I had been thinking about Mom that day and how she'd honored my love of Halloween, even though my dad was against it.  I was also very lonely, and still grieving Mom's death, although she had died peacefully in her own bed of bone cancer. I was just happy she wasn't suffering anymore. It was almost dark, and I had my costume on and my candy ready for trick or treating, when the phone rang. Right before my hand touched the receiver, I had a flash of certainty that my mom was on the other end. She used to call me all the time. I answered it, and heard nothing but a faint static on the line.  Then I said hello? Again, and I heard faint happy voices as if from a great distance. Then a woman' s faint voice spoke to me, and she sounded excited and happy, but I couldnt understand her words. However, the pitch of her voice was exactly my mom's. 

"Mom? Is that you?" I blurted.

The voice said something else, but the static was keeping me from distinguishing words. Then the other voices faded away, and the crackling calmed down and it got very quiet on the line. Scared, I hung up, feeling very confused. Rationally I knew my dead mom couldn't use a phone, but I was also sure it had been her. The phone worked fine after that, and it never happened again.

Background Information:

Date of experience:         October 31st, 1995

Length of time between death of deceased and your experience:        Ten months

Was the date of the experience significant in any way?    Yes, my favorite holiday Ina's always been Halloween.

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 heard at first static, then other voices, then my mom's faint voice. Then it all faded away to silence, and I hung up the phone.

          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 was clearly coming from the phone held to my ear.  But the intent of the phone call was just understood, as if she'd spoken with emotions, not words. It was like my heart heard it.

          If you heard a voice or sound, was it similar or dissimilar from the voice or sound the deceased made when they were alive?        The other voices were indistinct, like a babbling brook sound. The woman who spoke words to me sounded just like my mom in pitch and intonation. I just couldn't make out every word because of the crackling of the line. My phone was working perfectly before and after my experience. No static.

          Is there any possibility what you heard was from any other source present in the surroundings at the time of your experience?     No way. My large house was very soundproof, and I was alone.

          Was there any possible impairment to your hearing at the time of the experience?     Partially, I have a mild hearing loss from childhood infections. But I can hear almost normally.

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?      Maybe one minute. But it changed my life.

Was the beginning and end of the experience gradual or more sudden?          It was like answering a normal phone call; it rings, you pick it up, and say hello. The Voices lasted mabe 40 seconds or so. I don't recall exactly, because I was so stunned.

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

She seemed excited, happy, and loving.

Did the deceased give you information you did not previously know? Not directly. Indirectly, you bet.

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 so ordinary, it was just Out of the blue. Before I felt that flash of intuition that it was my mom calling, I thought it was my best friend calling. She's very much alive. My intellectual confusion was very real; I didn't know how to deny the simple reality of the occurrence. It felt sort of normal, and yet rationally not possible! It never happened before, or since. Also, the phone rang twice again that night, and I was afraid to answer it. I was spooked and unsettled by it, but also amazed and touched. The other calls were perfectly ordinary, on a crystal clear line.

          Was the experience dream like in any way? No

Describe in detail your feelings/emotions during the experience:          Puzzled, stunned, confused; then, happy and very humbled.

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

Yes, I knew my mom was telling me she still was connected to my life, and still with me somehow.

What was the best and worst part of your experience?    The best was knowing my mom loved me enough to reach out to me on my favorite holiday. The worst was wondering who the voices were and why I couldnt understand her words.

Has your life changed specifically as a result of your experience?      Yes                      Describe:     It was but one of the stepping stones to my spiritual enlightenment, but a very meaningful one. It led to other discoveries that have changed every aspect of my life, including my values.           

Did you have any changes of attitudes or beliefs following the experience? Yes    Yes, I no longer grieved for my my mom. I miss her like she's just in another state (no pun intended.)

Did the experience give you any spiritual understandings such as life, death, afterlife, God, etc.?        Yes    It served as a foundation for a new Spiritual life, and a set of beliefs I still have.

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?         Yes

No, the DC was with my dad, who passed in 2012.

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?         Wonder, awe, grief, gratitude. Amazement, but very little doubt it was real.

Was the experience witnessed or experienced by others?         No

Did you have any sense of altered space or time?  Uncertain

I felt like I was hearing a little slice of what the Other Side is like.

Did you have a sense of knowing, special knowledge, universal order and/or purpose?    Yes

Yes, I realized that there are some things that can't be explained rationally, but are still very real, and that I had been given a special gift by the Source.

Did you become aware of future events?      Yes

not at that time.

Did you have any psychic, paranormal or other special gifts following the experience that you did not have prior to the experience?           Uncertain

I have always been highly intuitive, and have had precognitive dreams since I was four. At that time, however, I had rejected anything spiritual.

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

Did you meet or see any other beings other than the deceased?          Uncertain

I heard other beings and felt their life energy.

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, for the most part, my friends and family believed me. I'm very analytical and skeptically open minded. Plus I'm not in the habit of lying. I did not tell my dad however, he was a more conservative Christian.

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?          It was one of many on a life long journey towards the Source.

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 

Yes, while listening and relaxing to music, I once felt Myself rise out of my body through my head and hover about six feet above my physical body.  I thought I was dying, and when I got scared, with a thump I felt, I fell back into my physical form. I was wide awake at the time, and in my early thirties. This was before my mom and dad died. I have been unable to reproduce the experience, and yet I know without any doubt it happened, and it was no dream or hallucination. I have two college degrees, and consider myself both practical and intellectual.

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.       I can't think of any. But this is a great endeavor. Please continue to do this. It has helped me, and it will help others know they're not nuts!