“Some of those I interviewed have died. Fortunately, through the use of modern-day resuscitation techniques they have been restored to life. Many have gone through dark tunnels, entered an intense brightness, been welcomed by deceased family and friends, and encountered a ‘superior being’. The vast majority say they felt calm and serene as they drifted away from their bodies to life on the other side. Virtually all have been marked forever by their extraordinary experiences.”
Going Home
“Anyone can have a near-death experience, young and old, male and female, and incorporating all cultures, races and creeds. Christians have them. Buddhists and Hindus have them too. Atheists also have them. Even those with no interest in religion have them as well. Some are referred to as ‘hellish’ experiences and involve anxious, fearful, sometimes terrifying journeys. For most, it is the sheer warmth of the experience – the feeling of happiness, joy, peace and contentment – that characterises, more than anything else, what people feel at the edge of death.”
The Distant Shore
“The stories of people who die temporarily following cardiac arrests, traffic accidents and complications during childbirth, among other factors, conform to a common pattern. What they went through, once their brains flatlined and their hearts stopped beating, was systematic, ordered and well-structured. It soon became clear that this was no random set of events but a scheme of clearly-defined happenings – or stages – experienced as they passed away. The ten stages mostly involve a wondrous journey to a distant light.”
Heading for the Light
“There is a dramatic and comforting phenomenon that will almost certainly be experienced by all of us shortly before we die. Most often, it involves visits from relatives and friends who have passed on before us. Less frequently, it involves visitations from religious figures or glimpses of beautiful landscapes. These powerful and intriguing – perhaps even breathtaking and thrilling – pre-death happenings are commonly referred to as ‘deathbed visions’. Witness one, as you sit by a dying person, and you will be overwhelmed by the sense of peace, calmness and tranquillity that characterises the final hours or minutes of those who are passing away.”
We’ll Meet Again
“It would seem from the evidence that all of us have an ability to see ahead, to feel the future, to view pictures of time to come. How often we say, ‘I have a bad feeling that something will happen!’ or ‘It doesn’t feel right!’ or ‘Something is going to go wrong!’ Studies and other evidence suggest that something basic and primeval – something well beyond our scientific comprehension – is going on.”
Forewarned
LINKS
Colm Keane’s books
“The day I met my dead son in heaven”