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Return from death: An exploration of the near-death experience
From back For those who have been close to death, even survived 'clinical death', a remarkable experience occurs which has become known as the Near-Death Experience. Margot Grey describes how people close to death undergo a sense of euphoria and floating out of one's body, entering a dark tunnel and emerging to encounter a brilliant light and experiencing a panoramic life review. The Near-Death Experience often has a profound effect on the person who experiences it and can lead to spiritual awakening and psychic development. The fear of death tends to diminish and in many cases a total personality transformation occurs.
206 pages, Paperback
First published October 3, 1985
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August 14, 2024
AN ENGLISH PSYCHOLOGIST RECORDS HER OWN EXPERIENCE, AND THAT OF OTHERS
Margot Grey is a Humanistic Psychologist, and a founder of the International Association for Near-Death Studies (IANDS); she lives in London. She wrote in the Preface to this 1985 book, "In February 1976, while traveling through India, I was struck down by a strange illness... I hovered on the brink of death... At some point during the process of passing in and out of consciousness I became aware that... I could rise up out of my body and remain in a state of levitation... Later on, I seemed to be traveling down an endless tunnel... A sense of exultation was accompanied by a feeling of being very close to the 'source' of life and love... On returning to England... I realised something very significant had occurred which I can only compare to a spiritual rebirth."
She states, "Although a number of noted researchers found no evidence of hell-like experiences to rebut the theory that negative feelings are rarely, if ever, encountered. I am therefore compelled to conclude that such experiences, though infrequent, do certainly exist." (Pg. 55) After recounting one person's experience, she notes, "elements of both a negative and a positive nature are present. While the woman was quite clearly in a negative environment, she nevertheless had the protection, support and encouragement of the 'being of light.'" (Pg. 66)
She observes, "Does it make a difference how a person nearly dies? Like the American researchers, I too found evidence to suggest that the circumstances of a person's death make no difference to the likelihood of their having an NDE. Elements of the experience were found in all the three categories that I examined." (Pg. 91) But she adds, "the experience undoubtedly changes the person's relationship to religion subsequently. The main shift would seem to be away from theological doctrines toward a more spiritual ideology. They tend to be less dependent on the religious interpretations of the church, and more contemplative and private in their beliefs." (Pg. 108)
She also suggests, "whether people are religiously minded or religiously indifferent, the likelihood of their having an NDE proves to be the same, the only difference being the influence religion has on their interpretation of the experience." (Pg. 173)
This is one of the earliest "first person" NDE accounts; and its recounting by a trained psychologist makes it all the more interesting.
Margot Grey is a Humanistic Psychologist, and a founder of the International Association for Near-Death Studies (IANDS); she lives in London. She wrote in the Preface to this 1985 book, "In February 1976, while traveling through India, I was struck down by a strange illness... I hovered on the brink of death... At some point during the process of passing in and out of consciousness I became aware that... I could rise up out of my body and remain in a state of levitation... Later on, I seemed to be traveling down an endless tunnel... A sense of exultation was accompanied by a feeling of being very close to the 'source' of life and love... On returning to England... I realised something very significant had occurred which I can only compare to a spiritual rebirth."
She states, "Although a number of noted researchers found no evidence of hell-like experiences to rebut the theory that negative feelings are rarely, if ever, encountered. I am therefore compelled to conclude that such experiences, though infrequent, do certainly exist." (Pg. 55) After recounting one person's experience, she notes, "elements of both a negative and a positive nature are present. While the woman was quite clearly in a negative environment, she nevertheless had the protection, support and encouragement of the 'being of light.'" (Pg. 66)
She observes, "Does it make a difference how a person nearly dies? Like the American researchers, I too found evidence to suggest that the circumstances of a person's death make no difference to the likelihood of their having an NDE. Elements of the experience were found in all the three categories that I examined." (Pg. 91) But she adds, "the experience undoubtedly changes the person's relationship to religion subsequently. The main shift would seem to be away from theological doctrines toward a more spiritual ideology. They tend to be less dependent on the religious interpretations of the church, and more contemplative and private in their beliefs." (Pg. 108)
She also suggests, "whether people are religiously minded or religiously indifferent, the likelihood of their having an NDE proves to be the same, the only difference being the influence religion has on their interpretation of the experience." (Pg. 173)
This is one of the earliest "first person" NDE accounts; and its recounting by a trained psychologist makes it all the more interesting.
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