Spirit Sightings: What causes this mysterious phenomenon? (Video: 3:47 mins.)

[Frances Shani Parker]

If you are involved in hospice work, you have probably heard about spirit sightings. Hospice patients sometimes discuss their experiences with these sightings. I have had several patients tell me about spirits coming to see them. Patients also spoke about visiting the spirit world, often referring to the place they visited as heaven. Discussions about these visits created opportunities for patients to express emotions openly about death, while reflecting on life. They enjoyed describing their visitors and their trips. Their detailed conversations explained to me, not only whom they saw, but also the scenery and what the spirits were wearing. Pets were included in these descriptions.

Below is a conversation I had with one patient:

“What did you do today?” I asked Rose after feeding her.
“Me? I’ve been spending time with my people. I enjoyed myself a lot.”
“Hey, that’s great. Did your relatives drive in from Chicago?”
“No, I went to heaven. It’s the nicest place, all clean and bright with beautiful scenery everywhere. I saw my family and plenty of my friends. They all wore long white gowns.”
“Wow! I guess that’s a place you’ll want to visit again.”
“Oh, I’ll definitely be going back. I’m planning to go stay there when I die. I’ll see if I can help you get in, too.”
“Thanks. I would really appreciate that.”

Some say these spirit sightings are chemical reactions in the brain or simply imaginary. Many say they are angels, while others say they are ghosts. “In the Presence of Angels” is a video presenting an angel perspective. Have you or your hospice patients had any experiences related to spirit sightings? What do you think causes this mysterious phenomenon?


Frances Shani Parker, Author
"Becoming Dead Right: A Hospice Volunteer in Urban Nursing Homes”
"Hospice and Nursing Homes Blog"

[brittany bennett]

I too believe that brain chemisty is at the root of this phenomenon. Ths may have a survival function for the group. That is scientific explanation. I think the person who set these scientific principles in effect was God. He also allowed science to discover these things to satsfy the minds of man.

[brittany bennett]

Well I believe in God ,and through him all things are possible. That sounds so backward in this day and age ,but that`s what I believe.

[Frances Shani Parker]

Thanks for sharing, Brittany.

[Marsha Barnosky]

Both myself and my co-workers have experienced such reports by patients many times over the years, and with only one exception, these experiences were found to be very consoling to patient and family. I believe when our patients are transitioning to the next world, even months before they die, they "straddle" both this world and the next. At this "thin" place they are able to meet loved ones who are there to comfort them, guide them or wait for them. I once visited an elderly gentleman living with his daughter. He was bedbound and unable to move unaided. When I arrived his daughter told me he had unexpectedly fallen out of bed which was unusual for him. I went into to speak to him and asked "what happened"? He pointed to a baseball cap hung on a nail on the wall and said he was trying to get the hat for the "two little boys" that were visiting him. At that moment I recalled that he had told me at my first visit that he had 2 sons die in toddlerhood. They had come to play in his room; he died within 2 weeks. I don't know the source of the phenomena but in my experience it transcends race, religion and culture.

[Frances Shani Parker]

That's a great story, Marsha. Thanks for sharing.

[Sara]

I love this, I added this link on the "Ning" of my own as well...thanks so much for sharing...
http://peace4missing.ning.com/forum/topics/are-angels-present-at-th...

[Frances Shani Parker]

Thanks for sharing, HVTO. Your input and passion are appreciated.

Speaking of hospice team meetings, I recently posted a blog post you might want to read about hospice team meetings and technology: http://hospiceandnursinghomes.blogspot.com/2009/03/hospice-team-mee...

[HVTO]

We consistently hear these stories in team meetings. When the nurse or aide relates the "sightings" by a patient, I notice everyone in the meeting seems to nod in acknowledgment of the greater things of our spirit that we don't fully comprehend but totally accept. Must be another reason I love hospice. My personal experiences were with my mother-in-law seeing her brother who had passed years ago. She commented that he might be there to help, she instructed him to get her bible, she asked if we had seen him. I loved being in the room in those moments. There was no change in the environment, no chill up the spine. I am reminded that in the normalcy of life there is an amazing energy surrounding us.

[Frances Shani Parker]

Thanks for bringing that to my attention, Kelly. The link should be fine now. Frances

[Kelly Keller]

Frances - can you re-post the video? When i tried to click onit, youtube said it was a "malformed video ID"