Most people see death as an end—an end to one's life, and an end to the closeness and togetherness with the dearly departed.
A new study, however, suggests that this is not necessarily true, and that most people feel the presence of their loved ones who have already died.
A research team from the University of Milan in Italy reported that as many as six out of every 10 people admitted to seeing, hearing or sensing the presence of their loved ones who already passed away.
The researchers described these instances of seemingly feeling the dearly departed as "post-bereavement hallucinatory experiences (PBHE)." They defined PBHEs as "abnormal sensory experiences that are frequently reported by bereaved individuals without a history of mental disorder."
According to a report by The Daily Mail, the researchers said the level of these experiences were, in fact, "strikingly high." They reached this conclusion after compiling previous peer-reviewed studies on PBHEs.
"Overall, evidence suggests a strikingly high prevalence of PBHEs – ranging from 30 percent to 60 percent – among widowed subjects, giving consistence and legitimacy to these phenomena," they explained in their study results published in the Journal of Affective Disorders.
Jacqueline Hayes, an academic at the University of Roehampton in London, affirmed that these experiences are really common based on her extensive interviews of bereaved individuals. She, however, calls these experiences of continued presence (ECPs) to prevent the negative connotation of the term "hallucinations."
"People report visions, voices, tactile sensations, smells, and something that we call a sense of presence that is not necessarily related to any of the five senses," Hayes also told The Daily Mail.
Some readers even shared experiences when they indeed felt the presence of their loved ones who already passed away. Peter, for instance, said his late father comforted him when he was really sick.
"During the worst five days of my serious illness, my late father appeared in a recurring dream on five consecutive nights. During the dream we laughed like drains together. These dreams were very comforting," he shared.
