Bereavement-Related Anomalous Experiences (BRAEs) could be unusual perceptual or psychological experiences reported by people after the death of a loved one. They could be widely discussed in both clinical bereavement research and Parapsychology. These experiences might often feel very real and meaningful to the bereaved person.
What They Are
Bereavement-related anomalous experiences could be subjective experiences in which a grieving person perceives contact, presence, or communication from the deceased.
They typically occur during the early stages of grief but may also appear years later.
Some researchers in grief psychology might sometimes call them After-Death Communications (ADCs).
Common Types of Bereavement Experiences
1. Sense of Presence
A person feels the deceased nearby even though no one is physically there.
Examples:
- Feeling the loved one sitting beside them
- Sensing someone in the room
- Feeling watched over
2. Visual Experiences
Seeing the deceased briefly or in dreams.
Examples:
- Seeing the loved one standing in the room
- A vivid waking vision
- Extremely realistic dreams of the deceased
These are sometimes called grief visions.
3. Auditory Experiences
Hearing the voice of the deceased.
Examples:
- Hearing their name called
- Hearing them speak a brief message
4. Tactile Experiences
Physical sensations associated with the deceased.
Examples:
- Feeling a touch on the shoulder
- Feeling someone sit on the bed
5. Symbolic Coincidences
Events interpreted as meaningful signs.
Examples:
- Unusual animal appearances
- Objects moving or appearing unexpectedly
- Music associated with the deceased playing suddenly
6. Dream Encounters
Dreams where the deceased appears alive, healthy, and communicating.
Some people might report these dreams as emotionally healing rather than disturbing.
How Common Are They?
Surprisingly, they could be very common.
Studies in bereavement research might suggest:
- Some of widows and widowers report at least one experience
- Many people might never report them because they fear being judged
Possible Psychological Interpretation
Possibly in clinical psychology, these experiences could often explained as:
- Normal grief phenomena
- Memory activation and emotional processing
- Attachment system responses
- Temporary sensory misperceptions during intense mourning
Importantly, they may not usually be considered symptoms of mental illness unless they are persistent, distressing, or impair functioning.
Possible Interpretation in Parapsychology
Some researchers in Parapsychology might sometimes explore other possibilities:
- Survival hypothesis: consciousness continues after death
- Super-Psi Hypothesis: the bereaved mind unconsciously produces psi information
- Psychological coping mechanisms
Some parapsychologists acknowledge that multiple explanations may coexist.
Possible, Key Characteristics
Bereavement anomalous experiences might have these traits:
- Brief and spontaneous
- Occur during emotional vulnerability
- Feel comforting rather than frightening
- Do not typically impair reality testing
Example Report
A typical report might be:
“After my husband died, I woke up one night and felt him sit on the bed and place his hand on my shoulder. I wasn’t scared, it felt comforting.”
Experiences like this might be reported cross-culturally and throughout history.
Possibly Important Clinical Perspective
Some modern grief specialists might view these experiences as:
- Common
- Usually healthy
- Often helpful in the grieving process
Unless they become persistent hallucinations with loss of insight, they are not treated as psychiatric disorders.
Shervan K Shahhian
LIBERTY PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION 