Life After Death

These phenomena aren’t completely understood just yet—it can be hard to study the process since those who have undergone an NDE haven’t been inside an MRI machine while it’s been happening. That would be quite coincidental and convenient if they had, since MRI technology allows doctors to examine the brain and its activity.

Overall, there is a lot of superstition around NDE’s. From religious and spiritual standpoints, they’re usually described as visions of the afterlife, given to them by God or whomever they may believe in. From a scientific perspective, the near death experience is thought to be engineered by the human brain as some kind of reaction to physical trauma the person involved was suffering.

The mind, whose substrate is whichever neurons remain capable of generating electrical activity, does what it always does: it tells a story shaped by the person’s experience, memory and cultural expectations.

When you start looking into near death experience stories, it doesn’t take long to come across those that aren’t so glorious or divine in nature. Instead, they are actually reported to be quite the opposite. It’s unfortunate that there is such a stigma around having scary near death experiences because it leaves those experiencers feeling doubly isolated.

After all, the best way to move beyond your experience is to talk about it and ensure you are processing it fully versus keeping it all in your head. To understand more about the less publicized NDE’s, see the below three kinds of distressing near death experiences one could have.

Online support groups are especially helpful when you can’t go to in-person group events. These groups do well to help those who have experienced the same thing not feel so alone.

• The Meetups app has such group meetings. See if you can find one near you.
• Facebook also has a support network for NDE experiencers.
• IANDS, or International Association for Near-Death Studies is a non-profit that also has support group resources you can search through.

Therapists are another great resource because they can help you work through the memories you have of your NDE. They can help you deal with flashbacks and also come to terms with the new outlook you may have adopted within your life following you near death experience.

• Look for grief counsellors on Psychology Today’s list of qualified counsellors. They might have a better understanding of the implications of near death experiences.
• Consider Better Help to find a therapist that fits your needs, since you can specify what you are looking for from the beginning of your search. You can look for counsellors who have experience talking with those who have had an NDE.

In-person support groups can also help bring you together with those who have had very similar, profound experiences. If not to make friendships, just feeling support from the other attendees would be helpful.

• You can find these in the same place you would search for online groups—Facebook and the Meetups app are great tools to search with. Just specify in your search that you want to try finding an in-person group.

As some have done in the recent past, you could even consider writing a novel about your NDE. If you feel it has inspired you greatly, why not get that inspiration out onto paper? You could write it as an auto-biography, or you could even use your experience to turn it into a fictional story with characters you create.

Sometimes, getting involved in your church will help you move forward after life-changing experiences such as NDE’s. Religious engagement gives one a sense of community, togetherness, and meaning. This can be incredibly refreshing after having such a profound experience, and coming so close to death.

If you choose to see this as another chance at a new life, it might help you move forward to memorialize your “death”. There are lots of different ways you can memorialize yourself, so choose the style the fits you the best and take control over your path going forward.

Hobbies can help you add things to your new life going forward. They can keep your mind occupied, help you connect with others, and also provide an outlet for your creativity.

No matter what ways you choose to try and move forward with your life, you should make sure that you’re also giving yourself time to heal and recover after the incident.

Meditation and journaling can be instrumental in helping you to release pent up emotions, fears or simply let go of anything negative. Sometimes putting things in writing also helps to put things in perspective. Going on walks and yoga or any type of exercise can be crucial in helping you to recover. Releasing that energy and finding a healthy outlet is good for the mind, the body and the soul.

Spending time with loved ones and taking time off of work may also be a necessity in your recovery process. This gives you time for gentle reflection without being rushed to do tasks associated with your career. If you have kids, having someone watch them for some time while you recover and reflect.

Above all else, be understanding. One of the biggest reasons people who have had near death experiences suffer is because they feel like those around them will judge them in some way. When your loved one is ready to open up to you and tell you about their experience, remain open-minded and understanding. Try to be as empathetic as you can.

This is an out-of-the box kind of idea that your friend or family member might actually love. The piece of memorial jewelry you choose could represent the “old them” who they might feel passed away when they had their NDE. Many people who go through the after effects near death experiences may bring tend to feel as if their past self has died, and that they’ve been given another chance at life. It’s as if they’ve been reborn.

Ernest Hemingway: Hemingway has one of the most popular stories of an NDE. He was badly injured by a bomb shell that exploded during his service in World War I. He wrote a letter describing the classic characteristics of NDE’s, then later built off that experience to write his short story, “The Snows of Kilimanjaro.”

Colton Burpo: He was just four years old when his appendix burst and came very close to death while lying in the hospital. After telling his parents of his otherworldly experience a few months later (and mentioning things he couldn’t possibly have known to make up at his age), the story gained traction enough to become a movie called “Heaven Is For Real.”

Pam Reynolds: Pam Reynolds Lowery (1956 – 2010), from Atlanta, Georgia, was an American singer-songwriter. In 1991, at the age of 35, she stated that she had a near-death experience (NDE) during a brain operation, as explained on Wikipedia.

Eben Alexander: He’s actually a doctor who says he had an NDE. He wrote a book about it called “Proof of Heaven”.

Francis Beaufort: Going back as far as the Middle Ages, Francis Beaufort had an NDE and is one of the first known to experience this.  Reville writes that “Francis Beaufort (the Beaufort wind scale), a British Navy admiral and Irishman, reported a vivid NDE in 1791, when he almost drowned.”