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"ANOTHER LOOK..." is an ongoing column I write for Vital Signs Newsletter, a quarterly publication of the International Association For Near-Death Studies. Each segment will appear here from now on, as well as in the Newsletter. This new feature gives me a format with which to explore varied issues about near-death states. Should you wish to make a comment or want to suggest future topics, please feel free to contact me. I may be able to use your suggestions directly. Thank you. P.M.H. Atwater, L.H.D., Ph.D. (Hon.)

ANOTHER LOOK...

"THE EXPERIENCE/THE EXPERIENCER"

Column #5

P.M.H.Atwater, L.H.D., Ph.D. (Hon.) P. O. Box 7691 Charlottesville, VA 22906-7691

© 1998 P.M.H.Atwater, L.H.D., Ph.D. (Hon.)

As a researcher, I can assure you that any type of near-death experience can be life changing.

But, as an experiencer, I can positively affirm that being bathed in The Light on the other side of death.is more than life changing. That light is the very essence, the heart and soul, the all-consuming consummation of ecstatic ecstasy. It is a million suns of compressed love dissolving everything unto itself, annihilating thought and cell, vaporizing humanness and history, into the one great brilliance of all that is and all that ever was and all that ever will be.

You know it's God.

No one has to tell you.

You know.

You can no longer believe in God, for belief implies doubt. There is no more doubt. None. You now know God. And you know that you know. And you're never the same again.

And you know who you are. . . a child of God, a cell in The Greater Body, an extension of The One Force, an expression from The One Mind. No more can you forget your identity, or deny or ignore or pretend it away.

There is One, and you are of The One.

One.

The Light does this to you.

It cradles your soul in the heart of its pulsebeat and fills you with loveshine. And you melt away as the "you" you think you are, reforming as the "YOU" you really are, and you are reborn because at last you "remember."

Although not everyone speaks of God when they return from death's door as I have here, the majority do. And almost to a person they begin to make references to oneness, allness, isness, the directive presence behind and within and beyond all things.

Down through the ages this kind of knowledge has been termed enlightenment - literally a waking up to light, an illumination of light, a reunification with The Light. And there are groups, isms and schisms, that decree how one can reach such a state of enlightened knowingness. The rules are many, the pathways numerous, yet the goal is always the same. . . reunion with the source of your being, God.

This subject concerns the difference between religion and spirituality, a subject of utmost importance to experiencers. Before we explore research findings that are pertinent, let's define the territory:

Religion - a systematic approach to enlightenment based on set standards or dogmas, which may or may not alter as the religion evolves. It provides the protection of community support and moral development, and the guidance of metaphors to describe what seems mysterious. Its "Holy of Holies," or mystery teachings, are usually reserved for the elect or chosen. Systems oriented.

Spirituality- a personal, intimate experience of God based on a mystical awakening or sudden enlightenment. There are no standards or dogmas, --only precedents, for individual knowing, and/or gnosis, is honored. Usually referred to as "The Inner Journey" deep within the depths of self, it demands a thorough "house cleaning" on every level of being in order to access the sacredness of truth. Process oriented.

Perspective - at the core of all religions is that moment of enlightenment, that mystical revelation and sacred teaching, from which the religion itself grew and prospered. Sometimes called The Mysteries, Secret Teachings, or Esoteric Truths, this heart and soul of religion is as exquisite and viable today as when first revealed. Yet there is no system of spiritual enlightenment that can guarantee spiritual attainment. The shelter religion offers does not negate the individual's responsibility for his or her own spiritual awakening and spiritual maturity.

Of interest here is that one-third of the people I interviewed continued in a traditional religious setting after their near-death experiences. Although some were members of, or went on to join, fundamentalist or charismatic churches (even becoming evangelists), most expressed a desire to remain where they were and quietly work to uplift and enlighten the ministry of their present church. A number became ordained ministers.

The remaining two-thirds, however, either cast aside religious affiliations or had never been involved in any to begin with. For these people, the spiritual path became paramount, as they shifted from standards and dogmas to a personal, intimate relationship with God. Surprisingly, the greater number came to join or support some type of organized, structured church or philosophy later on; some even originated churches of their own. Popular choices were metaphysical (New Thought) churches and Eastern philosophical religious ideas. Those who continued in a more mystical approach often became involved with shamanism, or an ecology-based "return to the basics" movement.

Superficial or overly restrictive teachings turn off most experiencers. Because of this, heartbreaking conflicts can arise. I spoke with several near-death survivors who were spouses of ministers. All of them had withdrawn from attending Sunday sermons and were no longer supportive of their loved one's messages to the congregation, feeling that the sermons were wrong. Many others came to shun or renounce cherished religious traditions much to the consternation of family members. This turnaround is seldom understood. Labels like "irrational" or "corrupted by the forces of evil" or "the work of the devil" sometimes replace any attempt to seek common ground. Alienation or separation can result.

Previous beliefs, or lack of them, really make no difference whatsoever, as the near-death phenomenon frees an individual to walk and talk with God without reservation or restriction.

With child experiencers, the majority of those I interviewed had the gift of conversing directly with God or Holy Spirit afterward. And they spoke of "divine intervention" as an active force in their lives.

An example of divine intervention is what happened to Stephanie Lang of New York City. She nearly died at the age of three from a severe kidney infection complicated by measles, chicken pox, and a raging fever. Although she does not remember having had a near-death experience per se, she went on to exhibit most of the aftereffects. (Child experiencers are six times more likely to "tuck their experience away" or forget it than adults; spontaneous recall during midlife is common.) Along with a sharp mind and incredible artistic talent, she struggled with depression and a lack of motivation, and felt somehow "off course" for years. While lunching one day on the roof of a twenty-six-floor skyscraper, she walked to the railing with the intent of just looking around. She began to rock, absent-mindedly lost her balance, and pitched forward toward the traffic below. Before she could react, she suddenly found herself ten feet back from the railing, sitting on her bottom with tears streaming. A clear voice in her head spoke, "Are you going or are you staying? If you are staying, you have to change." She credits this rescue to divine intervention. It totally changed her life in how she became goal-oriented afterward, and excited about taking advantage of every opportunity she could. Even though doubts still assail her from time to time, the deep depressions she once had are gone.

This closeness to spirit, a sense of The Divine, of God, propels experiencers into a search for more and better avenues of service, mission, and outreach. It is true that many are frustrated by a lack of any clear knowing or "message" telling them exactly what to do with their lives or how, but just as many are motivated and "alive" with the faith that where they're headed is the right path for them.

Jungian analyst James Hillman addresses this in his book "The Soul's Code" [1]. He states, "Psychotherapy has become an exaggerated self searching to find out who we are but has neglected entirely the search for what the world wants from us - our calling." David Spangler, author of "The Call" [2], expands on Hillman's idea, saying, "You are your own unique self, and if you have the humility to break through the boundaries of ego you will hear the summons of your Call. Something you may not even know about yourself will emerge, and you will discover a service, a gift, a divine purpose behind your actions."

Prayer and meditation take on dynamic proportions immediately afterward with child experiencers, as well as visioning (aligning in consciousness with the divine purpose within all of us to love and to express a greater degree of life and caring). Many of these youngsters actually saw prayers being said for them while they were out-of-body. They described how the power of those prayers turned into beams of radiant, golden, or rainbow light that would arc over from the one saying the prayer, no matter how many miles away, to where they themselves were "hovering." Once the prayer beam "hit" them, the feeling would be akin to a "splash" of love or an incredible "warming." Because they have seen and felt the effectiveness of prayer, child experiencers consider it a valid and real way to talk with God while sharing God's healing love with others.

Larry Dossey, M.D., former chief of staff of Humana Medical City in Dallas, Texas, and current co-chairman of the panel on mind/body interventions in the Office of Alternative Medicine at the National Institutes of Health, has a lot to say about the power of prayer, both in his books and personally [3]: "There is a quality that correlates with the effect of the prayer and it's something that sounds very old-fashioned. It's love. And if the individual doing the praying does not have compassion and empathy and love and a deep sense of authentic and genuine caring for whoever they are praying for, these [medical] experiments [on the power of prayer] don't work very well. Love is the key to success."

Typically, children seem obsessed with worship and attending church after their episode. Barbara True Bradley of Des Moines, Iowa (who "died" at four and a half from lobar pneumonia and experienced a near-death episode) said that, "When I was well and returned home, I set up a table in my bedroom, covered it with a white cloth, and had a prayer book and cross on it. I remember kneeling there to pray."

Child experiencers who had been steeped in certain religious dogmas beforehand, however, oft times found that the call to express their inner spirit ran cross-current to their earlier indoctrination and parent's wishes. Kids in this situation were twice as likely as adult experiencers to lose the pure spontaneity and utter joy of their new relationship with God. I was amazed at how, once "turned off" in this manner, child experiencers seldom made peace with religious doctrines again. Theirs became a quiet approach to worship and a silent "partnership" with God.

Don't misunderstand what I am saying here: near-death experiencers of any age usually fall "head over heels" in love with God afterward. The reality of God or "deity" is no longer a factor for them. Their problem, their challenge, is: how does one successfully surmount society's bias against personally identifying with God?

The vast majority no longer recognize or feel the need for an "authority" to speak to God in their behalf. They now "deal direct," and feel guided to do so. This practice is labeled by some as "the religion of the resuscitated," a derogatory term meant to demean this switch in awareness and allegiance. Certainly, the spiritual approach, that personal intimacy with Source, can be fraught with all sorts of difficulties, especially the specter of self-deception, but it is the wave of the future for society as a whole. Perhaps in that sense, then, near-death experiencers are the precursors, those who reveal God as alive and lively and as near to all of us as our next breath.

1. "Soul's Code, The: Character, Calling and Fate," James Hillman. New York, NY; Random House, 1996.

2. "Call, The," David Spangler. New York, NY; Riverhead Books, 1996.

3. "Prayer Is Good Medicine," Larry Dossey, M.D. New York, NY; Harper Collins, 1996. And, "Healing Words: The Power of Prayer and the Practice of Medicine," Larry Dossey, M.D. New York, NY; Harper Collins, 1997.