What the Deceased Communicate, What we Learn About Their State of Mind, and how this Impacts Grief

Spontaneous after-death communications (ADCs) occur when a person unexpectedly perceives a deceased individual through sight, hearing, touch, smell, or a sensed presence, often while awake, asleep, or in transitional states of consciousness. A long-term international mixed-methods survey in six languages collected 1,311 completed questionnaires. This complementary analysis of 235 German-language responses focused on the perceived state of mind of the deceased and its impact on grieving. Most participants who sensed the deceased's state of mind reported positive moods, with the contact centered on offering comfort and support. A minority perceived negative states, where contact focused on the deceased's difficulties and did not provide comfort, potentially complicating the grieving process. Positive effects on grief are attributed to the experience feeling real, the belief in a continuing connection, and the perceived messages.

Study at a glance

Abstract

A spontaneous and direct After-Death Communication (ADC) occurs when a person unexpectedly perceives a deceased person. These contacts, which appear to be initiated by the deceased, are perceived through the senses of sight, hearing, touch, or smell. Often, the experient simply senses the presence of the deceased. ADCs occur while awake, asleep or falling asleep (in a hypnagogic state of consciousness) or waking up (in a hypnopompic state of consciousness). Since 2018, the authors have been conducting a long-term international research project on the circumstances, phenomenology and impact of spontaneous and direct ADCs. To date, they have conducted a mixed-methods survey in six languages, which has resulted in 1,311 completed questionnaires. In 2022, the authors published a paper in the Journal of Anomalistics (JAnom), presenting some of the findings from their initial surveys in English, French, and Spanish with 1,004 participants (Elsaesser et al., 2022, pp. 36–71). The current complementary analysis includes data from a German language version of the survey, conducted from August 2022 to March 2023, which produced 235 responses. The current analysis, which combines quantitative and qualitative data, pays particular attention to the state of mind of the deceased as perceived by the participants and the impact of these perceptions on the grieving process. Among the participants who were able to sense the state of mind of the deceased, the vast majority reported positive moods. The contact was centered on them, and the deceased had conveyed their intention to assist and support them. The minority of participants who perceived the deceased’s state of mind as (rather) negative reported that the contact was focused on the deceased and the difficulties they appeared to be facing. These contacts did not seem to serve to comfort the participants. This type of contact is difficult for partners, family and friends and can complicate the grieving process. The positive effects of ADCs on the grieving process are discussed, which can be attributed, among other elements, to: 1) the unexpected and unsolicited perception of the deceased and the experients’ conviction that the experience was real; 2) the resulting belief that the connection to the deceased continues and has survived the death of the body; and 3) the perceived messages.