Attending Their Own Funeral and NDE Family Inheritance

QUESTION

“I recalled that one of the changes you described in yourself after your NDE’s was that you could no longer attend funerals because you could see the deceased actually attending his/her own funeral, and you couldn’t keep from giggling at this site.

“My questions is: did you know if these people had or had not had NDEs during their lifetime? Also, I wonder if attending one’s own funeral might be too depressing, seeing one’s spouse and other close friends and family going through the grieving process and worrying about if and how their loved ones would navigate the rest of their lives.

“My own father died at the age of 48 from heart disease and my mother lived to the age of 76. She became quite depressed after his death and was never able to recover.”. .....Jack

ANSWER

Thousands of near-death experiencers (maybe millions) are able to see the departed as I can. This includes child experiencers, too. As per those people like me who have seen “the departed” attending their own funerals, they see all kinds of people doing this after they die. I highly doubt that near-death experiencers just see experiencers.

About those we see who have left their bodies but come back to visit at their funerals, some of these people are happy to be able to do this, some are concerned about their loved ones, some are angry at what they see and hear, some make fun and act stupid. People are people, with or without a body. You encounter a wide range of emotions and responses with the departed.

As to the near-death experiencers themselves who see this, most have learned not to attend funerals out of respect to families and friends. It is difficult to hold back a response. You want to say something, maybe point out to the families what is really happening, yet you dare not. That might upset those in attendance. Now, if the funeral service is held in a metaphysical church, like Unity or Religious Science, that’s different. Comments from people like me are often asked for and welcomed in such places. Thank you, PMH

QUESTION

“I have been reading your book, The Idiot’s Guide to Near-Death Experiences, and I read about how to recognize child experiencers on page 67. I found this fascinating because I met six out of the eleven characteristics. I grew up very much a ‘God’ boy. I meditated regularly; always made sure there was an altar in my room; have a strong need to nest; fascinated by all things spiritual/otherworldly; tough time connecting to the ‘real’ world. I have not had an NDE, but my mother did before I was born.

“My question is: is there any research concerning the effects of NDE on other family members? Can a family member plug into the fruits of the NDE without knowing it? I started to exhibit these traits very early on, long before my mother ever told me about her experience. She did not share it openly. She told me about it when I was an adult.

“I would appreciate any feedback you can give me.”.....Bryan

ANSWER

Yes, there is research. . . showing that what a parent learns from experiences can be passed on genetically to the next generation (a challenge to Darwin’s theory about evolution). This is new research, and I discuss it at length in my new book, Near-Death Experiences: The Rest of The Story. It is causing quite a stir, as you can well imagine.

And, yes, children can pick up and learn from the behavior of their parents. Even if your mother said nothing to you when you were young, just being exposed to any differences she may have possessed would have been enough for you to emulate her, even without being aware you were doing it. This, really, is the main way children learn anyway - through modeling their parents.

There may be another link for you, though. You may be one of the “new children,” those born with different traits and characteristics than previous generations. The human race is changing; we are evolving as a species. Whole populations are changing, and not because of politics, religious beliefs, or what is currently popular within that culture. I first began to speak about the profile link between children who had a near-death experience and children who were born that way, in my book The New Children and Near-Death Experiences (Bear & Co.), which I followed up with Beyond the Indigo Children (also Bear & Co.). I am currently working on the last book in this trilogy that really digs deep into what is meant about the “new children,” then it examines evolution and time cycles. It should be on store shelves in the fall of 2012.

Regardless of how you picked up your particular traits, I am certain you went through many challenges while you were young in learning how to handle yourself and respect your differences. The two books about the new children I’ve already mentioned have large Resource Sections with many tips and ideas about how to integrate yourself into society in positive, productive ways. I hope you are able to read them.

Blessings, PMH