I know it was mom contacting us because the evening of her wake (before burial service the next day) we went home to her house, and as we sat in the living room, all the lights upstairs went off. We started laughing nervously. My brother said 'That has never happened since I've lived here' and we were talking about who would go to the basement to flip the breaker switch. A few nights later, I was at the house alone (I had flown from Colorado to her funeral in Maryland for a few days) and as I walked into the living room, a floor lamp went off, and came back on again. It was spooky.  Another night (same visit) I was watching tv and thought my brother had walked past me from a room down the upstairs hall into the dark kitchen. I kept wondering why he hadn't turned the light on. Just as I thought that, he came walking up the steps from his bedroom downstairs. I asked if he had been upstairs lately, and he said no. I think it was the spirit of Bill, my stepfather, who died a few years earlier.

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?          Uncertain

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?       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?      Just a minute or less for each situation.

Was the beginning and end of the experience gradual or more sudden?      Sudden

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

I felt mother was happy with us.

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:   The timing was just right for such things. And I had another experience at the same time with a spirit who helped me feel better about her passing.

          Was the experience dream like in any way?  No     

Describe in detail your feelings/emotions during the experience:  I was sad she had left, but angry, too. There were some issues

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

What was the best and worst part of your experience?          Worst part was being enraged at my mother for leaving me out of her will after she had told me earlier that I was in it. She wrote me out of her 3 days before she died. I have no idea why she did it. Brother got it all. I have not forgiven her, and yet, I talk to her about other things telepathically, mostly about the toys she got me, and how I loved her choices. Best part is knowing I can forgive her only if something great happens to me in a security sense.

Has your life changed specifically as a result of your experience? Yes                Describe:     I stayed single, became vegan, and studied Astrology more than usual. I moved to the desert to talk to God.           

Did you have any changes of attitudes or beliefs following the experience? Yes    I became more determined to delve into the Spirit world.

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?         Yes My brother and a few family members can verify the lights going out. My mother still contacts me by a blinking light in my bathroom. It's sporadic.

What emotions did you feel during the experience?         I was sad that we had not patched things up, and she disinherited me. Still, I had good memories from our good times.

Was the experience witnessed or experienced by others?          Yes

My half brother ( we have different fathers) and a few other people.

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

Time didn't matter. everything seemed in slow motion.

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

As I learn more from Spirit, I feel that I am evolving. The books help, and patience is the key to contact. I have 'little' thoughts and 'signs' that show me my departed relatives still check on me.

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? Yes

Mainly dreams that come true, sometimes disasters.

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

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

I was hugging the clothing hanging in my mom's closet when a young man told me telepathically that his relationship with his dad in the spirit world is perfect. I had no idea who he is/was, but I felt better about patching things up with mother at a later date in Spirit. He said his existence is pure bliss all the time. I estimate him to be about 14.

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    Some of them believe me, some seem not convinced. Atheists are the usual culprits, although one Atheist friend is into the afterlife.

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? Yes. These events are life passages we cannot avoid They are more intense than I had imagined they could be. They get the soul stirred up, and the mind to thinking.

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 

Cannabis makes it easier to release my mind to more receptivity.

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

A few LSD trips. amazing insights.

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.       Do we feel closer to the deceased when we visit cemeteries