Near Death Experiences – I haven’t shared this with anyone but my closest friends. I died and came back to life. As near-death experiences become more known and accepted, it’s time to share my own experience. When you hear my story, you may think I’m weird. But if we work together in hypnotherapy, you can rest assured nothing you tell me about your life and experiences is too bizarre. I’ve seen and experienced a lot!
Anyone who has had a near-death experience knows it is life-changing. The accounts are often vivid—people describe leaving their physical bodies, traveling through tunnels, encountering a divine presence, or a being filled with overwhelming love and peace. Most return from these experiences with a deep sense of transformation, a loss of fear regarding death, and a stronger connection to the spiritual realm.
These encounters leave many of us wondering what happens after death and what can we learn from these experiences.
Are they glimpses of the afterlife, or could they be the brain’s response to extreme stress? I think it could be either—or something else entirely. Verifying what’s happening is difficult, but we can learn much from people’s stories.
Family Encounters of the Near-Death Experiences
When my brother was a teenager, he was in a life-threatening accident. At the hospital, the doctor told us that he had been pronounced dead twice during the night. But by morning, he was again alive and lives to this day, fifty-some years later.
He described an inviting tunnel of light and the presence of beings to greet him. Among those present was our grandfather. He told my brother it was not his time and that he had to return to his body. He felt OK about staying or going but followed instructions and returned.
A dozen years later, when my son was three, we spent several months on the island of Montserrat in a house with a pool off the patio. I was busy making lunch, and his grandfather and father were reading newspapers. Our nanny was watching the two children and feeding my daughter. Suddenly, she ran to the kitchen to ask where my son was. We all panicked and ran to the pool, where he was floating face down, lifeless. My husband jumped in and threw my son into my arms at the pool’s edge. I knelt and slammed his belly on my knee, ejecting the water.
Pumping his chest for a brief moment, he gasped and returned to life. Another moment longer, and it could have been tragic.
I encouraged him to tell me stories of what he remembered. With his childish grasp of language, he told me he was reaching for a sparkle on the water’s surface and fell in. He struggled and then gave up. He said he became very calm and floated above the pool high in the sky. It was very serene, and he was OK with it.
I was a mess, but he was calm and didn’t seem traumatized about it at all.
Regardless of what causes NDEs, one thing is clear: they touch on parts of the human experience that feel profound and spiritual.
Scientific Theories and Spiritual Insights
Interestingly, while the circumstances leading up to an NDE may vary, the reported experiences are often strikingly similar across different cultures and belief systems. This consistency has led some to speculate that NDEs are more than just hallucinations caused by a brain under duress. Instead, they may represent a universal human experience, touching on existence’s spiritual or metaphysical aspects.
So, how do these experiences come about? Scientifically speaking, some researchers believe NDEs could be the result of a brain struggling with oxygen deprivation, leading to vivid hallucinations and feelings of euphoria. Others suggest that there could be moments when the brain’s typical filters—usually limiting our perception—are temporarily lifted, allowing us to access other dimensions of existence.
In my work with hypnotherapy and past life regression, I have helped several others recall their near-death experiences and hundreds to recall leaving the body at the end of a past life regression. The techniques applied within hypnotherapy allow me to support clients in retrieving memories of their experiences that have been forgotten or blocked from their conscious minds. By reaching deeper into the subconscious, we can connect with many more details of the event and its meaning while calming any trauma.
My Death Experience
In the Spring of 2003, I was working in my office. Without warning, I heard a male voice say, “You’re going to die.” Startled, I quickly looked around to find the source of this message. No one was there. I dismissed it, thinking I was overworked and tired.
I heard the message repeated sporadically over the next several days. I was becoming very alarmed. I was happy in my life—my career was building, I was writing my third book, and I was building a happy relationship. I wasn’t ready to go. There were too many adventures on the horizon!
I discussed this with my guides, who confirmed the message. As a hypnotherapist and astrologer, they explained that I was at the end of the purpose of my current birth chart and that I would need to move on to another incarnation to continue my soul’s purpose. In other words, I was bouncing against my personal glass ceiling, and the only way to push past that was to get a new life and birth chart. I imagine there were other ways to explain it, but astrology was a language we shared and the simplest way to convey the concept.
I was distraught, thinking I would leave my happy relationship and successful hypnotherapy practice and abandon my children while they were at university. There was more I wanted and needed to do.
Then, paranoia set in. How would it happen? Would it be quick and pain-free or something dreadful? And, of course, I was concerned about activities like driving.
Then, I had a brainstorm. What if I could arrange to die but return to my same body? In my work as a hypnotherapist and past life regressionist, I’m familiar with a process we call ‘stepping in’ or ‘stepping out.’ I present this concept in my book Exploring Past Lives: Your Soul’s Quest for Consciousness.
In short, when a soul has completed their time in this life and is ready to move on, it can arrange, at a subconscious level, to die or slip out of the body, leaving it available for another soul to enter and carry on. It is not body-snatching or possession. It is voluntary and agreed upon, even though the conscious brain is unaware of this transaction.
I brought this up to my guides, asking whether I could arrange to die, leave the body, and then quickly return to “step into” my own vacated body. They said they were unaware of that ever happening and weren’t sure if it could be done. So, they went to work investigating and setting it up.
The months passed with this elusive hatchet hanging over my head. There was no guarantee that my plan would work, so I had to be prepared for the possibility that I would die. I wasn’t afraid of death—I had remembered many of my lifetimes and death scenes and had facilitated countless more. Yet, it was concerning not to know how or when. I put my affairs in order just in case.
The Summer came and went, and then Autumn, the holidays, and the New Year. Finally, I was told I was hanging on too tightly and had to let go. That’s not as easy as it sounds, but I tried. Finally, my colleague, who does powerful energy work, said he would help push me out of my body. I was picturing spiritual forceps.
We arranged for spirits familiar with astrology to choose the right moment. On the chosen evening, my “spiritual midwife” was teaching a class. I attended, and he told me to prepare because when he received the signal from my guides that the time had arrived, I was to follow him to the back of the room so he could do the energy work.
The signal came, and we went to the back of the room. A strong woman stood behind me, and my colleague stood before me. He delivered the energy, and I fell back and just let go. I was lowered to the floor. I could feel a wall of energy slowly descending my body. Then, I noticed energy balling up and rumbling like an orgasm, but higher up in my core. That ball of energy started moving upward past my chest, throat, and out my mouth.
My point of view was from the ceiling looking down. I could see the classroom, my body, and the woman holding my head. I wanted to explore more, but my concern was to get back to the body quickly enough. I slammed back into my body and lay there shaking like I was in shock. I lay there for about 45 minutes until my body normalized. It was done.
Near-death experiences are real. They can be experienced in a variety of ways. There can be many reasons why they occur, and the experiences will be unique to the individual.
The Impact of Near Death Experiences
For those who’ve experienced an NDE, these are more than just biological responses. They are deeply emotional and often transformative moments. Many report clarity of purpose, a loss of fear regarding death, and a strengthened spiritual connection.
A near-death experience is likely to be a once-in-a-lifetime event. Most people are unprepared for this rare event. It is made more difficult if friends and family are shocked, reactive, or scared when they hear about it, raising unease and anxiety when it should be a beautiful new lease on life.
I was fortunate to have a robust support system in place. Others may feel alone in the experience or have no one to share the story with or help them process it. The event can be unnerving at best and traumatic at times, so it is valuable to unpack the details and glean the lessons and growth.
It is an extraordinary experience that can bring a depth of soul and wisdom when processed with a properly trained and experienced hypnotherapist. It can be a life-changing opportunity to connect with intuition, spirit guides, and life purpose.
A Glimpse Into the Afterlife
For many people, an NDE is a profound wake-up call. It can radically shift their perspective on life, making them more aware of their spiritual selves. For some, this process leads to a greater sense of purpose. They may feel called to make changes in their life, letting go of old fears or anxieties and embracing a deeper connection to their spiritual beliefs. For others, exploring an NDE may unlock hidden talents or intuitive abilities as they tap into the wisdom of their higher self.
Ultimately, NDEs remind us that life is more than our physical existence. Through the guidance of hypnotherapy, they can be optimized to further our healing and growth.
