10 Real Life Near-Death Experiences in the Press & Media: Global Evidence of the Near-Death by Richard Bullivant
Authors: Richard Bullivant
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INTRODUCTION
‘I don't believe in afterlife, although I am bringing a change of underwear.’
- Woody Allen – ‘Getting Even’
Do you believe in life after death? There are a great many people in the world today who have had near-death experiences, which makes this subject particularly fascinating, and not just to those in the scientific and medical professions.
The question has to be: Are you a sceptic or a believer or are you, like so many people, sitting on the fence ?
One thing is for sure, near-death experiences have held an enduring fascination for people throughout time, probably in the main because we yearn to know that we exist after the body has died. As the medical world has become more and more sophisticated in its resuscitation techniques, a greater number of us are surviving and being brought back ‘from death’s door’, and the incidents of near-death experiences are therefore rising.
According to the IANDS (International Association for Near-Death Studies) it defines a near-death experience as being:
‘A profound psychological event that may occur to a person close to death or who is not near death but in a situation of physical or emotional crisis. Being in a life-threatening situation does not, by itself, constitute a near-death experience. It is the pattern of perceptions, creating a recognizable overall event that has been called a near-death experience.’
Although every NDE (near-death experience) is unique to the experiencer, most include some or all of the following common features:
* Seeing one’s body from above (out-of-body experience or OBE or OOBE).
* Intense feelings.
* Going towards a light of great brightness from darkness.
* Seeing those that have gone before.
* A life review.
* A sense of being in another realm, not of this world.
* Great awareness and sharpness of mind.
* A decision to go back to their physical form.
There are many possible explanations as to why a NDE might occur, but broadly:
* In an attempt to psychologically make themselves feel better, people who think they may be about to die think of something pleasant.
* A chemical change in the brain happens as people ‘die’.
* After bodily death occurs, the soul lives on.
For many people who have had a near-death experience the after effects can be psychologically profound and have a huge impact on the way they conduct their lives thereafter. Inspiring stories abound of how a life has been transformed by the experience of an NDE. Often the experiencer finds their priorities in life have changed, for example, they find they do not place such emphasis on acquiring worldly goods but do place more emphasis on their relationships with their friends, their families, their lovers.
Many studies have been, and continue to be, undertaken by dedicated doctors and scientists the world over to try to understand more about the near-death experience. Although there is no doubt that a lot of data has been, and is still being, acquired, to date a lot of the results being analysed only produce theoretical opinion.
One of the main uncertainties about life after death and the occurrence of the NDE is that it can be very difficult to prove that the event took place whilst the patient was actually clinically dead. It could be for example that an operation was of a two hour duration but the patient was only actually clinically dead for ten minutes. It is actually very difficult to prove that the NDE occurred within that ten minute timeframe.
It has often been said that of those who have reported NDEs the most interesting group is children. The sceptic might suggest that an adult could perhaps have imagined a near-death experience based on their own personal views. But children are often too young to have any beliefs regarding death and the afterlife. Many studies have been undertaken regarding children’s near-death experiences and it is
‘I don't believe in afterlife, although I am bringing a change of underwear.’
- Woody Allen – ‘Getting Even’
Do you believe in life after death? There are a great many people in the world today who have had near-death experiences, which makes this subject particularly fascinating, and not just to those in the scientific and medical professions.
The question has to be: Are you a sceptic or a believer or are you, like so many people, sitting on the fence ?
One thing is for sure, near-death experiences have held an enduring fascination for people throughout time, probably in the main because we yearn to know that we exist after the body has died. As the medical world has become more and more sophisticated in its resuscitation techniques, a greater number of us are surviving and being brought back ‘from death’s door’, and the incidents of near-death experiences are therefore rising.
According to the IANDS (International Association for Near-Death Studies) it defines a near-death experience as being:
‘A profound psychological event that may occur to a person close to death or who is not near death but in a situation of physical or emotional crisis. Being in a life-threatening situation does not, by itself, constitute a near-death experience. It is the pattern of perceptions, creating a recognizable overall event that has been called a near-death experience.’
Although every NDE (near-death experience) is unique to the experiencer, most include some or all of the following common features:
* Seeing one’s body from above (out-of-body experience or OBE or OOBE).
* Intense feelings.
* Going towards a light of great brightness from darkness.
* Seeing those that have gone before.
* A life review.
* A sense of being in another realm, not of this world.
* Great awareness and sharpness of mind.
* A decision to go back to their physical form.
There are many possible explanations as to why a NDE might occur, but broadly:
* In an attempt to psychologically make themselves feel better, people who think they may be about to die think of something pleasant.
* A chemical change in the brain happens as people ‘die’.
* After bodily death occurs, the soul lives on.
For many people who have had a near-death experience the after effects can be psychologically profound and have a huge impact on the way they conduct their lives thereafter. Inspiring stories abound of how a life has been transformed by the experience of an NDE. Often the experiencer finds their priorities in life have changed, for example, they find they do not place such emphasis on acquiring worldly goods but do place more emphasis on their relationships with their friends, their families, their lovers.
Many studies have been, and continue to be, undertaken by dedicated doctors and scientists the world over to try to understand more about the near-death experience. Although there is no doubt that a lot of data has been, and is still being, acquired, to date a lot of the results being analysed only produce theoretical opinion.
One of the main uncertainties about life after death and the occurrence of the NDE is that it can be very difficult to prove that the event took place whilst the patient was actually clinically dead. It could be for example that an operation was of a two hour duration but the patient was only actually clinically dead for ten minutes. It is actually very difficult to prove that the NDE occurred within that ten minute timeframe.
It has often been said that of those who have reported NDEs the most interesting group is children. The sceptic might suggest that an adult could perhaps have imagined a near-death experience based on their own personal views. But children are often too young to have any beliefs regarding death and the afterlife. Many studies have been undertaken regarding children’s near-death experiences and it is
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