Written by Michelle Robinson
It was long ago that a friend first challenged my assumption that we didn’t exist without our bodies.
One day she revealed that she had no fear of death because she was certain she would ‘continue’ even after her body died. Intrigued, I asked her for more information.
My friend told me that during labour with her daughter she had a massive haemorrhage while still at home. In hospital, medical staff struggled to save her; however, her vital signs continued to deteriorate.
Suddenly, she found herself looking down at a chaotic scene as doctors worked frantically to save a young woman’s life. She felt no shock, fear or pain, but was surprised to discover that the woman on the table undergoing an emergency caesarean was her. From ceiling level and off to one side, she was observing everything being done to try to save her life and the life of her daughter. She could see not only what was happening in that room, but also had a sense of her husband’s anxiety, could hear her parents’ thoughts and could be anywhere she wanted just by thinking about it.
Forty years later, and with a lot more understanding of the spiritual world, I have spoken to many men and women who have undergone what is now called an NDE, or Near-Death Experience. These are people who have been so ill that their spirit (or consciousness) has left their bodies and begun the journey home to their next life. However, in all cases of an NDE, often through resuscitation and other life preserving interventions, they return to their bodies and live.
In every sense of the word, these people are survivors.
While there are common threads in each of their stories – and you can read or watch thousands of their first-hand accounts online – each near-death experience is unique. Some of the more common threads involve a person suddenly realising that they are no longer in their body. They may find themselves in another space, sometimes a velvety void, with heightened awareness, though they have no physical form. The predominant feeling here tends to be of peacefulness and love. Many NDErs (Near Death Experiencers) report that they travel through a tunnel of light and then meet a spiritual being (or beings) of nurturing support and compassion. Frequently, there is a non-judgemental review of the person’s life, and they are supported through this process by a spiritual guide or a loved one they knew while on Earth. The person undergoing the life review is able to see and feel the consequences of the decisions they made not just for themselves, but for everyone involved in their actions. In other words, they feel the joy or pain they have caused to others as if reliving these actions from everyone’s perspective.
At some point, the person having the NDE either chooses to return to their life or is sent back because they have been told it is not yet their time to stay in this new place. I find this topic incredibly uplifting to research.
Next month, I’ll explore some of the impacts of having a Near Death Experience and how the wisdom brought back by these survivors may help us live more positively.
