STORY TO SHARE

 STORY TO SHARE

    My last three blogs were wrapped around the personal testimony of an adult woman, her near-death experience, and what she went through i.e., the aftereffects.

This time in this one blog I want to share what happened to a man who had several near-death experiences as a very young child.  You will notice right away how much more impacted a child is and how extremely difficult it is for a child to understand what is going on.  Please, for anyone who may have had a near-death experience between birth and age five, read The Forever Angels:  Near-Death Experiences in Childhood and Their Lifelong Impact.  It is your story.  PMH

 

Dear Ms. Atwater,

 

Thank you from my heart for all the important and amazing work you have done and discovered about NDE's, etc. I have been a member of IANDS.org and related groups. I am very excited about those themes, because I had several NDE's when a was a baby and a very yonug child. In addition, at about that time I also had suffer many diverse world-class traumas for about two decades. I rarely gave any of those subjects much thought until a few years ago. Since I always have been different from "normal" people, I wanted to learn about my after-effects and connections with other people. Simply amazing!

I picked out the following quotes from The Forever Angels and the Groups that apply to me so closely that I could have written them myself. Below is a list of those excerpts from IANDS.org, Children’s Near-Death Experiences that apply directly and somewhat indirectly to me. I am very fortunate to have found that information. Most likely I would have never known most of that.

 

What do you make of that?

 

Again thank you very much and God bless,

 

Major Characteristics of Psychological Changes

Loss of the fear of death:

Easily engage in abstract thinking:

More philosophical:

Bouts with depression:

Increased intuitive/psychic abilities know or "re-live" the future child-like sense of wonder and joy:

Hunger for knowledge and learning:

Openly generous:

Not unusual to hear of near-death experiencers being cheated, lied to, or involved in unpleasant mishaps begin integrating what happened to them, discernment usually returns:

"Flow" with the natural shift of light and dark:

More heightened awareness of the present moment, importance of being "in the now:"

Making future preparations can seem irrelevant to them, often labeled "spaciness" by others:

No denying that experiencers become quite intuitive afterward remembering “the future:”

Finishing another's sentence:

Forgiveness tends to replace former needs to criticize and condemn:

Determined to make a difference in the world:

Although initially bewildered, families can be so impressed by what they witness that they, too, change-making the experience a “shared event:”

Regards him or herself as “an immortal soul” knows they are not their body:

Embrace the theory of reincarnation: I have believed that for a long time.

The experiencer seems ever to respond to a "tune" no one else can hear (this can continue lifelong.):

Major Characteristics of Physiological Changes

Accelerated metabolic and substance absorption rates (decreased tolerance of pharmaceuticals and chemically treated products):

Turn to alternative healthcare treatments:

Increased allergies or sensitivities:

Possess ability to heal:

A preference for more vegetables and grains:

Physically younger looking:

Sensitivity to sound serious issue:

Can't get enough sunshine exposure:

Has difficulties with loud or discordant sounds:

Can no longer tolerate "hard" rock music:

Classical, melodic, and/or natural sounds, passionate about using music to heal:

Alter their approach to health and healing:

Almost as if they have to relearn how to use their own body and brain:

More spiritually oriented and energetic:

To deny or repress the aftereffects seems to leave individuals feeling somehow "incomplete," and can foster unwanted "breakthroughs" years later:

Aftereffects cannot be faked. Nor can you hide your response to the way they affect you (whether you realize what you are doing or not):

Irrespective of any drama brought on by near-death states, what happens afterward is where true value and real meaning are established:

It is possible to have near-death-like experiences WITHOUT the threat of impending physical death:

Children, for instance, can have death dreams that are unusually powerful:

Same pattern of aftereffects as a near-death experiencer:

Experiencers and their families are urged to attend or start a local IANDS group, and to read the following books about aftereffects:

What changes typically occur in Children following an NDE

Altered biological patterns:

Increased interest in universal love rather than love of specific people:

Parent/child bonding:

Increased sensitivity to others' feelings:

Distress from news reports and violence on TV and in movies:

Increased interest in being of service to others:

Increased interest in spirituality:

Hunger for knowledge and anything philosophical which often leads to unusual choices of reading material for their age:

Often appear much more mature than children of their own age:

Sensitivity to medications, bright light and loud noises:

A strong desire to volunteer for charitable causes:

Possible changes can include:

Increased intelligence:

Different ways of perceiving:

Increased psychic ability:

"Learning reversal" in which learning abstract concepts is easier than learning concrete details:

What are the phases of adjustment after a Childhood NDE?

P.M.H. Atwater is also a major contributor to IANDS.org and has suggested that children go through five stages in the aftermath of an NDE.

Withdrawal and internal adjustment. In addition to the adjustment to the effects of the NDE, most children are also recovering from the physical illness or trauma that led to the NDE:

Seeking ways to be of service in the world. It may be that, during this phase, up to 1/3 of the children get involved in the use of alcohol or drugs because of the discrepancy between the NDE and the reality of the world around them:

Balancing internal with external.  During this time of great gain, the person is likely to develop greater self-confidence, affirm a sense of spiritual and moral values, and begin a career of service to others:

A time of discouragement. Sensing the disparity between their values and those of the prevailing culture, the childhood NDEr can lose heart and become depressed. It is during this time that the childhood NDEr may be prone to attempt suicide:

Deep integration of the NDE.  During this phase, the NDEr finds the confidence to live in the world from their own perspective that is congruent with the values of the NDE: