The Website of PMH AtwaterOne of the internet's most comprehensive sites on the near-death phenomenon!

One of the internet's most comprehensive sites on the near-death phenomenon!

Welcome - Contributors Wanted...

After all these years of giving you case studies of near-death experiences in my books, it is time to carry some on this website. I think you will find the cases presented here to be of immense interest and value.

Anne - MY NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCE

Anne - MY NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCE

The goal of the NDE Cases section on my website, is to give near-death experiencers an opportunity to speak from their hearts and briefly share what they experienced and how that changed them. This time, what Anne went through and where she is now in her being is told in such an extraordinary way - that I'm carrying all of it. Prepare yourself, it is long. Also, prepare yourself for how raw and right-now it is, how over-the-top each moment she went through continues to be even though her death occurred some time ago. Although my three deaths/-near-death experiences occurred in 1977, it is as if she speaks as I once did and still feel. When you have had a full-blown near-death experience (can even be true with shorter, simpler versions), you never, never get over it. NEVER! Thank you, Anne, for the lovingness you've shared with us.

Lorraine – Integrating the Horrific

The case below is from Lorraine Irwin in England.  At the age of six she was abducted, raped, and suffocated by two men.  It is a horrific story that left deep, emotional scars.  It’s taken Lorraine several decades of intense counseling to reach the point where she can at last begin to integrate all that happened, plus the aftereffects that continue to occur from the near-death experience she had.  Lorraine’s case is all too familiar.  If you’ve read my book The New Children and Near-Death Experiences, you know of the broad range of what happens to kids and what can come after.  You’ll hear more of this when I finish the research project I am currently working on – NDEs with the very young, between womb and the age of five (just missed Lorraine with this).  I’m focusing on the tiny ones because of how they change – unlike children who are older.  I really do not think any researcher, including me, went after a more wholistic view of near-death experiences as a “lived experience” with the young.  Soon enough I shall be able to amend that.  ~PMH

Sandra - A Larger Focus

Once in a while I receive a near-death story that gives a larger focus to what happened before and after the experience.  This one from Mary Sandra traces her life afterward, dealing with the aftereffects, leaving the country, finding a way of living elsewhere, finding love, and having more children when she was told she never would.  She speaks of “home” as being off-planet.  ~PMH

Larry - "One foot in this world and one on the other side"

Larry had three near-death experiences.  He compared the three, how they differed.  Although brief, his sharing is most interesting.  I do not remember saying anywhere that the most common cause of a near-death experience is fainting, as he states below.  But I can say low blood pressure afterward is indeed common.  There are many physiological changes.  I list them in most of my books.  ~PMH

Connie - Back and Intact

Short renderings of a near-death experience tell us a lot, even without the color stories of angels and touring the universe.  This one from Connie is almost in defiance of those who claim NDEs are simply anoxia.  She knows differently.  ~PMH

Lara - Dying and Rebirth

Lara’s story is a long one, showing both before and after events, and how this led her to the importance of a spiritual life.  ~PMH

Todd - "All Over the Place"


The initial response one has to a near-death experience is often disjointed, curious, confused, with thoughts and feelings "spread out all over the place." This happened to Todd. Here is his version of that initial period of time. ~PMH




Shiksa Yisrael - the NDE of a Jewish Psychic

Here is a case of a woman who changed religions several times before her near-death experience. Her episode was dark, within the blackness of a void-like space. She saw a white city filled with happy people in the distance. She went there and saw Jesus, who smiled at her. A black curtain dropped and she returned to her body. (Notice the blackness and reoccurring dark - not negative - but as precursors to higher states of spirituality and joy.) Interestingly, because of her near-death experience, her husband, a Muslim, converted to Christianity. Religion can be and often is a major issue one way or another for near-death experiencers. Afterward, most are drawn to more mystical, metaphysical, or Eastern types of worship. For those who stay within their established church, they tend to become more charismatic and willing to work for change within their church. The experiencer gave me permission to use her full name. ~PMH

Jeffrey - Childhood Distressing NDE

This case will be hard to read. It is of a twelve-year-old boy who was shot by an older brother, died, and had a hellish/distressing near-death experience. The public is accustomed to reading only about heavenly, loving near-death experiences. Sorry, but they're not all that way. Some can be terrifying, even for children. I want to thank Jeffrey for the courage it took him to first hunt me down, and then detail his story. He gave me permission to pass his story on to you. Notice as you read it about the black mass that kept trying to take over him, devour him, claim him, then how that terror changed when he asked for God's help. The is not the first time I've heard experiencers describe a black mass trying to attack them or oozing up from the ground to chase them. The next morning he awoke to glowing light before anyone opened the shades for the morning light to come in. He could suddenly see a glow around everything and everything, and there was no more pain. The spleen he lost recreated itself - apparently he is one of fifty such cases in medical history when an organ did that. He demonstrates many of the typical aftereffects of a near-death experience, although still haunted to this day by what happened to him and what he saw. I suspect much of this will disappear now that he has told his story and reclaimed his experience. There's something about not only telling your story but writing it down, "Making Your Book," so to speak, that heals and cleans and clears and validates. I encourage anyone who has had a near-death experience to "Make Your Book." Claim it. Write it down. Validate what happened to you. You can. When you make it yours, it morphs into a change agent that heals and helps you as nothing else can. This case is important for many reasons - especially for how it illustrates that children can face the same extremes of emotion and response that adults do. ~PMH

Jerron - I am dead aren't I?

There are people who experience the near-death phenomenon during their sleep. Not like a dream, these episodes are unusually vivid and real, and are followed by a range of aftereffects that matches the more familiar type of near-death experience. Those I have investigated like this occurred on that edge between what could have been a health problem and/or an alert to avoid one.

Below is the case of Jerron McClindon, one of those that seems as if a dream. Read it carefully. Jerron was under the impression that one had to encounter a tunnel in order to claim they had a near-death experience. Since most people do not have tunnels in their episode (contrary to the popular press who sensationalized the idea, thus creating a tunnel myth), to expect "a tunnel" to establish validity is way off base. Some people do experience them, most do not. ~PMH

Jennifer - Suicide

This case is from an attempted suicide. Note what happened afterward and how Jennifer changed her way of thinking and living. Also note how positive her suicide episode has become for her and how she now feels she has a purpose. ~PMH

Leah - Three Generations

Leah had a near-death experience at the age of eleven that forever changed her. She had severe asthma, was hospitalized, but the charge nurse gave her the wrong dose of the medicine she was to have. In reading through her story, notice that she covers three generations: her own experience as a child, what happened when one of her twin boys was about to die and the poem he created before his death, and the unusual nature of her grandson. This offering is a rare opportunity for us to follow the generations and see how traits, ideals, and understandings expand with each subsequent member. Notice that Leah's near-death experience at eleven was actually dark and troubling; yet in a most incredible way, that experience turned out to be incredibly positive in how it prepared her for her life to come. A suspicion here is, had she been taken to a therapist for counseling, the reverse could have occurred. I learned during the early years of my research that a frightening experience is not necessarily negative, nor is a heavenly experience necessarily positive. It all depends on the experiencer and how he or she responds. ~PMH

Vera - A Child's Acceptance

Children's near-death experiences are usually brief, consisting of one, two, or three elements, and that's about it. Because they are brief, they are often missed or tossed off as something else, maybe a mystical encounter or a dream or perhaps the product of the child's imagination, with no attempt made to investigate further or to look for aftereffects. To my way of thinking, the pattern of physiological and psychological aftereffects can often tell us more than the actual event. How these experiences affect us, and how we change afterward, can produce powerful life markers.

Vera's experience was one of these, a life-altering event she could never share – that has haunted her throughout her years. It is brief, but notice how her faculties altered both during the episode and afterward. Reports of 360-degree vision and/or wrap-around sound, taste, touch, smell, and full sensory involvement are commonplace. Also note how she relaxed into the water when help did not come, almost as if this was the thing to do. You find this "acceptance" of possible death often with children. After a period of searching for a way out or fighting for one, children tend to lay back and "allow." ~PMH

Jamey – "Are you ready to come in?"

The case of Jamey Massengale is an important one. Jamey was serving a 20-year sentence in prison when, because of an illness, he was given medication that counteracted with the drug he was taking for depression. He stopped breathing, and had a near-death experience. His story about meeting Jesus and dialoging with him is similar to many other such stories, except, his description of what Jesus looked like. . . exactly matches three letters written at the time Jesus lived and are now on display in several museums - that detail his physical features. . . that of red-gold or red hair, soft grey or blue eyes, and unusually tall. (Reference: "Portrait of Jesus?" by Frank C. Tribbe; Stein and Day, New York City, 1983; page 245.)

Also of importance with Jamey's case is that, because of his near-death experience, he returned smarter than before (a common aftereffect but not always verified with IQ tests). Before his episode, Jamey had an IQ score of 125. Because of huge shifts in his consciousness afterward, leading both him and prison personnel to suspect he might have developed schizophrenia, another IQ test was administered. His new score, 145. He purchased
THE BIG BOOK OF NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCES, read it, and learned about the aftereffects of near-death states, and what often happens to the brain and nervous system because of that. He then contacted Dr. Bruce Greyson and myself, and was able to verify that what had happened to him could not be denied. He has since been released from prison, and is now doing what he can to educate himself further and help others.

What follows is the near-death experience of Jamey Massengale. ~PMH

Joseph Shore - My NDE and Meeting Jesus

The near-death case of Joseph Shore is multi-faceted. Here is a longer version, one he has not shared before. His heart surgery in 1967 included a near-death experience which opened him to higher knowledge and an incredible intuitive awareness. This led to a passion for the ministry and the prayer request to meet Jesus. This occurred. Afterwards, his passion for the ministry faded as a strange phenomenon took its place. He was suddenly possessed of a desire to listen to grand opera. Out of the "clear blue sky," with no knowledge of music or experience as a singer, he opened his mouth and a powerful voice burst forth. His inner guidance spoke to him and said, "Your sermons can be your characters on stage." Through a series of utter synchronicity, Joseph won operatic singing contests, became an opera star, and later a singing and opera coach. He has written two books: Good Dreams: Miracles in Opera and in Life and Observations on a florid Song: A collection of stories and aphorisms on enlightenment (both are available as e-books on Amazon.com). I am carrying his story as he sent it to me, mispelled words and all, as an example of a heart that now knows only love. ~PMH

David - "No Hallucination!"


David is 28 years old. His cardiac arrest that facilitated a near-death experience happened just nine months ago (today's date is July 20, 2011). He was flatlined for longer than five minutes, yet walked out of the hospital two days later. He puzzles over why he has no brain damage from lack of oxygen, and how people might react if he tells them what happened to him, what he saw on "the other side" of death, and what he was shown about things future. On one hand he fears being thought crazy, yet, on the other hand, he is so filled with a profound sense of brotherly love (as he put it), even for complete strangers, that he is not certain he cares if people poo-poo him. He feels utterly transformed, yet he has many questions - searching the Internet for information about near-death experiences has not proved helpful. That's because the full story is not on the Internet. You must read through various books to find that, especially my own. For "newbees," like David, I recommend COMING BACK TO LIFE, BEYOND THE LIGHT, and THE BIG BOOK OF NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCES. If you are a child experiencer, be sure to read THE NEW CHILDREN AND NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCES. I also urge experiencers to join the International Association For Near-Death Studies (IANDS) and attending their national conferences. There's nothing like being a room filled with people just like you, who have also died and been on "the other side." Here is David's story.

Mark - "Inside the Miracle"


Here is a case about a father by the name of Mark who refused to hear the worst about his son Kevin, who had overdosed on drugs. Unfortunately, this type of tragedy in families is all too common these days. What's different here, and why I am posting this case, is that Mark literally was "inside the miracle" that happened to Kevin. Medical people pooh-pooh miracles for the most part and turn their backs on anything that sounds "mystical." Although there is every reason to suspect that Kevin had a near-death experience during his ordeal, what happened to his father is actually the greater story. Thank you, Mark, for giving me permission to quote you. Blessings, PMH



Roxane/Tacheene - "A Melding of Souls"


Occasionally I come across a case that is truly different, yet credible. We must all realize that not all near-death episodes follow the so-called "classical model." Some deviate markedly, introducing individuals and those who learn about the episode, to the realization that there are lifestyles, ways to live, ways to experience "self" and "others," that run counter to what we are taught is normal or even real. My own childhood was filled with odd and unique "beings" that physically manifested when appropriate, taught me how to survive and thrive while opening up new worlds for me, new truths. Because of this early training (and much more since), I have a sense about things and am able to "look and see."
Roxane had a near-death experience that impacted her greatly. During her episode, she melded (joined with) another soul. This melding, or joining with, enabled her to survive. I cannot comment on any psychological profile here, but I can say that, to the best of my knowledge, this is not a case of mediumship or that of an altered or multiple personality, or even of a so-called "walk-in." It is a melding of minds that occurs when occasions arise. (Yes, this "melding" is somewhat like what Spock was able to do on "Star Trek" when he sought to gain specific information from someone who either could not or would not access needed thoughts/memories.) The melding was with a soul named Wolf (in the Native American Tradition). Wolf functions a lot like a guide.
There are many cultures that address deep transformational changes like what Roxane went through, and in that recognition encourage the individual to take on a new name. The new name represents a new level of knowing and living. After her experience, Roxane then became Tacheene. Like the majority of near-death experiencers throughout the world, you will notice how she connects with a greater mission for this time in our earth's history, a time when so many people are talking about the Mayan Calendar and a "blizzard" of prophecies that take on "life" on a regular basis. For all of these factors and more, I think you will find Roxane/Tacheene's story most fascinating.
~PMH

Mark - "Breathless"


Every near-death experiencer's story is unique. Yes, the patterning is global irrespective of culture, but elements in the pattern differ broadly and the way the individual tells his or her story is truly personal. The one below is from Mark Jacoby. It happened while he was a teenager still in high school. He has asked that we use his full name and that we give his e-mail address, as he invites correspondence. You may contact him directly at jacoby_mark@hotmail.com.
--Dr. P.M.H. Atwater
NDE Cases