About 10 minutes after we were told my dad had passed away, we went in the ICU to say our good bye to his body. There were 4 of us in the room: my mom, myself, my husband and my maternal aunt. We each took his hands and cried and said our last words to his body. I suddenly felt a strange sense of peace and calmness that surprised me given the emotional pain I was going through, and then for some reason I don't understand, it occurred to me to look up for no clear reason, and I saw, or perhaps perceived this strange light in the atmosphere of the room, almost creamy and as if some kind of new light would have been turned on in the room. I looked around looking for the nurse to see if maybe she had put on a lamp or turned off the usual lights we were so used to as we saw my dad every day in the ICU. The white light above was pretty much veiled by a warm yellowish light (almost golden) surrounding the 4 of us and his body. The nurse seemed to be out of it as it there were a limit separating us from her.

Then the next thing I felt strongly was that my father, somehow, was projecting this light in the room but not through his body, but rather through his non-material presence in the room. The thought of him standing right there surrounded by this light came to my mind, and I pictured him smiling and letting us know it was okay. I felt a sense of profound love and calm like I have never felt before. It gave me a lot of peace in the moment.

A few minutes later, we left as the doctors told us they needed us to sign some papers, and so we left. Days later, casually, the 4 of us talked about what we felt and we all coincided in the feelings and on the light we saw. I, personally, thought at first, that it was just my mind coping with the events. By talking to my mum, husband, and aunt, I confirmed what I experienced was real.

Please, don't hesitate to ask if you have any questions about this.

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?      I am not quite sure- probably about a minute to 2 minutes

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

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

He was happy... smiling... I pictured that very clearly as if he had instilled that thought in my mind.

Did the deceased give you information you did not previously know?  Yes... it was like a telepathy kind of thing: He was telling us everything was OK and it was beautiful to die.

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:   Mainly, because others felt the same and we all talked about it without an agenda... we spoke our minds out and we coincided in our experience.

          Was the experience dream like in any way?  Yes

It was as if for the time it lasted, we were transported into a strange space that we were only allowed to see for a short time. It felt like we were floating almost.

Describe in detail your feelings/emotions during the experience:  I was in shock- couldn't believe my dad had died. I was extremely sad and crying lots.

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

It helped a lot through my grief.

What was the best and worst part of your experience?          Best was the feeling- worst was when it ended as we had to face the reality of death and the need for the funeral.

Has your life changed specifically as a result of your experience? Yes                Describe:     I am more compassionate.         

Did you have any changes of attitudes or beliefs following the experience?      Yes    Try to always remember the moment as it makes me feel positive about life.

Did the experience give you any spiritual understandings such as life, death, afterlife, God, etc.?         Yes    Love is the reason why we are here- also, the need to feel joy while alive.- made me more optimistic about life in a way.

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 You could speak to my husband if needed- mum and aunt available too, but they don't speak English.

What emotions did you feel during the experience?         I felt very peaceful... had to leave it behind quickly as we needed to take care of practical things for the funeral.

Was the experience witnessed or experienced by others?          Yes

There were 3 people more aside me who experienced the same:

Carmen, mum

Maya, maternal aunt

Kevin, my husband

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

In a way it felt like the space was altered momentarily to be beautiful and peaceful.

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

Felt love and peace like never before.

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

Yellow-/golden- very warm.

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    My best friend- she believed me. She is already a very spritual being who is always in search of 'light' in life.

Have you shared this experience formally or informally with any other researcher or web site?         Yes

Back in 2012 with the HORIZON RESEARCH FOUNDATION (now no longer active) - Dr. Peter Fenwick wrote back at the time and asked if he could use this experience when teaching.

 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? Yes 

Recently, when my dog passed away in 2022, we suddenly smelled the disturbing scent of when she used to have seizures. - other stuff happened too.

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.       The explanation about how to refer to the people present is not clear- I found it very confusing