After Death Communications
Are mediums the only ones who can make connections with loved ones who have passed? I don't believe so; everyone has the capability to connect to Spirit. One of my reasons for this belief is the number of people across the world, with diverse backgrounds, who experience spontaneous After-Death Communications, or ADCs. An ADC is when a living person has a direct encounter with a deceased family member or friend without the assistance of another individual (medium, therapist, etc) and the use of any tools or devices. The deceased loved one initiates the contact and determines where and when it happens.
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Over the past twenty-five years, there has been an increase in research relative to ADCs. There are numerous first-hand accounts of individuals who have had the experience. I want to mention the studies and stories which I read have involved people who have suffered the loss of a loved one but are deemed to be in good mental health otherwise.
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While researchers, grief counselors, and other professionals may observe and study the possible benefits and detriments to individuals experiencing ADCs, the general public remains uneducated about them. This leaves a person who is grieving and has this experience feeling more isolated than they already may feel.
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I understand others discounting or not believing because it is hard to comprehend until it happens to you. A lack of understanding from others and fear of being ridiculed or judged as unstable makes it difficult to share ADCs. These take place all the time so if you have had ADCs, you are not losing it or imagining it. There is no need to rationalize them out of existence. Most of us who have had encounters have found them to be reassuring, profound, loving, and healing.
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Many different types of ADCs may occur as a one-time incident or, in my case, recurring over a few months. They can also occur as just one type or several different types of events. It happens when least expected and can arise anywhere and at any time during the day or night. The range for occurrence is a few days to years after the person has passed.
If you are interested in additional information, numerous ADC resources are available to you - books, organizations, articles, and documentaries. For now, here are a few types of ADCs.
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Sensing a Presence - Visually you do not see the person but there is a distinct, overwhelming sense of a presence with you. There is a feeling someone just sat down beside you, a change in the atmosphere, a temperature change, or movement in the air around you. Some people get goosebumps or a tingling sensation over their entire bodies and others feel engulfed in a sudden warmth as if being hugged. Your attention may be inexplicably drawn to an item that had significant meaning to your loved one or you may turn around to see who is there. Time may seem to slow down or speed up. Try to relax to see if you can determine who is reaching out to you. While it may seem uncomfortable or silly at first, talk to them and observe what is happening around you - you may be amazed by receiving a response! Everyone's encounter is unique so you may experience something different than the examples given.
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Fragrances and Odors - Have you ever been alone and smelled a fragrance for which you couldn't detect the source? This is another way Spirit reaches out to you. It can be any scent - a particular perfume someone wore, cigarette smoke, or Grandma's homemade brownies baking the oven. It can be fleeting or linger for quite a while.
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Auditory voice - It is possible to hear your loved one's voice audibly but most people report hearing them through clairaudience; dialogue that occurs within you. Mediums use clairaudience when connecting with Spirit for others. You will recognize it is definitely not your own internal thoughts. When it happens it may sound like the voice of your loved one or it may just sound different than the normal chatter in your mind.
My first experience with clairaudience was hearing someone clearly calling my name and then engaging in a conversation with them internally. And yes, I questioned what had happened when it ended! Hearing a voice in an after-death communication is a spontaneous event normally occurring once or twice. While it can be slightly bewildering, it is normally a positive encounter. Hearing voices or sounds that cause a person continual distress, to behave irrationally, or to cause harm is not an after-death or mediumistic auditory experience and should be evaluated by a medical professional.
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Signs and Symbols - Your loved ones are trying to communicate with you and let you know they are right here with you. It just takes opening your heart and mind and bringing your awareness to your surroundings to see what is being put in your path. Below are a few common signs with examples. This is not an all-inclusive list. How your loved one will choose to communicate with you may be unique. It could be an object or phrase that is personally significant to your deceased loved one and one you with which you are quite familiar. For example, your Aunt Wanda collected antique toothpick holders. After her passing, you begin seeing toothpick holders or you regularly discover toothpicks in the oddest places no matter where you are.
In my experience, these types of messages occur on a frequent, continual basis within a short time frame or one occurs when it is nearly impossible given the environment I am in.
Consider this scenario. You're walking in the woods when a feather floats down right in front of you. Further down the path, it happens again. This seems logical because there are probably a large number of birds in the trees above you. After your walk, you return to your car to see yet another feather, this time on your windshield. On the way home, you go through a drive-thru for coffee and the lady who waits on you has the same name as your Mom who has passed. Later that day you're listening to music when your Mom's favorite song plays. To me, these combined events happening in one day indicate Mom is reaching out.
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Numbers - They show you special numbers (birthdays, time or date of passing, anniversary) or repetitive numbers (222, 1111, 555) repeatedly and everywhere you look (books, television, billboards, license plates, receipts, clocks, speedometer, etc.).
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Animals and Insects - Birds, butterflies, and dragonflies are common. There is a very heartwarming story of two sisters who lost their mother. Before she passed, the mother agreed to send a cardinal to her daughters to let them know she had made it to Heaven. The day after her memorial service the two sisters were playing their mother's favorite game when they suddenly heard thumping at the window. There sat a cardinal. One of the sisters went outside to see it and the bird perched itself on her fingers. When she handed the bird to her sister, the bird nestled next to her heart. After 15 minutes, they tried to get the bird to fly away but it kept flying back to sit on one of the daughter's shoulders. An amazing story of a mother's love for her daughters.
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Coins - Most people report finding pennies and dimes with a loved one reaching out. When finding a coin in an unexpected place, check the year on the coin as it will often contain a year that is significant to you or your loved one in Spirit. Why are coins used as signs? I don't have a definitive answer, but maybe it is because they are shiny and easily attract attention. My other thought is money has value and therefore used symbolically indicating "you're valuable to me."
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Physical Occurrences - Spirit can manipulate physical objects and electrical equipment. This is not subtle communication as the physical and spiritual come together. This communication might startle or frighten you initially because you are not expecting it and there is physical activity or noise associated with it. I have, however, always felt comfortable with these experiences and sensed good energy around them after my initial automatic reaction.
The activity you might experience includes flickering lights, televisions coming on as you walk by, appliances turning on and off or malfunctioning, doors opening and shutting, car stereos coming on playing music of importance to you, pictures being turned over or coming off a wall, drawers and cabinets opening or shutting, new batteries draining rapidly in electronics, knocks or taps on walls, water suddenly coming out of faucets, recording devices or phones quit working for no apparent reason, and what I call "gaslighting by Spirit." This is where you are certain exactly where you left an object and it has disappeared. You search everywhere for it thinking you lost it or moved it and don't remember. It then reappears later in the same place or a prominent place in a different room where you searched over and over. Spirit can be playful and very creative in trying to get your attention!
I have had the opportunity to listen to many people's stories and have personally witnessed these occurrences in a variety of places including my home. One evening I was working in my office when everyone else was sleeping. The office has sturdy built-in bookcases with shelves about 14" in depth. The books are crammed tightly together and pushed back to the wall. I jumped right out of my seat when I noticed something out of the corner of my eye and a book landed loudly on the floor beside me. I never figured out who it was and why they picked a book about landscaping.
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Dreams - While sleeping, our mind is resting from having to interpret the stimuli we receive during the day into logic. In a relaxed state, after-death communication can occur easily. There are differences between regular dreams and spirit dreams, also called spirit visitations dreams. These dreams are intense and realistic. Upon waking, you will feel the presence of your loved one in the room. You can recall every detail vividly and the sequence of events in the dream is logical and not jumping around in a nonsensical way. You will have had a conversation with the person and if there was physical touching in the dream, you may still feel the warmth of the touch or hug while awake. The person expressed love for you or gave you a message of importance providing comfort and hope to you. You will recall the dream easily and with clarity far into the future.
Visions of Loved Ones - Many people report seeing a passed loved one shortly after the person's death. Visits frequently occur in the bedrooms of the grieving with the loved one appearing anywhere from a misty form to a full-body, solid form. Despite any physical conditions at the time of passing, the person appears healthy and happy. If there is any communication, it tends to be telepathic and brings reassurance that they are okay.
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I enjoy learning about others' experiences with their loved ones communicating with them. Openly discussing these communications helps people know they aren't alone in the experience and allows for further exploration of spirituality without judgment. If you would like to share your experience with others, please email me your story for possible inclusion on my website.