A Near Death Experience

(NDE)

Near Death?

It was not suppose to be a life threatening surgical procedure, never-the-less; you suddenly find your self “floating” above your lifeless body in the operating room.  You clearly see and hear the surgical team trying desperately to reactivate your heart beat, but then suddenly a bright white light appears from no place in particular and you are uncontrollably drawn to it for some strange reason.

Upon arrival to the light, which seems instantaneous; you develop a warm, friendly, fuzzy feeling unlike anything you have previously encountered and an overwhelming feeling of being loved.

Then out of the corner of your right eye there appears to be someone you once knew and someone else you only knew of. Upon closer examination you realize its grand-dad for sure, from your father’s side, but who is that guy he’s with? You’re not quite sure, but he looks a lot like Elvis … after all he has a slight smirk on his face; a guitar is strapped around his neck; and he looks really pleased with him self.

Within an instant it seems, the chief surgeon is saying (apparently to you) “we thought we’d lost you there for a few minutes, but you’re back now” … you groggily respond with, “yea, I think I just took a little trip to parts unknown”.

We've all heard such stories which are typically called near-death experiences: the tunnel, the white light, and often an encounter with a long-dead relative now looking alive and well; and yes some insist they were meet by none other than the late Elvis Presley.

Most scientists have cast a doubtful eye on such reported accounts. They say that these feelings or visions are simply the result of the brain shutting down.

Of late some researchers are taking a closer neurological look at near-death experiences and asking: Could someone’s mind operate after their brain has stopped?

Research contributions on near-death experiences stem from several academic disciplines, including medicine, psychology and psychiatry.

I think Near-death experiences (NDEs) reported by rich and famous folks are particularly interesting. One wonders why they might take the “risk” of disclosing such an experience to the general public in the first place.  After all, they are well known all over the world and they usually have plenty of money. They are on the average beautiful, articulate and very talented in what they do. With this in mind, why in the world would such a person reveal to everyone that they were dead and came back to life?  Not money? They already have that.  Notoriety then?  Most are already famous. Actually, by telling us, “the people”, a back from the dead story, they are risking their own standing among their other rich and famous peers since people who reveal such things to others often become the source of jokes or are simply thought to be off the deep-end. Perhaps, the only sane reason that these people who tell such stories and have nothing to gain, is quite simply that it really happened to them.

The following are a few of such “rich and famous” people who have risked it all to tell the world about their near-death experience(s). Some of these accounts are documented in Jean Ritchie's excellent book, “Death's Door”. 

They include:

Jane Seymour, Peter Sellers, Elizabeth Taylor, Sharon Stone, Gary Busey, Larry Hagman, Tony Bennett, Donald Sutherland, Burt Reynolds, Chevy Chase, and George Lucas among others.

Many individuals who experience an NDE believe it’s verification of the existence of an afterlife. This even includes those with agnostic / atheist inclinations prior to the experience. On the other hand, individuals who do not experience an NDE after going into cardiac arrest frequently lose preexisting beliefs in an afterlife. Having experienced a NDE my self on at least one occasion, during which I can only report complete darkness or a absolute void my current an previous beliefs remain unchanged.

Sources …                                                                           http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Near-death_experience                   http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=104397005                                       http://www.near-death.com/famous.html