Joanna M's ADC
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EXPERIENCE DESCRIPTION 2442:

 My very first experience occurred when I was approx. 10 years old. My grandmother had died a year or so previous to this experience. I had just gone to bed and was saying my prayers and telling God that I missed my grandmother. I was praying fervently for my grandmother when I heard my name being called. The voice was female and I thought it was my mother calling me because I had gone to bed without drying the supper dishes. I didn't want to have to get up so I pretended I was asleep. Once again my name was called. This time I was thinking that I was not going to avoid having to get up. I turned over and said, 'What?' As I looked to my right a figure stood next to my bed. It was not my mother. I could not make out any features, but the figure's outline looked like Mary, Jesus' mother. The figure was shimmering with a silver light, but not very bright. I stared wide-eyed and then blinked. When I opened my eyes again she was gone. I immediately got out of bed and walked into the kitchen where my mother sat at the table reading the newspaper. I asked her if she had been calling me. She said she had not. I turned around and went back to bed convinced that I had been visited by my grandmother. I was not at all frightened by this experience, which surprised me because I was a very fearful child.

The next grandmother experience was maybe 10 years later. My roommate and I had moved into an apartment in a house that was being renovated. None of the other apartments were rented except for one on the top floor. My apartment was on the 2nd floor. The day we moved into the apartment my dog refused to climb the stairs to go into the apartment--she acted afraid and I had to carry her, shaking, into the house. The apartment had been freshly painted, and one of the closet doors was sealed shut from the paint. I tried opening it, but couldn't. We didn't have any furniture yet, so we slept on the living room floor in bedrolls.

The apartment felt creepy to me. Maybe it was because of my dog's reaction to it. Maybe because I came home one day to find the closet door that had been stuck was now standing open, or because a bar of soap that had been on the bathroom sink was now in the middle of the living room floor. I don't know, but I'll admit to feeling some fear inside the house.

One night, maybe the 2nd or 3rd night I was there I had been sound asleep on the living room floor. I heard my name being called. The voice was my grandmother's. She was saying my name with her Lithuanian accent. I looked up and saw her standing in the open doorway beckoning me to follow her. She said, 'You have to leave here. This house is unlucky.' Certain that I was dreaming I turned away from her to continue sleeping. That's when she crossed the room and shook me. 'Listen to me,' she said. 'You have to leave here.' Still half asleep I looked up at her, but still thought it was a dream. She was having none of my ignoring her. She said, 'Pay attention to me. I'm not going to leave until you promise me that you will move out of this house.' I mumbled that I would. She said, 'Promise me!' I nodded my head. 'I promise.' Then she disappeared. I was so convinced that my grandmother was really there that I moved out of the house by the end of the first week.

 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 her voice with my ears.

           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?          Outside of me, as if the person was talking to me through normal communication.

           If you heard a voice or sound, was it similar or dissimilar from the voice or sound the deceased made when they were alive?    Exactly the same, accent and all.

           Is there any possibility what you heard was from any other source present in the surroundings at the time of your experience? No.

           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?       Yes

 She touched me on my shoulder when I ignored her attempt to communicate with me.

            Was the touch familiar or unfamiliar? Like being shaken awake.

           Was anything communicated by the touch? Yes. She was communicating 'don't ignore me.'

            Is there any possibility what you felt was from any other source present in the surroundings at the time of your experience? None whatsoever.

 Did you see the deceased?       Yes

 She looked exactly like she did in life. No shimmering light or anything like that.

            How clearly did the deceased appear?            Solid.

            How much of the deceased did you see?       All of her.

            Did the deceased appear or not appear to be the age at which they died?   Same age as when she died.

            How healthy did the deceased appear to be?            Same as before she died--no visible infirmities.

            Is there any possibility what you saw was from any other source present in the surroundings at the time of your experience? No.

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

 How long did the experience last?      I'm not sure. Probably less than five minutes.

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

 Could you sense the emotions or mood of the deceased?          Yes  Frustrated that I thought I was dreaming.

 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:   In both instances I heard a voice. In the first one when I was 10 years old I was still awake. In the later experience I was awakened from a sound sleep and thought I was dreaming until my grandmother shook me awake and insisted I answer her. It was like no dream I'd ever had.

           Was the experience dream like in any way?  No

 Describe in detail your feelings/emotions during the experience:  During the first experience I was somewhat confused because I had never had anything like that happen. I was unafraid, and felt peaceful, but at the same time I was questioning myself, 'Was that real?' That's why I immediately got out of bed to ask my mother if she was in my room. The only reason I thought it might be my grandmother was because I was praying for her at the time. During the second experience, after being touched by my grandmother, I no longer felt I was dreaming. I had no fear, but I wondered why she used the term 'unlucky.' I don't know why she was so insistent that I leave, but I never regretted doing so. The funny thing is that the landlord must have thought I was nuts because when she asked me why I was leaving I told her the house was haunted.

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

 What was the best and worst part of your experience?          There was no worst part. The best part was seeing that my grandmother was still alive somewhere and could reach out to me.

 Has your life changed specifically as a result of your experience? Uncertain                 Describe:     Both experiences, and the one that I wrote about in a separate questionnaire caused me to explore spirituality.

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     In one sense it gave me an understanding that there is an afterlife, but the experience didn't relieve me of my fear of death. These many years later I no longer have a fear of dying and am looking forward to going home and seeing my loved ones and my canine companions again.

 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?         I remember being happy that my grandmother was looking out for 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    I don't think anyone was influenced by my experience, but it did prompt them to narrate their own experiences with the afterlife.

 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?     No 

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

 

Experience description 2441:  

My friend's father passed away while hunting with his son on Thanksgiving Day. Family arrived from out of town the next day or so and the house was full. I slept on the living room sofa, and several of Joe's grandkids slept on the living room floor. I don't know what woke me up, but I half sat up and turned around to see if someone was coming into the living room. That's when I saw Joe standing in front of the entrance door. He was looking straight at me. The room was dark, but he was bright, as if he were lit up. He was dressed in his Barbershop costume, a yellow jacket and dark pants, the same outfit in which he was buried. I was frightened, so much so that I tried to scream, but I couldn't make a sound. Joe never said anything or moved from the spot. I stared at him for several seconds until he faded away. I then went back to sleep. I knew the experience wasn't a dream because it was nothing like any dream I'd ever had.

 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?       No

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

 Did you see the deceased?       Yes

 He looked exactly like he looked any other day. He looked healthy and peaceful.

            How clearly did the deceased appear?            Solid. As if he was alive.

            How much of the deceased did you see?       Full body.

            Did the deceased appear or not appear to be the age at which they died?   Same age.

            How healthy did the deceased appear to be?           Very healthy. Had no infirmities before death.

            Is there any possibility what you saw was from any other source present in the surroundings at the time of your experience? No.

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

 How long did the experience last?      Less than a minute.

 Was the beginning and end of the experience gradual or more sudden?      The end was more gradual--he faded away.

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

 He was not smiling or frowning, but he had a peaceful demeanor.

 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:   I know he was there. It was not a dream. Also, a few days later I was having dinner with Joe's wife. She said Joe came to her in a dream and told her that he was very happy, that the afterlife was beautiful, and he described there being a school where he could learn many things.

           Was the experience dream like in any way?  No

 Describe in detail your feelings/emotions during the experience:  I was very frightened. I had a very real fear of the dark and things that go bump in the night.

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

 I felt less afraid of my own death because I saw with my own eyes that there is life after death.

 What was the best and worst part of your experience?     The worst was how frightened I was. The best was that I knew Joe was still alive.

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

Did you have any changes of attitudes or beliefs following the experience? Yes    As I said before, I came to believe in an afterlife, and in God.

 Did the experience give you any spiritual understandings such as life, death, afterlife, God, etc.?         Yes, that there is an afterlife, and so there must be a Higher Power.

 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?          Mixed. I remembered the feeling of being afraid, but I realized that Joe was probably just stopping in to say goodbye to his family and that made me feel kind of happy.

 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?        Yes, because the room was dark, but Joe was bright. However, there was no light surrounding him.

 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    Every person's reaction was that what a described really happened, and most of them went on to tell me of their own experiences with after death communications or seeing spirits.

 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 a communication with my grandmother that I will share in a separate questionnaire and I've experienced an unknown entity whisper my name loudly in my ear on two occasions.

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