The Test: Incredible Proof of the Afterlife

by Stéphane Allix

A man places five objects in his father’s coffin and tells no one. Can a medium tell him what they are?
Can we communicate with the dead? Some people hope it’s possible, and some are sure of it. Thousands of people consult mediums, but many wonder if their abilities are real. To find out for himself, author Stéphane Allix interviews six mediums. Without telling them that they are being tested, Allix sees if they can name the five objects he secretly placed in his father’s coffin before it was buried. The results are astounding and confirm what scientific research on the subject has that life after death is indeed a rational hypothesis.
Beyond his own test, Allix explores the stories of each psychic and what they’ve learned from their
How does one become a medium? Is it a gift or a curse? How do the deceased describe the transition between life and death? Where do we go when we die?
The Test addresses all of these questions and more, leading us to discover a reality that is both simple and it is possible to communicate with our loved ones beyond the grave. Allix invites readers to discover what months of investigation and interviews have brought him to understand about the end of life, death, the afterlife, and communication with the other side. In the last chapter, renowned French psychiatrist Christophe Fauré, who specializes in end-of-life care and coming to terms with death, speaks about the unique journey of grief and offers some friendly advice about death and mediumship.

Genres: Nonfiction, Paranormal, Spirituality

260 pages, Paperback

Published August 7, 2018

About the author

Reporter free lance, Stéphane Allix, a débuté dans le journalisme en rejoignant clandestinement à 19 ans les résistants afghans à l'occupation soviétique. Il en a notamment tiré un ouvrage, Carnets afghans (en collaboration avec Natacha Calestrémé, Robert Laffont, 2002). Ses investigations l'ont amené à s'intéresser à des sujets que peu de journalistes ont traités en profondeur, comme les routes du trafic d'héroïne entre le Croissant d'or et l'Europe (La Petite cuillère de Shéhérazade, Ramsay, 1998). Féru de sociologie et de géopolitique, cet enquêteur est aux antipodes du naïf qui se laisserait berner par des rêveurs.

Reviews

[Stacey B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having had just a bit of experiencing mediums, I thought the concept of this book was clever; feeling the proof was there.
Understanding the need for us to know the backstories of each medium unfortunately made the book repetitious, and way too wordy for me.
I felt I was being interrupted too many times with another sidebar..
The book allows for the understanding of the gift mediums have.
There are frauds in this field; this book addresses that as well.

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is just an amazing book!

This is the intro to the book:
“When my father passed away, I placed four objects in his casket. I spoke about it to no one. I then interviewed mediums who claimed to be able to communicate with the dead.
Would they discover what the objects were?
This is the test.”

Each chapter is an account of his experience with each of the six mediums he consulted.

You need to read this book to get the full flavor of his experiences, but I will say that I. Was. Blown. Away!

It is no spoiler to say that he discovers proof of an afterlife, given the title. I found myself highlighting passage after passage as he explains what he experienced and how the mediums explained what they do and how they do it.

Some of my favorite passages are:

“Life doesn’t stop. Death does not exist. We are in a moment of dissolution. My father’s life is being transformed. It is metamorphosing by detaching itself from matter, cell by cell. It is becoming light again. My father is being reborn somewhere else.”

“In other words, our spirit exists independently of our body, in such a way that when the brain dies, the consciousness does not disappear; it does not die.”

“Another important element in becoming aware that we are dying is the constant presence of someone who comes to look for us so they can accompany us. I often draw a parallel with birth. When we come into the world, we are greeted: the midwife, our father if he’s there, the family who holds us in their arms, etc. when we die, it’s the same on the other side: as we’re leaving our body, we are greeted by loved ones in exactly the same way.”

“The process of grieving consists of working out a new relationship. A relationship with the same love, the same strength, but also one that integrates the absence caused by the departure.”

“Death is a part of life; it is one of its necessary and healthy components. But it genuinely is the death of our material vehicle. Our soul continues its journey. Life continues, but in another form.”

“My advice: say the important things without putting it off until later, because later may be too late.”

I can’t begin to tell you how comforting this book was to me, having recently lost my mother in April and my husband in May. I was able to be with my husband when he passed away from pancreatic cancer. I was able to tell him how much I loved him and that it was OK to go. It means the world to me that he is OK now, with friends and family who also love him. He didn’t believe in the Afterlife, or in G-d, but as I told a friend today: he now knows he was wrong. 😂

I have always feared death, but now I find it a bit less daunting, knowing that there is some proof of an afterlife. Some may not believe what this book claims, and that’s OK. Some may feel that because religion is never mentioned in the book, that this does not prove anything. I find it comforting that religion seems to have no role in the afterlife, that it may just be a human construct.

I do look forward to being reunited with my parents, my husband and my friends some day...just not real soon.

I absolutely recommend this book. It’s a must read for everyone.

[Viedefun · Rating 5 out of 5]

Je ne veux surtout pas essayer de vous convaincre de l’existence de l’au-delà en rédigeant cet avis sur ce livre. Chacun aura de toute manière la réponse au moment de son décès. Cela dit, pour les septiques et ceux qui nient en bloc la possibilité de la survivance de soi et le fait de retrouver ses proches après la mort, je trouve cela dommage de ne pas garder un minimum d’espoir et de « doute positif » quant à cette éventualité. Les récits rapportés dans ce livre par les différents médiums interrogés par Stéphane Allix sont assez similaires et prouvent donc une régularité indiscutable sur certaines étapes qui se déclenchent à la fin de notre existence terrestre. Il n’est d’ailleurs pas rare que des gens qui ont l’habitude côtoyer des personnes en fin de vie ou carrément des morts (des chirurgiens, comme le Dr Charbonnier, cité dans le livre, des médecins, des infirmières, des embaumeurs, des pompiers etc), soient témoins d’événements surnaturels et stupéfiants…. Comme le fait remarquer Stéphane Allix, la majorité de ces personnes feront le choix de se taire afin de ne pas êtres discrédités dans leur profession et passer pour des fous puisque nous vivons dans une société ou la mort est taboue et où l’existence de l’au-delà est une idée totalement absurde…..Et pourtant….Je vous mets au défi, après avoir lu ce livre, de ne pas vous laisser convaincre juste un petit peu ! Ou, en tout cas, de ne pas refuser obstinément de croire en la vie après la mort ! Personnellement, j’ai adoré ma lecture car, même si j’étais déjà convaincue de l’existence de l’au-delà et des pouvoirs médiumniques de certaines personnes, elle m’a également apporté des réponses concrètes et des hypothèses plutôt censées (via le ressenti des médiums interrogés) sur de nombreuses questions "pratiques mais aussi métaphysiques" que je me pose depuis très longtemps. Ce livre est rassurant, dans un sens, car on aime à espérer que tout ne se termine pas un fois que notre cœur cesse de battre. Que les proches que nous avons perdus nous attendent de l’autre côté….Que la petite goutte d'eau d'individualité qu'est notre "moi" se retrouve mélangé à l'océan d'un grand tout mystérieux....Ce livre est aussi effrayant car on réalise qu’il y a un paquet de morts qui hantent notre monde, même si, la plupart sont totalement inoffensifs. Et finalement, je dirai que des films comme « Ghost » ou « Le 6ème sens » sont assez proches de ce que perçoivent les médiums et que le film "Les autres" montre bien ce que certains morts vivraient après leur trépas (ceux qui n'ont pas réalisé qu'ils étaient morts et qui continuent d'évoluer dans leur maison en parallèle avec les vivants)…Je réalise que tout cela peut paraître un peu dingue au moment où j'écris ces quelques phrases car notre culture, le monde dans lequel nous évoluons, nous pousse à croire que tout cela n'est qu'un ramassis d'absurdités.....Cela dit, nous découvrirons tous bien un jour la réponse à cette question sur l'existence de l'au-delà…..Stéphane Allix est convaincu qu'il existe et finalement, cela lui permet d'évoluer dans la vie d'une manière certainement plus sereine que la plupart des gens, avec cette idée réconfortante qu'un jour, il retrouvera ses proches disparus et également ceux qu'il laissera derrière lui après sa mort....

Ma note : 19/20

Mon avis complet sur : http://lespassionsdeviedefun.blogspot...

[Jen · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.75 ⭐️

I’m glad the author got the experience he wanted, overall, out of his test, and I’m glad he shared it. However, I would have liked to know more about his methodology - how he selected these mediums, why these and not others, were there any mediums he met with who were totally off base, etc. It’s a rare case where I almost wish the book were a documentary instead, so I could see the interactions and have a sense of the emotions and people involved as these interactions were unfolding.

[Colleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

When the author’s father passes away, he secretly places five objects in the casket before it is buried. His dad had always questioned whether or not there was life after death, and promised to “help” Allix in any way possible after he died by communicating with him through a medium. So Allix visited six mediums to test them and see if they really could communicate with his dad and tell him what the five objects were.

Anyone who finds the subject of the afterlife intriguing will enjoy this book. I find it fascinating; I’m an atheist so I don’t believe in the heaven and hell view, but I’m always hopeful that there IS something after we leave our physical bodies in some other dimension that we don’t yet understand. I have also had a family member receive “messages” from the dead, through a medium, that impressed me because they were specific messages that this person didn’t understand at the time, but afterwards when they told other family members about them, they proved to be very accurate and true. (This also disproved the argument that mediums are ‘just’ telepathically reading the customer’s mind... which is amazing in itself, but is a whole other ballgame.)

Anyway... this book doesn’t disappoint. The mediums, to various degrees, seemed to connect with Allix’s dad and pass on information about his deceased family members in addition to mentioning some of the objects in the casket. Allix finds it frustrating in the beginning because he’d hoped his dad would just be able to list the items (especially because he’d been interested in helping Allix write his book), but apparently that’s not how things work in the afterlife! Nevertheless, Allix comes away from the experience convinced that the mediums all encountered his dad.

I suppose we’ll all find out eventually what awaits us in the end. Or maybe it’s not the end. Whatever the case, this is a fascinating look the lives of mediums, and at the possibilities that lie ahead for us (as well as give comfort to those who have recently experienced the loss of a loved one).

[Cécile B. · Rating 1 out of 5]

L'idée est intéressante, mais le sujet est traité d'une façon bien éloignée du journalisme d'investigation, pourtant supposé être le métier de l'auteur. Avec des a priori sans fondement dès l'introduction, des allégations de recherches scientifiques sans sources, des informations invérifiables à chaque page, ce livre ressemble bien plus à un roman de fiction qu'à une enquête sérieusement menée. On ne s'appuie pas ici sur une méthode scientifique, mais sur du ressenti et de l'intuition.
La seule partie de ce livre qui mérite d'être lue est la dernière page, qui présente une série de conseils pour les personnes qui souhaiteraient consulter un médium en période de deuil.
Je note d'autre part que l'auteur ne manque pas une occasion de faire de la publicité à l'institut qu'il a fondé avec son ami.

En conclusion : fuyez ce livre, il ne tient pas ses promesses.

[Janice · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really absorbing book which looks into the possibility of life after death, whether one’s soul or essence survives death. I find the subject extremely fascinating and the author has written an intriguing book on the subject. Highly recommended for anyone who has questions on this topic.
My thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for my honest review.

[Charles · Rating 4 out of 5]

A la mort de son père, Stéphane Allix place des objets incongrus dans le cercueil du défunt, et met au défi 6 médiums pour voir s’ils sauront deviner de quels objets il s’agit...



Si comme moi vous hésitiez devant le titre « choc » et la couverture tapageuse, n'hésitez plus : c’est un livre qui vaut le coup d’être lu. Un travail d’investigation pragmatique, sur la question de l’après-vie. Sa démarche est en elle-même une preuve par l’exemple, c’est un testament de la survivance de l’âme. Le style d’écriture simple de Mr Allix est très agréable (sûrement hérité de sa profession de journaliste) et le propos est passionnant.

L’auteur mentionne des références intéressantes (le Dr Charbonier ou Julie Beischel par exemple) mais je regrette qu'il reste vague sur les conclusions concrètes de leurs travaux. J’aurais aimé en savoir plus sur les avancées scientifiques actuelles dans ce domaine. Il fait aussi allusion aux nombreux évènements inexpliqués en rapport avec la mort dont sont témoins les infirmières et les pompiers français, mais n’en cite aucun ! Il a piqué ma curiosité, et je crois que ça aurait enrichi le livre.

En revanche j'ai été convaincu par son approche rigoureuse. Lors des rencontres avec les médiums, il est soucieux de leur donner le minimum d’information possible. Il ne fait mention à aucune religion ni à aucun principe moral. L’auteur se contente de faits, d’histoire.

J'ai aimé qu’il fasse l’état des lieux de la question de l’après-vie dans notre société, et qu’il parle des nombreuses personnes gardant le silence, inquiètes de perdre leur crédibilité professionnelle.

Enfin, j'ai apprécié sa grande douceur quand il a aborde le sujet sensible de la mort. Quand il évoque son histoire familiale, il fait également preuve d’une retenue confortable pour le lecteur. J’ai trouvé le ton très juste, du début à la fin. Derrière sa réserve, on sent finalement beaucoup d’émotion, cela m’a touché.


J’offrirai en toute confiance ce livre à mon entourage.
J’ai été ému, j’ai appris des choses, j’ai réfléchi. On sort grandi de cette lecture, c’est pourquoi je vais m’intéresser à son nouvel ouvrage : Lorsque j'étais quelqu'un d'autre .

[kathy johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Phil Johnson

My husband recently passed and this book gave me comfort. He is doing well and no longer suffering. See you in my dreams sweetheart. Love you.

[Veronique Sarrasin · Rating 4.5 out of 5]

C’est quand meme incroyable que 7 médiums différents donnent les memes informations à l’auteur. Ce livre m’a vraiment fasciné et en quelque sorte emmené un peu de paix interne face à la mort et donc ma propre mortalité. J’ai trouvé l’ouvrage beau, quasi poétique.

[Salomé · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beaucoup de curiosité pour ce livre, mais finalement le côté répétitif des entrevues m'a rendu sa lecture désagréable.

[Audrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Je suis enfin prête pour assister à la conférence de l’auteur la semaine prochaine.

[Lynda Stevens · Rating 5 out of 5]

What happens when we die. What happens to our loved ones when they die. Does the ego, our consciousness survive death.

Most people try, perhaps rightly, to forget about these questions as they get on with the business of living. The shock of bereavement, however, can change all that, especially if the bereavement was untimely. Finding closure can be difficult. This is where the medium comes in.

Just finding closure after the loss of his father, however, was not enough for this particular individual. He wanted more objective proof that the dead can communicate with us. Accordingly he put five items of sentimental value into her father's casket after his death and asked his deceased loved one to tell her what these items were when he went to see the mediums.

He then went to visit several mediums, all of whom he portrays with great respect and understanding.

Does he get the proof that he requires? Well, the reader will have to judge that for themselves, but it is certainly made clear that communicating with loved ones beyond the graves is not as simple as he supposed. The details of how the mediums work is fascinating in its way, but it certainly does not work in the left-brained way we might imagine. Rather, the medium filters feelings, impressions, images.

There also did seem to be a certain justice in that. This writer does make it clear that this approach to the seances puts undue stress on those he chose to participate in this experiment. Others who read this may well also decide, perhaps with some justification, that there is something rather distasteful in this approach, almost Faustian. Something's may be better left unproven.

The other side of the argument might be that in this day and age, it is perhaps time to move away from the nihilism implicit on the Western materialistic approach to life, if all it fosters is the kind of self-centred myopia that sees life only in terms of acquisition and the control of natural resources.

Theories, such as that whatever the medium gleans from a client is just down to cold-reading, or looking at body language and other subtle clues, are discounted: there have been other experiments where the mediums do not even meet the client. One medium, Dominique, insists the only input she expects from her clients are yes-no answers. The other question looked at is whether or not some kind of telepathy is involved - the answer being here that the spirits can have a way of interrupting the medium in mid-sentence for example - in other words, they do talk back.

Not much detail is given on where the spirits actually are when they pass on, though it is made clear that they too are moving on to still better places within the Beyond - and in fact, where an attachment to the living g remains in place, this can actually impede the process of both.

The words of a psychiatrist at the end also make it clear that consulting a medium is no magic bullet to the necessary process of grieving, once a loved one has passed on. The living need to move on with their lives without the loved one still, and those crossed over still have their path to follow. The psychiatrist also points out that whatever messages received, may depend to some extent on the quality of the medium's ability to mediate too: there is always an element of subjectivity now. This also adds something to the telepathy argument to my mind, incidentally: we may all be part of one another to some degree.

The views of one medium, Loan, on schizophrenia are interesting - she sees this disease almost as one of possession.

One medium seemed to preach a little bit on differentiating between the personality of a loved one and their essence, on others that the consciousness of one life becomes absorbed within a larger, mass conciousness. Overall, I always enjoy it when a more 'scientific' approach is taken to subjects such as these - these allow the reader to makes their own minds up and there is less of an attempt to proselytise.

[Laura Dallas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is mind-blowing, or should I say mind-expanding, or better yet, conscious-expanding. I have never considered much about the truth of mediums, although I do believe in life after death. This book helped to convince me that at least some mediums are for real, but it taught me many, many more things than that. It explained what mediums have come to understand about the afterlife, how it works as they have perceived. The consistency between their understandings, the beliefs of many religions, and near-death experiences is astonishingly in tune and very convincing to me. It is a picture that I will always carry with me as I seek to understand it more, and it fills me with incredible hope and blessed assurance. I would add that the life stories of the mediums and how they became aware of their abilities are also fascinating. I received this free ebook from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Laure Daligaux · Rating 2 out of 5]

Je suis pourtant qqn qui croit à la vie après la mort, aux esprits etc, mais alors là ce livre n'a rien de convaincant du tout, ce n'est qu'une suite de répétitions, et d'affirmations non vérifiables. Comme ça a été dit dans un autre commentaire, livre trop commercial, pas du tout accrocheur, j'ai eu du mal à finir.

[Raymond Just · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very though provoking, and extremely well written.

[Rachael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant book! Couldn’t put it down!

[Peter Swettenham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful

One of the best books I have read on this subject. Explaining what happens when we pass is so helpful to both the person passing and his nearest and dearest.

[Mel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book and his test with his father's spirit . Very interesting .

[Elsa H. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read this book multiple times and my goal is to one day read it and fully embrace the joyful and inspiring potential that Allix offers a window into. Personally I was less interested in the "test" aspect of it and more interested in the moments (which become more frequent as the book progresses) when Allix lets go of the notion of "proof" of the afterlife and allows himself to really and simply experience this connection with his father. What I also found fascinating and beautifully described was the idea that while the author really does seem to be communicating with his father in some way, it is his father in a different form. The being these mediums encounter expresses love for Allix and shares details about his life, but also expresses a feeling of total freedom from the specifics of his life on earth. He is himself, but not his superficial self. The "me," as Allix describes it, is gone, replaced by a broader being, one who (and this is me collaborating with the text a little bit) lives beyond suffering and resistance, in a place of total unity with all things and with light and the universe.

[Richard Standage · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible insight on Mediums ability to contact the other side

The author, Stéphane Allix, has done an amazing job in capturing the essence of what the process a medium goes through to contact those who have gone on to the after life. I love the way that he provides a backstory for each of the mediums that he has sessions with so that you have a better understanding and a feel for each of the mediums and how they became a medium. After reading each chapter you have much more respect for the medium and their capabilities as well as their true gift of contacting loved ones on the other side.

I think it is ingenious on how he came up with the idea to test the medium and validate their findings. I have read many books on near death experiences and their stories. This is a whole unique method to directly communicate and validate the after life.

Really a great read that I recommend if you are looking for more validation and the truth.

[Marc · Rating 3 out of 5]

Une enquête journalistique motivée par le désir de l'auteur de savoir si son défunt père vit dans l'au-delà, après sa mort. Il rencontre 6 médiums qui communiquent avec le père et perçoivent de nombreuses traces de la vie de son âme. Au delà de cette intrigue, on apprend beaucoup sur l'apprentissage et les pratiques des médiums, leur vision de la vie (avant et après la mort). Très intéressant pour quiconque se penche sur ces questions. Très bien écrit... se lit comme un thriller. J'ai été un peu agacé par le souci de l'auteur d'obtenir une validité scientifique avec ses observations et ses recours à une poignée d'études convergentes... comme si les chercheurs étaient d'emblée neutres à l'égard de l'irrationnel.

[Jocelyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a scientific mind, I often go back and forth believing in an existence after life on earth. My background tells me there’s no proof, so it can’t be, but my heart and soul say otherwise.
I myself have had strange occurrences throughout my life that are unexplainable (in what we may say is a logical manner) and I am always looking to find an explanation. I found that this book was well written from a scientific point of view, by the author performing his test with six mediums and also from a spiritual point of view. I have a totally new appreciation for what likely follows ‘death’.
I look forward to reading more of Stéphanes books!

[Maria Carmo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a test to the possibility of existence of life after physical death. The Author tells his dying Father that he will leave four objects in his coffin. Several months after his death, he starts to exet the "test" with several serious and reputed Mediums... and until more or less one and a half years after the death, six "tests" are taken that make it very clear that the Father is communicating with Stéphane through the means of this Mediums.

Interesting and very clear, this books is a journey of discovery -always confronted with doctors and science.

Maria Carmo,

Lisbon, 12 September 2023

[Sandrine · Rating 5 out of 5]

J'ai bcp aimé ce livre que j'ai choisi d'écouter plutôt que la version en papier, simplement parce que cela me permettait de travailler en même temps. Le fait que cela m'a pris si longtemps pour le finir ne reflète pas du tout une critique négative. J'ai juste été distraite et j'avait bcp d'autres livres que je lisais en même temps à ce moment-là. Ce livre m'a été recommandé ar un ami avec qui je faisais des séances de spiritisme lorsque nous étions jeunes. Je comprends pourquoi et je suis contente. Je le recommande aussi - surtout si vous avez perdu quelqu'un récemment et que vous pensez aller voir un médium.

[Luc Therrien · Rating 4 out of 5]

C'est un très beau livre que je recommande à tous ceux et celles qui s'interrogent sur la vie après la mort. J'ai beaucoup lu sur ce sujet, alors le livre a surtout servi à valider ce que je savais déjà. Au début, je trouvais ça long lorsqu'il s'éloignait du sujet principal à savoir si son père réussirait à transmettre un message aux médium. Par contre, plus j'avançais dans le livre et plus j'appréciais ses détours. J'en suis venu à aimer ses réflexions. Elles ont approfondi les miennes.

Merci!

[Artemissia G · Rating 3 out of 5]

En tout honnêteté, j'ai aimé cette lecture qui donne la voix à la spiritualité sur fond de rationalité... Stéphane Allix sait comment nous immerger dans ses expériences avec l'au-delà, toutefois, j'ai trouvé qu'en dehors de ces tests, cela manquait d'explications... Comme si au final c'était aux lecteurs de se forger eux-même leur propre opinion du sujet... A lire par curiosité si on a l'espérance ou non de croire à une forme de vie après la mort.

[Sabrina · Rating 3 out of 5]

DNF. Je n'ai pas lu la dernière partie et quelques bouts ici et là (sur l'histoire de chacun des médiums) par répétition. Le concept est hyper intéressant cependant et j'aurais bien lu quelques consultations mediumniques de plus puisque quelques-unes d'entres elles devenaient sans issue rapidement. Bref. Peut être que ce livre m'apporterait davantage de réconfort si je me posais plus de questions sur ce qui se passe après la mort. Mais voilà! ☺️

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Livre Audio
J'ai globalement bien aimé le livre de part son thème, mais du coup, les sensations et informations perçues par chaque médium est toujours un peu pareil...du coup en effet, cela permet de vraiment penser que les 6 mediums sont entrés en communication avec le père de Stéphane Allix, mais c'est un peu redondant du coup...

[Aida Ghorbel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Troublant , ca transforme notre vision de la mort , la mort n'existe pas c'est une autre forme de vie dans une autre dimension une continuite d'evolution .Cette lecture nous renvoie a nos prpres experiences avec la mort d'etres chers nous apaises et eleve du monde materiel pour confirmer ou renforcer les croyances de l'existence d'un monde d'autres mondes subtiles