back here!”
I went to the back of the store, where they were selling jewelry. And there was the bracelet – the exact match to my necklace from Tammy! It was unbelievable!
It seems reasonable to assume that Tammy wanted to replace her mother’s bracelet and found a clever way to provide it.
k. Auditory ADCs: Hearing Their Voice
Receiving a verbal message, by hearing the voice of a deceased loved one, is also a very common type of ADCs. The Guggenheims call them “auditory ADCs.” Some people report hearing an audible voice from an external source, that is, they heard the voice through their ears the same way they would hear any other person talking to them. But most people report hearing a voice internally – inside their head – and are equally certain the voice originated from a source outside of them.
The following account is an auditory ADC experienced as an external source.
Philip is a psychiatrist in Kentucky who was caught off guard when he heard from his 15-year-old daughter, Tina, after she died in an automobile accident:
Tina had friends all over the city. We didn’t realize how involved she had been with so many kids. She was quite a force for good in the community. She had told one of her friends from Sunday school that if she should die, she would like everyone to have a party for her and not to mourn. Her friend reminded us of this statement.
So the night of Tina’s funeral, we had a very large gathering at our home with 200 to 300 kids, some with their parents. It was wall-to-wall people! I was passing through the hallway downstairs when I heard Tina say, “I love you, Daddy!”
I wheeled around because this was an audible, external voice. I am a board-certified psychiatrist, and I’m not given to hearing things that are not there. Having lived my professional career as a pretty hardheaded scientific person, I really hadn’t expected this! However, this experience took a good bit of the sting out of the loss because you know you really haven’t lost them.
l. Tactile ADCs: Feeling Their Touch
Some ADCs involve feeling a physical touch by a deceased loved one. Overall, this type of ADC is relatively less common. The Guggenheims call them “tactile ADCs.” Such ADCs usually are felt as a light tap, a gentle touch, a soft caress, a tender kiss, a comforting arm around the shoulder, or an all-embracing hug. Feeling a touch is a very intimate kind of ADC and it seems they take place only between people who have had a very close relationship. The deceased loved one returns for the purpose of conveying affection and providing encouragement to the experiencer.
The following account is an example of a tactile ADC.
Gail is a nurse in Pennsylvania who was filled with new hope six weeks after her two sons, Matt, age 26, and Eric, age 24, were killed together in an automobile accident:
Every night I would go out and sit on the steps of my front porch and just cry and cry and cry. I was having such a hard time, and I had been doing this for so long. One night in the middle of October, I was looking at the moon, when all of a sudden, I felt this real warmth. I felt Matt to my left and Eric to my right with their arms around my shoulders. I knew Matt was to my left because he was so much taller – Matt was 6’4″ and Eric was about 5’11”.
I heard them saying, “Mom. it’s all right. We’re fine. Just don’t worry. Everything’s going to be okay.”
I felt a peace that I hadn’t felt since their deaths. It just lifted me so. I felt a real relief when they said they were okay and that I shouldn’t grieve so much. That was a turning point tor me, and I gradually began to sleep easier.
Few people can imagine the utter despair of a bereaved parent who has endured the death of two or more grown children. Gail received a triple blessing when both her sons let her know they were still together and were all right.
m. Telephone ADCs: Phone Calls from Beyond
Imagine hearing the phone ringing, and when you answer it, you have a two-way conversation with the voice of a deceased loved one. The Guggenheims call these experiences “telephone ADCs,” or “ADC phone calls,” and they may take place while the experiencer is sound asleep or wide awake. They are the least common type of ADC for obvious reasons. Receiving a telephone call and having a conversation with a deceased loved one while you are sleeping is like a “sleep-state ADC” except the conversation takes place by phone rather than meeting face-to-face. In awake telephone ADCs, the deceased’s voice may sound strong and clear, or it may seem to be coming from far away. After the call is completed, the experiencer doesn’t hear the receiver at the other end being hung up or even a dial tone. Instead, the phone will be silent as though the line had been cut.
The following account is an example of a telephone ADC while awake.
Ellyn is a human resources manager in Nevada who had this phone ADC after her 12-year-old daughter, Ashley, died of leukemia:
This was more than three years after Ashley died. I was going through a real bad health problem. I had been diagnosed with a lung disease, and I was afraid I was going to die too. That night, I was making spaghetti on the stove and the phone rang. I picked it up and I heard this little voice say. “Mommy!”
I thought, “What? Who is playing this terrible joke?”
So I asked, “Please, who is this?”
She said, “This is Ashley. What are you doing, Mommy?”
I said, “Ashley? I’m cooking.”
And she said, “You’re making my favorite meal. You’re making spaghetti!”
It was Ashley’s voice – she sounded strong and healthy – and nobody could imitate her voice.
At that point I thought I was crazy, but no one knew what I was cooking for dinner because it was a spur-of-the-moment thing to make spaghetti. Then I asked her, “Ashley, are you okay?”]
And she said, “Mommy, I’m okay. I just called to tell you that you’re going to be okay too.”
Then the phone went dead. There was no dial tone. No noise. Nothing. I just sat there with the phone in my hand for the longest time. I had lung surgery six months later.
A month ago I went to the doctor. My blood count was normal for the first time in three years, and next month he’ll start weaning me off my medication. Ashley was right – she told we I was going to be okay!
No wonder Ellyn was stunned! Not only did she hear Ashley’s voice on the telephone three years after her death, but she couldn’t begin to find a rational explanation for how anyone could possibly know she was cooking spaghetti at that very moment.
n. Sleep-State ADCs: Contact During Dreams
Many people report having been contacted by a deceased loved one while they were sound asleep. Because they didn’t have any other name for their experience, they usually called it a “dream.” However, most quickly added, “But it just wasn’t like an ordinary dream.” The Guggenheim’s call these experiences “sleep-state ADCs,” and they are a very common type of ADC.
There are many significant differences between an ordinary dream and a sleep-state ADC. A dream is generally fragmented, jumbled, filled with symbolism, and incomplete in various ways. Though some are very intense emotionally, they typically have a quality of unreality about them and are often soon forgotten.
In contrast, sleep-state ADCs feel like actual face-to-face visits with deceased loved ones. They are much more orderly, colorful, vivid, and memorable than most dreams. In fact, some may be ADC visions that occur during sleep.
You can read several accounts of sleep-state ADCs on the Dreams and NDEs web page.
8. Kevin Williams and His Family’s ADCs of Their Mother
My family began receiving after-death communications from my beloved mother which began two days after her tragic death and continued for several years after. Family members and I received a variety of ADCs from her in the form of synchronistic dreams of her, an ADC where I suddenly felt her strong presence around me, audio synchronicities of her favorite song “Moon River,” and many other type of synchronicities for a number of years. Taken all together, it clearly shows how my mother wanted everyone in my family to know that her death was not the end of her. My mother believed in NDEs and ADCs and was always very proud of my research and website. Before my mother’s death in November of 2001, I read many books on the subject of ADCs for many years. When unusual events began happening to my family after my mother’s death, I knew immediately knew were receiving ADCs from my mother and began documenting them. You can read about my and my family’s ADCs at my ADC Synchronicities Page.
