Exceptional necrophanic experiences and paradoxical mourning: Studies of the phenomenology and the repercussions of frightening experiences of contact with the deceased

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

“…Despite the variety and prevalence of ADC reports, as well as the common conditions that may lead some to make supernatural attributions for their ADCs, many individuals in Western cultures withhold reports of such experiences from their mental health providers. In a study comprised of a French and English sample, for example, 90% of participants (n = 79) reported sharing their ADC experiences only with selected and trusted others, such as friends (Evrard et al 2021). Some may be concerned that their ADCs will be treated as symptoms of serious mental illness (Sabucedo et al 2020;Sanger 2009;Troyer 2014) rather than actual supernatural encounters or normal psychological events (see Exline 2021 for a discussion).…”

“…However, some people find ADCs to be emotionally distressing and choose not to disclose them due to the negativity surrounding the events. Some felt their ADCs to be scary (Parker 2005), strange or shocking (Evrard et al 2021), confusing (Jahn and Spencer-Thomas 2014), anxiety-provoking (Barbato et al 1999), and, in some cases, abusive (Hayes and Leudar 2016). Lindstrõm (1995) found that one-third of the study participants, 11 people, reported "extremely negative" ADC experiences soon after the deaths of their husbands, which led them to avoid objects or situations that could trigger subsequent encounters, including beds, bedrooms, their spouses' personal belongings, graves, or homes.…”