First, a little context: Sometime in the fall of 2024 I began reading near death experiences just out of curiosity. After I started reading NDEs on NDERF I felt a subtle change in myself, the world was just a little bit more beautiful. On December 6 2024 I had a Spiritually Transformative Experience that lead to many more experiences, one of which I will describe here. (I have not yet submitted my STE to the research foundation, I do not know why I am doing this first but this feels right.)

In December 2024, after my initial STE an uncle of mine had a heart attack and was hospitalized and then went into hospice. One night while he was in hospice I asked spirits to take away some of his physical pain and give it to me, so that the end of his life could be a little easier, if only physically. The next morning I felt terrible. There was no reason for me to feel so bad, I wasn't sick or injured, I felt fine the night before but that morning I felt rather bad. A few hours after I woke up my wife received a phone call to inform us my uncle had passed during the night.

I was saddened by the loss of course but I was watching the sun set that day and thinking about my uncle and I realized that he is now in heaven with his mother, my grandmother who was a very kind person. It made me happy to know that they were reunited in heaven.

On Wednesday February 19th 2025 I was visited by the spirits of my uncle and his mother, my grandmother. I knew it was them, I just somehow recognized them, I can't explain how I knew it was them, I just did. They came to me,albeit briefly to confirm to me that they were indeed in heaven together and I need not grieve for either of them because they are in a far better place. This made me incredibly happy, I could not stop smiling. To feel their presence was wonderful.

As I mentioned I've had many experiences and I told some people about them verbally, everyone I discussed this with was supportive of me which was really nice. As time went on and after much consideration I came to the conclusion I should put my initial STE online so people could read it. The only way I could figure out how to do it for free was on Facebook but I really didn't want to do it that way. I did it anyway and I don't think one single person read it. I made a comment about how no one read it and I got thumbs up reactions and one person gave me the laughing emoji.

Sometimes I hate how people use that laughing emoji.

I deleted the Facebook post.

I took it pretty hard and I was discouraged for about a month and a half. I thought maybe I should keep all this stuff to myself and people really don't want to hear it. I put it out there because I thought maybe it could help someone. Reading other peoples' experiences helped me. One day a new guy at work could somehow tell I was feeling down and he sat down with me and let me tell him what was going on. I don't know how he could tell I needed someone to talk to. It was exactly what I needed at the time. I decided I will carry on, reposted the experience on Facebook and not worry about feedback.

Now, finally, the After Death Communication. On January 27 2026 I had a dream where I was paralyzed and lying in a hospital bed. I fell out of the bed and despite the fact there were people in the room who love me no one helped me. Then my uncle who had passed away walked into the room. He said something but I couldn't hear what he said because everyone was talking. I screamed at them to be quiet because I wanted to hear what he had to say. Everyone kept talking loudly while I lay there, unable to move. He walked closer to me and I said to him "you're supposed to be dead" which is an assinine thing to say in this situation because for one thing he is dead and for another thing it is not unusual for me to see loved ones who have passed away in my dreams. Nevertheless he spoke back to me and said "keep saying the words"

I knew immediately that he meant that I should share my experiences and not to worry about any negative feedback. At that moment my dream became lucid, I was no longer paralyzed and I flew up into the air, through a closed window without breaking it and the rest of the dream was irrelevant as far as the ADC is concerned but when I eventually woke up the first thing I thought about was the message my uncle gave me.

Keep saying the words.

One thing that I think is remarkable about this is how clear the message was. Like someone answering yes to a yes or no question. A lot of other experiences I've had were cryptic, like a riddle. This experience had a clear message about something I had been struggling with and I am grateful for it and I feel blessed.

Background Information:

Date of experience:          January 27 2026

Length of time between death of deceased and your experience:  One year and three days

Was the date of the experience significant in any way?            No

General geographic location of experience:  Fargo, North Dakota

Details of location of experience and your activity at the time of experience:          Sleeping

Degree of bereavement for deceased immediately prior to the experience:      No sadness and/or grief feelings

Degree of alertness immediately prior to experience:            Fully alert

After your experience, did you consider the contents of your experience:    Wonderful

Have you had multiple experiences?   Yes    Two that I am certain of, there may have been more but some experiences are difficult to classify.

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:   Encounter was brief, the first thing he said was drowned out by people talking, the second thing he said was "keep saying the words". He was walking past me the entire time, he said some third thing that was drowned out by people in the room talking, then he was gone.

          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?     Yes, I saw my uncle in his physical body as it was before he passed and he spoke to me in his own voice as it was before he passed. His voice was always soothing to me, always compassionate.

          If you heard a voice or sound, was it similar or dissimilar from the voice or sound the deceased made when they were alive?     His voice was exactly the same to me in my (our?) ADC as it was before he passed

          Is there any possibility what you heard was from any other source present in the surroundings at the time of your experience?   I mean, it's possible something I'm not aware of had an influence on the ADC but I was asleep but the moment I could make out what he was saying I instinctively knew what me meant. There was no hesitation or doubt in my mind what was happening.

          Was there any possible impairment to your hearing at the time of the experience?   Interference from other dream characters talking loudly, much to my vocalized chagrin.

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

Did you see the deceased?       Yes

Exactly as he appeared before he passed, well dressed in very nice pants, a very nice collared shirt smartly tucked in and wearing a tie. He looked very sharp.

How clearly did the deceased appear?            Solid. Very much in the flesh as myself and everyone else who was there

How much of the deceased did you see?       Head to toe, well dresses and well groomed. Very dignified and relaxed.

Did the deceased appear or not appear to be the age at which they died?           The age at which he died, age 80.

How healthy did the deceased appear to be?            My uncle was somewhat of a living legend having cheated death many, many times starting in infancy. His entire life seemed to be on borrowed time but when I saw him after he had passed he was in good health, physically and mentally.

Is there any possibility what you saw was from any other source present in the surroundings at the time of your experience?   Yes, it's possible there were forces or influences beyond my prescription that were trying to deceive me but my instinct tells me that the encounter was genuine. I did not sense any outside interference.

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

How long did the experience last?      Very brief, about ten seconds.

Was the beginning and end of the experience gradual or more sudden?       Short and decisive. Experience was part of a dream with unusually obvious symbolism. Paralysis, being impeded by people who love, reassurance from the deceased, dream became lucid and I flew off continuing my journey.

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

Confident, relaxed, understanding and friendly.

Did the deceased give you information you did not previously know?  No new information, just encouraging me to keep doing what I'm doing.

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:   At no time have I ever questioned it. I feel in my heart that it was real.

          Was the experience dream like in any way?  Yes

Was part of a larger dream

Describe in detail your feelings/emotions during the experience:  Frustration, then great relief

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

Reaffirmed to me that it is okay to share my experiences with others.

What was the best and worst part of your experience?          Best part was seeing my uncle again. Worst part was people loudly talking when I was trying to hear what he was saying, I wish I had caught all of what he was saying but I got the jist of it.

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

What other attitudes and beliefs about your experience do you currently have?

            Spirits want to communicate with us, if you are open to it that might make it easier for you.         

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.?  Uncertain     This was one of many experiences, since my initial experience my beliefs and understanding have slowly and continuously evolved.

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

Yes! My father who is still alive made a death compact with me when I told him about my initial STE. We agreed whichever one of us dies first will visit the other here on this Earth.

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?          Reassurance and happiness. It is wonderful to see someone who has passed while you are still in this corporeal body, truly a blessing.

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

Family members who are still alive were there.

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    Told my wife about it. We discuss this stuff all the time.

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 

STE on December 6 2024 lead to many other experiences. Some very profound, some very minor. For a short time I experienced time dilation which stopped as mysteriously as it started. I had another separate experience that appears to have cured me of depression which is amazing beyond words. I have taught myself exercises I can do to keep making progress.

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.       Part 14 and 15 ask two different questions but don't allow for two different answers, unless I misunderstood it. Questionnaire is very thorough. Please keep doing what you are doing, I have found the research foundation to be very engaging on a personal level.

I reached out my hand and asked her to come closer so that I could hear her. She came forward, putting her hand in mine and I could feel with weight and warmth of it. Still holding my hand, she came over and sat down on the edge of the bed beside me.

She told me she once worked as a servant for one of my ancestors and I immediately knew she meant my paternal great grandparents (my great grandfather was a prominent Belgian politician and quite wealthy). She said they had asked her to pass on a message to me. She said they were concerned about me and that I needed slow down and take better care of myself.

She then got up and dissolved and I found myself in what looked like an empty shopping mall and had strangers coming up to me. There were so many and all talking at once, all eager to meet me, to touch me and for me to hear them. They all had messages for loved ones they wanted me to take back with me, and for a while I believed I must have died in my sleep and was now in the spirit realm. Someone came forward and moved them back telling them that I had to go and could not help them, and then ushered me on my way and I woke up. The dream felt incredibly real and I didn’t know what to make of it. I felt sad it was just a dream.

The next day, I was woken up at three in the morning by an intense squeezing pain in my chest. As I have several health conditions I’m used to strange aches and pains so I didn’t think too much of it. The pain continued to linger, so later in the morning I decided I better get checked out because the woman’s words in my dream were playing on my mind. I contacted my local medical centre and they urged me to go to hospital immediately. I honestly didn’t think it was anything serious,  the dream was still on my mind, so I followed their instructions.

I was admitted to hospital and after a series of tests and a second cardiac event in hospital the doctors found I had actually had a heart attack. I’m now being a lot more careful not to push myself too hard and to pay attention to what my body is telling me. If it had not been for the dream I wouldn't have gone to see a doctor and would not be on the medication I'm on now to prevent another attack in the future.