Whatever leads you to God

QUESTION

“Howard Storm started out [in his talk about his NDEs], and it’s in his interviews about his book, that he asked Jesus what is the best religion and the answer that he got was ‘the one that brings you closest to God.’  Now, he is sounding more and more like an evangelist. So are others who are telling us that if you aren’t a Christian, that you will go to hell. Betty Eadie [another well-known NDEr] never said that, so I’m wondering what gives.

“A lot of people are getting upset over the drastic differences in the stories that we are being told, including me.  I have been so depressed

over this, even though I consider myself a Christian, but my husband and daughter are not Christians.  I hate to think that they will go to hell.

“There are a lot of these people on YouTube.  I’m not getting it.”

...Linda

ANSWER

My goodness, dear, you’re exposing yourself to a few people, a few ideas and testimonials, but not the larger picture.  Get the book, “Dying to Know You:  Proof of God in the Near-Death Experience."  That book is the people’s book.  I call it that because it is a summary of what almost 5,000 adult and child near-death experiencers said.  Yes, a lot of them still use the term “God” because that is what we are familiar with in this society. You could just as well use “The One” or “Great One” or “That Which Breathes Me.”

The near-death experience has nothing to do with religion (did you get that?), and everything to do with the way the world really is.  There is a Divine Principle (call it what you will), that is behind and in back of everything. Any great visionary anywhere in the world tells us this, and has been telling us this since records were kept.  What you have been reading in the words of those who shared what happened to them. . . is not gospel for everyone. . . even though there is a common thread that runs through all. Betty Eadie’s books and book tours were financed by an organization or people of her Morman faith.  Look again at Howard Storm. “Whatever leads you to God” is his way of saying “religion” makes little difference, doesn’t matter in the broader scheme of things. What really matters is you and how you live your life, what is in your heart.  You cannot decide for your husband or children or friends. Whatever happens to them will be in accord with whatever is right for them.  The spiritual path is a loner. . . we each walk alone. Take what you can learn from NDEs, from visionaries, from great poets and those who were illuminated, and learn from them.  Read Meister Eckhart or Ernest Holmes or St. Theresa of Avila, or Rumi, or Kahlil Gibran.

Near-death experiencers, each in their own way, bring us snippets, capsules, bits of what they experienced on the other side of death.  No one experiencer has all of it or even a slice of it (contrary to what some claim). What they bring back is a “piece” of a truth, a “something,” they cannot fully describe.  It is up to us in the living of our own lives to “fill in the blanks.”

I hope this helps.  Blessings, PMH

Proof and Belief

QUESTION

    “I found you when searching for near-death experiences and found a website that shared a link to your website.  The many stories I have read of NDE and OBE have been very inspiring and comforting.  As of lately, however, they have brought me fear and uncertainty.  What I mean is that I’m no longer sure if they are real or not.  I’m always a believer, but the last few months have been a chaotic time for me.  I first began to question whether or not homeosexuality was okay.  Then I began to question my own opinions on all sorts of topics.  But then came the longest and harshest topic that I thought I would never face again, God and the afterlife.  I first did some research on different religions and their views of God and what happens when we die.  This didn’t do for me.  So I asked God if he was there or if he truly cared about me.  I was lead to NDE.  First, I was amazed and humbled from so many stories, how they told of a bright light and strong sense of love.  I believed them and decided to see the research behind them.

    “I’ll admit that I was only looking for information that supported NDE.  I was glad and fascinated about the research suggesting that we survive our physical death.  It even came an obsession of mine.  However, I became discouraged by comments and articles that dismissed them as dreams, hallucinations, and wishful thinking.  So, I started to look for quantum physics for its strange findings.  At first I thought it may help, but again, comments and articles discouraged me.  Though, to be honest, I guess I should’ve known better since I’m not all that knowledgeable, let alone an expert, on these things.  Now I’m scared that these wonderful visions make just clever hallucinations created by the brain.  I’m afraid that atheists and materialists may be right that there is no God and that when we die, we die and that’s it.  I’m also afraid that many attitudes of scientists and their physical findings have turned me away from science, a subject that I once enjoyed.  NDE and OBE are becoming a false hope for me.

    “All I want to do is continue believing in God, spend time with my family, and know that when I’m old and my time is up, I can still be with my family in a new reality/heaven.  I don’t want to always rely on science and experts for everything.  Sometimes, I feel that the only real way for me to find out if there is an afterlife is to die and experience it.  But I promised myself that wouldn’t do anything radical for the sake of my family, the thought persists and is very tempting.  I feel that my doubt and depression is driving me insane!  Not to mention, my family is starting to become worried about me.  I want to believe, but I’m afraid of false hope and being called crazy and gullible.  I’m hoping that you can give some advice.  Sincerely, Karol.”

ANSWER

    Every one of the objections by naysayers has been repudiated in scientific, clinical studies.  None of the naysayers, not a single one of them, has done their own study to any appreciable degree; none have researched both children and adults, including cases that arise from babies and toddlers who remember; none have researched the pattern of both physiological and psychological aftereffects.  It is the aftereffects that validate the experience, not the other way around.  In other words, naysayers focus on “piece-meal,” none have focused on the whole phenomenon as it exists.  The research you want is available.  Read Irreducible Mind.  There are many others.  No question:  the near-death phenomenon (both experience and aftereffects) is real.

    The challenge is with what the public thinks about the stories.  They are incredible….but…..few, if any, write about unpleasant or frightening (hellish) experiences.  Those exist too.  Some of the more heavenly stories are either exaggerated or could use a good editor.  There’s a lot of emotion involved here:  the tendency of any human being is to describe whatever happened in familiar terms.  That means there are cultural and language constraints that may bias the account, no matter how honest the experiencer.  Remember, aftereffects can be very hard to deal with.  There’s no magic here.

    To have a larger/better perspective of what you’ve been reading and hearing, there are three books that may be helpful to you:  The Big Book of Near-Death Experiences (an encyclopedia of the field but written in a fun way), Near-Death Experiences:  The Rests of The Story (a summary of my research), and Dying to Know You:  Proof of God in The Near-Death Experience (the collective voice speaking about the collective experience - from thousands of adults and children).

    The idea of God is supported and “proven” in near-death experiences, but not necessarily the God of Holy Writ.  What children and adults see/meet/feel is a God much bigger than that, much more powerful - a challenge to what most people say they believe (pro or con).  Once you get a better perspective on the subject, you might want to explore metaphysical or mystical churches.  I am referring there especially to Unity Churches and Centers of Spiritual Living (formerly Science of Mind).  Both offer writings, teachings, and understandings that are in line with the majority of near-death experiencers and what they now know.

    Have heart.  What you seek is far more accessible than your searches have led you to believe.  Blessings, PMH

Seeing Tunnels in NDEs, Returning Loved Ones, and Does God Exist?

QUESTION

"I am reading your book Near-Death Experiences: The Rest of the Story and am enjoying it very much. Though I do have a problem with something you wrote. You said tunnels people say they have seen "don't match the pop." I take offense to this. I had an NDE and there WAS a tunnel. It is not something I could describe well, but it was there. I would love to know what you have to say about this."

Nameless, posted to Facebook.

ANSWER

In the first scientific survey conducted by Gallup Poll in 1982, they found only 9% of the people claiming to have had a near-death experience, reported a tunnel. Such reportings remained few in number until after the media sensationalized Raymond Moody's first book, Life After Life. Suddenly, people spoke about tunnels, lots of them. I was attending a near-death experiencer group meeting after that and personally witnessed experiencers changing the term of what they went through, to "tunnel." No, I do not think anyone lied. What I think has happened over the years since, and because of continued media attention, is that we now have a word (tunnel) to use when were not sure what it was we saw or traveled through during our episode. Words, after all, are a huge challenge for all of us. What do you call things when the language we speak doesn't cover or describe what we encountered? Tunnels? Yes, interesting word, and now affixed to the near-death phenomenon whether it truly fits or not.

During my 33 years of researching the phenomenon, less that a..." of the people I had sessions with reported a tunnel. Children seldom do. In other countries, experiencers almost never relate to such a term at all. The idea of tunnels applies more to cases in America, some in Canada, and Western Europe, a few in Australia, and that's about it. You can trace the popularity of tunnels mostly to those countries where Moody's book became a best seller. Not entirely, but to a large extent.

None of this means that tunnels are not experienced. Obviously, you had one. Many people do - but not as many as popular notions might imply. I do not consider tunnels a signature feature because of this; rather, one component of many experiencers might have. The main components, repeated around the world regardless of age, religion, sex, or culture are: richly detailed out-of-body experiences (often verified with third-party testimonials), an incredibly bright and knowing light (that knows your name and can converse with you), and a greeter of some kind (usually a loved one who has died or a pet, possibly an angel, religious figure, or light being, sometimes a living individual there to comfort you - once that is done he or she disappears, replaced by figures more typical of near-death states). There are others, but these three are the most reported globally.

I recommend that you read The Big Book of Near-Death Experiences for a more well-rounded presentation of the different aspects of the near-death phenomenon worldwide and the research that has thus far been done. In that book, by the way, is a drawing of a tunnel made by an experiencer who went through one.

Blessings, PMH

QUESTION

"I came across your name from Dr. Eben Alexander's website. I'm really curious. In the mid-eighties, my grandmother had died. My sister and I visited my parents one weekend and my mother was telling us about these visits from my grandmother. Both of us just let it go. At 2:00 am, the phone rang twice, and there were these two white silhouettes at the woodpile at the end of the yard. I had never seen that before and neither did had my sister. My sister claimed it was all our imagination. My mother died in March of 2012. Family members have felt and seen her and dad's presence in their homes. The only thing I had was the following.

"In July of 2013, I was sitting in my living room and there was a silhouette shaped as a human being that went right across my window. My neighbor's mother died in April of 2013, and death was a topic of discussion that came up a lot. So, I'm wondering if that influenced my consciousness. In your mind, does GOD really exist or is this all a figment of our imagination? I'd like to think it isn't. But, with all the terrible things that happen in this world, I often wonder if nature and GOD are the same and we have no control over anything? Nature has an agenda for everybody. I would like your perspective. Thank you." 

Lynda

ANSWER

Lynda, you really need to do some reading. Start with these two books of mine: Near-Death Experiences: The Rest of The Story and We Live Forever: The Real Truth About Death. They will help you.

In the meantime, know a little about me. I am one of the original researchers in the field of near-death studies, having begun my work in 1978 and have written 10 books on my findings. I was one of the researchers called in on Eben's case. The reason for all my work for so many years? I had three near-death experiences in three months in 1977, and a voice which spoke to me during my third episode gave me my mission. . . this work. My sense is that voice was of God.

Now, back to you. The telephone is one of the ways the dead can reach us. This happens fairly often. Sometimes no one is there when you answer the phone; sometimes the loved one speaks. It takes a great deal of energy for someone on the Other Side to contact people on this side. That energy is not always easy to muster. What you have described in your various experiences is a rather typical type of event and response. Those apparitions were real, what you saw was real, evidence to back this up is legion - scientific evidence. Skeptics claim no such evidence exists. They are wrong. There is more than enough research done in this area of the paranormal to more than establish the validity and reality of spirit communications and life of some kind after death.

In God real? I have no doubt that this is so, but maybe not as described in the Bible or the Qur'an. God is neither man nor woman, but an intelligence, an "isness," above and beyond what most of us can comprehend. So is the reason we are alive, our job while here, and what life seems to be about. I have a book coming out in 2014 that may "fill in the blanks" for you. It is entitled Dying to Know You: Proof of God in the Near-Death Experience. Subscribe to my free monthly newsletter on www.pmhatwater.com to be appraised of the latest in this and other related fields.

Blessings, PMH

Proof of the Afterlife in Spirit, Art, & Science

Folks, there are so many wonderful things to let you know about, that this blog will be devoted entirely to announcements. We’ll get back to questions and answers next time. Blessings, PMH


THE AFTERLIFE INVESTIGATIONS

Yes, there really is a DVD by that name, and it covers in detail what is called “the Scole Experiment.” The DVD is narrated by Britain’s leading investigative journalist, Donal MacIntyre.

For five years, a group of researchers and mediums came together in the English village of Scole. Their aim was to obtain irrefutable evidence for life after death.

They tackled radio and tape recorder anomalies, such as what Italy’s medium, Marcello Bacci, has produced. They used cameras to record the reaction of parents when they appeared to hear their dead children emerge from his work. Known as the “Electronic Voice Phenomenon,” this particular protocol has been investigated quite broadly in the United States and Europe, as well as in other countries.

Allison Dubois also participated. She was the inspiration for the hit TV drama, “Medium.” They really put her to the test, especially concerning a leading researcher who tragically died during the production of this DVD.

This DVD is 86 minutes long. If this interests you, contact www.theafterlifeinvestigations.com. Tim Coleman is the director/producer.


A SCIENTIFIC PROBE - ARTICLE OF INTEREST

The article is called “Scientists probe brief brushes with the afterlife.” It is by G. Jeffrey MacDonald and is well worth reading. Should you be interested in reading this article, here is the website - the address is very long: www.christiancentury.org/article/2011-01/scientists-probe-brief-brushes-afterlife.


I CLOSE MY EYES TO SEE




I know I have already announced this book, but I want to do it again. That’s because of how simple and vibrant and powerful it is. Written by Dan Rhema, his near-death experience and what he went through with the aftereffects is told mostly through his colorful art. His story alone of surviving multiple brain infections from Dengue Fever and Spinal Meningitis is enough to convince anyone of the power of faith and courage and miracles. Death’s pathway led him to worlds beyond this one, opening up realities quite impossible to describe.

When you come back from a near-death experience, you don’t really come back - at least not as the “you” who left. You return different, and that difference can seem as near to a curse as a blessing. Healing body and mind is one thing, grappling with realms of soul and spirit and Source and Beingness and a Light bigger than light, well, that’s something else.

This book is an e-book, available through any Barnes & Noble bookstores, or, you can order it through this link: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/I-Close-My-Eyes-to-See/Dan-Rhema/e/9780615430423/?itm=2&USRI=rhema.



SPIRITUAL RETREAT FOR NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCERS

Held once a year, this very special spiritual retreat for those who have had a near-death experience occurs May 12-14, 2011, at a spiritual retreat center near St. Louis, Missouri (made special by the most loving Catholic nuns imaginable - I know because I attended the first one ever held and it was incredible and so were they). The spiritual aspects of the near-death experience are the least explored in near-death studies. We use a few words like God and angels and heaven, but we never really apply any of this to what experiencers really feel and how that affects their daily life. Issues like this are front and central to this retreat, plus the magic of creativity.

The three near-death experiencers who originated this project are still at the helm, doing all they can to keep prices low so the retreat is affordable to most people. To register (and you do need to do this right away as space is limited)...access http://neardeathexperiencers.org. To talk to any of the three who put this on, contact: Linda Jacquin - jacadv@centurytel.net; Bill Taylor - wmmtaylor@gmail.com; and/or Dave Bennett - dharmadb@mac.com.



PROOF OF THE AFTERLIFE

‘Tis another near-death book, this one written by experiencer Br. Gary Joseph. Gary died in September of 2005 of an out-of-control heart arrhythmia. The fact that he revived thirty minutes later, both confused and amazed his physician. Since his experience, he has had frequent “God-encounters” and visits from the Other Side by family and friends, on a mission to facilitate love, mercy, forgiveness, and reconciliation. He calls his book, “Proof of the Afterlife: The Conversation Continues.”

This book is published by Mercy Books - all proceeds go to the homeless in America. Contact for book sales: www.servantsofthefather.org/buy_proof_of_the_afterlife, or call 1-800-266-5564. Beginning in March it will be available at all Barnes & Noble Bookstores, as well as Amazon.com. To reach Gary: Info@ServantsoftheFather.org.

Dealing with "Life as Always after Being Kicked Out of Heaven"

QUESTION: "This is no joke, and I am reluctant to really talk to anyone about it, as I am usually dismissed as just having a psychological subconscious problem.

"What happened was not any attempt on my subconscious or self-preservation need or anything else. To explain, I had just been killed dead as you can get after being hit from behind on my bicycle by a 3/4 ton pick-up truck doing 30 mph. I used to race motorcycles professionally. I have crashed many times very badly. I have been severly ravaged by 25'-plus waves while surfing, but never have I actually felt - 'This was it.'

"People say that people who get killed 'instantly' never knew what happened, it was so quick. Don't kid yourself. I heard the screech of tires braking and heard the loud bang and I knew instantly what had happened. I also knew immediately that - 'This was it' and I had bought the farm!!!

"I am not a serious Lutheran Christian, but I figured that since the 'jig' was up I better do something fast. I quickly got out: 'Father forgive me.' I have never used those words before in my life until Sunday, September 6, 1997, 2:15 pm.

"The real shock of my life came next when I was answered by a very strong voice which said, 'My son, you are forgiven' or 'You are forgiven my son.' The answer so shocked me, I could not reconcile my thoughts as things happened fast. The real shock came next as I realized I was literally suspended in 'eternal infinity.' There was a darkness of total black such as you could never experience on the darkest night with your eyes closed. I was totally aware of my presence in the sense of 360 degree in all directions. I felt no euphoria or pain or remorse or fear, but a total and complete sense of complete 'infinity' - absolute oneness with an infinite universe. "The final shock came when I noticed light begin to appear around the periphery of my consciousness. I immediately realized I had made the mistake of my existence, because I was going back to the world of the living. I could only imagine what condition my body must be in.

"My spine was severely damaged and a few ribs broken. I finally ended up on Social Security Disability, but my physical problems are nothing compared to my emotional problems. I can honestly tell anyone afraid of death, that it was the most overwhelming, non-stressful few minutes of my entire existence. Unfortunately, I really feel like I got cheated by being sent back to this world.

"I am not lacking financially. My physical pain is only a non-stop aggravating nuisance. I have gone on with my life and achieved several academic goals I had been putting off, and started a new business, etc. Big Deal. It all pales in light of what I know ultimately awaits me.

"I hate to say this or share this with you, but it is clear that the law of 'conservation of matter and energy' is true. Neither matter nor energy can be created or destroyed. The universe is both finite and infinite at the same time. I only wish someone could understand and internalize what I experienced, and maybe offer some comment. I don't think my knowledge of death is something that should really be known by anyone. It is a very strange burden. I wonder if it is a punishment sometimes.

"Any thoughts or comments would be appreciated."....Steve

ANSWER: Steve, many near-death experiencers feel as if they were "kicked out of heaven," as they preferred to stay where they were and not come back to "life as always." These people claim that our world here is like "black and white" compared to the full spectrum of colors, even colors more beautiful than here, that are present on the other side of death. If you ever have the opportunity to read my book, "Future Memory," you'll have some idea of how I was forced to reconsider the real from the unreal, the difference between what exists and what really exists. Should you ever read the book, however, allow me to give you this caution: "Future Memory" is not a book. It is a labyrinth. Because this is so, you cannot skip around in reading it or you will wonder why I ever wrote such a dumb book. The text will not hold together and will make little or no sense. If you read it straight through, not only will it make sense, your consciousness will change and lift and grow. That's the purpose of the book, actually, even though it explores the innerworkings of creation and consciousness. My deaths occurred in 1977, three in three months. Later that year I had three relapses. It was necessary for me to relearn how to walk, stand, run, climb stairs, crawl, tell the difference between left and right, see properly, hear properly, and rebuild all of my belief systems. I say this simply to convey that I understand where you are coming from, at least in part.

Don't believe anyone who says you were hallucinating or having a "psychotic break." What you described sounds to me like a full-blown near-death experience, and what you are now "growing through" sounds to me like dealing with the aftereffects. Please, please, please, get my book, "The Big Book of Near-Death Experiences," so you have the latest findings available, and so you can have a better sense of aftereffects - the pattern of physiological and psychological aftereffects, and what people go through in dealing with them. Not everyone appreciates the aftereffects - most of us have undergone many challenges with them, and the book speaks to this.

It is impossible for me in a brief e-mail to describe what I would like to about the aftereffects, and what it is like integrating one's experience, as well as learning how to live with the changes you have undergone. You are not the same person, and you never will be. But you can become larger, better, stronger, wiser, happier than you ever thought possible - once you embrace what has happened to you, what you have seen and now know, and the new you you have become. I did. You can. Do a little more reading, friend, then join IANDS (International Association for Near-Death Studies), so you can be with the rest of us (your peer group), and invite change into your life, and more and more of it, because it will come. And change is good, even though it may not feel like it is at the time.

Many blessings, PMH

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

While checking out how some of my books are doing over www.amazon.com, I was taken aback by comments in the "Reviews" section. The two I checked were "The Big Book of Near-Death Experiences" and "We Live Forever." Here's what I found:

** "The Big Book of Near-Death Experiences" - one of the researchers of near-death states who has never liked my work, proceeded to strip the book to pieces based on his insistence that only statistical protocols are valid, and what I did was, in essence, little more than nonsense. He failed to note that must of the material in the book came from other people, much of it based on clinical findings. This man has ripped apart my work before. His tirade against me began some time ago when I refused to review a book he had co-authored with another researcher. His publisher had mailed it to me without first asking for permission. I did read the entire book, then returned it without endorsement, as I considered the research it contained superficial and of little value. His publisher forwarded my letter to him. He was insensed, and has been on my case ever since. Should you wish to read a previous attack against me by him, just access my website at www.pmhatwater.com, and check out the Article Section. All of the controversy surrounding the ill-fated publication of my book "Children of the New Millennium" is posted, so readers can make up their own minds for themselves. I have never at any time claimed to be a scientist or a scholar. All of my work is original fieldwork, my protocol that of police investigative techniques. Should you wish verification of what I do, again, just check my website, and look for that section that defends my protocol by a man who once taught police science for many years.

** "We Live Forever" - a woman who reviewed the book had trouble with that chapter where I briefly relayed my three near-death experiences. She just couldn't accept my story, especially the fact that I had not sued the doctor who had mistreated me. I made no claim in the book to presenting my entire case, as it would have overwhelmed the book. I simply relayed enough to carry the theme of the book. As concerns the "bad" doctor, I had planned to sue him, and had consulted a lawyer, but two other of his patients beat me to the "punch," netting front page headlines in our newspaper. It was never my intention to go for "blood money" - rather to warn others to stay away from this man. Since my job was now done and the man would be punished, I withdrew my complaint. Actually, several readers had problems with my personal story. Reading what they wrote, brought to mind what has now happened in this country because of television documentaries and talk shows - and that is, the public now expects all near-death experiences to follow a stereo-typical style that always happens in hospitals. This is blatantly false. The public is being conditioned to accept misinformation because of the relentless drive of the media to always produce that which is sensational - demanding that the next case be more spectacular than the last - and that it fit in with what the television crew is capable of filming. This has not only warped the truth, but, a number of near-death experiencers are now writing books filled with absolutes, as if they and they alone knew what happens after death and how the universe runs. Near-death experiencers today are little more than entertainers. Please, folks, pay attention to the research. There is no "one size fits all" with the stories and what people can expect after death, and no experiencer who can do any more than share what he or she glimpsed of the Greater Story - and that's all they got, a glimpse. There is mystery here. Let's not cheapen it.

Thank you, PMH