NDE's (Near Death Experiences)

NDE's (Near Death Experiences) : this phenomenon is usually experienced when someone is really close to death.  Often persons who have experienced a near death experience report a feeling of having left their physical body, moving through a darkness or tunnel, encountering the presences of deceased loved ones, and sometimes other entities which have been likened to both God and the Devil.  Often an all embracing and describable light or menacing darkness is reported.  After regaining consciousness and the ability to communicate, most persons who have encountered a near death experience often say that the event was totally life changing.  They often report that they have glimpsed the whole meaning of life or have been imparted with information far beyond ordinary human capabilities. 

On the whole most persons report that a near death experience is quite joyful, although there have been some reports to the contrary.  Some experience the feeling of looking at their body as they hover over it (see astral projection).  In certain cases people can report in detail what was going on around them while they were classed as dead.  Many have been able to describe detailed surgical procedures and what was said during their resuscitation.

In the more rare cases persons have been known to receive information that they previously had no knowledge.  They may have found out that they were adopted, or that they had hidden parentage and even deceased siblings.  Others recall messages that they received from persons in the darkness.  Many hear, or are made to understand that, 'it is not their time yet' and that they still have things to do on the earthly plane.  It is often at this point that people feel albeit reluctant desire to return to their bodies.  A near death experience can also involve the feeling of reaching a boundary - a cliff, fence, water or some point that must be crossed if the person is to return to their life.

See also afterlife, astral projection, life after death.

Source:  Information, quotations and inspiration for this topic taken from an article by Andrew Brown called  - Is there Life After Death - which appeared in the Daily Express - Wednesday 19 December 2001.

Useful Links
Afterlife Knowledge  
College of Psychic Studies
International Association for Near Death Studies
Life After Life - Raymond A. Moody PhD. M.D. 
Near Death Experiences & The Afterlife  

Recommended Reading
Astral Projection FAQ Section 
Richard Craze - A Beginners Guide to Astral Projection by Hodder & Stoughton 1999 - ISBN: 0340 737557