N.D.E.

Mary C. Neal, MD, a retired orthopedic spine surgeon from Jackson Hole, Wyoming, was on a kayaking trip to Chile. They had gone kayaking many times before and had always found it an extraordinary experience. On a morning river trip she had to navigate around a kayaker wedged in rocks in front of her at the lip of a small waterfall. The tip of her boat ended up trapped under water.
She claims she did not panic. Indeed, she was a medical professional used to high pressure situations. She analyzed her predicament and realized that if she could not free herself her chance of being rescued was. low. At that moment, she recalls feeling a sensation of being held and comforted. Though she had not considered herself spiritual, she sensed a divine presence and the experience of extreme love.
She then experienced a “life review”. This is not like the review that Meryl Streep sat through in “Defending your Life”. As she wrote in her book, 7 Lessons from Heaven, as she saw her life play out in front of her, “we would immediately be “reabsorbed” into the experience. I re-experienced things with an absolute, complete, and pure understanding of the “me” in that situation, of everything in my life that led me to that moment in time where I hurt someone else, or where they hurt me, or they hurt someone I loved.”

“…when we find out what was really happening, what was really going on with that person, we don’t feel irritation anymore – we’re taken over by a feeling of compassionate love. That’s exactly the same situation when we die, and we are in heaven. When I talk about being reconciled with loved ones – we are reconciled purely with this sense of understanding. There are no more hard feelings, there’s no more shame, anger, or bitterness. None of those emotions exist because of pure love and because of understanding.”

She goes on to speak of seeing radiant colors and feeling the love of what she knew were family and people she new in her life.
She remembers suddenly feeling a “pop” as her spirit separated from her body, and hovering above the river watching her friends frantically pull her ashore. She eventually recovered from her injuries and later felt compelled to share her experience in her book. The need to spread the word is a common theme among those that have this type of event.
Common themes in near-death experiences (NDEs) include a sense of peace and well-being, an out-of-body sensation, traveling through a tunnel, seeing a bright light, encountering deceased loved ones, and a “life review” of past events. Some NDEs can also be frightening or distressing. Other factors include reviewing one’s life from childhood onward, seeing a bright light, entering an extraterrestrial “other realm,” and communicating with “sentient beings”
Studies by near death investigator Pim van Lommel show near-death experiences occur in various situations, including cardiac arrest, the shocks caused by the blood loss after delivery or in postoperative complications, septic or anaphylactic shocks, electrocution, the coma caused by traumatic brain injury, intra-cerebral hemorrhage or cerebral infarction, suicide attempts, near drowning or suffocation experiences, apnea, and other cases where death is unavoidable. The occurrence of near-death experiences is increasing thanks to improved survival rates through modern medical techniques. Individuals that claim to go through N.D.E.s invariably go through a positive metamorphosis. They speak of having a major shift in on look on life, They have a need to share a message of love and no longer fear death, yet feel driven to carry a mission of caring and fellowship.

Needless to say, there are many skeptics and those actively attempting to discredit the N.D.E. phenomena. Some scientific explanations often link them to brain activity during or after cardiac arrest. N.D.E.s, characterized by vivid hallucinations and out-of-body experiences, may be explained by the brain’s response to physical stress or injury, rather than as proof of an afterlife. Neurological research suggests that certain brain regions, like the temporal-parietal junction, can produce vivid hallucinations under certain conditions, potentially explaining the visual and sensory experiences reported in NDEs. The psychological state of an individual, including their beliefs, fears, and anxieties, can also influence the interpretation of NDEs.
People continue to report these events even though there is no conclusive scientific evidence to support a non-physical, paranormal explanation. In the US, an estimated nine million people have reported having a near-death experience (NDE), according to a 2011 study. This translates to about 5% of the US population, with some studies suggesting it could be as high as 10%. NDEs are influenced by cultural and religious beliefs, making it difficult to determine if they are universal or culturally shaped experiences. Experts point to a parallel with so called UFO abductions. As these experiences become more exposed in social media, they become repeated as part of a traumatic personal narrative.

I.M.H.O.
Are Near Death Experiences real?
Yes, near-death experiences (NDEs) are real in the sense that they are reported by a significant number of people who have survived near-death situations. While the exact nature and cause of NDEs remain a subject of debate, they are considered a unique and potentially profound mental state. Around 17% of people who nearly die report experiencing NDEs. These experiences can be profound and life-changing. While some biomedical professionals may view NDEs as hallucinations or subjective experiences, a growing number of scholars accept them as a unique mental state that can offer insights into consciousness.
In the final analysis, the debate about NDEs are handcuffed to the belief in life after death. If the side effects of NDEs are a greater appreciation of love and fellowship; of a lesser fear of death and a greater awareness of what you do affects others….you can sign me up for that