How do the perceived emotional states of deceased loved ones influence the grieving process?

A spontaneous after‑death communication (ADC) occurs when someone unexpectedly perceives a deceased person through the senses. In many cases, there may not be a full sensory perception; instead, individuals report only the feeling of the deceased person’s presence. These experiences may arise in various states of consciousness: while awake, asleep, falling asleep, or waking up.

The literature indicates that ADCs are universal in nature and span cultures and historical periods, suggesting that they may represent an inherent human ability. Reports of spontaneous ADCs date back to the earliest historical records and have been documented on every continent. It is estimated that 30 to 35% of people report one or more ADCs over their lifetime, with this proportion increasing to 70 to 80% among the bereaved.

Knowledge about ADCs has advanced in recent years, focusing primarily on their positive effects on the grieving process. Nonetheless, many areas remain underexplored. In this context, an international research team including David Lorimer, Evelyn Elsaesser and Sophie Morrison, supported by the Bial Foundation, conducted a large‑scale study dedicated to investigating ADCs.

In the article “What the deceased communicate, what we learn about their state of mind, and how this impacts grief: mixed methods analysis of a multilingual case collection of spontaneous after-death communications (ADCs)”, published in the Journal of Anomalistics, the authors report collecting 1,311 questionnaires in six languages, between 2018 and 2024, to assess how participants perceived a deceased loved one through various sensory channels or simply through a sensed presence. The surveys were analysed using a mixed‑methods approach, combining descriptive statistics with detailed qualitative analysis of personal accounts.

Approximately 75% of respondents reported perceiving some emotional state in the deceased, with a clear predominance of positive emotions, including calm and peace (45%), radiant with bliss (30%), eager to comfort (45%) and compassionate (26%). Negative emotional states were less common: sad (11%), agitated (6%), frightened (3%) and threatening (2%). Some accounts indicated that certain deceased individuals initially appeared disoriented or distressed, which could be painful for the experiencer. However, in cases involving multiple ADCs with the same deceased person, a progression toward more positive states was sometimes observed.

It is also noteworthy that conviction in the authenticity of the experience was high: 73% - 77% believed the contact was real immediately after the event, increasing to 83% - 90% over time. This perceived “reality” proved crucial for its emotional impact, with many participants reporting reduced pain, decreased fear of death and a renewed sense of connection.

“The state of mind of the deceased was perceived as predominantly positive by participants in our study, which facilitated their grieving process”, notes Evelyn Elsaesser, emphasising that, regardless of their subjective nature, “ADCs are experienced as deeply meaningful and transformative events, with the potential to ease grief, reinforce hope and reshape an individual’s relationship with death and with the one who has passed away”.

Learn more about the project “396 - Mapping the circumstances, phenomenology and impact of After-Death Communications (ADCs): Analysis of new case collections and extension to other cultures” here.