Spiritual Experience or NDE? - A Call to Grow

QUESTION:

"Some years ago, I experienced 'sudden death' - my heart went into ventricular fibrillation. This happened, fortunately, in the presence of a nurse who had had her CPR refresher recently and several doctors who aided her until the EMS people came and took me to the hospital.

"I have been asked many times since whether I had a 'near-death experience,' and have always said no. In fact, two young doctors asked me this while I was still hospitalized, and when I said I had no memory of such an experience, attributed this to the fact that I had been being worked on by the nurse within 30 seconds of collapsing, and had not lost oxygen to the brain. Although I had no such experience to my memory, I do know that since that time, I have developed very strong spiritual leanings (not religious - spiritual), done much reading in related areas, and have developed a strong sense that I was spared for a purpose that has nothing to do with what I had done and still do for a living. The purpose, as near as I can tell, has something to do with learning what I can about things like near-death experience, reincarnation, and so on, and passing on what I know to others. The best way I can describe the feeling I have is to say that, on reflection, it was as if my soul had had a booster of some sort. "Just now, reading a book called 'Forbidden Religion,' I encountered a few pages by you about understanding the near-death experience. In this article, you mention that a drug used by hospitals may cause amnesia in patients with respect to such experiences. While I did not have surgery, I am wondering if I might have had the drug you mention but do not name in 1992 (was it in use then?) as a by-product of the emergency room trying to keep me alive (which, obviously, they succeeded in doing).

"I have read that many people may 'die' two or three times during their lives without remembering this, and are asked after life review if they want to stay or go back, and choose to go back. I had one experience several years before the one in question above, where I miraculously survived a car accident and 'woke up' with my car basically unharmed other than a minor fender dent, no memory of how this had happened, in a slightly different position than when it was hit, and after dealing with the police, drove off unharmed. In recent years, I have assumed that both these experiences might have involved such a life-review and choice to come back, although I have no such memories. However, your comment about the drug amnesia raises yet another possibility, at least with respect to the ventricular filbrillation.

"I have tried to keep this as brief as I can and still be cogent, knowing that you must be very busy. I would welcome any comment you might have, however brief, about whether that drug you mentioned might, at least in theory, hold a possible alternate explanation of my experience (or lack of it). Thank you in advance for any information you might wish to provide.".....Bob

ANSWER:

Certainly the drug that causes amnesia could have been used on you. Although I do not know the technical name of this drug, most physicians would if you ask any of them. Considering what you wrote about your case, though, I doubt that such a drug was administered - as there would have been no need to.

My research of near-death states shows that the pattern of aftereffects is what validates the experience. The pattern of aftereffects addresses both psychological and physiological changes that the experiencer exhibits. This pattern continues lifelong with the vast majority, even increasing with the passing of years, instead of decreasing. Your sense of altered reality, of a goal, a desire to live life differently, is part of the aftereffects; yet the pattern is far more dynamic and involved than that. I encourage you to read some of my books, perhaps "Beyond the Light" or "The Big Book of Near-Death Experiences." The Big Book is the latest and it consists of 496 pages, covering every aspect of the phenomenon, positive/negative, and from 360 degrees, with easy-to-read passages, sidebars, cartoons, drawings, and charts. You name it and it's in the Big Book.

In your case, however, I am suspicious that what you had was a "spiritual experience" rather than a near-death episode. I say this because of how both of your incidents affected you. Spiritual experiences are usually an introduction to other realities, an opportunity to experience life from another vantage point that is so impactual, it catches your attention and swings you around in what you thought was once true, and causes you to rethink things. You could also call these "growth events." Growth events come in all shapes and sizes - losing when we thought we would win, winning when we thought we would lose; being challenged by life events in such a manner that it seems as if we are dying - dying unto the self. This can occur because of an accident, a health reversal, a divorce, a fire, losing in life to such a degree that the sense of loss becomes overwhelming. Growth events eventually lead to spiritual ones, even "peak" experiences of the Divine or of Deity. There is a rich tradition throughout the world of spiritually transforming experiences and how they affect people.

Every religion began from such relevation, an experience of the numinous. That wellspring of wisdom within us is available to each and all - the challenge is: most of us are not aware of this, what exists within us. What I have noticed throughout my many years of research and experience, is that if we are going along in life on a certain path and haven't grown, matured as a spiritual being as well as a human being, something will happen to jumpstart that process. That's what I think has happened to you - you have been jumpstarted, and several times. Seems like it's time for the "message" to sink in and take root - time to begin your spiritual journey.

I cover this "call to grow" in most of my books, especially "Beyond the Light," "Future Memory," and "We Live Forever." Oh, point of caution: "Future Memory" is the only book I have written that is mathematically calculated on the format of a labyrinth. Every sentence, every paragraph, every page is part of the math. In other words, the book is a real labyrinth. And that means, once you start reading it (entering the labyrinth), you must stay on the path in order for the book to make sense (no skipping around - the book's text enfolds on you just as the pathways in a site labyrinth). If you skip read, little will make sense and you'll wonder why I ever wrote such a dumb book. The purpose of "Future Memory" is to bring your consciousness up to the next highest level possible for you at that time. It is a brain changer. Yes, the book's about the innerworkings of creation and consciousness, yet it's really about each one of us and what we think reality is.

Begin the inner journey. There are many good healthy ways to do this. And, there are lots of ideas on how in the Resource Section of my various books. Many blessings, PMH