After-Death Communication: Issues of Nondisclosure and Implications for Treatment

Abstract

After-death communication (ADC) is the phenomenon of perceiving spontaneous and direct contact by a deceased loved one. Evidence suggests that ADC is a widespread human experience, particularly for bereaved individuals. Many people who have ADCs report them to be comforting, suggesting therapeutic potential. However, many individuals in Western cultures choose not to disclose their ADCs to mental health providers, citing fears of pathologization, disenfranchisement due to gender expectations, negative ADC encounters, or minimization by clinicians. For others, ADCs are deeply personal and people may keep the experiences to themselves for fear that providers might explain the ADCs away by framing them in purely psychological terms. As such, there is a paucity of literature on how therapists should best approach the topic of ADC with clients. The following narrative review offers clinical interview and assessment strategies from theoretical papers and empirical studies to guide this process. Clinicians are encouraged to self-reflect on their natural inclinations around ADC, assess general psychological functioning, normalize and validate the ADC experience, assess client feelings and explanations, and inquire about spiritual beliefs. Clinicians can also help clients to explore the meaning and personal significance of their ADCs as well as clients’ perceived relationships with the deceased.

Endorsement of metaphysical idealism mediates a link between past use of psychedelics and wellbeing

“…It is worth noting that while supernatural or paranormal beliefs can be epistemically problematic, this does not entail that they would be problematic for psychological wellbeing. For example, there is evidence that people who have had experiences of communicating with the dead have reduced fear of death and increased spirituality 67 and people with such experiences find them comforting 68 . More generally, religiosity and spirituality, often involving supernatural beliefs that may contradict scientific knowledge, have been linked with increased wellbeing 69 .…”

The IADC Grief Questionnaire as a Brief Measure for Complicated Grief in Clinical Practice and Research: A Preliminary Study

“…Alternatively, ADC experiences hold great personal significance for some individuals, prompting them to conceal these experiences out of an apprehension that clinicians may interpret them solely through a psychological lens. Consequently, there is a paucity of literature on guiding therapists on the most effective approach to broaching the subject of ADC experiences with their clients [43]. Therefore, researchers and clinicians need to acknowledge and consider this widespread human phenomenon by conducting comprehensive and empirical investigations into the subject matter and harnessing its potential within a clinical context to aid the grieving process.…”

“…These findings led the researchers to propose that ADC might contribute to the diagnosis of CG [42]. However, a substantial body of evidence also indicates that ADC events are observed in healthy individuals who have neither sought nor felt the necessity for formal treatment [43]. Due to the widespread occurrence of spontaneous ADC events in individuals' lives, and the absence of agreement among scientists regarding the essence of ADC events or the sensory-perceptual phenomenology related to them, it would be overly simplistic to regard such experiences as hallucinations or a symptom of psychopathology.…”

Making sense of a transformative, mystical psychedelic experience: Will people frame it as spiritual, supernatural, psychological, physical, or a sign of mental illness?

“…A therapist's answers to these questions might set the direction for how psychedelic experiences are framed in therapy-and whether psychedelicassisted therapy might be a viable option for a client. From the client's perspective, their interpretation of an experience as spiritually transformative versus psychologically normal versus pathological might have a profound influence on their willingness to seek out or disclose such experiences (For related discussions on afterlife-related experiences, see Exline, 2021;Pait et al, 2023). This study began to examine these different explanatory lenses using data from a larger project focused on psychedelic-related beliefs and attitudes among U.S. adults (see also Exline et al, 2022.…”