Crisis Impressions: Examining Perceptual Anomalies at Times of Death and Distress

This project has three objectives. We plan to: 1) Perform literature and database reviews on the phenomenon of ‘crisis impressions,’ in which people seem to become aware of the death or distress of a loved one via unconventional sensory means, such as visual or auditory impressions; 2) Continue to dialogue with and develop an informational brochure for Canadian hospices. The purpose of the brochure will be to use findings from our research to reassure families of the normalcy and frequency of seemingly anomalous perceptual experiences around crisis and death. Because prior research suggests that percipients doubt their sanity and are reluctant to disclose their experiences, we believe this research-based reassurance will be helpful to the emotional recovery of family members; 3) Develop a methodological approach for accurately determining the prevalence of crisis impressions in the general population, and for capturing them in a rigorous, controlled, prospective study.