ADC Research Project / research project
After-Death Communications (ADCs) Research Project
We are currently conducting a long-term international study on the phenomenology and impact of spontaneous and direct After-Death Communications (ADCs).
In this section, you will find detailed information about the research project, including its objectives, methodology, and an overview of the ADC phenomenon.
Peer-reviewed papers, books and book chapters arising from this research are available under the sections Scientific Publications [active link] and Books and Book Chapters [active link].
Please also visit the ADC Research Project website: www.adcrp.org
If you have experienced a spontaneous contact with a deceased person and would like to share it, you are kindly invited to complete the survey questionnaire:
https://app.onlinesurveys.jisc.ac.uk/s/northampton/adc-questionnaire-2025
After-Death Communications (ADCs) Research Project
Since February 2018, we have been conducting a long-term multilingual research project entitled "Investigation of the phenomenology and impact of spontaneous and direct After-Death Communications (ADCs)".
In accordance with the professional guidelines set out by the British Psychological Society (BPS), the original research project has received ethical approval from the University of Northampton, UK in July 2018 (Ref: FHSRECSS00084). It was pre-registered with the Koestler Parapsychology Unit Registry (KPU 1047). The analysis strategy is outlined in Elsaesser et al. (2021 ).
To date, more than 1,300 persons have participated in our survey in six languages (English, French, Spanish, German, Dutch, and Chinese). This is the largest multilingual survey on spontaneous ADCs worldwide.
Data collection is currently ongoing, with surveys being conducted across additional linguistic groups as well as online via our website (www.adcrp.org). By systematically examining how after-death communications (ADCs) occur and unfold, and by analyzing their effects on individuals' lives and belief systems, we are generating a growing empirical dataset on their psychological and emotional significance, particularly in relation to bereavement and the grieving process.
A key objective of this research project is to normalize these frequently reported and often consoling experiences.
We would like to express our gratitude to the Bial Foundation, the Society for Psychical Research (SPR), and a foundation that has requested to remain anonymous for their generous support.
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Project team
Prof. Chris A. Roe
Professor, Principal Investigator
Prof. Callum E. Cooper
Associate Professor
Sophie Morrison
PhD Candidate
Emiliana Embrogno
PhD Candidate
David Lorimer
Scientific and Medical Network (SMN), UK
Antonin Guillaume
Research Assistant, Switzerland SMN (Bial Project)
Evelyn Elsaesser
Evelyn Elsaesser- Team Leader, Switzerland
Project concept
This mixed methods, multilingual survey entitled Investigation of the phenomenology and impact of spontaneous and direct After-Death Communications (ADCs) has three objectives:
1st objective
Description of the circumstances of occurrence and the phenomenology of ADCs
• Who has an ADC?
• Under what circumstances?
• In what form (type of ADC)?
• How do these experiences unfold?
• What are the messages of ADCs?
• Who are the deceased persons that are allegedly initiating the contact?
• What was/is their relation with the recipients?
• Are there phenomenological differences between countries?
2nd objective
Analysis of the impact of ADCs on recipients
• How do people experience ADCs?
• What meaning do they attribute to them?
• What is the immediate and long-term impact on recipients?
• How do ADCs influence the grieving process?
• Does the national and social context influence individuals' experiences?
3rd objective
Dissemination of research results to the general public and the scientific community
• With this survey, we contribute to raising public awareness of the ADC phenomenon and normalizing these common experiences. By presenting data collected on how ADCs occur and unfold, and by analyzing their impact on individuals' lives, we make these findings accessible to the general public and contribute to the dissemination of scientific data at the academic level.
To achieve the objectives of the project, we developed a detailed questionnaire comprising 194 items, including follow-up questions triggered by affirmative responses. The questionnaire begins with a full description of the ADC, which participants can describe in their own words in an open-text field.
The majority of items are structured as multiple-choice questions, complemented by optional qualitative free-text responses to capture additional detail where relevant. In cases where participants had experienced multiple ADCs, they are asked to focus on a single episode—specifically, the experience they consider most significant—while additional experiences can be reported in a final open-ended section of the questionnaire.
The survey is administered via the Online Survey Platform JISC (https://www.jisc.ac.uk/online-surveys) hosted by the University of Northampton, UK.
Participate in our ADC survey!
If you have experienced a spontaneous contact with a deceased person and would like to share it, you are kindly invited to fill in the survey questionnaire:
https://app.onlinesurveys.jisc.ac.uk/s/northampton/adc-questionnaire-2025
What are ADCs?
An After-Death Communication (ADC) occurs when a person unexpectedly perceives a deceased person. These contacts are spontaneous, allegedly initiated by the deceased, without initiation by or solicitation from recipients. They are direct, without the intervention of spirit mediums, use of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), hypnosis, automatic writing, use of devices (e.g. Ouija, Instrumental Transcommunication or ITC), or other processes.
ADCs are perceived through the senses of sight, hearing, touch, or smell. Not all ADCs involve fully developed perceptions; it is quite common to merely feel the presence of the deceased person. Several sensory organs are often involved simultaneously in the same ADC. These contacts occur while awake, asleep or falling asleep (in a hypnagogic state of consciousness) or waking up (in a hypnopompic state of consciousness). They can take many forms and occur under a variety of circumstances.
A phenomenon reported since the dawn of time
Testimonies collected on all continents and for centuries suggest this phenomenon to be universal and timeless. Perhaps the earliest recorded ADC purportedly occurred in 1963 BCE in ancient Egypt (Bourke, 2024, p. 8 ). Hereward Carrington, an American investigator of psychic phenomena, wrote in 1920: "Ghosts have been believed in by every nation, at every time and at every stage of the world's evolution. No matter where we may go, we find them stalking through the pages of history; and even in our own cynical and materialistic age, we not only find 'ghosts' still, but the evidence for their existence is stronger than ever!" (Carrington, 1920, p. 13 ).
In the 19th century and well into the 20th century, so-called paranormal experiences were quite extensively researched. Apparitions (visual ADCs) in particular attracted the interest of researchers and the general public alike. With the rise of materialism, this interest has greatly diminished, and ADCs have become the domain of research for only a few experts.
And yet, ADCs are clearly not a marginal experience but a major societal phenomenon. Every day, a large number of persons live these experiences and do not know how to name them or how to situate them in their conception of reality. The time was ripe to launch a large-scale, long-term international research project on ADCs, which our team began in 2018 (see also https://www.adcrp.org).
Research has recently been revived, with other teams in several countries also investigating ADCs.
Phenomenology of ADCs
We will briefly describe the different types of ADCs, illustrated by testimonies from our survey, which currently has more than 1,300 participants in six languages. Most of the testimonies cited have been published in Spontaneous Contacts with the Deceased (Elsaesser, 2023 ).
ADC of sensing a presence: The recipients sense the familiar presence of the deceased person, who seems to have a certain density, almost physical although invisible. They often know exactly where the deceased are located in space, when they arrive, and when they leave. Like most ADCs, these experiences usually last only a few seconds, or at most a few minutes.
"Lying in bed, I felt my son's presence. At that moment I felt the mattress sag as if someone was sitting next to me. The sensation of an invisible body mass beside me. I knew it was him!"
Auditory ADC: They come in two forms: either the recipients hear a voice that seems to come from an external source, as if they were hearing a living person, or they perceive the communication without external sound. In the second case, they speak of a message "placed in their mind," while specifying that the origin of the communication was external to themselves and that it was not a thought. It would therefore be a telepathic communication.
"I strongly sensed my mother telling me she was with my dad and feeling wonderful. I could hear her voice clearly. I didn't see her, but felt her presence."
Tactile ADC: Recipients feel a contact on a part of their body, such as a touch, a pressure, a caress, a hand on the shoulder, or a hug. The familiarity of the gesture immediately reveals the identity of the deceased. Some report that the contact was accompanied by an "electric flow" or a "wave of energy."
"Shortly after my husband's death I sat talking to my sons. We laughed and then I felt an energy next to me. I then felt a hand on the top of my leg. The hand patted my leg. My sense told me that this was my husband reassuring me."
Visual ADC: They take a variety of forms. Descriptions range from seeing a hazy, semi-transparent silhouette that allows objects behind it to be seen, to perceiving a perfectly solid body, with all stages in between. Sometimes the perception evolves dynamically: first a misty form is perceived, which solidifies through the silhouette stage and finally takes the form of a solid person who seems alive.
"I don't think he appeared solid, but he was very close to that because when I looked up, he looked just like he always did."
Olfactory ADC: The scents perceived are representative of the deceased person's life. They may be related to their activities or preferences. The scents often mentioned by recipients are those of a perfume or a characteristic body odor, but the range of scents reported is wide. They appear suddenly, for no apparent reason and out of context, indoors or outdoors, with no detectable source.
"A soft fragrance very characteristic of her. There was a sweet scent emanating from her that I smelled every time she hugged me and that also permeated her clothes."
Messages perceived during the ADC
In the eyes of recipients, the very fact of having an ADC is in itself a message: that deceased loved ones still seem to have the ability to manifest themselves, implying that they continue to exist in another dimension beyond human understanding. The majority of recipients report perceiving a personalized message during the contact, which they found comforting and important to them. The content of the messages suggests that the deceased have retained their identity, personality, memories, emotions, and bonds with their loved ones. The most common and certainly the most important message for their family and friends is that they have survived the death of their body, that they are alive and well.
"We still exist, even though we no longer have a bodily envelope - we are doing very well."
Messages can be summarized by the 4 Rs. They are:
Reassuring: I'm alive, I'm fine, don't worry about me; the problems I had at the end of my life are now behind me.
"My mom told me that she was doing great, that I shouldn't worry, that where she was everything was just fine."
Resolving: Resolution of unresolved relational issues, offers and requests of forgiveness, apparently following a newfound awareness emerging after physical death.
"[Without the ADC] I would not have known that he was sorry for what he had done in his life. I would have stayed full of anger towards him."
Reaffirming: The bond continues, it was not broken by physical death; expression of affection, I love you, I watch over you and will always be by your side, we will be reunited again one day.
"I'm here, don't worry. Everything is going to be okay, I'll help you."
Releasing: Don't be so sad, carry on with your life with confidence; I feel your pain, it saddens me and holds me back.
"I knew I had to be strong and get through his death because he was so sad to see me so devastated over his death."
Could ADCs just be grief-induced imagination?
This is the first explanation that comes to mind. When we lose a loved one and we believe, or at least hope, that there is life after death, we naturally feel the desire, even the need, to receive a sign from them, a final message, a last word of love. The grief is so deep, their physical absence so painful, that we desperately long for that last contact. Should we therefore assume that ADCs are merely an illusion, self-generated by people deeply affected by the loss of a loved one? An unconscious compensation due to the grief of bereavement? Research tells a different story and questions the main argument put forward by materialists, who consider ADCs to be mere grief-induced imaginings or hallucinations.
Like any experience, ADCs are subjective. The experiences reported by our survey respondents were not necessarily all genuine. Some cases might indeed be susceptible to explanations such as a psychological response to a deep emotional need during times of grief, although only 36% were "extremely sad and in deep mourning" when the ADC occurred. Also, not all recipients are grieving when the ADC occurs. Just over a quarter (27%) of participants were no longer grieving, or had never mourned the perceived deceased person. Some cases of visual ADCs may indeed simply be the result of misperception, caused, for example, by poor lighting conditions. There are, however, some types of ADCs that are more resistant to explanation in such terms and therefore more evidential with respect to the survival hypothesis.
It should be stressed that, despite significant advances in consciousness research, the ontological status of ADCs has not yet been ascertained, although the vast majority of our survey respondents are convinced of the authenticity of their experience (only 1% answered this question in the negative). It is obvious, however, that personal conviction does not count as evidence. Nevertheless, some cases are more convincing than others.
In the next section, we present some types of ADCs and circumstances of occurrence that we believe do meet a high credibility threshold, some of them occurred in non-bereavement situations.
Evidential cases
Shared ADC
Shared ADCs – or multiple witness cases – are perceived simultaneously by two or more people gathered in the same place. They are of particular interest if the reported experiences have common and consistent features. Research suggests that collective experiences, particularly detailed and precise episodes, are rare; either the recipient is alone at the time of contact or other people are present but do not perceive the deceased. Twenty-one percent of our respondents reported having experienced this type of shared experience, which reinforces the impression of reality, even though recipients do not need confirmation from others to be convinced of the veracity of their ADCs.
"In a library, the very real apparition of my uncle who died many years ago. He was also seen by a young man sitting next to me."
Unusual animal behaviour during the ADC
Sometimes the additional witness is an animal whose behaviour suggests a shared perception. Animal cases are valuable in that they are arguably less susceptible to suggestion from human witnesses. In our survey, 20% of the respondents were in the company of a pet when the ADC occurred, of whom 25% noted an unusual behaviour of the animal.
"I felt the warm arms of my deceased father-in-law; he had been at a distance in the corner of the room. My sister-in-law felt cold and suddenly asked me what was wrong. The cat, asleep on my lap, then sprang up, arched back and fur standing up, claws dug into my leg, staring at the corner of the room where Henry [the father-in-law] was. She would never go near that corner, even if she was not fed for two days and her food put down there, she was frightened to go near that area."
ADC for a third person
During this type of ADC, the recipient, who is not grieving for the perceived deceased or doesn't even know him or her, perceives a communication intended for a bereaved person, typically a family member or a friend. The messages to be transmitted usually serve to inform the beneficiary that the deceased is alive and well. This type of ADC has evidential value since its trigger cannot be grief.
"A man who died in a truck accident came to see me. He didn't believe in this type of manifestations when he was alive but he needed to send a message to his wife... It was very moving, especially for his wife. After giving her the message, she told me that he had offered her the best present he could have possibly given her."
ADC at the moment of death
In the case of an ADC at the moment of death, or crisis ADC – reported by 21% of our survey participants – the recipient is informed of the death of a family member or friend by the recently deceased themselves. These experiences precede the announcement of the demise (by the hospital, the family, etc.). The time for tears will surely come, but at the time of the ADC, the recipient is not yet in mourning. The psychological factor related to grief cannot be the cause of the ADC.
"I awoke suddenly for no reason from a good sleep and saw my grandfather standing at the side of my bed. He seemed slightly younger, healthier and radiating pure love. He smiled at me and said "I'm going away my wee dove" (his pet name for me). I smiled back at him and looked at my alarm clock, it was 06.00, then he was gone. It didn't occur to me to ask my grandfather where he was going or why he was in my room at 6 in the morning. I just slipped back into a peaceful sleep. I was later awakened by the telephone ringing and my grandmother sobbing on the phone that papa was dead. His death certificate later stated approx. time of death 06.00."
ADC with perception of previously unknown information
ADCs involving the perception of previously unknown information that can subsequently be verified and validated are evidential. Twenty-four percent of participants in our survey perceived unknown information of various types: for example, the announcement of the imminent death of a family member or friend, the disclosure of a pregnancy previously unknown even to the mother-to-be, but also practical information such as the location of a family record book or a life insurance policy taken out without anyone else's knowledge.
"One night I woke up and saw my biological father. He greeted me and said that he had come to tell me that he was leaving and that he had left me a small legacy. He added that he had met my children and that I had a beautiful family. He bid me a fond farewell and left. I never had any contact with him and I never met him in person. I learned of his existence at the age of 9 when I discovered that the father I grew up with and whose surname I have was not my biological father. However, I never sought to meet him, and neither did he. So, we only met personally after his death. Two days after this experience, his family contacted me to inform me of his death and his wish that I receive a legacy he had left me. This confirmed that my experience was real and accurate."
ADC with an unknown deceased person
Contacts with unknown deceased persons (which occur in a small minority of cases) tend to be uncomfortable, unsettling, oppressive, even frightening. Unlike contacts involving known, and often loved, deceased persons, there is no emotional connection between the deceased and the recipient in this type of ADC. These are therefore experiences of a fundamentally different nature, and questions arise regarding the meaning of their occurrence.
These ADCs suggest that it is the deceased who need to contact a living person, for whatever reason, and they seem to manifest themselves wherever possible, wherever they can be perceived, even by strangers. The recipient is obviously not mourning the perceived deceased person; the evidential value of these cases is therefore considered high, since grief cannot account for their occurrence.
"I was in my early 20s and living with two guy friends that are brothers. I was having a hard time in a relationship and I had just moved in. I woke up one night and a light-haired man was sitting on the edge of my bed. He was wearing a Hawaiian shirt, looked very kind and bent toward me to pat me on the shoulder. He told me everything was going to be okay, not to worry. It startled me and scared me. I told him not to touch me and closed my eyes. I opened them again and he was gone. I wasn't prepared for it and woke up to a stranger sitting on my bed reaching to touch me! I moved out the next day back to my parent's house. The brothers called me to see why I had left. I told them. I had described their deceased father. So, not such a strange story, in and of itself."
ADCs for protection
These contacts occur in situations of crisis or imminent danger and serve to prevent tragedies such as accidents, fires, assaults, drowning, etc. These ADCs have the particularity of occurring sometimes years or even decades after the death, when the recipient is no longer in mourning or has never been in mourning (e.g. the recipient was a young child when their grandfather, perceived during the ADC, died). These experiences provide previously unknown information - that of a potential danger of which the recipient was unaware - and thus belong to the category of evidential ADCs. The fact that the recipient is not in mourning reinforces their evidential nature.
"Several years after my mother's death, I dreamed of her one night. She was very present, I could feel her close. She was visibly concerned, and told me that she was worried about me because she was afraid I would have a motorbike accident (I ride a motorbike or a car). I told her "I'm careful" (I am, 40 years on two wheels, zero accidents). But she insisted, repeating that she was worried despite my answer. The contact ended there. A few days later, in the morning, I needed to go to a work meeting which made me take an unusual route. I went to the car park where my motorbike and car are parked, which is five minutes away from my house. When I arrived, I realised that I had made a mistake (this has never happened to me), I had taken the car keys instead of the motorbike keys. So, I had to go back to my house and then to the car park, which made me lose ten minutes. Then I took the road to my destination, and a few kilometres away, at a junction known to be very accident-prone, there was a very big pile-up that takes up the whole width of the road. And obviously this accident had just happened, probably ten minutes before, the ten minutes I had lost getting my key. That morning I didn't feel my mother's presence, but I'm sure she created this unusual absent-mindedness that delayed me and probably saved my life."
How common are ADCs?
Perceiving the deceased seems to be an inherent human ability. Reports of spontaneous after-death communications have been collected on all continents and apparently go back as far as historical records can take us into the past. ADCs are common, with an estimated prevalence of between 50 and 60% of people experiencing one or more ADC during their lifetime. Given the frequency and nature of these experiences, it is time to move away from calling them anomalous, unusual, exceptional, or paranormal and to recognize them for what they are - common, normal, natural and healthy human experiences. It is important to normalize these contacts, so that recipients can freely share them with others, if they so wish, without fear of being stigmatized in any way. As long as ADCs remain a hidden phenomenon, experienced by many but rarely discussed in the media or public discourse, it will be difficult to talk about one's own ADC. This must change, as we can all benefit from these positive, enriching and transformative experiences.
Impact of ADCs on the belief system
Our survey reveals that ADCs have a significant impact on the belief system of the recipients. Experiencing a spontaneous contact with a deceased has consequences on the conception of death, and therefore of life. These experiences often initiate a reflection and even a questioning of the beliefs held prior to the ADC. A new or renewed interest in existential questions can be the consequence.
Literature indicates that being a believer, agnostic or atheist does not influence the nature of the ADC or the probability of having one. Religiosity increases only insignificantly after the ADC, which makes sense because these are not religious experiences (28% of our participants considered themselves religious before the ADC, compared to 30% after). Spirituality, on the other hand, increases significantly after the contact (69% claimed to be spiritual before the ADC, compared to 90% after).
Experiencing a spontaneous contact with a deceased loved one is a deeply comforting, uplifting, and transformative experience. Regardless of their pre-existing belief system, recipients are almost unanimously convinced that the contact was real and that their family member or friend has indeed survived physical death. As a result, 93% of those surveyed believe in life after death, while only 1% do not (6% were uncertain).
The impact of ADCs on the ancestral fear of death is striking, with 31% of our respondents stating that their fear of death has diminished and 30% that it has disappeared as a result of the ADC, which testifies to the power of these experiences.
"Before, I was afraid of death. Not anymore. Now, I am happy to know that I will be reunited with my husband one day after I die."
Impact of ADCs on bereavement
Recipients gain an essential insight during the contact, namely that it is not a final goodbye or a last word of love. ADCs enable them to become fully aware that the bond with their loved one has not been severed by physical death, but that it endures. Their relationship continues, albeit in a transformed and metamorphosed way. ADCs are the brief, rare and precious materialization of this ongoing bond that nothing can ever break.
The essential challenge of the grieving process is to accept the permanent physical absence of the loved one. ADCs fit perfectly into this process, as they open up the prospect of a continuous and dynamic relational bond between the living and the dead, beyond the physical body.
"The grieving process consists of evolving the relationship, internalizing it, and metamorphosing it. And accepting what has been lost and what remains."
This bond does not only seem to be reflective of the relationship as it was at the time of death, but it seems to evolve in a dynamic way after the demise. The data collected suggest that reconciliation beyond death is possible and that it is never too late to understand, to make amends, to forgive and be forgiven, and to express love.
["] "She turned around and it was my grandmother from my father's side of the family. She spoke and asked me for forgiveness and apologized for no longer talking to me after my father had passed away. I told her it was ok and that I forgave her."
One might have assumed that the brief perception of the deceased might have made his or her physical absence even more painful and increased the sense of loneliness of the bereaved. However, this was not the feeling of 80% of our respondents. The data show that a vast majority of our participants are convinced of the existence and permanence of this inner bond with their deceased loved one, and their conviction is so strong that it no longer needs to be supported by a brief perception of the deceased such as it occurs during the ADCs in order to endure.
The survey results show that ADCs are beneficial, even therapeutic in nature, as they meet the needs of the bereaved. Seventy-three percent of participants claim that their experience had brought them consolation and emotional healing. ADCs are much more than a mere perception of the deceased. It is the intensity of positive emotions felt and perceived during the contact and the information obtained that give them their full meaning and profoundly transformative nature. The essential information inherent in the very occurrence of the ADC provides the subjective conviction to the recipients that their loved one has survived the death of the body, potentially implying a future reunion.
"Knowing my Son came to me in a calm and loving way to comfort me has made me carry on to help others that have lost their children. Understanding the deepest loss imaginable, and truly believing we will see them again and they have just gone on ahead before us..."
In the painful cases of suicide, an ADC can radically change the way family and friends understand this act.
"As he committed suicide in a state of advanced despair, I would have been very sad for him, and I wouldn't have known how to console myself for this terrible act. Thanks to my "vision", I knew that he had been right to leave, and that he was now happy. So, I really wasn't sad anymore."
However, it should be emphasized that these experiences do not – always/entirely – remove the sadness due to the permanent physical absence of the loved one, nor do they allow the work of mourning to be dispensed with.
Participants in our survey give an important place to the ADC in the events that have marked their lives. The vast majority consider their ADC to be a comforting, transformative and intrinsically positive experience. The research findings indicate that having had a spontaneous contact with a deceased loved one is an experience that is highly valued by the vast majority of our participants: 71% "treasure" it, 20% are "very glad" about it, and none are unhappy that it happened.