This is my fifth article on near-death experiences or NDEs. These amazing experiences have been reported by millions of people who came close to dying or died briefly.
Some believe they are the result of brain activity during the dying process. Others believe they are glimpses of life after death on the ‘other side’. What is an NDE?
No two NDEs are exactly the same, but there are common elements. Some of these elements are an out-of-body experience, going through a tunnel, being greeted on the other side by ancestors, indescribable peace, meeting a beautiful Being of Light, having a life review, and profound after-effects, such as no longer having any fear of death.
Some NDE-ers yearn to return to the Light. In the Light, all human desire is fulfilled. They say the Light is where we came from and where we will all return. The exception is suicide. People attempting suicide are usually stuck in a “grey zone.” Their souls are isolated as they wander aimlessly in a misty, grey fog cut off from the Light. This seems to be a continuation of the emotional pain that suicides felt just before their suicide attempt.
Once they return, NDE-ers who have had a negative experience in the grey zone will say that suicide is not the answer. Their problems didn’t go away. They were stuck in the very pain from which they tried to escape. They said they couldn’t say if this experience lasted a few minutes or for many years. Time was frozen.
Other people who attempted suicides said after a period of ‘time’, the Light finally appeared. They felt ashamed but the powerful love coming from the Light was very healing. When they returned from their NDE, they realized suicide was a ‘really bad idea’. If they had hung on a bit longer, things would have changed.
Years ago in a healing circle, I heard an Elder say if we commit suicide, we will have to live our days in spiritual darkness until the time comes when we would have died of natural causes. This teaching implies we are born with a set time on earth. In Greek mythology, our allotted time is spun out on a spinning wheel by the three goddesses of Fate. One Fate spins the thread, the second Fate stretches out the thread, and the third Fate cuts the thread. Cutting the thread represents the appointed time of death. When our number is up, it’s time to go. We should not try to cut the thread short.
NDE-ers report a similar idea. They say that we come to Earth with a ‘contract’. This contract is an agreement made with our ancestors. The contract contains things such as who our parents will be, and who will be the significant people in our life, such as our spouse or our children. The contract may contain lessons we need to learn. We have an ‘assignment’, so to speak. The contract may also contain the manner of our death and the time of death.
NDE-ers will often say there are two very important lessons in life. The first lesson is to learn how to love. This is super important. This is what the being of Light is most interested in. The second lesson is to learn wisdom. Love and wisdom are the only two things we take with us when we return to our spiritual home in the Light.
What is the Light?
NDE-ers use different names. Some identify the Light with a religious figure such as the Christ. When children have NDEs, the Light is often a beautiful female. She is a divine mother. Others say the Light is simply ‘unconditional love’. Some say the Light is the power that created the universe. Others call the Light the ‘source’ of all being. Whatever they call the Light, once they meet it, they do not want to come back to this world. The Light is our true home. Some NDE-ers say there are whole worlds beyond the Light. Finally, many experiencers say the NDE is only the doorway or an “in-between” place. They sensed there was even more to come but they were sent back.
When NDE-ers try to tell others about their experiences, they get different reactions. Some people belittle the NDE-er and reject their experience. Some tell the NDE-er to go see a psychiatrist. Some religious conservatives tell NDE-ers their experience was from the devil. No comfort there.
Often medical staff will dismiss the experience as a hallucination. This is not very helpful to the NDE-er. Fortunately, NDEs have been reported for so many years now that more and more people realize, whatever the experiences are, they are very real to the NDE-er. I have given presentations to hospital staff on death and dying. I explained how to support NDE-ers and help them readjust to normal life.
I also wrote about the profound after-effects of the NDE. All fear of death disappears. NDE-ers also have profound changes in their personal values. They go from materialistic values to more benevolent values. NDE-ers will also say life after death is a fact, not a mere belief. Finally, with few exceptions, they say there is some kind of higher power in the universe. There is a Creator.
Once they return from the other side, some NDE-ers will reject religion. They say religion is man-made and too narrow-minded. Others, who weren’t religious before their NDE, may now embrace religion and live very spiritual lives helping others.
These value changes are permanent. NDE-ers insist they weren’t hallucinating. Hallucinations do not change people in such profound, long-lasting ways. Hallucinations are brought on by things such as delirium, pain medication or brain injury. They are not so positive nor long-lasting. Hallucinations are usually very confusing and forgotten as soon as possible. NDE-ers are not confused. They are convinced.
As mentioned already, some religious critics reject the NDE. They say NDEs are not from God. But many elements of the NDE confirm religious and spiritual teachings. These include teachings of many First Nations. Some examples are teachings about our ancestors. Our ancestors are still with us and they guide us. Also, First Nations teach there is a spiritual world behind the physical world. They also teach us about a Creator such as the Gitchee Manitou, Great Spirit, of my Algonquin grandmother’s belief.
Life-changing events
I am not promoting superstitions. There are differences between genuine spiritual teachings, folklore and superstitions. NDEs are real. They are real experiences, not superstition. They are certainly real to the experiencer. They should be respected. We can have different interpretations but NDEs are genuine, life-changing events. The spiritual experiences of First Nations people should also be respected.
I have seen spiritual experiences transform the lives of addicts and alcoholics. Step 11 of Alcoholics Anonymous says, “We sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, as we understood God.” Step 12 of the AA program talks about something called ‘a spiritual awakening’.
When we scratch the surface and delve deeper into the different religions and spiritual traditions of the world, we find many ideas in common. Religion and spiritual traditions provide us with maps. These maps guide us along the path. But the map is not the territory. We certainly don’t need to fight over who has the best map, nor should we go to war because others have a different map. That’s ridiculous.
What do these maps point to? What is the territory? The territory is genuine spiritual experience. Psychologists call these “peak experiences.” All peoples, nations, and cultures have teachings about spiritual experiences. NDEs confirm these teachings. Let’s respect and celebrate all people’s spiritual experiences, including NDEs. In the words of the famous Persian poet Jalal al-Din M. Rumi:
What is the soul?
I cannot stop asking.
If I could taste one sip of an answer,
I could break out of this prison.
I didn’t come here of my own accord,
and I cannot leave that way.
Whoever brought me here,
will have to take me home.
—Darrell Taylor is a retired mental health professional who has lived in the NWT and Nunavut for 20 years. He is originally from Ontario and is a member of the North Bay/Mattawa Algonquins.