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Near Death, After Death, Out of Body:
Three Research Sites

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As I write this column, I am looking forward to attending the 2006 North American Conference of the International Association of Near-Death Studies (IANDS) at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. Even though I’ve been interested in near-death experiences (NDEs) for a long time, this is the first year I’ve become an IANDS member and the first time I’m attending a conference.

     I am attending because NDE studies have become an integral part of the research I’m doing for my Ph.D. at Chicago Theological Seminary. The summary of that research is: Assuming that some fragmentary ecstatic experiences are the result of connections to the divine, can these experiences represent vehicles of positive change, especially in the form of increased altruism. In a wonderful bit of spiritual synchronicity, I happened to be making a presentation on my dissertation project during a Models and Methods class last Spring. NDEs were not part of the presentation, but, as usual, I had asked Spirit to help me as I began to speak. Suddenly I found the words popping out of my mouth: “Some of the best research on ecstatic connections and altruistic transformation can be found in the field of near-death experience studies.” Later, as my professor went over my presentation, she suggested that I narrow down my supporting research to NDEs. That professor, who is also on my Ph.D. committee, then added, “Oh, by the way, I had an NDE.”

     In preparation for the upcoming IANDS conference, I’ve been listening to MP3 files from last year’s conference. One of the sessions featured Jeffery Long, M.D. and his wife Jodie, a lawyer, who have been doing research on NDEs for years. Their interest over the years expanded to include the phenomena of after death experiences (ADEs) and out of body experiences (OBEs). They now have three separate websites devoted to each of these experiences. After listening to the session, I decided to visit these sites and share that experience with my readers.

     Near Death Experience Research Foundation (www.nderf.org): NDERF is a non-profit group devoted to the study and sharing of the Near Death Experience and related phenomena. The site has the largest selection of published NDE accounts in the world. Indeed, in 2005 when the Longs gave this workshop, the site had more than 350,000 hits from over 100 countries’ visitors during the month of August alone.

     The NDERF site includes many of the research reports in the NDE studies field. For example, the home page includes articles like:

     “Penny Sartori, Ph.D., Study Review” by Jody 5/29/06: This is a five year prospective Welsh study out of the U.K. to explore if anoxia, hypercarbia, or drug administration could explain the NDE. The conclusion of the study is that the NDE still remains medically inexplicable.

     “About The Continuity Of Our Consciousness” by Pim van Lommel, M.D.: This is the best discussion of NDE, brain and body physiology, and consciousness that I’ve ever read! A must read for understanding NDE!

     Another important feature of the site is the link that allows visitors to share their own experiences—experiences that will be used in ongoing research by NDERF. Many of these experiences are also shared with visitors to the site, both in the archives and in a link called “Newest NDE.” This section contains excerpts from NDEs with links to more expanded versions. Here is a sampling of some of the excerpts:

Wan I NDE. 10/6/06 From Malaysia: “But as I grew closer to the light and felt it’s shine. A sudden cool and calmness came over me. For the light made me feel peaceful all the sudden as I grew closer. It was a kind of peace and calm which I’ve never felt in my entire lifetime, even until this very day. From a far as I grew closer to the light ... I could see almost like figures in the light, like heads, people all dressed in white, as if it were some sort of congregation or a crowd ... the more I came closer, the more I felt like ‘staying’ and my sadness and fears disappeared. It felt like that comfort feeling of ‘home.’”

— Teenage Muslim NDE due to drug reaction. This is the most detailed Muslim NDE we have encountered so far.

Anita M’s NDE. 8/21/06 From Hong Kong: “I was drifting in and out of consciousness during this time, and I could feel my spirit actually leaving my body. I saw and heard the conversations between my husband and the doctors taking place outside my room, about forty feet away down a hallway. I was later able to verify this conversation to my shocked husband. Then I actually ‘crossed over’ to another dimension, where I was engulfed in a total feeling of love. I also experienced extreme clarity of why I had the cancer, why I had come into this life in the first place, what role everyone in my family played in my life in the grand scheme of things, and generally how life works. The clarity and understanding I obtained in this state is almost indescribable. Words seem to limit the experience—I was at a place where I understood how much more there is than what we are able to conceive in our 3-dimensional world. I realized what a gift life was, and that I was surrounded by loving spiritual beings, who were always around me even when I did not know it.”

— Exceptional NDE due to nearly fatal Hodgkin’s Lymphoma (malignancy of the lymphatic system). From Hong Kong, this is a relatively rare non-Western NDE, and the most detailed non-Western NDE we have received to date. Exceptional insights and apparent miraculous healing associated with NDE.

Kent M NDE. 10/6/06: “Experience was definitely real. It was more real than sitting down with my parents for a meal after I was released from the hospital. There is no question whatsoever that what I experienced was and is real. This society’s beliefs are illusion ... The truth is so simple a child can understand it. It’s too bad that grown adults are so conditioned that they can’t see it. It’s all pretty easy and doesn’t take a thick book or years of study to understand.

— NDE due to motor vehicle accident with head injury.

Alok B NDE-Like. 10/6/06: “Then out of nowhere, I felt my soul being pulled upwards by an invisible force to somewhere I had never been. All of a sudden I was in a circular room with doors all around that was all red, a gaudy burnt red, and the floor was dark brown, it was hard to see—it looked medieval, gothic or something. Then there was a figure that appeared and told me he was assigned to protect me and teach me the truth; to teach me of my past lives. Then with some motion of his hands we were elevated a couple feet off the ground, and a myriad of animals, peoples, leaders, and all other walks of life came rushing past through the doors under us. It was similar to the way that caribou and other group animals run in herds. He called himself ‘Leftinent,’ which I believe is one term also known as Lieutenant.

— Hindu NDE-Like experience as a dream.

Two additional related sites reference ADC (After Death Communication) and OBE (Out of Body Experience). Briefly:

     After Death Communication Research Foundation (www.adcrf.org): ADCRF has extensive information and resources regarding after death communication, bereavement, grief, and life after death. The site is set up in a similar way to the NDERF site. In other words, you can share your ADC experiences, read the latest research papers, and read some of the ADCs that have been submitted to the site.

     Out of Body Experience Research Foundation (www.oberf.org): Again, the OBERF site is set up in a similar manner as the NDERF and ADCRF sites. OBERF focuses on Out of Body Experience (OBE), spiritually transformative events, and consciousness studies. In addition to featuring extensive information and research, people can share their stories and learn more about different states of consciousness.

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Mary Montgomery is a certified web author and developer. Her company, Montgomery Media Enterprises (“Freelancing with Finesse!”), specializes in public relations, writing projects and web authoring, development and publicity, especially in the non-profit sector.  Ms. Montgomery has a Master’s Degree in religious studies from Chicago Theological Seminary (CTS) and is working on a Ph.D. with a focus on the new scholarship of Unlimited Love and the Other Regarding Virtues. She is also in the process of completing the Morris Pratt Institute Course on Modern Spiritualism. Contact her via email at monty764@sbcglobal.net or at her web site at www.montymedia.com.

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