In my dream, I was at a party with high school friends. Then I saw a door open and felt myself drawn towards the doorway (almost guided - not pulled but it was similar to the feeling you have when a gust of wind pushes you.  But there was no wind).  The door closed on it's own behind me and now I was in a church, near the alter. I glided down the isle and then I was sitting in a pew and Rich was there.  He said he is always with me and our friends and he will always watch out for us.

Then he was gone.  I woke up right after and felt a sense of comfort/warmth and was happy.

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?          Uncertain

          Describe what you heard, how clearly you heard it and what was communicated:   I don't know how to answer this or the question above because my experience was in a dream.  In the dream, I saw and heard Rich.  But if you're asking if I saw or heard him when I was awake then the answer is no to both questions.

          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?     He spoke to me in a dream.

          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 sounded just like his voice when he was alive.

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

          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?         No

Did you see the deceased?       Uncertain

I saw Rich in my dream but not when I was awake so I am not sure how to answer this question.

            How clearly did the deceased appear?            Solid.

            How much of the deceased did you see?       He was sitting next to me so I just remember his chest, arms, face.

            Did the deceased appear or not appear to be the age at which they died?           He looked the way I remembered him.  It had only been a little more than a year since he had passed.

            How healthy did the deceased appear to be?            He looked like I knew him.

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

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 beginning was gradual, but it ended suddenly.  I was slowly drawn into the church, but once he said what he said he was gone then I woke up.

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

He seemed happy and content.

Did the deceased give you information you did not previously know?  He only said he was always with my and my friends and that he'll always watch out for 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 experience was so clear.  Normally, I can't recall dreams so clearly.  Even really good/happy dreams I tend to only remember small pieces of them.  Even if in the middle of the night, I wake after a good dream and I remember it then, come morning I can barely recall it.  This happened about 30 years ago and I still recall it clearly.

          Was the experience dream like in any way?  Yes

It seems to have started as a dream, but then Rich was there and spoke to me.

Describe in detail your feelings/emotions during the experience:  During the experience, I was asleep but I remember feeling happy to see Rich.

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

It was more of a feeling of peace.  Like, I knew he was ok and it felt so good to know he was watching over me and our friends.  I didn't have any emotional scars from our friendship that needed healing.  And while I was sad about his passing and thought about him often, I wasn't actively grieving.

What was the best and worst part of your experience?          Best part was seeing Rich.  Worst is that it ended so quickly and it didn't happen again.

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.?  Yes    It confirmed to me there is life after death.

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?          When I woke up I remember feeling so happy, and also a sense of peace/contentment.

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?         Uncertain

It felt like I was given a special gift to see Rich and hear him speak to me.  As far as I know I am the only person this happened to (at least of our friends).

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?   Uncertain

I don't think so.  I do remember the feeling that I wasn't walking, something was guiding me to where I ended up.  But because I was sleeping, it's hard to answer this question.

Did you meet or see any other beings other than the deceased?       No

Did you see a light?        Uncertain

The church was dark other than outside lights lighting up the stained glass windows.  So the light in the room was like a bluish-dim.  The alter was dim, but the light from the windows were behind Rich which made his face seem to be in a shadow but I could still see 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    People are always amazed when I share this with them.

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?   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? Uncertain 

About 8 years ago childhood friend, Matt, died of a suicide.  He and I were close when we were very young because our moms were good friends , then reconnected in high school and again as adults we would sometimes see each other at local restaurants/bars.  He died in May, and his mom invited people to her house the day after Thanksgiving.  I was unsure about going because I didn't know who would be there, if any HS friends would be there or if it was going to end up being just family and I'd be out of place.

On Thanksgiving, I found a penny and I looked at the date and it was from 1968 - the year Matt and I were born.