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EDITOR'S COMMENT:

I first heard about near-death experiences from the man who inspired the
near-death movement. His name was Dr. George Ritchie. I heard him tell his
remarkable near-death story at the Association for Research and
Enlightenment (Edgar Cayce's organization) in the late 1970's. A well-known
and respected doctor, Ritchie was humble, sincere, devout, and
unpretentious. With self-effacing humor, he described how, at the age of
twenty, he had died in an Army hospital. While his body lay dead in the
hospital's morgue for nine minutes, Ritchie had a dramatic encounter with
Jesus, who guided him through a series of difficult to watch, intensely
instructive experiences. With Jesus at his side, Ritchie moved from hellish
realms to heavenly ones, learning what kind of attitudes and behaviors
determined where souls ended up after they died.

The experience completely changed Ritchie. It also affected the lives of
thousands of others who either heard Ritchie speak, or read about his
mesmerizing experience in "Return From Tomorrow" <http://bit.ly/bM8ASp>.

A brief synopsis of Ritchie's near-death experience can be found here:

http://www.near-death.com/ritch.html

One of the people who was captivated by Ritchie's story was a young doctor
named Raymond Moody. Inspired by Ritchie's near-death experience, Moody
became the first medical doctor to systematically study near-death
experiences and, later, published the groundbreaking book, "Life After Life"
<http://bit.ly/9QIdhT>. Published in 1975, Moody's book coined the term
"near-death experience" (NDE) and launched the modern near-death movement.
Since then, a growing legion of researchers, books, websites, and studies
have joined the quest to understand this enigmatic experience.

This report is about an important new book in the maturing, ever-expanding
field of near-death research. Called "Evidence of the Afterlife"
<http://bit.ly/5FAA4J>, it summarizes the largest scientific study of the
near-death experience ever presented. Written by Dr. Jeffrey Long, Evidence
of the Afterlife is based on 613 near-death experiences, which were selected
from over over 1300 NDEs from all age groups, races, and religious
affiliations, from all over the world. Along with providing new evidence
that strengthens established views of NDEs, this study breaks new ground by
insisting that near-death experiences are essentially the same for all human
beings, regardless of their age, gender, personal beliefs, and cultural
conditioning.

Before I highlight the key findings of Long's work, I want to emphasize
another breakthrough discovery -- one which has important ramifications for
everyone.

It is well known that near-death experiences often transform those who have
them -- and Long's book contains a long list of the kind of changes that
NDErs typically experience.

What is less well known, and what I believe should be of great interest to
human beings everywhere, is that there is growing evidence that simply
learning about near-death experiences can have similar effects on people who
have not had an NDE.

Here are two quotes that illustrate the transformational effects of indirect
encounters with NDEs -- one from Long, and the other one from Stanley
Krippner, commenting on Kenneth Ring's book "Lessons from the Light"
<http://bit.ly/9Gx2k2>:

"For me personally, I'm showing more love to others now than before I
started my near-death-experience studies. My understanding of near-death
experiences has made me a better doctor. I face life with more courage and
confidence. I believe NDErs really do bring back a piece of the afterlife.
When NDErs share their remarkable experiences, I believe a piece of the
afterlife, in some mysterious way, becomes available to us all." -- Jeffrey
Long, author of Evidence of the Afterlife

"In this remarkable book, Ring presents evidence that merely learning about
the near-death experience has similar effects to those reported by people
who actually have had near-death experiences." -- Stanley Krippner, writing
about Kenneth Ring's book Lessons from the Light

If you are a human being interested in knowing more about why you are alive,
now, on this planet; if you are a human being wondering how you can live the
fullest, happiest, most meaningful life possible; if you are interested in
knowing what is likely to happen to you, your family, and your friends when
death comes calling; if you are interested in tapping into the blissful
state of consciousness that NDErs report surrounds us all the time and
awaits us in the afterlife; and if you are interested in seemingly
miraculous, yet deeply pragmatic ways to help the human race make a radical
leap in consciousness before we destroy ourselves and turn Earth into a
wasteland, then NDEs is a topic worth paying attention to.

Along with emphasizing the transformational quality of learning more about
NDEs, it's important to emphasize that near-death experiences are no longer
restricted to the domains of religion, philosophy, and water-cooler
speculation. They are, instead, a worldwide phenomenon that has been
subjected to increasingly robust scientific scrutiny. The number of people
reporting NDEs is also increasing all over the world, possibly
exponentially. It is currently estimated that as much as five percent of the
U.S. population has had a near-death experience. The study that I am about
to summarize is based on NDEs recorded in more than twenty languages, which
utilized over 250 volunteers to translate them. It is also the largest study
of young children ever published.

The number of people involved, along with the increasing careful way that
near-death experiences are being collected, analyzed, and reported, is,
simply put, staggering. The near-death experience is no longer an obscure,
isolated topic that can be trivialized or ignored. It is, instead, a global
phenomenon that is being experienced by increasing numbers of people who
report exceedingly similar experiences.

In my view, something very important is happening here. We may well be on
the verge of having some of humankind's oldest, most perplexing questions
answered -- not by iconic mystics, savant-like geniuses, or teams of
scientific experts, but by you and I learning how to plug ourselves directly
into the Source from which we come.

In short, I believe this subject deserves our utmost attention and hope you
will take the time to read this report, purchase the book it summarizes
<http://bit.ly/5FAA4J>, and share it all with family and friends!

With Love & Best Wishes,
David Sunfellow

P.S. Along with expressing my enthusiasm for this subject, let me also add a
note of caution.

While the growing phenomenon of near-death experiences provides us with many
things to be hopeful about, there are also some very important questions
that remain to be answered. What's up with the 1 to 15 percent of NDEs that
are hellish and/or distressing? How can some people, who reportedly have
genuine NDEs, remain trapped in wounded, conflict-ridden, ego-driven lives
and personalities? And how is it that some of the most well-known
authorities in the near-death world end up attacking one another (and the
movement itself) with unapologetic abandon -- apparently with little or no
regard for a life review that will replay their words and deeds from the
perspective of those who were hurt by them?

(To take a peak into the dark side of the near-death movement, you can read
Raymond Moody's book, "The Last Laugh" <http://bit.ly/cKKgoT> -- a strange,
convoluted, annoying book that explores the "show business" side of the
near-death movement, as well as some of its most controversial celebrities.)

That's a short way of saying that while I think it is very important for us
to deeply ponder the power and possibilities of NDEs, I also want to be sure
we keep a sharp lookout for the unseen, the disowned, the ignored, the
embellished, the unexpected, the deep rumblings that remind us there is far
more to us -- and God, life, existence -- than can be wrapped up in overly
simplistic packages. Whatever the ultimate truth turns out to be about
near-death experiences, I think we can expect big surprises as we journey
further and further into this vast, largely uncharted frontier.

............

RELATED LINKS:

NHNE's Near-Death Resource Center & Social Network:
http://nhneneardeath.ning.com/

Evidence Of The Afterlife: The Science Of Near-Death Experiences
By Jeffrey Long and Paul Perry
http://bit.ly/5FAA4J

Near Death Experience Research Foundation
http://www.nderf.org/

Lessons From The Light: What We Can Learn From The Near-Death Experience
By Kenneth Ring and Evelyn Elsaesser Valarino
http://bit.ly/9Gx2k2

Life After Life
By Raymond Moody
http://bit.ly/9QIdhT

Return From Tomorrow
By Dr. George Ritchie
http://bit.ly/bM8ASp

............

EVIDENCE OF THE AFTERLIFE: THE SCIENCE OF NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCES
By Jeffrey Long and Paul Perry
http://bit.ly/5FAA4J

QUOTES FROM EVIDENCE OF THE AFTERLIFE

"The core NDE experience is the same all over the world. Whether it's a
near-death experience of a Hindu in India, a Muslim in Egypt, or a Christian
in the United States, the same core elements are present in all, including
out-of-body experience, tunnel experience, feelings of peace, beings of
light, a life review, reluctance to return, and transformation after the
NDE. In short, the experience of dying appears similar among all humans, no
matter where they live."

"Preexisting cultural beliefs do not significantly influence the content of
NDEs. Near-death experiences from around the world appear to have similar
content regardless of the culture of the country that the NDErs live in."

"The results of the Near Death Experience Research Foundation (NDERF) study
clearly indicate remarkable consistency among NDE case studies. This study
finds that what people discovered during their near-death experience about
God, love, afterlife, reason for our earthly existence, earthly hardships,
forgiveness, and many other concepts is strikingly consistent across
cultures, races, and creeds. Also, these discoveries are generally not what
would have been expected from preexisting societal beliefs, religious
teachings, or any other source of earthly knowledge."

"By scientifically studying the more than 1,300 cases shared with NDERF, I
believe that the nine lines of evidence presented in this book all converge
on one central point: There is life after death."

"I have studied thousands of near-death experiences. I have carefully
considered the evidence NDEs present regarding the existence of an
afterlife. I believe, without a shadow of a doubt that there is life after
physical death."

"Some research indicates that as much as 5 percent of the U.S. Population
has had a near-death experience."

"Generaly speaking, NDErs who have life reviews view themselves from a
third-person perspective. They watch themselves interacting with the people
in their lives. They see how they treated others and often step into the
other person's place so they know how that person felt when interacting with
them."

"A spiritual being sometimes accompanies the person who is having the life
review. This being may serve as a kind of loving guide, assessing the life
review from a higher spiritual plane as the NDEr watches, discussing the
spiritual ramifications of the events of the NDEr's life. The being's
comments may help the NDEr put his or her life into perspective. Near-death
experiencers almost never describe feeling negatively judged by this
spiritual being, no matter how unkind they were up to that point in their
lives. Near-death experiencers who reviewed many of their own prior cruel
actions often express great relief that they were not negatively judged
during their NDEs."

"Near-death experiencers generally noted that they were the ones who judged
themselves. During the process they saw the good and bad, the cause and
effect of their choices. Many reported that they had a review of feelings
rather than a review of visual events."

"Many NDErs say that the life review, of all the elements of the NDE, was by
far the greatest catalyst for change. A life review allows NDErs to relive
their own lives, mistakes and all. It also gives them a chance to evaluate
themselves on their life performance. Many things that seemed insignificant
at the time -- a small kindness, for instance -- turn out to be significant
in their own or another person's life. People realize they became angry over
things that were not important or that they placed too much significance on
unimportant things."

"The life review helps the NDEr understand his or her purpose in life."

"Knowledge and love are two elements that we take with us when we die. As a
result, life reviews are often one of the most transformative elements of
the NDE. Those who have powerful life reviews tend to revere both knowledge
and love after their NDE."

"The Kelly study found that 95 percent of the deceased individuals
encountered were relatives, while only 5 percent were friends or
acquaintances. Only 4 percent of the NDErs in the study met beings who were
alive at the time of the NDE. Other studies have shown that in dreams or
hallucinations, the beings encountered are much more likely to be people who
are still living."

"Encounters with the deceased loved ones are almost always joyous reunions."

"Although many deceased loved ones prior to death were elderly and sometimes
disfigured by arthritis or other chronic illnesses, the deceased in the
near-death experience are virtually always the picture of perfect health and
may appear younger -- even decades younger -- than they did at the time of
death. Those who died as very young children may appear older. But even if
the deceased appear to be a very different age than when they died, the NDEr
still recognizes them."

"People may encounter in their near-death experience a being who seems
familiar but whose identity is unknown during the NDE... Most of the time...
unfamiliar beings turn out to be family members from the past."

............

THE TWELVE ELEMENTS OF NDEs:

According to Evidence of the Afterlife, no two near-death experiences are
identical. When, however, many near-death experiences are studied, a common
pattern of elements emerges, which usually occur in consistent order. Here
is a list of the twelve main NDE elements that have been identified. Each
element is followed by a number indicating what percentage of the 613 people
included in the Evidence of the Afterlife study experienced the element in
question. Significantly, only 33.8 percent reported passing into of through
a tunnel, and only 22.2 percent said they experienced a life review.

1. Out-of-body experience (OBE): Separation of consciousness from the
physical body - 75.4 percent

2. Heightened senses - 74.4 percent

3. Intense and generally positive emotions or feelings - 76.2 percent

4. Passing into or through a tunnel - 33.8 percent

5. Encountering a mystical or brilliant light - 64.6 percent

6. Encountering other beings, either mystical beings or deceased relatives
or friends - 57.3 percent

7. A sense of alteration of time and space - 60.5 percent

8. Life review - 22.2 percent

9. Encountering unworldly ("heavenly") realms - 40.6 percent

10. Encountering or learning special knowledge - 56 percent (31.5 percent
answered that they felt they understood everything "about the universe";
31.3 percent felt they understood everything "about myself and others")

11. Encountering a boundary or barrier - 31 percent

12. Return to the body, either voluntary or involuntary - 58.5 percent

.............

Based on the NDEs that Long studied, Long developed "nine lines of
reasoning" that he believes PROVES the existence of life after death. Here
are Long's nine lines, with an additional category added by me:

LONG'S NINE LINES OF EVIDENCE

1. The level of consciousness and alertness during NDEs is usually greater
than they experience during their everyday life even though NDEs generally
occur while unconscious or clinically dead. The elements in NDEs generally
follow a consistent and logical and order.

2. What NDErs see and hear in the out of body state during their NDEs is
generally realistic, and often verified later by the NDErs or others as
real.

3. Normal or super-normal vision occurs in NDEs among those with
significantly impaired vision or even legal blindness. Several NDErs who
were blind from birth have reported highly visual NDEs.

4. Typical NDEs occur under general anesthesia at a time when conscious
experience should be impossible.

5. Life reviews in NDEs include real events that took place in the NDErs
lives, even if the events had been forgotten.

6. When NDErs encounter beings they knew from their earthly life, they are
virtually always deceased, and usually deceased relatives.

7. The NDEs of children, including very young children, are strikingly
similar to the NDEs of older children and adults.

8. NDEs appear strikingly consistent around the world. Many NDEs from
non-Western countries are very similar to typical Western NDEs.

9. Changes in the lives of NDErs after their experiences, the NDE
aftereffects, are common. Aftereffects are often powerful, lasting, and the
changes follow a consistent pattern.

Aftereffects include:

- Decreased fear of death

- Increased belief in the afterlife

- A stronger sense of spirituality

- A sense of God's presence

- An awareness of the meaning and purpose of life

- A belief in the sacredness of life

- A greater appreciation of life

- A reduced interest in material gain or status

- Seek out helping or healing professions

- 45 percent reported psychic, paranormal, or other special gifts

- People with very serious illnesses, both physical and mental, believe they
were healed

- Increasingly loving and accepting of themselves

- More self confidence

- Increased awareness of the needs of others and a willingness to reach out
to them

- May end negative and unloving relationships, and seek out positive and
loving relationships

- Increasing capacities for love and compassion can result in stronger
marriages and relationships

- Increased intelligence (at least in children)


According to Long, "you can't fake the effects of a near-death experience."

73.1 percent reported that their lives had changed significantly as the
result of their NDE. Long also reports that "it takes as long as seven years
or more for a person who has had a near-death experience to fully integrate
into their life the changes that resulted from the experience."

A line of evidence that I believe should have been included, but wasn't:

10. Remarkably accurate, long-term memories of NDEs

Not included in the above nine lines of evidence mentioned above, is another
peculiar feature of the near-death experience that I believe should have
been included. And that is the curious fact that unlike normal human
memories, which are distorted over time, near-death experiences are not
"embellished or diminished." This includes both children, who retell their
near-death experiences as adults, as well as adults who retell their stories
decades after the experience. Long cites several different studies, of both
children and adults, that support this important conclusion. Writes Long,
"the striking ability of near-death experiences to consistently recall in
great detail their experiences, even decades later, is a testament to the
power of the near-death experience. It is a unique and remarkable state of
consciousness."

............

TWO ESPECIALLY INTERESTING NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCES

JONATHAN R'S NDE

http://www.nderf.org/jonathan_r_nde.htm

Going into the operating room I had an unusual amount of peace. I was joking
with the staff and doctors. I had no fear at all. I remember counting
backwards from 10, but don't remember what number I got to. It was several
days later that I began to remember what happened during the operation. And
only a few days ago I first shared it with my wife in fear of being
considered a nut.

I remember standing about 10 feet up and 10 feet to the side of my body on
the table. A person was standing next to me, but I didn't look at him/her. I
had no fear, or questions to ask, I just observed.

Around the table were at least a dozen nurses and doctors. But what was so
emotional was the presence of white people that I can only describe as
angels. Each angel was guiding the hands of the staff they were standing
next to.

I heard no noise, no voices, no music. It was peacefully quiet.

I don't remember details to specific, such as what tools were used, or the
exact position of my body, but only because I was focused so much on the
angels guiding the staff in everything they did, from walking, to the use of
the tools within my chest cavity.

Even after the operation, I still had an unusual peace and no fear. The
doctor said it was the best operation he had ever gone through, there were
no problems at all, and he was impressed at my rate of recovery.

I was released from the hospital only 14 days after having my chest opened,
deflated lungs, and patched esophagus.

.............

ANITA M'S NDE

http://www.nderf.org/anita_m's_nde.htm

I had cancer (Hodgkin's Lymphoma), and on this morning, I could not move. My
husband rushed me to hospital, where, after doing scans, they diagnosed me
with grade 4B lymphoma (the highest grade). The senior oncologist looked at
my report and told my husband that it was too late, and that my organs were
now shutting down. I only had 36 hours to live. However, the oncologist said
he would do whatever he could but prepared my husband that I would most
likely not make it, as my organs were no longer functioning. They started me
on a chemotherapy drip as well as oxygen, and then they started to take
tests, particularly on my organ functions, so that they could determine what
drugs to use.

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 40
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.

The amount of love I felt was overwhelming, and from this perspective, I
knew how powerful I am, and saw the amazing possibilities we as humans are
capable of achieving during a physical life. I found out that my purpose now
would be to live "heaven on earth" using this new understanding, and also to
share this knowledge with other people. However I had the choice of whether
to come back into life, or go towards death. I was made to understand that
it was not my time, but I always had the choice, and if I chose death, I
would not be experiencing a lot of the gifts that the rest of my life still
held in store. One of the things I wanted to know was that if I chose life,
would I have to come back to this sick body, because my body was very, very
sick and the organs had stopped functioning. I was then made to understand
that if I chose life, my body would heal very quickly. I would see a
difference in not months or weeks, but days!

I was shown how illnesses start on an energetic level before they become
physical. If I chose to go into life, the cancer would be gone from my
energy, and my physical body would catch up very quickly. I then understood
that when people have medical treatments for illnesses, it rids the illness
only from their body but not from their energy so the illness returns. I
realized if I went back, it would be with a very healthy energy. Then the
physical body would catch up to the energetic conditions very quickly and
permanently. I was given the understanding that this applies to anything,
not only illnesses -- physical conditions, psychological conditions, etc. I
was "shown" that everything going on in our lives was dependant on this
energy around us, created by us. Nothing was solid -- we created our
surroundings, our conditions, etc. depending where this "energy" was at. The
clarity I received around how we get what we do was phenomenal! It's all
about where we are energetically. I was made to feel that I was going to see
"proof" of this first hand if I returned back to my body.

I know I was drifting in and out between the two worlds, but every time I
drifted into the "other side", I was shown more and more scenes. There was
one which showed how my life had touched all the people in it -- it was sort
of like a tapestry and showed how I affected everyone's lives around me.
There was another which showed my brother on a plane, having heard the news
I was dying, coming to see me (this was verified to me as when I started to
come round, my brother was there, having just got off a plane). I then saw a
glimpse of my brother and me and somehow seemed to understand it was a
previous life, where I was much older than him and was like a mother to him
(in this life, he is older than me). I saw in that life I was very
protective towards him. I suddenly became aware he was on the plane to come
and see me, and felt "I can't do this to him -- can't let him come and see
me dead". Then I also saw how my husband's purpose was linked to mine, and
how we had decided to come and experience this life together. If I went, he
would probably follow soon after.

I was made to understand that, as tests had been taken for my organ
functions (and the results were not out yet), that if I chose life, the
results would show that my organs were functioning normally. If I chose
death, the results would show organ failure as the cause of death, due to
cancer. I was able to change the outcome of the tests by my choice!

I made my choice, and as I started to wake up (in a very confused state, as
I could not at that time tell which side of the veil I was on), the doctors
came rushing into the room with big smiles on their faces saying to my
family "Good news -- we got the results and her organs are functioning -- we
can't believe it!! Her body really did seem like it had shut down!"

After that, I began to recover rapidly. The doctors had been waiting for me
to become stable before doing a lymph node biopsy to track the type of
cancer cells, and they could not even find a lymph node big enough to
suggest cancer (upon entering the hospital my body was filled with swollen
lymph nodes). They did a bone marrow biopsy, again to find the cancer
activity so they could adjust the chemotherapy according to the disease, and
there wasn't any in the bone marrow. The doctors were very confused, but put
it down to me suddenly responding to the chemo. Because they themselves were
unable to understand what was going on, they made me undergo test after
test, all of which I passed with flying colors, and clearing every test
empowered me even more! I had a full body scan, and because they could not
find anything, they made the radiologist repeat it again!!!!

Because of my experience, I am now sharing with everyone I know that
miracles are possible in your life every day. After what I have seen, I
realize that absolutely anything is possible, and that we did not come here
to suffer. Life is supposed to be great, and we are very, very loved. The
way I look at life has changed dramatically, and I am so glad to have been
given a second chance to experience "heaven on earth".

.............

The Near Death Experience Research Foundation presently contains over 2000
full-text published NDE accounts, with more being added. Current NDEs are
located here:

http://www.nderf.org/NDERF_NDEs.htm

------------

If you would like to explore NDEs further with fans and friends of NHNE,
come join NHNE's Near-Death Resource Center & Social Network:

http://nhneneardeath.ning.com/

------------

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Published by David Sunfellow
NewHeavenNewEarth (NHNE)
eMail: nhne@...
Phone: (928) 257-3200
Fax: (815) 642-0117

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