The Aftermath of Near Death Experiences – Perceptual and Spiritual Transformations

Research on Near Death Experiences proves that those who return from the clinically dead state are profoundly changed for the better in a number of ways. Those who listen to them with their hearts can move on to a holistic and wholesome life.

We all go through many experiences in life. The lessons we learn from them help us move from good to better grounds in terms of maturity and peacefulness. However, the usual experiences of day-to-day life rarely bring about ravishing mental changes to the point of being able to appreciate life’s deeper purpose and sense Divinity therein. Most people are satisfied with religious concepts about God and a code for right conduct. That approach does provide a basis for good living but does not take them beyond the conventional, ego-driven neurology. This is where we note the significant difference in Near Death Experiences (NDEs). During the NDE, the person is thrown into a different dimension of awareness that brings about radical transformation in the person’s mental disposition towards life and death. In a very short duration of time, they are given profound understanding of the vastness of life, of the after-life and of Divinity. This understanding stays with them forever and helps them lead a spirited life imbued with deep compassion for all living beings. Here we see four examples of recorded NDEs that transformed the experiencers spiritually and perceptually.

Dr Melvin Morse and science writer Paul Perry published two books on children’s NDEs: Closer to the Light and Transformed by the Light. Inspirational and deeply compassionate, those books can bring in profound insight into our life and our after-life. The first two case studies below are taken from the second book.

Study 1: At the age of fourteen, Olaf Sunden (a Swede) went through a surgical procedure for removing his tonsils. Due to an overdose on ether, he stopped breathing and during that time he had an NDE. The experience changed his character in more ways than one. He went from being an average student to being an expert on physics. He could use the theories he learned on the other side to explain the work of Albert Einstein. The NDE had given him tremendous insight into the nature of the universe. Proof of his increased intelligence was vindicated by his many technical accomplishments. When his teenage daughter suffered head injuries and entered coma, doctors gave up hope of any recovery. However, from the intuition sharpened by what Olaf perceived during to his ‘cosmic contact’, he was able to try a medical substance that gave dramatic effect and his daughter recovered after a few weeks. Obviously, the doctors were amazed and could not offer an explanation.
Olaf holds about a hundred chemical patents. There are many like Olaf who come back with heightened perception and zest for life.

Study 2: James, a black teenager from East St. Louis, was a member of a rowdy gang that indulged in drug trade. However, James changed radically after his NDE and despite constant pressure to do the improper things, he could release himself from the wrong doers and live an honest life. James said, “And you know, when I floated out of my body and saw myself, suddenly I realized that we are all the same. There ain’t no black and there ain’t no white.” This shows how sectarian practices based on color or religion have no place in the realm of true spirituality. Although from different backgrounds, both Olaf and James were given unique insights into life.

Study 3: From the combat NDEs [iands.org]. An American soldier was hit by a bullet while he was in action in Viet Nam, in the seventies. During the surgical operation that followed, he died for about ten minutes as evidenced by his flat EEG and ECG signals. The change of consciousness that he felt during that ‘cosmic’ experience made him have abundant feelings for everything in life. Some days later, the hospital pronounced him fit to rejoin the army. He told his High Command that he could not kill anyone any more and so he was useless to them as a fighter. After some investigation, they found his statements to be plausible and so he was discharged and sent back to his country.

Study 4: There was an article entitled "I Died at 10.52 AM" in the October 1974 issue of the Reader's Digest, authored by Victor Solow. The following lines from it
reflect the transformations in him:
". . . . A recurrent nostalgia [brought about by the NDE] remains for the other reality, that condition of indescribable stillness and quiet where the ‘I' is part of a harmonious whole. The memory softens the usual drive for possession, approval and success."
Further, Solow’s postscript in that article, given below, resonates with the laid-back attitude that most NDEs bring in. A swelling inner joy remains with us after reading that paragraph.
"I have just returned from a pleasant, slow, mile-and-a-half jog. I am sitting in our garden writing. Overhead, a huge dogwood sways gently in a mild southerly breeze. Two small children, holding hands, walk down the street absorbed in their own world. I am glad I am here and now. But I know that this marvelous place of sun and wind, flowers, children and lovers, this murderous place of evil, ugliness and pain, is only one of many realities through which I must travel to distant and unknown destinations. For the time being, I belong to the world and it belongs to me."

There are many more NDE stories telling us about the wonderful transformation that the experience entails. If you wish your own life to bring in some aspects of those transformations, please go through those stories. The associated understanding can bring about a radical departure from the conventional neurology. The website http://spirituality.yolasite.com would be of interest to you.