NDE Interpretations and Reaching Back to Source

QUESTION

        “In the cardiac situation, a person is dead until/unless he is resuscitated.  Some who are resuscitated have had spiritual experiences; some have no memory of such.  One interpretation of this fact is that everyone cannot remember, although having had an actual experience.  Another interpretation is that not everyone who dies has such an experience.  What is your interpretation?”....Larry

ANSWER

        Both can be and often are true.  We have no way of knowing as researchers why some people have near-death experiences and others do not.  The global figure for the general population is between 4 to 5%.  In the clinical or emergency setting, the figure is between 12 to 21%.  That means a significant number of people do not have them.  The way you can tell if a person did have such an experience but just doesn’t remember having had it, however, is the aftereffects.  The pattern of physiological and psychological aftereffects holds true for both children and adults.  It’s the aftereffects that validate the experience, not the other way around.  And the aftereffects emerge based on the intensity of the episode.  In my research base, 79% were significantly impacted by what happened to them - changes were lifelong.  The other 21% claimed no such changes (aftereffects) occurred.  These people said their experience was more like a fleeting dream, nothing to it.  In those cases where I could have sessions with significant others of these experiencers, those folks winked at me and said the individual really had changed and was indeed showing some of the aftereffects pattern.  This fact pointed out that few experiencers realize the extent to which they have changed.  They don’t recognize it.  Neither did I.  It took years before I looked back and saw how much I had changed - people were telling me - but I didn’t believe them.  Blessings, PMH

QUESTION

        “Hello, I’m fairly new to the stories of people who have strayed just a little beyond the realm of consciousness we refer to as life.  Although I have never had a near-death experience, I strongly believe in the existence of an afterlife and spiritual world.  In my life, besides my earthly endeavors, I feel I have a strong need to find the source to which near-death experiences often refer.  I know I have it within myself, and I strive to commune with it, but it always seems just beyond reach - though I can sense its beauty, power, and eternity.  My question is whether one can reach that place within the soul while still alive?  At times I’ve experienced hints of it through meditation and (I almost hesitate to admit) psylocybic mushrooms.  Of course one hears of Jesus, Buddha, Paramahansa Yogananda, and the rest, but I fear that my path will be forever thwarted by my unstable life, my constant worry about finances, and a general lack of peace within my own mind.  It seems it would take no less than death (not intentional death) to unleash the bonds which prevent me from moving into that place.  It is my intuition that tells me that it would benefit myself and even humanity around me if only I had the strength and conviction to reach it.  I am blessed that I happened to see your interview from what looks like a long ago on YouTube.  It would be my luck to meet you in person someday.  I would appreciate any advice you would have for me in the meantime deeply.  And of course I send my thanks to you for inspiring words.”.....Darwin

ANSWER

        The way my husband put it one day, answers your question best.  We were having a discussion about enlightenment, reaching that state of higher mind and then being able to integrate the experience in a useful way in one’s life.  My husband reached his through the martial arts (he at one time was a karate monk), and me by dying.  I pounded on the table and said to him:  “It’s not fair.  You got there the easy way.  I had to die to get there.  I had to suffer, and there was all that pain and blood.”  He patted my head as if I were a puppy dog, and said:  “I have a theory about that.  Only those people who need to be knocked around get it the way you did.  The rest of us don’t need to go through that.”  I threw a pillow at him.  Chuckle.

        But he’s right.  In a way almost unfathomable, we get what we need in life and in the manner that best suits us.  For those as stubborn as a concrete wall, it takes a tragedy or perhaps a series of blows in life that either wake us up or turn us around.  For the rest, just the desire to be a better person does the job, or maybe a lifetime of prayer and meditation.  And meditation certainly is an effective and wonderful way to begin one’s inner journey and to ensure both protection and completion.  I meditate and pray every morning.  That’s a must for me.  No amount of interruptions interfere with that.

        There are many paths to the God of Our Being, and, that’s where you go, deep within and through your heart of hearts.  We all know the path; it’s just that most of us have forgotten it.  What spiritual/religious commitment does is help us to remember what we already know.  Unity Church  offers some great classes in this.  So does Science of Mind (also known as the United Centers of Spiritual Living or Church of Religious Science).  Even just an A.R.E. Study Group is great.  A.R.E. stands for the Association for Research and Enlightenment (based on the psychic readings of Edgar Cayce).  Google for addresses in your area as all of these are global.  there are a number of books out that offer tips for the inner journey and how-tos, so many, in fact, that I no longer remember their titles.

        The longing to reach back to Source is within all of us.  and that longing is wiggling around within you right now, or you would not have written to me.  Read my latest book, Near-Death Experiences:  The Rest of The Story.  I am certain you will find information in that book that will apply to you, help you to better understand yourself and the process of the inner journey.  Bon Voyage!  Blessings, PMH

An "Oh, I get it" Moment

COMMENTS FROM GARY


This is not a question, per se, but an interesting comment from a man becoming more spiritually aware. I’d like to share his letter with you.


“I’ve been reading stories on your website and it compelled me to write to you. Although I have not had an NDE, I did have an experience of enlightenment in November of 2007. The reason I am writing to you is that my experience has left me with very similar results that the stories, as those who have experienced NDEs, reveal.


“I was sitting in front of my computer one morning, thinking of life and what is really going on. Suddenly, I had an “Oh, I get it” moment. I understood the life cycle, how we got here, why we are here, what happens to us when we die, dreams, etc. I understood that all living things are here for the same reason. I could see the root of what drives us. After about two weeks of this rolling through my mind, I felt I had to start writing about it. I knew that it was the only way I could progress past the same whirlwind of thoughts that were going through my mind. As I was writing I was realizing that, I am not a writer, and how difficult it was to explain what I knew. Keeping it in coherent order was a challenge. The experience changed my life in much the same way as those that have had an NDE. Most notably, a lack of desire for material possessions, money and success, and an enhancement to help others. Although the quest for money was never much of a priority in my life, I gained a feeling that there would always be enough to survive.


“I noticed the explanation of life as a river, on a (your?) website. I had the same thoughts as I was trying to figure out how to explain my new understanding of life. I have been astounded to find the same analogies that I have come up with over the past two and a half years. I never thought that I would find anyone that thought the way I did. I didn’t get it from books or church. It just came to me. Now, I am beginning to find that there are others that have similar results, although they don’t seem to explain it the same. It’s been challenging, but rewarding in many ways. Rejection of my understanding seems to be the norm. I have had better results through application than explanation.


“I have spent much of my life thinking about this. Reading, wondering, thinking, observing. I realized at an early age, that all of the clues are right in front of us. I was raised in a Christian environment, going to Church and Sunday School regularly. I never really understood much of it. There seemed to be something to it, since so many believe in it. I read the Bible, from cover to cover, around the year 2000. I had no preconceived idea, other than to read every word and see what unfolded. I came away with a bit of a different understanding of it than what I had been taught. In my quest to understand life, I had been exposed to Buddhism, chanting, astral projection, and even looked into numerology, astrology, and quite a variety of other things that left me with as many questions as answers. It all gelled that morning. The outcome was quite different than what I had observed, but my new knowledge is indisputable in my mind. I have been finding corroborating evidence ever since.


One of the things that came to me was the purpose of dreams. I have come to the conclusion that there are three states of mind. Awake (awareness in the physical), dormant sleep (lack of awareness), and dreams (awareness outside of the physical). The purpose of dreams is to allow for the understanding that our souls are separate from our bodies, although fully integrated. That there is awareness outside of the physical experience. The level of awareness is diminished from the out-of-body experience and NDE. The vividness of the latter two is enhanced. Just before my father died, he expressed some very vivid dreams. I viewed them as out-of-body experiences in preparation for his passing. The doctors passed it off as hallucination. He also experienced things when he was awake. The doctors classify it as “sun downer syndrome.” It seems to be related to some of the things that people experience after their NDE. I will stop here.”....Gary


A NOTE ON GARY’S COMMENTS


We all wonder about life and how things work, at times. Some of us go through a “peak experience” when suddenly the puzzle pieces fall together - maybe because of a revelation or with a new understanding. Spiritual experiences, those revelatory moments that catch us off-guard, are rich with insight and meaningful upliftment. Sometimes “a special light” illuminates what was once invisible to us. Almost every adult who truly made a difference for the better in this world, had an illumination like this as a child. The near-death phenomenon feeds this desire in us to know more, to glimpse behind the visible world and see what else is there. I thank Gary for sharing with me. Near-death states touch into every aspect of life and its living. They challenge or inspire us in ways little else does. People were dead - no breath, no heartbeat, no brain wave or cortical activity - and now they’re back. . . and they have a story to tell. And we need to listen.


It is my hope that you will read my newest and last book about my research of the near-death phenomenon: Near-Death Experiences: The Rest of The Story (Hampton Roads; Charlottesville, VA, 2011). There are many voices who speak through my findings. Don’t skip over or underestimate them. This is not “same old.” Slowly but surely I introduce new material until Chapter 16 when the whole book changes. It changes because our view of near-death experiences needs to change. The near-death experience is not some kind of anomaly; rather, it is part of the larger genre of transformations of consciousness. People like Gary touch into that higher reality. They take a step into light and are forever changed. Read about threshold experiences and the science of fluid dynamics in the book (this explains so much). Read about the real truth behind spiritual experiences - the biological imperative that they are. Read about the new Christology, what Christ Consciousness really is.


Spirituality is an important and necessary part of life. For those of you who discover that through stories about near-death episodes and the work people like me have done, thank you for opening your mind - to the awareness of your own soul. Blessings, PMH