Accident
Larry - "One foot in this world and one on the other side"
05 16
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
Olan - "Bright and Beautiful"
09 06
When only 18 years old, Olan was involved in a terrible auto accident. He is now 49, and recounts for us here how that event changed him - not just what he went through physically - but the vision he had of Jesus. Actually, Olan had a near-death experience; but like many other experiencers he called his episode a "vision." This terminology is common. Who among us are educated enough to name things as science does? It is only after the passing of several months or years that experiencers change their initial term of "vision" into "experience," to denote a reality more intimate, more real, more vivid than life itself. Note that about twenty years after his initial transformation and the "calling" he received to become a minister, he walked away from his lifepath in search of a less constrained, broader, more inclusive way of living. This "second shift" corresponds exactly with Phase Four of the Four Phases of Integration, a chart you can find on this website, and spoken of at length in THE COMPLETE IDIOT'S GUIDE TO NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCES. Near-death experiences, no matter how wonderful, are not easy to integrate into one's daily life and require many years to understand and accept. Phase Four catches most experiencers by surprise - as it is not expected - and in actuality is much deeper and far more life-changing than the initial transformation the individual went through.
--Dr. P.M.H.Atwater
Mark - "Breathless"
07 11
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
Cailin - "Summoning the Will"
10 09
With near-death cases, we usually get a good description of the event and what precipitated it from the experiencer, but very seldom do we ever receive the actual text of what was said while on "The Other Side." This is that rare exception, from Cailin J. Callahan. Now 51, she is tired of being a lone voice "crying in the wilderness," and is finally willing to speak up more publicly. Her near-death experience occurred when 19 in 1977 and she shares that with us now. I am grateful to Cailin for permission to post her account and use it in my research. ~PMH
