To begin, here is a little background information. My son had been suffering from depression for some time. Just about the time something seemed to be going his way, an obstacle would complicate any progress he had been able to make. We would listen to me, but was easily derailed when things didn't go his way. There was a lot of tension in the house and we weren't getting along. He went to stay with my parents--about 10 miles away. Right before his death I had been having chest pains. On Monday and Tuesday that week I had some tests at our local hospital, but no irregularities were found in my heart. On the day he died, my mother called me at work around 12:15 and told me he had become upset and he had taken off in his car. I later learned what had happened earlier that week. He decided to drive to Chicago on his own on January 31 and my parents didn't tell us, which still upsets me when I think about it. He had lost his driver's license because of too many tickets in one year. Before he came back, the clutch had gone out of his car. He had called us one night, but when I answered I couldn't hear anyone. Unknown to me, my parents drove up there and helped him take care of getting his car fixed. They stayed one night with him and came back home. The next day his car was repaired and he started to drive home. He was pulled over by a policeman because he didn't have a license plate on the front of his car (which we had reminded him to do over and over in the months before that.) When the officer ran his license, he saw that it was suspended and he was arrested. He called my parents for bail money and even though the police knew his license wasn't valid, they let him drive home. He arrived back at my parents' very late and he was upset, because the arrest would be just another obstacle to keep him from being able to ship out for basic training in the Marines. I didn't know any of this until afterwards. After he got back to my parents' house he was so upset. My dad spent half the night talking to him and he said he hoped 'God was looking over him.' When he took off, my parents couldn't stop him. My mom walked him to the car and when she went back to the house, she saw that the window in the bedroom where he slept was open. They discovered he had somehow managed to get a gun out of my parents' locked closet. After my mom called me, I took off not knowing where to begin looking for him. I begged God to help me find him. A few minutes later I saw a police car make a U-turn right in the middle of the street and he turned on his flashing lights. I decided I needed to go in the same direction. There were road blocks and I went down a back street and was stopped by the county coroner, whom I knew personally.He said he was just helping direct traffic but I had a bad feeling. He called an officer talk to me and I explained I had a strange feeling that my son was there somewhere. A few hours later after my husband arrived, the coroner came in to tell me my son was dead. Two police officers drove us home since we were in shock. The house seemed so black and dead. I tried to sleep unsuccessfully. After midnight I went into his room and sat there with his cat Puff in the dark. I could see it begin to snow a little because of the street light outside our house, so I decided to look out the window. Out back was my son's favorite old tree and he had a big punching bag hanging in that tree which he used for kick-boxing. There was no wind that night, but when I looked out his window, I saw the bag swinging back and forth like someone had pushed it hard or kick-boxed it. And it just kept swinging with no sign of slowing down. I ran to our bedroom and told my husband he had to come with me. I told him to look out (without telling him what he needed to look at) and he immediately noticed the punching bag. We couldn't believe our eyes but it was happening. I told my husband'''he's telling us he made it ok' meaning he made it to the other side and was ok. After that night we saw it happen a couple more times--one time it happened in the daytime and I recorded it with my camera.

Background Information:

Date of experience:          February 3, 2010

Length of time between death of deceased and your experience:  A few hours

Was the date of the experience significant in any way?    Nine days after his 19th birthday

Details of location of experience and your activity at the time of experience:        It happened during the night right after my son died. We think he died around 1:15pm but we weren't told until around 7:00pm. When we went home, I was in shock. Eventually I tried to sleep unsuccessfully. So I went to his room and stayed in there with his black cat Puff. I looked out his window and saw his favorite old tree, where his punching bag was hanging. We had the experience looking out the window at the punching bag.

Degree of bereavement for deceased immediately prior to the experience:  Severe 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    More than 20

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?       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?      We watched it for at least half an hour and finally we went back to bed.

Was the beginning and end of the experience gradual or more sudden?      I felt like it had started after I went to his room. I felt when the time was right, the punching bag started to move suddenly, and right after I was 'pulled' magnetically to the window so I would look out. We had always liked looking at falling snow at night, ever since he was little. And that seemed the catalyst in getting me to the window.

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

I felt like it was important to him that we knew he was ok. I thought his method of communication was very creative, and because of that creativity, I immediately recognized it was a sign and it was a sign from my son!

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:   Just because of the law of physics, the punching bag could not move on its own unless there was a very strong 40-50 mile an hour wind. I even double-checked the weather report for that date and time to verify that there was no strong wind that night. I even asked a professor of physics at the university without telling him why I was asking. We know it was real and it happened.

          Was the experience dream like in any way?  No

Describe in detail your feelings/emotions during the experience:  I was still in shocked and upset my parents didn't tell me what had been going on. I was just trying to comfort his cat and, at the same time,wanted to be comforted by his cat. I was grieving and had been crying too, but I was completely awake and alert.

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

Yes, but not until later. After I had worked through the grief somewhat, I began to feel better and it made me realize there would probably be more communication.

What was the best and worst part of your experience?     The best part was it happened just a few hours after his death and it happened at a moment when I was feeling completely lost. Another thing that was great, is that I wasn't the only one who saw it. The worst part was that I also wished I could talk to him and/or actually see him so I could find out more about what made him he couldn't make it through one more day and also I wondered he was thinking in those last minutes.

Has your life changed specifically as a result of your experience? Yes                Describe:     It makes me realize my son is still with me spiritually.
           
Did you have any changes of attitudes or beliefs following the experience? Yes    I think it made me really realize the prior experiences had also been real. Even though I knew the experiences were real, plus some were witnessed by two or more people, I think I had subconsciously 'talked myself out of believing' what I had experienced was real.

Did the experience give you any spiritual understandings such as life, death, afterlife, God, etc.?         Yes    It made me truly believe that there are no coincidences. My family had had other experiences before that, but this was much more important than any of the others.

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?          Although I was so upset about his death, I felt some relief and was happy he communicated with us.

Was the experience witnessed or experienced by others?          Yes

After I had the experience when I was alone in his room, I woke up my husband and he saw exactly what I did.

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    Some people seemed to believe what we told them, but later I felt like they weren't being sincere, and maybe just being polite. Some of the others believed us, because they were more o[en to the possibility...but they believed us even more when they had experiences of their own after my son's death.

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 made me look at the world differently and it made me believe that nothing happens unless the soul is ready. I strongly do not believe in coincidences at all now--every little detail is a thread in a large tapestry.

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 

As a child I believe I had a near death experience when I was in the hospital. I also have had numerous other after death communications, which I will document on your website as well.

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 think the questionnaire is very complete. I probably added way too much information about events that took place before my son's death, but everything that happened along the way was also other-worldly. Some of those things were signs also--for example, when I was trying to figure out where to look for my son and when I saw the police car I knew that was the direction I needed to go. I believe my son was already dead when that happened.

EXPERIENCE DESCRIPTION 2522:

In June 1998, my pet Siamese cat named Zachary died. On the afternoon of the experience my mom and I were moving sofas so everyone could face the Christmas tree when we opened presents later. However, I wasn't even thinking about Zachary the cat. After we finished, I sat on one sofa, and my mom sat down on the other. A few minutes later, I heard a familiar sound at my parents' bedroom door--the sound of my cat jumping at the doorknob to let us know he wanted out of the room. When Zachary was alive he enjoyed biting guests, (especially people who boasted that 'cats just loved [them]'...so to thwart his mischief we normally put him in the bedroom and shut the door. For about 6 years before Zachary died, we lived in an apartment where pets were not allowed-- so Zachary stayed at my parents' house. Anytime he was put in a room to keep him out of trouble, he would take a nap and then when he wanted to come out, he would jump at the doorknob and try to turn the knob with his paws. The sound was very distinct. On that Christmas Eve I got up from the sofa and started toward my parents' bedroom that day. My mom also looked up when she heard the sound at the door, but she asked me what I was doing. I told her 'to let the cat out.' We had another cat named Klaus who was a Himalayan mix, but he was asleep in a chair and he didn't do any jumping at doors. My mom said 'the cat is there in your dad's chair.' I had automatically opened so many doors for Zachary that I totally forgot he had died. When I opened the bedroom door and no one was there, it hit me. We had just experienced after death communication with a cat. My mom and I both looked at each other dumbfounded with disbelief, yet we both heard the sound of the cat jumping at the door and we knew it was real.

Background Information:

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:          The distinct sound of the cat jumping at the doorknob. The house was quiet and we both heard it clearly. Our entire family had heard Zachary jump at closed doors to let us know he wanted out when he was alive.

          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 external. It came from my parents bedroom with the closed door, about 10-15 feet from where I was sitting.

          If you heard a voice or sound, was it similar or dissimilar from the voice or sound the deceased made when they were alive?    It was similar--in fact we had heard that same exact sound lots of time throughout the years. It was one of Zachary's signature activities.

          Is there any possibility what you heard was from any other source present in the surroundings at the time of your experience? No, none at all

          Was there any possible impairment to your hearing at the time of the experience?       No, the house was completely quiet.

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 couple of minutes

Was the beginning and end of the experience gradual or more sudden?      It started suddenly and ended when I opened the door

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

I felt certain that Zachary really enjoyed playing that little prank on us.

Did the deceased give you information you did not previously know?          No, expect I had never had an experience with a deceased pet before.

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 definitely real, without a doubt. Nothing else can simulate the sound of the cat jumping at doorknobs. The house was quiet--the TV wasn't on. And the other cat didn't do any jumping, except jumping up into a cozy chair. And both my mom and I heard it.

What did you feel (while awake) immediately prior to your experience?            
Happy    
           
Describe in detail your feelings/emotions during the experience:  I didn't think about anything when it was happening--it was just something I was used to doing automatically whenever the cat wanted out. When I realized what had just happened, you could have knocked me over with a feather.

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

It made me feel better about Zachary's death.

What was the best and worst part of your experience?     The best part was feeling Zachary's presence. There was no worst part.

Has your life changed specifically as a result of your experience? Yes                Describe:     Higher awareness

EXPERIENCE DESCRIPTION 2533:

After my mother-in-law's death in January 2001, my husband and I bought her home. We replaced carpeting in our bedroom and my son's room, plus painting, wallpaper, etc. We finally moved in at the end of May. Six weeks later, lightning hit the house and we had to replace underlayment in kitchen, dining room, and living room, vinyl floor covering in kitchen/dining room, carpeting in living room, etc.-- all which is important in understanding this experience.

After we resumed living there, I started finding straight pins everywhere. I showed my husband and he had a confused look on his face. he asked me where I found them. I told him all over. He wondered if I had straight pins that spilled when we moved--but I did not. He told me his mom had a habit of pinning straight pins in the drapes, arms of chairs and the sofa. I was unaware of this beforehand. We didn't have any of None of her furniture nor window treatments. As noted above the carpeting had been removed and replaced. Even after I had just vacuumed, I could still walk across the room and find a pin or two. My husband decided his mom was somehow doing it. Even now, 17 years after her death we still find straight pins occasionally.

Background Information:

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?       No

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

How long did the experience last?      just a second or two every time we find another straight pin

Was the beginning and end of the experience gradual or more sudden?      sudden--sometimes we have found pins in places where we just swept or vacuummed.

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

Did the deceased give you information you did not previously know?          No--not from her directly. My husband and his family told me about the pins.

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:   Those straight pins just were not there. Somehow they materialized. We all found pins after it started.

          Was the experience dream like in any way?  No    

Describe in detail your feelings/emotions during the experience:  It was such an odd manifestation--I really didn't know what to make out it.

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

What was the best and worst part of your experience?     I guess the best thing was learning that the pins were clearly connected with something her whole family knew about her. The worst part was when we would tell someone about it and they looked at us, as if we had really lost our marbles.

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

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.?   No         

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 We collected the pins in a glass bottle every time we found any. The fact that we could hold the evidence in our hands, was a constant reminder that this happened.

What emotions did you feel during the experience?          Mostly surprise and confusion.

Was the experience witnessed or experienced by others?          Yes

My husband and son also witnessed this, although my husband remained skeptical for quite awhile.

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    Again, most find this a strange story, but it happened.

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? This wasn't the only time we received communication from her.

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 think I had a near-death experience as a child.

Please offer any suggestions you may have to improve this questionnaire.       No suggestions that I can think of.