Mind playing tricks on you. Is there a scientific explanation for this?

From what I have read, this kind of illusions are created by two factors, the first is that even though in your conscious level you know she is dead probably you have not internalized it, your subconscious still expects to see her. On the other hand it is amazing how much of what we see is actually our brain filling details. In normal people, we concentrate in small details of what our eyes see, and the brain fills out the rest, so combining this two factors, once your subconscious part of the brain was expecting to see your friend's mom, it was so sure that you were going to see it that it overrode what your eyes were actually seeing and told you you were seeing something you were not.

I'm not an expert in the field (so any expert feel free to correct me or fill  in the blanks), but I've read quite a bit since the human mind and its processes are one of the subjects that I like the most.

I'm no neurologist, but the brain can indeed make you see, feel, hear, taste or smell whatever the hell it wants you to. A lot of diseases (mental or physically pathological) contribute to these, but even the sane and healthy brain can create hallucinations when stressed, tired or just scared.

The power of the brain is both marvelous and frightening, so treat yours right!

Scary what it can do when you're sane, can't imagine it's like when you abuse it :S

There is a WHOLE lot more going on in this universe than just chemical and electrical reactions within a "brain"...that's all I'm sayin

No I think this is a paranormal activity.

Watch "Shutter" the asian version for reference.

I completely understand why you didn't want to go there, it would be hard to have a serious conversation about paranormal subjects without falling into BS or personal attacks.

From my post (and probably my general attitude in the forums) one could assume that I would be all pro science (after all I'm a mathematician), but what Fido2 said is almost surely true, but both positions are not necessarily opposed. After all science describes the how  (or at least tries), but not the why, which is as important (maybe more actually). So could this experience have been a spiritual/esoteric experience? Sure. Could it have been just influenced by memories and the power of the brain? Yeah. For what it's worth it could be a combination.

My point is that no matter what you choose to believe, this experiences are something special from which we can learn a lot about one's self, and the fragility of our perception and understanding of reality.

BTW Mr Joboto's post made me think of this XKCD comic... http://xkcd.com/622/

I hear ya Bubba.. I mean look at dreams. You're totally out of it but having moving pics going on inside your "mind". I have had vivdly real dreams. I talked to an saw my long dead grandmother in a dream and it was very very real. What the heck? Also when the physical body dies where did that animating life energy, power or self go? Then we wonder where it came from in the first place. Thanks Roger, excellent post and I really admire your attitude ...

Hadn't check this thread for a while.

Thanks a lot Fido2! 

If I have learnt something through the last 10 or so years is to have an open mind, after all even though there is a lot of scientific knowledge, the primary questions like the ones you said are the ones that science is farthest from answering, and arguably the most important ones.

There is a lot to learn from each person and experience one comes in contact with.