My Grandmother and I were very close. Unfortunately, she suffered Alzheimer's disease in her old age and had not known me for several years. I was living in Australia when I got the call that she had passed and the funeral was later that week. I immediately flew to my aunt's house to be with family and to attend the funeral as a pal bearer with her other grandchildren (my cousins).

The night before the funeral, I was fast asleep in the guest bedroom of my aunt's house. I was awoken to find a bright golden, undulating light had replaced the ceiling. It was not unlike when you dive in the water and look up at the ripples, but it was gold not blue water. I could not move from a force similar to gravity but much stronger. That force was love. But not like the love we are familiar with. It was so strong it had a physical effect, like a weight on me. I felt peace and love wash over me even though I was startled and wondering what the hell is happening to me. Then I realized that although I was lying flat on my back, my arm was in an upright position because my nana was sitting on the side of the bed smiling at me.  She was holding my hand in hers. She was 82 when she died but looked about 40 years of age now. But I recognized her. She greeted me, told me she loved me and that she was now in a place with the family she loved. She told me she was happy, at peace, and back to her normal self.  She was in a wonderful place. I uttered something along the lines of 'That’s great, I'm so happy for you.' but struggled to talk; but could not move due to the overwhelming force of love that was squashing me to the bed. She asked me to tell our family that she loved them, that she was in a better place, and would see me again one day.  Then, she said goodbye. With that she disappeared.  The ceiling returned to normal.  The golden light and the love force was gone and my hand fell to the bed. I sat up and was absolutely beaming from the experience and I could not go back to sleep. I told my family what had happened and they were amazed. It was a phenomenal experience.

Was this experience difficult to express in words?     Yes   It’s hard to articulate the feelings and the forces experienced as they are not of this world.

Did you ONLY sense an awareness of presence of the deceased without actually seeing, hearing, feeling or smelling them?      No

Did you hear the deceased or hear something associated with the deceased?          Yes

          Describe what you heard, how clearly you heard it and what was communicated:   She was there talking to me plain as day.

          Did the voice or sound seem to originate externally or outside of you, inside you, or did you not hear a voice or sound, but had a sense of knowing what was communicated?     It came from her.

          If you heard a voice or sound, was it similar or dissimilar from the voice or sound the deceased made when they were alive?     It was her voice only younger as she was younger.

          Is there any possibility what you heard was from any other source present in the surroundings at the time of your experience?   No.

          Was there any possible impairment to your hearing at the time of the experience?   No.

Did you feel a touch or experience any physical contact from the deceased?         Yes

She was holding my hand. My arm was at a 90 degree angle to the bed with my hand in hers.

            Was the touch familiar or unfamiliar? Familiar. But her hands looked young not old.

          Was anything communicated by the touch? No

            Is there any possibility what you felt was from any other source present in the surroundings at the time of your experience?   No

Did you see the deceased?       Yes

She was about 40 years old. Yet I'd only ever known her throughout her lat 60s into early 80s when she died. She still looked like her just much younger and healthier.

            How clearly did the deceased appear?            Solid. Like a physical person.

            How much of the deceased did you see?       All except legs really as she was sitting on the bedside.

            Did the deceased appear or not appear to be the age at which they died?           No i’d say 40 years younger.

            How healthy did the deceased appear to be?            My nana had a severe hunchback from a spine injury and suffered Alzheimer's disease so didn’t know who I was in her last couple of years of life. When she appeared she looked like a healthy, strong attractive middle aged woman.

            Is there any possibility what you saw was from any other source present in the surroundings at the time of your experience?   No

Did you smell a distinct smell, scent, fragrance or odor associated with the deceased? No

How long did the experience last?      About a minute and a half.

Was the beginning and end of the experience gradual or more sudden?       Sudden. I was woken from slumber. When it ended my hand fell to the bed as she had been holding it.

Could you sense the emotions or mood of the deceased?          Yes  She was very happy, calm and peaceful.

Did the deceased give you information you did not previously know?  No

How do you currently view the reality of your experience?          Experience was definitely real

          Please explain why you view the reality of your experience as real or not real:   It was real. I wasn’t overcome with grief or anything I was relieved she had passed and was at peace.

          Was the experience dream like in any way?  No     

Describe in detail your feelings/emotions during the experience:  Awe, love, surprise, gratitude I was in the presence of this indescribable love.

Was there any emotional healing in any way following the experience? No

What was the best and worst part of your experience?     It was all amazing. The worst part was when it ended and the love presence left.

Did the experience give you any spiritual understandings such as life, death, afterlife, God, etc.?          Yes    I now understand that “god” is more like a universal force. I realize religion is all a farce but God is very real.

Death Compacts are when two or more living people promise among themselves that whoever dies first will try to contact the other(s).  Have you ever made such a compact?    No

Did you observe or hear anything regarding people or events during your experience that could be verified later?          No

What emotions did you feel during the experience?          Wonder, confusion. Joy.

Was the experience witnessed or experienced by others?          No

Did you have any sense of altered space or time?  No

Did you have a sense of knowing, special knowledge, universal order and/or purpose?         Yes

I felt a love so strong its like a universal force. I understood its part of the universe.

Did you become aware of future events?      No

Did you experience a separation of your consciousness from your body?   No

Did you meet or see any other beings other than the deceased?   No

Did you see a light?        Yes  Gold. Undulating like underwater. Like a light you can touch.

Did any part of your experience seem to occur in a place other than the location described above?     No

Have you shared this experience with others?       Yes    I told my family. My auntie asked me what had happened before I told her because she could tell something had happened.

Have you shared this experience formally or informally with any other researcher or web site?         No

 Is there anything else you would like to add regarding your experience?   Just that it was an amazing experience. It definitely happened and it has shaped the way I live my life and understand the universe.

Were there any associated medications or substances with the potential to affect the experience?          No

Following the experience, have you had any other events in your life, medications or substances which reproduced any part of the experience?       No 

Did you ever in your life have a near-death experience, out of body experience or other spiritual event? Yes 

I had a NDE when I was electrocuted.

Did the questions asked and information you provided accurately and comprehensively describe your experience?           Yes

Please offer any suggestions you may have to improve this questionnaire.       Good questionnaire.