Near-death experiences: What really happens?

Been there and done that. The thing I take away from my own experience as well as that of others is that the experience is personal and dependent upon your perspectives, beliefs and experience. In any case it doesn't hurt but, personally, I am in no rush to go there again.

To the hospice nurse, I believe you, too. I want to say hospice nurses are wonderful. They helped us when my sister died and without their compassionate care we would have never made it. I don't know anything about near death experiences, but my sister told a family member she was "spoken for" before she passed on. I believe that, too.

Perspective wrote "While there are many worlds, there are probably not many universes. How would consciousness perpetuate itself in an infinite number of parallel worlds without knowing?"

Is it possible that the infinite possibilities of a collapsing quantum wave are played out within the entire quantum field through different localized consciousnesses? I have a choice to make, eat this bread or throw it away. The moment I make a decision, the quantum world collapses and it's potential is realized through an actualized decision. The opposite decision is played out in a parallel universe? No, maybe it is played out by another localized conscience, your next door neighbor who decided to throw out the bread.

Hi I had a near death experience 6 years ago. I didn't see any white lite or anything else. I think maybe it is people's imagination doing it to them. I didn't leave my body and I didn't even know it happened. After five paddles I was back and living again. My wife told me I had died for about 3 or 4 minutes. So I don't know but it seems it is just something for people to think about and research for lack of something better to do. As I say Devil didn't want me, God didn't want me so I just have to keep living. Yes I do believe in God.

Well I died 6 years ago today. I DID NOT see any white lite and I didn't leave my body or anything else. Seems to me scientists could use their time on something more valid to help the world. As I say the Devil didn't want me, God didn't want me so I just had to keep living. Yes I do believe in God.

I've never had one of these experiences. But I do believe that when you die you either go to heaven or hell based upon your relationship with God and your faith in salvation through Jesus Christ. For there is no other way to God except through Jesus.

I had a near death experience on June 25, 2007. I was recovering from triple by-pass surgery when a drug combination that I was being given caused me to experience cardiac arrest. I vividly remember sitting on the head of my hospital bed wondering why no one was coming to help me. I stayed in that state for approximately five minutes when the nurse came in and found me. Of course a "Code Blue" was called and resuscitation began.

I distinctly remember hovering above my "body" while they worked on me. I knew everyone in that room as I actually worked in that hospital, on that floor. I watched them intubate me and attempt various means of trying to regain heart beat.

While this was going on, I remember floating off and following the warm glow that I was deparately attracted to. While floating I do remember many of my childhood memories and memories of my own children as babies. I felt at peace. As I felt myself continue to float, I could hear the voices of my previously departed family members. My grandparents, various aunts and uncles and my father.

I felt a tug on my shoulders and my father telling me, "Slip, it is not time for you to come here yet. You have to go back and finish something important. You still have a long time left." "Slip" was a nickname my father called me when I was a child. I did not want to return, I wanted to stay when I felt him push me very hard. At that second, they had shocked me and I can distinctly remember the feeling of being sucked back into my body as if it were a vacuum. I also remember gasping for that first breath.

I obviously recovered physically, but emotionally I am a very changed woman. I never had a fear of dying as my faith in our Lord is strong enough to know there are wonderful things in store for us, but I now suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, I do have some limited mental deficits and I am very much reserved whereas prior to this event, I was very outgoing.

I have dreamed the events of that night vividly quite frequently. I have absolutely no doubt that I was blessed enough to have seen the other side. I teasingly call myself a "heaven's reject", but am grateful for having returned and enjoy watching my grandchildren, my legacies, grow. I know through them that a part of me will live forever.

With that said, I do know that this issue has been discussed, written about, and studied for many years. I also know that several years ago, if anyone had said they experienced death they would have been chastised. Some of that is evident today. However, no matter what anyone thinks I am, without a shadow of a doubt, convinced about what had happened to me. Thank you for allowing me to share and God bless.........

I had a near death experience on June 25, 2007. I was recovering from triple by-pass surgery when a drug combination that I was being given caused me to experience cardiac arrest. I vividly remember sitting on the head of my hospital bed wondering why no one was coming to help me. I stayed in that state for approximately five minutes when the nurse came in and found me. Of course a "Code Blue" was called and resuscitation began.

I distinctly remember hovering above my "body" while they worked on me. I knew everyone in that room as I actually worked in that hospital, on that floor. I watched them intubate me and attempt various means of trying to regain heart beat.

While this was going on, I remember floating off and following the warm glow that I was deparately attracted to. While floating I do remember many of my childhood memories and memories of my own children as babies. I felt at peace. As I felt myself continue to float, I could hear the voices of my previously departed family members. My grandparents, various aunts and uncles and my father.

I felt a tug on my shoulders and my father telling me, "Slip, it is not time for you to come here yet. You have to go back and finish something important. You still have a long time left." "Slip" was a nickname my father called me when I was a child. I did not want to return, I wanted to stay when I felt him push me very hard. At that second, they had shocked me and I can distinctly remember the feeling of being sucked back into my body as if it were a vacuum. I also remember gasping for that first breath.

I obviously recovered physically, but emotionally I am a very changed woman. I never had a fear of dying as my faith in our Lord is strong enough to know there are wonderful things in store for us, but I now suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, I do have some limited mental deficits and I am very much reserved whereas prior to this event, I was very outgoing.

I have dreamed the events of that night vividly quite frequently. I have absolutely no doubt that I was blessed enough to have seen the other side. I teasingly call myself a "heaven's reject", but am grateful for having returned and enjoy watching my grandchildren, my legacies, grow. I know through them that a part of me will live forever.

With that said, I do know that this issue has been discussed, written about, and studied for many years. I also know that several years ago, if anyone had said they experienced death they would have been chastised. Some of that is evident today. However, no matter what anyone thinks I am, without a shadow of a doubt, convinced about what had happened to me. Thank you for allowing me to share and God bless.........

I had a near death experience in the hospital once. The doctors were amazed that I am alive. What I remember is this: I was in the corner of my hospital room looking back at myself then traveling real fast through this dark void moving faster and faster almost falling feeling. I remember saying "I'm coming mom" she has been gone for years at this point. Then I was suddenly in this beautiful place I know to be Heaven. I saw Jesus and He smiled at me. I saw a huge hand come from my right side that was so full of love and peace and power it defies description. The Fathers hand sent me back into my body. This is why the doctors were amazed I should have been dead. By the way they have it ALL on film, brain eeg reading, heart monitor reading and sound recordings. I have epilepsy and was in for observation when I died. That for the nay sayers out there cant argue with fact. God exists and I can't wait to go back. Just not done with what He sent me here to do. Later.........

Spitfire, I'm a former nurse, myself (now I edit medical transcription). I have to say I'm surprised at your view, and that of the other medical folks here. It's very interesting to me, and I am not being facetious, here. The hospice experiences interest me most (Willow). I was always an office nurse, and had been an EMT, but never saw a patient actually die (they were either about to die or were in fact dead, when we got to the scenes) I have no inpatient experience outside of nursing school. This is a fascinating discussion. Hopefully we won't get any more smart-alecks and get more stories of NDEs.

As for me, I have not had a so-called near death experience but I like everyone else harness spiritual belief and opinion on the matter. Several years ago I saw a program on TV, perhaps some of you saw it too, dealing with the issue. One gentleman who told his story was a bigot/racist who hated black people; a drunk who physically and verbally abused his wife and children. Needless to say, they had a terrible relationship. Then, as fate would have it, the man had an accident: he fell off a cliff and laid unconscious for hours on the beach until he was found in the early morning by someone out for a ocean side jog. He was just far enough ashore where the waves did not entirely cover him as they came in and out. After recovering, he spoke of his experience. While he did not see any bright lights, on the contrary, he said the place where he was standing, by a bridge, was dark and misty. and he saw people, or what he thought was silhouettes of people, moving to and fro the bridge. But he could not cross the bridge and whenever he attempted to do so, someone or a voice said unto him "not your time yet." Three times he said this happened. He went onto say he felt disappointed and wondered why he was not allowed to cross over as some of the others who were also standing and waiting to do so. As it were, he regained consciousness and became a benevolent soul. His hatred for black people turned into a special, admiring and kind love. His relationship with his wife and children increased immensely for the good. He said he no longer feared "death." Though I was inclined to believe his story, I knew it was but a television documentary. Aside from my faith, I really did not know if his story was true or not. So I thought if I could actually meet and talk to someone myself with a similar experience and compare what that person had to say as oppose to what the aforementioned gentleman said, then it would confirm my thoughts on the matter. Several years later it happened. I met someone who was beaten to a pulp, shot in the torso, severely damaging his spleen and left on the streets for dead. That night he said he was told two other persons came into the emergency room with similar gunshot wounds and did not survive. In fact, he said the doctors who operated on him referred to him as their "diamond." He was also went onto describe his experience. He said he saw a great light and felt euphoric as he saw people moving into the light. Anxious and glad he said could not wait for his time to come; but when his moment had come, or so he thought, he was refused entry. Did a voice speak unto I ask? "Yes" he said. And what did the voice say? "Not your time yet," he replied. How many times were you denied? "Three times" he said. He also said that he felt angry, utterly vex, that he was denied entry into the light. "Why can't I go," he recalled saying to himself. Nonetheless, he survived to tell his story and by my encounter with him now I have absolutely no doubt whatsoever in life after "death" as we know it. There is more to life than what meets the eye. What do you think?

Wickeddoll~

I'm not sure what you mean by "surprised"..my experience is/was that of a inpatient care RN along with my work as a Palliative Care/Hospice RN. I have tremendous regard for the worth of one's life. Experiencing death is much like experiencing birth, a very special, very "spiritual" moment that transcends the "words" we have in this life to describe the immense emotional feelings. Words just can not convey those feelings & observations. It has nothing to do with one's religious beliefs, I don't care what you believe, the joy felt in life's transitions are phenomenal. Yes, joy...a strange way to express the death of someone. But when a infirmed individual is freed from the pain of a mortal body & a mind imprisoned by Alzheimers is now released it is a gift for that individual & for their loved ones.

I have tremendous regard for those who have had NDE & hope more are shared, I find the expression of these experiences to be fascinating & comforting; not only to myself as an individual but also as a professional who will continue to deal with death.

My youngest son was murdered five months ago and I am haunted by so many unanswered questions regarding his last minutes. He was such a happy person to have his life cut short is bad enough but to wake up every morning and have my first thought he what were his last minutes life leaves me feeling like screaming all day, every day. I will never know and studies such as this do nothing to ease my pain. Death is a mystery and try as scientists might until they find a way of coming back we will never know, maybe even then we won't know. One other thing that has bothered me for years is when a young man who worked for me in 1988 confided to me that he was going to die soon. I told him that he was being silly, to put such thoughts out of his mind. He was shot and killed the next day in a freak accident in his home. How did he know he was going to die? Since then I have heard of many people experiencing the same phenomenon.

I remember as a young boy, my father telling me about an out-of-body experience his father had a few months earlier during open-heart surgery. My grandfather nor my father were ever the types of people I would imagine who would make up a story like this. Quite the contrary, they were always very truthful and to my recollection synical of anything about an afterlife or ghosts, etc. But I will never forget my father's face as he told me how my grandfather confided in him that he had found himself floating above what appeared to be his body on the operating table below; his chest split open and his heart being worked on by the surgeons in the room. My father's facial expressions as he described this event to me showed he barely could beleive it himself but, judging the source, he relayed the events as told to him.

Decades later, as a cable technician, I had a watered-down experience of my own.....I fell off a house ladder while about 14ft off the ground. I obviously didn't die or come close but what I took away from the event was a new respect for things I...we, don't quite understand. While falling, I realized that time really does slow down in situations where your well-being may be affected. I had enough time in that 2 seconds or so it took me to hit the ground to think about what would happen if I broke my neck or if I should push off from the ladder to try and have the ladder land first and not have my leg[s} tangled within the rungs or even how my wife and daughter would go on if I were paralyzed or unable to continue working. I am in no way closed-minded to the idea of an afterlife or other events that show us there are things beyond our normal human, limited comprehension.

No one really understands NDE and probably never will. In one study they had numbers or letters in big font on the wall and asked people who had had NDE in the ERs what numbers or letters were on the wall and NOT ONE could tell them. So What does that say about the authenticity of NDE. The verdict is still out.

I was 12 yrs old playing with cousins in the Atlantic ocean and was swept out by a strong current. I was an "ok" swimmer, but I was no match for the waves and undertow I was caught up in. I tired very quickly as I kept fighting to swim back towards the shore, only to be pulled out further and further away. In no time I was drowning.
The thing I remember most clearly was how one moment I was fighting for every breath, my heart was pounding, my muscles were tired, and the sound of the ocean was roaring in my ears- and in the next moment everything was amazingly quiet, I stopped struggling, and I was no longer in a panic. It was as if someone had flipped a switch and not only was the terrifying event over, my heart and body felt as if I had been peacefully sleeping- I had no fear at all, I didn't even feel out of breath.
However, I was still very much in danger, and very far from the shore.

At this point I heard a solid voice behind me, as if I were being held by a Spirit, out in the water. The voice asked me a question, and at the same time I had a vision. (I'd like to keep the question and the vision private for personal reasons), but basically I was given a choice to stay with my family, or go with the Spirit.

Obviously I chose to stay here for a while longer, I am now 39.

After making my choice, it was if a switch was flipped again. The fear, the struggle, the exhaustion, and the noise returned, but instead of being dragged further out to sea, a big wave came up behind me and I was finally pushed towards the shore. By the time I could feel the the earth beneath my feet an ambulance had been called and all of my family (this was a family re-union) were standing on the beach, or rushing into the water to try to help me the rest of the way in.

The first words out of my Mom's mouth when she saw me were, "Cora, you are as white as a ghost".

It took me 2 or 3 weeks to tell my parents what I experienced in the water that day. I didn't see a white light, or see Angels, or dead family members, nor can I medically prove that my heart had stopped- or that I was officially dead for any length of time. I can tell you I was cold, extremely pale, and coughed up a lot of sea water once I was on land again, and due to exhaustion I most certainly would have drowned if I had been out there much longer.

I do think there is a spiritual transition when we die. Our souls continue to exist when the body perishes, and from what I experienced, the transition was a peaceful one...as opposed to "living" which seems to be full of struggle, fear, and often pain- as well as love. Love strong and powerful enough to draw us back, or keep us here.

I don't share this story often, but for some reason, tonight- it felt like the right time and place to do so. Thank you for the opportunity to write about it.

I dont know that this is a near death experience, but several years ago I was in a bad marriage and one day he came home and asked me if I was going to ask God to forgive me the day I died, and I said yes why, and he said well you better start asking and he started to kill me. He first beat my head against the wall until I blacked out, I was in the front room and when I woke up I was on the floor in the hall, dont know how long I was out or what happened inbetween but at that point after I woke up he started choking me, I remember trying to pray and I couldnt think of ANYTHING I was blank and couldnt breath and I went out, when I went out, I remember I was laughing and running along side a pink convertible, running and laughing along side a bunch of friends, I remember the peace and happiness I felt, it makes me get butterflies everytime I think about how I felt, its hard to explain the peace and the happiness, but dont know why I was running next to a convertible with friends..and I cant say who they were, dont remember any faces, just remember the freedom, peace and happiness feeling. Then I woke up and he was looking at me, and you know in the movies when someone wakes up and everything looks SO BIG and distorted well thats how it looked and then I started focusing on stuff and started to pray again as my head was clearing up..I am a 5 ft tall very petite person, he was 230 lbs and 6 ft 2. Well all the sudden his hands which were STILL around my neck FLEW BACK and he was PUSHED backwards off me! There was NO ONE In the room but us! God saved me that day! Dont exactly know if that was a near death but I know I felt good where ever I was!

i had 3 near death experiences. 1st time when i was in the hospital and passed out i saw a tunnel of bright light with an agel that resembled my deceased grandmother extending her hand to me to come with her and my granddad was in the background playing the piano...he was very happy to see me. i told my grandma i wasn't ready to go and that i had too many things to do on earth. next thing i knew i was surrounded by nurses. 2nd experience was when i was at home and i couldn't wake up and i heard a voice that said come on you gotta wake up someone's trying to get in. i could hear banging and my body could not move. i had to force my self up and then i went to peep out the door and saw 2 men. i turned on the light outside and it scared them away. next day my neighbor asked if heard any noises because someone broke into her house. 3rd experience was when i was driving too fast in the rain and my car did a 360 degree turn went up in the air and landed facing traffic in a ditch. when the car came to a complete stop the sky lit up and i saw a flashback of my entire life. i remembered what was most important to me and then i shook it off and got out of my car without any scratched. these instances were scary but for real.

This is a fasceinating subject. I have not had one of these experiences but I believe our "spirit self" continues on after our experience here on earth ends. I can only say that I believe this after seeing a friend die in the hospital. I believe there is much much more out there we do not yet understand and the fact that our planet, so perfectly suited for life is the only one we know of so far. It does not make sense to me that we just cease to exist when our human body dies.

Death is the biggest mystery that confronts us all, ready for it or not. I personally have been visited by two of my dear friends who have passed away. Both times it was within a few minutes of their actual death. One drowned and the other was murdered by a neighbor. Scott was shot several times in an ambush the night before. He was pronounced dead at the hospital about 4:45 am the next morning. That is the time that was on my clock when I was startled out of a sound sleep. I heard "Danny, I'm good!"As I sat up in bed, he said it again. His voice was clear as a bell and sounded just like him. A couple of hours later, his wife called to tell me that he died. My mother's brother John was killed in an auto accident 200 miles from home. She was reading a book in her bedroom when her brother appeared in front of her. She knew nothing of the accident. He said to her, "Arline, I've come to say good-bye." Then he was gone. I don't know about heaven or hell, but I believe that we have a soul that moves on when our body dies.

If anyone is really interested in reading about NDE's, I recommend near-death.com. It is probably the most comprehensive study on NDE's on the internet. It has so much info that one can read for months.

I'm 51 years old and I've remembered this as clearly as I see my monitor & keyboard right now. When I was 3 years old, I almost drowned in the ocean. When the 1st wave hit me, I "popped" out of my body and became an observer.

I remember seeing myself being rolled over in a backwards somersault by the waves. I was wearing a little blue & green bathing suit with the little ruffle around the waist fluttering in the water. I was an impartial observer - I felt no pity or sorrow for the little girl; I was just simply watching without emotion. The only thing I thought was interesting was I noted that I didn't need to breath and I was underwater. Whatever I was didn't need air. Doesn't this seem odd for a 3 year old to think?

There was no bright light, no relatives came to visit, no higher spirits. I've wondered many times since - why didn't anyone come to help me?

Some things haven't been very good now and then in the past few years and I've considered suicide. It would be so nice just to be in that silent place where there are no problems. Please don't worry I'm not thinking about this now - I'm just sharing. Has there ever been any relation between people that have had NDE and suicides?

In 1972 I was 20 years old. My grandfather had passed away 6 weeks before. I was the driver in a head on collision I could not avoid caused by the other driver. Before the hit I instinctively put my hands in front of my face as i knew if I hit the steel steering wheel with my head unprotected I would die.(no shoulder harness in a 66 Ford Falcon) The next thing I remember was floating out of my body, looking down on myself dead in car. I was floating through a swirling white tunnel of light with a brilliant white light at its end. Suddenly my Grandfather was telling me to go back, I was too young, I had things to do. I saw myself floating back down into my body. As I got to the level of my body, i felt myself re-enter my body. My eyes opened, I was Alive. I had been gone a few minutes, as when I opened my eyes people were already gathered around, tending to others in both cars. People saw me get out of car and came over, said they had left me as they thought I was dead. I had a broken nose, both eyes became blackened down past cheekbones almost to nostrils and ear to ear, ( i believe it took a while for that to happen, overnight I think) I had a lump on my forehead immediately the size of a large egg. The emergency room doctors told me I had enough of a head trauma to cause death and wondered why I was alive, I told them my story, they nodded as if they'd heard it before.

I was a hospice nurse. I was called to a home to pronounce a man who had died. On arrival the man was lying in bed, very much alive. The family explained that the adult daughter became upset, started beating him on the chest saying, Daddy I am not ready for you to go. He came back to life. Knowing the man had died already and was back, I stayed, feeling that he would die again soon. We waited for a while and sure enough he died again, while I was listening to his heart to assure he was gone, and he was, the daughter again started beating him on the chest again, saying the same thing. Again, he came back. This time he looked at his daughter and said, "Don't do that again, I have seen my mansion" The wife asked him, "Have you seen mine" He matter of factually said, "No, they are not ready for you yet." In a few minutes he died again for the third time. This time the daughter allowed her Father to continue his journey. This is a true story. No reason to make up something for the sake of taking up space here. This assured me that there is a life after death.

I had a near death experience as a very young child. I was in the fields and streams near our home and I fell into the water. I nearly drown and realize this now as I remember hoovering above my brothers and sisters watching them panic and crying over me. Becuase of this I have always been extremely insightful and intuitive. I can eaisly detect deceipt and dishonesty in people and have a sort of 6th sence I guess you could say. So, long story short, as a scientist, I would be more interested in the after effects/result of the near death experience as opposed to the then "brain" evaluation. Good luck to you however in your efforts.