I was feeling shocked and saddened at the news of my friend's death, as it seemed he was finally beginning to recover after a year of ill health. he was the reason I had returned to church several months after a very hurtful experience there, and so when he died I immediately began to wonder if I wanted to continue with that church or not.  after talking about this with a mutual friend who goes to our church and also works in the same office with me, I returned to my desk.  I felt stunned by my friend's unexpected passing, and was trying to get focused enough to get back to working when a strange event happened. a series of "thoughts" started coming into my head.  they were not my own thoughts, I knew, because I always think in words, and these had no words even though their meaning was quite clear.  it was like fully formed ideas floating into my mind, one after another.  they made perfect sense to me, and at the same time I was feeling a great sense of love and compassion -- which is unusual for me.  I felt as if I were in someone else's mind, experiencing their thoughts and feelings.  this lasted for 2 to 3 minutes, it seemed, though it might not have been that long.  and then it suddenly ended and I felt quite myself again.  I could not remember, even immediately after it was over, what the specific messages had been.  but I was left with the distinct and unquestionable conviction that I should stay in this church.  it bothered me that I couldn't remember exactly what I had been "told" were the reasons for that decision, but I remembered feeling during the event a sense of "of course, it is perfectly reasonable -- how could I have ever thought otherwise!"  a few weeks later I did consciously try to remember what the messages were, but I was only able to discern that the general message was about complete forgiveness and compassion, even toward the people at church who had done me wrong in the past.  I feel certain this communication came from my friend who had passed away the previous day.

Was this experience difficult to express in words?  Yes

the communication was without words or sound, but with very clear meaning

Did you ONLY sense an awareness of presence of the deceased without actually seeing, hearing, feeling or smelling them?           

Yes

Did you hear the deceased or hear something associated with the deceased?          Uncertain

            Describe what you heard, how clearly you heard it and what was communicated:    I did not hear audible sounds or words, but I did receive distinct communication -- a sort of thought transference, if you will.

            Did the voice or sound seem to originate externally or outside of you, inside you, or did you not hear a voice or sound, but had a sense of knowing what was communicated?  I felt thoughts coming into my mind, and it seemed clear to me that they were coming from someone else. physically, I felt as if the thoughts were coming to me from outside myself, but very near and just above my head (right in the spot where someone's head would have been if they had been standing beside my chair)

            If you heard a voice or sound, was it similar or dissimilar from the voice or sound the deceased made when they were alive?           there was no audible voice

            Is there any possibility what you heard was from any other source present in the surroundings at the time of your experience?           there was no voice, and no words, just fully-formed thoughts whose meanings came to me

            Was there any possible impairment to your hearing at the time of the experience?   no

Did you feel a touch or experience any physical contact from the deceased?            No

Did you see the deceased?         No

Did you smell a distinct smell, scent, fragrance or odor associated with the deceased?      No

How long did the experience last?        it seemed like 2 or 3 minutes, although it could have been shorter than that

Was the beginning and end of the experience gradual or more sudden?         sudden beginning, and sudden ending.  I was very distinctly aware when thoughts and feelings that were not my own started entering my consciousness, and very distinctly aware of when that ended and I started thinking my own thoughts again. (that is very hard to explain)

Could you sense the emotions or mood of the deceased?           Yes

love, compassion, and forgiveness permeated the whole experience

Did the deceased give you information you did not previously know?  I can't remember the specific messages, but I remember feeling that they made perfect sense, and were so obviously true that I couldn't believe I had ever thought otherwise.

How do you currently view the reality of your experience?           Experience was definitely real

            Please explain why you view the reality of your experience as real or not real:           it was like nothing I have ever experienced before. fully formed thoughts conveyed to my mind without words -- thoughts and feelings that were nothing like my own before and after the experience.

            Was the experience dream like in any way?   No

Describe in detail your feelings/emotions during the experience:           a great sense of love and compassion and "right-ness" about the messages I was receiving

Was there any emotional healing in any way following the experience?           Yes

although the immediate feelings of love and compassion and forgiveness faded away when the experience ended, the memory of them has made me consciously try to remember to take a more loving approach to people and situations in my life

What was the best and worst part of your experience?      best part was the feelings of compassion I felt during the experience. worst part was just that my dear friend is gone and I miss him.

Has your life changed specifically as a result of your experience?         Yes                 Describe:      I stayed in my church, though I probably would have decided to leave it if I hadn't had the experience.

Did you have any changes of attitudes or beliefs following the experience?   Yes     more forgiving of faults in myself and other people

Did the experience give you any spiritual understandings such as life, death, afterlife, God, etc.?            Yes     it made me much more aware of the importance of forgiveness and compassion

Death Compacts are when two or more living people promise among themselves that whoever dies first will try to contact the other(s).  Have you ever made such a compact?        No

Did you observe or hear anything regarding people or events during your experience that could be verified later?          No
What emotions did you feel during the experience?            confusion, wonder, happiness that my friend (if that's who it was) had come to me to help me make a difficult decision

Was the experience witnessed or experienced by others?           No

there were others sitting nearby, but they did not notice anything

Did you have any sense of altered space or time?   No

Did you have a sense of knowing, special knowledge, universal order and/or purpose?    No

Did you become aware of future events?       No

Did you have any psychic, paranormal or other special gifts following the experience that you did not have prior to the experience?         No

Did you experience a separation of your consciousness from your body?     No

Did you meet or see any other beings other than the deceased?            No

Did you see a light?           No

Did any part of your experience seem to occur in a place other than the location described above?            No

Have you shared this experience with others?        

Yes     I only shared it with my mother and two friends, all of whom have had experiences with people who have died or are soon going to die (premonitions). since they have had similar experiences, they believe my experience was real.

Have you shared this experience formally or informally with any other researcher or web site?   No

 Is there anything else you would like to add regarding your experience?       I had a premonition prior to my father's death, which I will report separately. these are the only two "paranormal" experiences I have ever had, to my knowledge.

Were there any associated medications or substances with the potential to affect the experience?            No

Following the experience, have you had any other events in your life, medications or substances which reproduced any part of the experience?         No 

Did you ever in your life have a near-death experience, out of body experience or other spiritual event?           Yes 

a premonition of my father's death

Did the questions asked and information you provided accurately and comprehensively describe your experience?               Yes

Please offer any suggestions you may have to improve this questionnaire.    can't think of any

EXPERIENCE DESCRIPTION #2

I was going to a meeting at the hospital where I work. I had just walked through the lobby when I heard my dad call my name. It sounded like it came from about 10 feet behind me. I turned around to look for him, even though I knew full well that he was a thousand miles away at his home in Michigan. I did not see him, of course. And I reasoned with myself that someone in the crowded lobby had probably said something that sounded like my name, and had a voice similar to my dad's. At that very moment, though, I felt an awful sense of foreboding. That frightened me, because there was absolutely no reason for such a feeling to hit me just then. If anything was wrong with Dad, my mother or brother would have let me know. I considered going back to my office to call them, but didn't know what I would tell them as to why I called. So I went on to my meeting and thought I might call my parents later. (We were not in the habit of keeping in contact by phone, but emailed almost daily.)  That was on a Thursday. I got my usual email from my mother that evening or the next day, and there was nothing out of the ordinary. Meanwhile, I had sort of put the event out of my mind.  On Saturday my dad started feeling sick. He thought he had the flu. He was generally very healthy, with no underlying health problems at all. On Monday my mother's email said that Dad was still feeling sick and she had persuaded him to see a doctor the next day. On Tuesday evening my brother called. Dad had been in the emergency room all day, steadily deteriorating, and they weren't sure what was wrong with him but they were admitting him to ICU. We were not able to leave until the next morning, and by the time we got halfway there they had figured out that he had a "flesh-eating" bacterial infection and there was no hope of survival. They were waiting for us to get there and say our goodbyes before removing him from life support. About halfway to Michigan I suddenly remembered the premonition I had experienced. They took dad off life support in the wee hours of Thursday morning -- one week after I heard him call my name. I believe that some part of his mind or spirit knew exactly when he became infected, and tried to communicate that to me.

Was this experience difficult to express in words?  No

Did you ONLY sense an awareness of presence of the deceased without actually seeing, hearing, feeling or smelling them?            No

Did you hear the deceased or hear something associated with the deceased?          Yes

            Describe what you heard, how clearly you heard it and what was communicated:    I distinctly heard my dad's voice call my name.

            Did the voice or sound seem to originate externally or outside of you, inside you, or did you not hear a voice or sound, but had a sense of knowing what was communicated?  It seemed to have come from about 10 feet behind me, and I turned around to look for him, even though I knew he couldn't be there.

            If you heard a voice or sound, was it similar or dissimilar from the voice or sound the deceased made when they were alive?           He was alive at the time. It sounded like his normal voice, at its normal volume -- the same volume he would have used to get my attention in that environment, which was a rather large room full of people.

            Is there any possibility what you heard was from any other source present in the surroundings at the time of your experience?           It is possible. What I heard could easily be explained away. But the unreasonable feeling of foreboding that washed over me was what gave it significance.

            Was there any possible impairment to your hearing at the time of the experience?   No

Did you feel a touch or experience any physical contact from the deceased?            No

Did you see the deceased?         No

Did you smell a distinct smell, scent, fragrance or odor associated with the deceased?      No

How long did the experience last?        A few seconds.

Was the beginning and end of the experience gradual or more sudden?         Sudden. Two distinct phases -- Hearing dad call my name, followed by a wave of foreboding for which there was no rationale.

Could you sense the emotions or mood of the deceased?           No

Did the deceased give you information you did not previously know?  No

How do you currently view the reality of your experience?           Experience was definitely real

            Please explain why you view the reality of your experience as real or not real:           Because I had never heard my dad remotely call my name before, although I had heard my mother say my name (when she was 2000 miles away) several times in the past, but with no particular emotional reaction. What made this different was the sense of foreboding, and the events that followed -- my dad's sudden illness and death.

            Was the experience dream like in any way?   No

Describe in detail your feelings/emotions during the experience:           A wave of foreboding, as if something bad had happened or was going to happen.

Was there any emotional healing in any way following the experience?           No

What was the best and worst part of your experience?      No best part. Worst part was my dad's death. If I had realized the significance of the experience, I would have gone to be with him immediately, even though he was not feeling sick at the time.

Has your life changed specifically as a result of your experience?         No      

Did you have any changes of attitudes or beliefs following the experience?   No       Did the experience give you any spiritual understandings such as life, death, afterlife, God, etc.?  Yes     We are connected to people in more ways than we realize.

Death Compacts are when two or more living people promise among themselves that whoever dies first will try to contact the other(s).  Have you ever made such a compact?        No

Did you observe or hear anything regarding people or events during your experience that could be verified later?          Uncertain Only in the sense that I felt something bad had happened or was going to happen to Dad.

What emotions did you feel during the experience?            Confusion and anxiety, briefly.

Was the experience witnessed or experienced by others?           No

Did you have any sense of altered space or time?   No

Did you have a sense of knowing, special knowledge, universal order and/or purpose?    No

Did you become aware of future events?       Uncertain

Not specifics, just a premonition that something bad was happening to my dad.

Did you have any psychic, paranormal or other special gifts following the experience that you did not have prior to the experience?         No

Did you experience a separation of your consciousness from your body?     No

Did you meet or see any other beings other than the deceased?            No

Did you see a light?           No

Did any part of your experience seem to occur in a place other than the location described above?            No

Have you shared this experience with others?        

Yes     My mother. She has had similar experiences in the past, but I never had any prior to this. She believed me.

Have you shared this experience formally or informally with any other researcher or web site?            Yes

NDERF

 Is there anything else you would like to add regarding your experience?       Not sure if this counts as ADC, or if I should have gone to the website for other spiritual events.

Were there any associated medications or substances with the potential to affect the experience?            No

Following the experience, have you had any other events in your life, medications or substances which reproduced any part of the experience?         Yes 

I had an after death communication from a friend the day after he died. But it was entirely non-verbal.

Did you ever in your life have a near-death experience, out of body experience or other spiritual event?           Uncertain 

Only as described above.

Did the questions asked and information you provided accurately and comprehensively describe your experience?               Yes

Please offer any suggestions you may have to improve this questionnaire.    None