#1 Experience description:  

About a month after my mom passed away, I was getting ready for work one morning. As I was putting my make-up on, I turned on the TV like I normally did, but instead of turning to the news as was my habit, I turned instead to the Bluegrass music station available on the cable system. (It was the first time I had ever tuned to that station.) Immediately afterwards, the old hymn, "Farther Along" started playing. This hymn was my mom's favorite. Her father had sung it to her when she was a little girl, and we played it at her funeral. I had never heard it played on any of the music stations before because it's not as well known since it is so old. And I've never heard it played since. The chances of that exact song playing at the one time I had ever turned that station on was so slim, that I knew it had something to do with my mom. 

Later that same day, I went to lunch at the Olive Garden restaurant, which was one of mine and my mom's favorite places to eat. It was the first time I had been back since Mom passed away. As I sat there eating my meal and missing her so much, I suddenly heard the song, "Mona Lisa" begin to play. My mom's name was Ramona, but she was always called Mona, and my name is Lisa. It was our special thing that we'd always sign birthday cards for our friends or relatives together with the name "Mona Lisa". We also used to sing that song, as "our" song. And everyone who saw us together would say, "Hello, Mona Lisa." I have since been back to that same restaurant hundreds of times over the past few years and have never, ever heard that song played again.  

And the day didn't end with that. That same afternoon, I was at home, sitting on my sofa, grading papers and doing some work on my laptop computer. Suddenly, a basket of flowers that had been hanging on the wall across the room came flying off and landed halfway across the floor. Now, I lived in a log cabin at that time. The walls were thick logs, and the nail that the basket of flowers was hanging on was firmly embedded in the wall. It was a large nail, and the hook on the back of the basket was very sturdy. I got up and checked to see why the basket would come flying off, but couldn't figure out any reason for it. That basket had hung there for over six months, and after I returned it to the nail, it hung there for another year before I took it down and packed it when I moved. There was no reason for it to have fallen, let alone land 6 feet from where it started.  

My mother was evidentially trying to contact me on that day. And she certainly got my attention! (I must add that I had had a doctors appointment that morning, and had been diagnosed with early stage cervical cancer. I think Mom was trying to let me know that she was still with me and to not be afraid.) 

I have other occurrences too, but wanted to share these three together, since they all happened on the same day.

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?            Yes

How long did the experience last?        All day.

Was the beginning and end of the experience gradual or more sudden?         Events just suddenly occurred.

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

Did the deceased give you information you did not previously know?  No, except to perhaps let me know that she was still with me, looking out for me during a time of trauma for me (diagnosed with cervical cancer that same day.)

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:           These experiences, which were more than coincidences, were definitely real!

            Was the experience dream like in any way?   No

Describe in detail your feelings/emotions during the experience:           Amazement at the "coincidences" that occurred, puzzlement as to why the flowers fell, then realization of what it all actually meant.

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

I realized that Mom was still there with me, looking out for me.

What was the best and worst part of your experience?      Knowing that my mom was trying to get my attention.

Has your life changed specifically as a result of your experience?         Yes                 Describe:      I'm not afraid of death anymore. I know it's just the next level of this life.

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     It let me realize that my mom could still communicate with me and that she isn't really gone.

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?            Comfort from knowing that Mom was still there with me.

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?       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     They thought the experiences were amazing.

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

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 

I had surgery and during the surgery I found myself standing in a dark tunnel which opened into an area of bright white light. My mom, who was in a coma and dying in another hospital across town, was there. We talked for awhile, then Mom told me that I had to go back now, and that she would be going on shortly, but that she'd see me again soon. She died less than a month later.

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


 

#2 EXPERIENCE DESCRIPTION

My mom spent about a month in the hospital and hospice after going into renal failure and a coma. She had dementia from Alzheimer's and eventually passed away on August 13, 2005. I was at her side almost constantly during her hospitalization. She did emerged from the coma for a few days, but slipped back into it again. During the time she was awake, she didn't know who I was.  

While I was with her, I would stand by her bedside and gently stroke her forehead, right at the hairline on her left temple. I did this each time I visited her.  

On the day that she passed away, I went home; and that night, was lying in bed, just thinking about Mom and missing her so very much. Gradually, I felt a gentle hand stroking my forehead, right at the hairline of my left temple, in the exact location where I would always stroke Mom's head while she lay dying. The sensation went on for several minutes, and then gradually stopped.  

I think that my mom was there with me, to comfort me that night. (I was going to say she was there to say goodbye, but I had several more encounters with her over the following month, which I've submitted earlier.) 

One other thing that happened was that I was on my way to work one afternoon about a month after Mom died. As I pulled into the parking lot at the college where I taught, one of the students came speeding out in his car from one of the side lots and almost ran out in front of me. I was in the middle of turning my steering wheel to make my turn from the main road, when suddenly my car horn blew by itself, just as the student started to pull out. From the angle of my hands, there was no way I touched the car horn. And if the horn hadn't blown, the other car would have hit me, because he wasn't looking to see if anyone was turning in from the main road. Before she died, my mom used to go places in the car with me all the time, and she had a habit of reaching over and honking my car horn if she saw some danger that she didn't think I saw in time. I truly believed that on this occasion, she honked that horn to save me from an accident.

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?            Yes

Did you hear the deceased or hear something associated with the deceased?          No

Did you feel a touch or experience any physical contact from the deceased?            Yes

Forehead

            Was the touch familiar or unfamiliar?   Familiar and comforting

            Was anything communicated by the touch?  Love and comfort and peace

            Is there any possibility what you felt was from any other source present in the surroundings at the time of your experience?  No, I even put my hand up to see if my hair was blowing in a breeze or something, but it wasn't.

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?        Several minutes (two or three)

Was the beginning and end of the experience gradual or more sudden?         I just kind of gradually noticed that my forehead was being stroked. And the sensation just gradually stopped.

Could you sense the emotions or mood of the deceased?           Yes  Love and concern for me.

Did the deceased give you information you did not previously know?  That she was there with me.

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:           I experienced it. It was a definite sensation of my forehead being stroked in the exact same place where I would stroke my mom's forehead.

            Was the experience dream like in any way?   No

Describe in detail your feelings/emotions during the experience:           I felt loved and that Mom was letting me know not to grieve for her, that she was still there with me.

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

It helped knowing that Mom was still there, though I still missed (and miss) her very much and still grieved for her.

What was the best and worst part of your experience?      The best part was knowing my mom was there with me. The worst part was not being able to see her or talk with her.

Has your life changed specifically as a result of your experience?         Yes                 Describe:      I know that death is just a part of life, and that we exist on another, higher level. I'm more spiritual without being more "religious."

Did you have any changes of attitudes or beliefs following the experience?   Yes     Not afraid of death anymore.

Did the experience give you any spiritual understandings such as life, death, afterlife, God, etc.?            Yes     It let me know that death is not the end, just a step up into a new level of existence.

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?            More peace.

Have you shared this experience with others?         Yes     They thought it was very comforting.

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

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 

Explained in another experience that I've shared.

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