Reckoning: Discoveries after a Traumatic Near-Death Experience

by Nancy Evans Bush

Over four decades, Nancy Evans Bush, MA, has built a reputation as a trusted pioneer in research of distressing near-death experiences, those which are not peaceful but are frightening or even hellish. Her own NDE at 28--a disempowering NDE of the Void--overturned everything in her sense of reality. In this anticipated third book, she talks for the first time about her long struggle to make sense of the NDE and also of its reshaped cosmology. Her unexpected, sometimes humorous, often synchronistic discoveries point beyond herself to challenges and reassurance. She says, “At the beginning, learning about 'all this'--the spirituality, the consciousness, the science, the psychic elements--was like finding threads of meaning, I thought, if one could only get enough of them to braid together, there would be some understanding to work with.” "Reckoning" follows the threads of her discoveries about the nature of reality and the role traumatic experience can play in reshaping the way we understand the world and ourselves. Far from leaving her stranded in the terror of her NDE, the discoveries shared here have led to the serenity of her present outlook. Mark Anthony, the acclaimed attorney/psychic, “Reckoning is an insightful and uplifting book…destined to become an authoritative classic in the realm of near-death experience literature.”

220 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 3, 2021

Reviews

[Victor Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading a least a dozen books on the "up" side of the now more mainstream concept of the Near Death Experience (NDE) and attending lectures and conferences about them for years and only hearing vague rumors as to the existence of the darker version of the phenomenon, after virtually seeing and being impressed by the author, now elderly and speaking quite slowly but eruditely, I finally picked up and closely read Nancy Evans Bush's Reckoning: Discoveries after a Traumatic Near-Death Experience.

The subject matter is not pleasant to read; it's not meant to be. And there are times where the writing is a bit opaque, but I pushed through it. It's the concept that matters and NEB's approach to it. Comparing the two types of NDE's, Nancy says: "The obvious difficulties with distressing NDEs come during the experience. The sometimes life-changing pain for those who had a beautiful NDE comes afterwards." Which means--once again--that no one gets a free ride even when crossing back and forth to the other side. (I do, however, suggest that one prepares for the experience in this book by reading one of the many descriptions of "beautiful NDEs" available.)

The author sees the distressing NDE as a form of initiation, a largely avoided ritual in our current society, that nevertheless has a salutary and necessary purpose. She quotes to this critical point from Mircea Eliade: "From the community perspective, pain and challenge are what any initiation is about—a test of the ability to come through, and a doorway to hidden routes to the deepest realms of consciousness." Which is why it is likely to be an unpopular rite to go through, but essential for character growth. In Nancy's own words: "I do not go in search of pain; but I do believe we must find ways to acknowledge its power. We must stop being so afraid of the not-nice, even of the horrifying experiences. They have things to teach us."

I highly recommend this book to those who have had frightening psychic experiences, including nasty nightmare or to those who courageous enough to go deeper into the understanding of the shadow side of life as in pain, evil, and even hell. There is a valuable reckoning available in this book.

[M.K. McDaniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally, we have resolution and peace.

When I experienced a Distressing NDE in 2000, I was terrified, became spiritually unhinged, and feared for any hope of regaining a normal existence. I read everything I could get my hands on concerning NDEs and finally found Nancy's "Dancing Through The Dark". Her wisdom and bravery, coupled with my joining an IANDs group in Seattle, saved my life. This book reflects the understanding I have reached these 21 years later and I resonate with her once again. I rejoice in her sharing this information with the world at large and breath easier with our joint vindication.