Spiritual Evidence Map
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StudyprimarychallengesVerified

The hallucinations of widowhood

W. Dewi Rees · 1971 · British Medical Journal, 4(5778), 37-41

Spiritual Evidence Map/Last updated May 10, 2026/Claims v1.0.0-provisional/Sources v1.0.0/Scores provisional
Citation dossier

This source is used as challenges evidence across 1 linked claim and 3 related evidence hubs. Its citation record is marked verified; that verifies the source trail, not the truth of any linked claim.

Source type
Study
Map role
challenges
Claim links
1
Direct access
Recorded

Summary

Survey study finding that sensory experiences of a deceased spouse were common among widowed people and often experienced as meaningful rather than pathological.

How this source is used on the map

Important for apparition claims because it explains many encounter reports through normal bereavement experience without dismissing their emotional reality.

Citation record

Authors
W. Dewi Rees
Year
1971
Publication
British Medical Journal, 4(5778), 37-41
Source type
Study
Map role
challenges
Credibility level
primary
Citation status
Verified
DOI
Not recorded
PubMed
Not recorded
PDF
Not recorded
Original source →

Linked claims

Evidence score 4/10
Apparitions

Reports stretch back centuries. The few collective and 'crisis apparition' cases are intriguing; controlled study is essentially impossible.

Related evidence hubs

Topic hub
Survival & Afterlife

Evidence around dying, near-death experience, and what (if anything) continues.

Evidence pillar
Survival after death

Whether anything of mind continues.

Evidence pillar
Psi / psychic phenomena

Telepathy, precognition, remote viewing, PK.

Related sources

Review · challenges
Post-bereavement hallucinatory experiences: A critical overview of population and clinical studies

Important for apparition and ADC pages because it shows how common bereavement-related perceptions can be without requiring a paranormal interpretation.

Book · challenges
Anomalistic Psychology: Exploring Paranormal Belief and Experience

Major reference for the sceptical / cognitive-explanation side of psi-style claims.

Secondary summary · context
Apparitional experience

Covers both the anomalistic-psychology framing and the survival-research framing, making it useful context for separating experiences from spirit interpretations.