Welcome,
noble viewers, to
Science and Spirituality
on Supreme Master
Television for the first
in a three part series
on near death experiences
or NDEs.
For many years
NDEs were not
seriously examined
or openly discussed by
the scientific community.
Recently however, thanks
to a growing number of
scientific studies
and research efforts,
thousands of NDE accounts
have been formally
documented worldwide.
For more than 10 years
Dr. Jeffrey Long,
a radiation oncologist
from Louisiana, USA,
has been at the forefront
of this movement and
has contributed immensely
to the advancement
of near death experience
research.
A near-death experience
may be defined
as two components—
being near-death, and
having an experience.
The near-death part
means that the person is
so physically compromised
from some accident
or illness that they’re
generally unconscious
and may even be
clinically dead.
They’re so physically
compromised that if they
don’t improve physically,
they will suffer irreversible
permanent death.
And yet at that time,
when they’re unconscious
and should have
no possibility of
a remembered conscious
event during that period,
they do have
the experience part of
a near-death experience.
Dr. Long’s
comprehensive collection
of surveys and evidence
of near death experiences
from across the globe
is presented in
a recently published book
he co-authored entitled,
Evidence of the Afterlife:
The Science of
Near-Death Experiences.
The non-profit
Near Death Experience
Research Foundation
was founded by Dr. Long
and his wife in 1998
and serves as a platform
for people from all walks
of life to share their
personal NDE stories
with the public by
submitting them online at
the Foundation’s website.
A 100-item questionnaire
is used to screen
all submissions
to assure only those who
have truly undergone
a near death experience
have their story recorded
by the Foundation.
The website contains
the largest known database
in the world of
individual NDE accounts.
Let us now learn more
about near death experiences
from Dr. Long.
How many people
actually have
a near-death experience?
A Gallup Poll published
in 1982
estimated that perhaps
as much as five percent
of the population has had
a near-death experience.
Other studies indicate
that of those people
that have a close brush
with death,
about 10 to 20% will have
a near-death experience.
Is that here in the U.S.A.
or worldwide?
The concept
of about five percent
of the population having
a near-death experience
actually comes from
several different surveys
around the world -
United States, Germany,
and Australia specifically
- and that’s felt to be
approximately accurate.
The concept
that about 10 to 20%
of people facing
a life-threatening event
will have
a near-death experience
comes from studies
all around the world.
Reports of
near death experiences
often describe entering
into a blissful state
and seeing beautiful
Heavenly realms.
Nearly all of those
who were previously
afraid to die
no longer have such a fear
after undergoing a NDE.
No two near-death
experiences are identical
if you study
large numbers of
near-death experiences,
and I have,
I’ve studied over 1,300.
I’ve seen
what other researchers
have seen and that is,
that there are elements
consistently observed in
near-death experiences.
A typical, detailed
near-death experience
would involve first
what’s called
the out-of-body experience.
Consciousness separates
from the body
and goes above the body.
They can often
from that vantage point
see below them their
frantic resuscitation efforts.
One of the most common
elements seen during
a near-death experience
are profoundly
positive emotions.
People feel intense love,
compassion,
connectiveness, oneness.
They really feel
that even though
they’re in a mystical,
unearthly realm,
that realm is truly home.
In addition to that,
very often
in these unearthly realms,
they may come to believe
that they have, if you will,
universal knowledge.
They say,
“Ah hah! I understand
how the universe works,
my role in it and,
what’s going on.” –
knowledge beyond anything
we could possibly know
here on Earth.
Unfortunately,
essentially always,
they’re not allowed to retain
any of that knowledge,
but those are certainly
some very interesting
near-death experiences
that do describe that.
The impact of
personally experiencing
a near-death experience
is profound.
People that have
are generally changed
and substantially changed,
and the changes
they go through
last the rest of their life.
What we’ve observed
is that the people having
a near-death experience,
over time, they almost
always believe that
there’s life after death.
Well of course they do.
They believe they
personally experienced it.
They almost
never fear death anymore
because they have
a strong awareness,
even an understanding,
about life after death.
Other aftereffects
may include
decreased materialism.
They have
a much more interest
in loving relationships
with other people.
These tend to be people
that if they were in jobs
where they had to
compromise their
moral principles, such as,
sales jobs that at any cost
(they must sell), they
may find that after their
near-death experience,
that’s not a good match.
And commonly
near-death experiencers
will change professions
and go into
the healing professions
or professions in where
they can manifest
their newfound
or increased ability
and desire to
interact lovingly with
their fellow human beings.
After this brief pause,
we will continue
our intriguing interview
with Dr. Jeffrey Long.
Please stay tuned
to Supreme Master
Television.
Welcome back to
Science and Spirituality
on Supreme Master
Television,
featuring an interview with
a prominent researcher of
near death experiences,
Dr. Jeffery Long
of the USA.
Over a thousand
near death experiencers,
from all age groups,
races, and
religious backgrounds
have documented
their stories online at
the Near Death Experience
Research Foundation
website.
Regardless of the variations
in demographic profiles
of these individuals,
Dr. Long has discerned
nine common themes
from these
recorded experiences.
He says
that these similarities
constitute nine lines
of evidence that,
taken together,
are conclusive proof of
the existence of an afterlife.
As he points out,
“No physiological
or psychological
explanation of NDEs
can account for
what is observed in NDEs.”
Some of the remarkable
commonalities
between reported
near death experiences
include meeting
deceased relatives,
out-of-body experiences,
and total consciousness
while under
general anesthesia.
And also you spoke about
the volume of
the near-death experiences
we’re talking about
and the consistency
of the stories.
Yes, a basic
scientific principle is,
that which is real
is consistently observed.
So you would expect
if near-death experiences
were real,
you would consistently
observe elements,
not only among
the over 1,300 I studied,
but you would also
expect that consistency
of what goes on during
near-death experiences
from what all the other
researchers are seeing
in the thousands of other
near-death experiences
that have been reported.
From extensive review
of the scholarly literature
and looking over
what other researchers
are seeing and having
studied near-death
experiences as I have,
what we’re observing
in near-death experiences
is consistently observed.
And that consistency
runs deep.
We see the same consistency
in the near-death
experience among
very small children.
We see the same
near-death experiences
all around the world.
It’s as if it doesn’t
make any difference if
you are a Hindu in India,
a Muslim in Egypt,
or a Christian
in the United States,
the similarity
of the elements of
near-death experience
worldwide is striking.
Over the past
five or 10 years
there has been
more and more scholarly
research published, and
that’s research published
in some of the most
prestigious scientific
and medical journals
in the world.
And I think perhaps
as a result of that research
or perhaps scientists and
physicians asking people
that they know,
if they personally
perhaps have experienced
a near-death experience,
I think
for a variety of reasons,
today we’re having
more open-mindedness
among scientists
and physicians
about the reality of
near-death experiences
than we’ve ever seen before.
As an overview,
about 45% of people
have an out-of-body
experience in the sense
that they see ongoing
earthly events at a time
they’re unconscious
or even clinically dead.
That’s called
the out-of-body experience
component of
the near-death experience
and it’s typically
the first element
that’s observed.
As part of my study,
I asked, “Did you
experience a separation
of consciousness
from your body?”
In response,
75.4% of our near-death
experiencers said “Yes.”
And I understand that
the consciousness always
goes above the body,
that it’s up on the ceiling,
usually looking down.
Virtually all the time.
It’s quite rare to have
the point of consciousness
go below the level
of the physical body;
very, very uncommon
to have the point
of consciousness
at the same level
as the physical body.
Virtually all the time
that there’s an
out-of-body experience,
consciousness rises up
above the body, maybe
directly over the body
or to some other area,
sort of looking at the body
from an angle.
But in general,
that’s how an out-of-body
experience works.
Some of the most dramatic
near-death experiences
that I read involve
the point of consciousness
leaving far away
from the physical body.
They may travel outside
of the emergency room
where they’ve suffered,
for example,
a heart attack
and cardiac arrest.
They’re actually able to see
and hear ongoing events
far from their
physical body and
far from any possible
sensory awareness.
For example,
we’ve had people
have consciousness
and during this
out-of-body experience
part of their
near-death experience
go to the nursing station
where they were,
even though they are
in the operating room
with their heart stopped.
We’ve had people
in an operating theater
where they had
their heart stop and then
yet their consciousness
was in the cafeteria
of the hospital where they
were seeing and hearing
right at that point in time
what their family
was talking about
and that is absolutely
medically inexplicable.
An example of
an out-of-body experience
is, “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.”
After when they have their
out-of-body experience,
even if they were
in an incredibly
painful situation that
caused them to nearly die,
immediately they’re
feeling no pain at all.
They may feel
a profound sense
of peace and connection.
In fact
the most common word,
what they feel
and what is described
in near-death experience
is “love.”
They feel love intensely,
compassionately.
They feel a connection or
unity of people that they see
and all other people.
Very dramatic,
incredibly intense,
positive emotions
described in
near-death experiences.
Our sincere thanks
Dr. Jeffrey Long for
speaking with us about
your important research
on near death experiences.
Next Monday on
Science and Spirituality,
in part two
of our three part series
on NDEs, Dr. Long
will further elaborate
on the lines of evidence
he considers proof beyond
doubt of the afterlife,
including blind people
experiencing
visual perceptions
during their NDEs
and small children giving
near death experience
details similar to adults.
For more details
on Dr. Jeffrey Long,
please visit
Dr. Long’s book
Evidence of the Afterlife
is available at
Our appreciation
caring viewers
for your company
on today’s program.
Next is
Words of Wisdom,
after Noteworthy News.
May we all look within
to discover
who we truly are.
Imagine if all your life
you had been deprived
of one of your senses,
and then experienced it
for the first time…
Near-death experiences
have been described
in those totally blind
from birth,
they contain vision,
not just fragments
of vision or partial vision
but dramatic,
crystal clear vision.
Discover more of
the fascinating findings
of Dr. Jeffrey Long,
a physician who is
on the forefront of
near death experience
research, in the second
of a three part series
on his work airing
Monday, July 26, on
Science and Spirituality.
Welcome,
curious viewers, to
Science and Spirituality
on Supreme Master
Television
for the second
in a three part series
on near death experiences
or NDEs.
The non-profit
Near Death Experience
Research Foundation
was founded
by Dr. Jeffrey Long,
a radiation oncologist
from Louisiana, USA
and his wife in 1998
and serves as a platform
for people from all walks
of life to share their
personal NDE stories
with the public by
submitting them online at
the Foundation’s website.
Over a thousand
near death experiencers,
from all age groups,
races, and
religious backgrounds
have documented
their stories at the website.
Dr. Long has discerned
nine common themes
from these
recorded experiences.
He says that these
similarities constitute
nine lines of evidence
that, taken together,
are conclusive proof
for the existence
of an afterlife.
Dr. Long will now
expand on one of
these lines of evidence –
heightened senses, meaning
supernormal vision.
What’s amazing about many
near-death experiences
is that they can see things
during their
near-death experience
even if the object is far,
far from their physical body
or from where they are
during their
near-death experience.
And in fact, many
near-death experiences
describe what’s referred
to as “360 degree vision.”
You see,
those of us that live
our normal earthly life,
we have, if you will,
a pie-shaped visual field
because our eyes are back
in the skull and
because of their location
in the eye socket,
we can only see so far
peripherally.
Yes.
And you’ve described
near-death experiences
occurring in people
who are actually blind
from birth.
I think one of
the most evidential
near-death experiences
that I’ve ever heard
occurs in those that are
totally blind from birth.
For those people born
totally blind from birth,
vision is an abstraction.
You cannot explain vision
to somebody born
totally blind in terms of
the remaining four senses.
I’ve tried; it’s impossible.
And yet,
near-death experiences
have been described
in those totally blind
from birth
that contain vision, not
just fragments of vision
or partial vision
but dramatic,
crystal clear vision.
It may include
360 degree vision,
and it is absolutely vision
that immediately
the near-death experiencer
recognizes as being
a completely unique sense
that they have never had
in their life.
I know in your book
you described
an experience of a person
who was blind,
who for the first time in
her near-death experience
saw her wedding rings.
She knew that
they were hers because of
the particular floral design
that was on them.
In one dramatic
near-death experience
account from a lady who
was born totally blind,
for the first time in her life
she saw her body down
on the gurney
in the emergency room,
unconscious as a result
of the auto accident
she was in.
She immediately was
horrified and shocked
because she’d never
had vision before.
It was so unfamiliar.
After she calmed down
a little bit,
she was aware of seeing
a body down below
on the gurney but
she didn’t know who it was,
and it was only after
she became aware
through her newfound
sense of vision,
by correlating
what she was seeing
with knowing
that she had long hair
and knowing
what the ring felt like,
she was able to correlate
the feel of the floral design
on the ring with
her first time in her life
ability to see it.
That’s astounding.
Also, what about sound?
Is sound enhanced as well?
I noticed
that a lot of people
actually talk about
a very beautiful silence.
There are a number of
near-death experiences
in which silence occurs
and it’s not
a frightening silence,
it’s sort of a warm, loving,
embracing, peaceful,
if you will,
type of a silence.
And yet at other times,
hearing can be far more,
if you will, acute than
we experience here in
our earthly, everyday life.
In other words,
it becomes possible,
especially in more detailed
near-death experiences
and especially
in unearthly realms
where they may be able
to hear, if you will, sound
that’s occurring far,
far away from them,
far outside of
any possible physical,
sensory awareness.
We asked Dr. Long about
another of the nine lines
of evidence he has noted,
that of the life review.
It's interesting
that a life review happens
in some percentage of
near death experiences.
And when a life review
happens, they may see
either portions
of their prior life
or all of their prior life.
This is often described
as like scenes in a movie
or they’ll have scenes
that they can visually see
that are apart from them,
seemingly even flashing
in their brain.
But what’s fascinating
are the so-called
panoramic life reviews
where they see
all of their prior life.
And in fact, as part of these
panoramic life reviews,
they may not only see
every single action
of their prior life, but
they may become aware
of what the other person
felt like
that they see themselves
interacting with.
During the few minutes
they were unconscious
or clinically dead,
their consciousness is
so accelerated that
they are able to review
their entire prior life.
I think it's very important
for people to know
that during
a near-death experience,
when they have
a life review,
there's no sense
of external judgment.
In other words,
there’s often
other beings with them,
but they don't feel judged
by the other beings.
If there's any judgment
or decisions
or understandings,
anything like that
to be made
about their prior life,
it is simply from
the near-death experiencer,
and nobody else.
Following
this brief message,
Dr. Long will explain
why the concepts
of time and space
are different to one
undergoing
a near death experience.
Please stay tuned
to Supreme Master
Television.
Welcome back to
Science and Spirituality
on Supreme Master
Television.
Dr. Jeffrey Long of the
Near Death Experience
Research Foundation
is sharing the accounts
of people
who have undergone
near-death experiences,
with a focus on elements
that he has found common
to the over one thousand
individual reports
of this phenomenon
he has studied.
Almost uniformly,
near-death experiencers
will say time did not exist
in these unearthly realms.
Space seems to be
very, very different from
what we know on Earth.
In near-death experiences,
they may move
tremendous distances
in what an earthly time
would be seconds.
It's as if time and space
are completely different
in these unearthly realms.
It's interesting in many
near-death experiences
they will say
that everything seems
to be happening at once.
So it's as if not only
is there no time
but your time seems
to be so compressed
or so nonexistent
that a multitude of events,
for example they can see
their entire life, which
may have been decades
in the making,
in literally minutes.
A good example
of alteration
of time and space during
a near-death experience:
“It seemed as though
I experienced so much in
such a small length of time
where my soul
had traveled
yet knew nothing of time
as we know of time
passing here on Earth.”
You mentioned that
everything is happening
at the same time, the past,
the present, the future,
is all happening
at the same time.
What I consider
one of the really
fascinating things that
I have discovered with
near-death experiencers
and actually many
other people observed,
observed this too,
is that there seems
to be some things
that we’re seeing
in near-death experiences
such as the complete
absence of time.
There seems to be other
physical dimensions
going on.
There seems to be concepts
that we're just starting
to learn about in physics,
such as quantum physics,
such as the ability
of physical matter
to bi-locate
or physical matter that's
geographically apart
from each other, where
there's one interaction
on one part of the matter
that which is, if you will,
entangled with,
it will have the same or
similar interaction even if
it's geographically apart.
All the past and present
enlightened Masters
have spoken about
heavenly kingdoms and
beautiful worlds beyond
our physical dimension.
Have any of those who
have undergone an NDE
seen these places?
Dr. Long now shares
from his book,
Evidence of the Afterlife,
one person’s account of
traveling to another world.
“The landscape was
beautiful, blue skies,
rolling hills, flowers.
All was full of light
as if lit from within itself
and emanating light,
not reflecting it.”
“There was such beauty
beyond expression.
There was also
a bright city
or something like a city
in the distance.
The colors and structures
of everything were
beautiful, awesome.”
“All around me,
I could see and feel
a beautiful peace
and tranquility
with love and peace.
As far as the eye could see
to my left, was a beautiful
landscape of tulips,
of every color imaginable,
to my right was
a wall of a beautiful blue
that matched the sky.”
There is such consistency
in these descriptions
of these unearthly realms.
I mean the landscapes
that are beautiful
beyond anything
they could even imagine
here on Earth.
There may be the colors,
the light, harmony, peace
and beauty
that is just unimaginable
and seemingly
even indescribable
with earthly words
when they returned.
There’s no doubt about it
from the point of view
of people that have had
a near-death experience
and traveled to
these wondrous realms,
there is a heaven because
they've experienced it.
I am convinced
in my research of
near-death experience
that we are finite people
interacting with
the infinite when we have
a near-death experience.
So it's no surprise
that there will be
some variability
in how these wondrous
heavenly places
are described.
Think of it,
you're interacting with
some small portions
of that which is infinite,
even beyond
our imagination on Earth.
And so there’s no doubt
that that small slice
of incredible beauty
and wonder
is what they experience
and share with us after
they return from their
near-death experience.
One of the most
remarkable revelations
of Dr. Long’s research is
the near-death experiences
of children, including
those considered
too young to possess
an understanding
of the concepts of death,
religion, or an afterlife,
who report similar
visions and feelings
during their NDEs as those
much older than them.
During an interview with
a television news program,
Dr. Long stated:
“My research
involved experiences
of young children
age 5 and under, and
I found the content of their
near-death experiences
is absolutely identical
to older children
and adults.”
To close today’s program,
we would like to convey
our sincere appreciation
to you, Dr. Jeffrey Long,
for discussing
your fascinating research
on near death experiences,
an endeavor that is
uniting the worlds of
science and spirituality.
For more details
on Dr. Jeffrey Long,
please visit
Dr. Long’s book
Evidence of the Afterlife
is available at
Next Monday on
Science and Spirituality,
the last and final part
of our series will feature
further insights
from Dr. Jeffrey Long
on the lines of evidence
that have led him
to the conclusion
that an afterlife exists.
Splendid viewers,
thank you
for your company today
on our program.
Next is Words of Wisdom,
after Noteworthy News.
May the Providence
always guide and care for
all beings in our world.
When Mr. Uttam Sanjel
reached out to teach the
disadvantaged children,
100 eager children
showed up
to his first class.
Just nine years later,
his nationwide network
of schools is widely
praised for
providing affordable,
quality education
for thousands of
Nepal’s most in need.
School is not only a place
to coming reading
and writing,
the school is a place
where the kids can build
up his moral values.
My mission and my vision
is to teach my kids
always think positively.
If we think positively,
everything is possible.
Founder of
Samata Sikchya Niketan
Mr. Uttam Sanjel
is honored with
the Shining World
Compassion Award and
a US$10,000 gift from
Supreme Master
Ching Hai.
Join us Saturday, July 31,
on Supreme Master
Television.
Welcome,
splendid viewers, to
Science and Spirituality
on Supreme Master
Television
for the third
of a three part series
on near death experiences
or NDEs featuring
a leading expert in the field,
Dr. Jeffrey Long.
The non-profit
Near Death Experience
Research Foundation
was founded by Dr. Long,
a radiation oncologist
from Louisiana, USA
and his wife in 1998
and serves as a platform
for people from all walks
of life to share their
personal NDE stories
with the public by
submitting them online at
the Foundation’s website.
Over a thousand
near death experiencers,
from all age groups,
races, and
religious backgrounds
have documented
their stories at the website.
Dr. Long has discerned
nine common themes
from these
recorded experiences.
He says that these
similarities constitute
nine lines of evidence
that, taken together,
are conclusive proof
for the existence
of an afterlife.
It is astounding to me
the wisdom
and knowledge that
near-death experiencers
sometimes are aware of.
It's as if all of a sudden,
in the unearthly realms,
they have a sense of knowing
how the universe works,
how it all fits together.
Unfortunately,
when they returned
to Earth, they often,
in fact typically find it
very difficult to articulate
their knowledge.
A good example of that is
one near-death
experiencer who said
that the universe
of knowledge
that he had during
his near-death experience
when he returned
to his earthly body was like
trying to hold an ocean
of unearthly knowledge
in a tea cup
of his earthly brain.
So as result of that, when
they're again interacting
with something infinite
and having that
type of infinite wisdom,
it's just simply
not reasonable to think
that those of us
in finite earthly existence
are going to be able to
remember and assimilate
and understand all of
that infinite knowledge.
A commonly reported
feeling among
near death experiencers
is a desire to not return
to the body after
stepping into the afterlife.
Dr. Long has documented
the different reasons
people have cited
for returning
to the physical realm.
When there's a discussion
about returning
into their earthly body,
the near-death experiencer
generally doesn't want
any part of going back
to the earthly body.
They feel that
intense peace, connection,
love, and harmony.
They feel they are
a part of that unearthly
heavenly realm and
they want to stay there.
The most common reason
that they ultimately decide
if you will,
to choose to return
to their earthly body
is number one: being
in loving relationships,
especially
family relationships
seemed to be very, very
important in terms of
what they need to learn.
Important lessons about
love and relationships
are one of
the major reasons that
people ultimately choose
to come to Earth.
Another important reason
is that they return to
their earthly body because
they have lessons to learn.
In other words,
they realize that there are
important things that
they need to learn during
their earthly existence,
there are
important lessons
that apparently can only
be learned here on Earth
in an earthly existence.
That is so important that
they are willing to leave
the beauty and wonder
of a heavenly realm
to return to Earth.
A lot of times
you hear they're told
''It's not your time yet,
you have to go back.”
That's
a very common phrase.
Many near-death
experiences
will have the phrase
''It's not your time.''
There seems to be
an implication
in that statement
that there's a time
when you're ready to
return to the earthly realm
or unearthly realm
or that heavenly realm
permanently.
There's a time
when the earthly life
really should end.
What seems to be important
is that you have finished
learning the lessons
that you need to learn
during your earthly life.
In fact,
near-death experiencers
will often say being
in that earthly existence
is actually a gift,
it's actually
a part of their overall
spiritual development
that they've had
that opportunity
to come down to Earth
and to live
their existence here.
Despite the large
and growing body
of scientific evidence
for the reality of
near death experiences,
some have suggested
alternative explanations
for people’s accounts
such as that they are
mere hallucinations.
Dr. Long now addresses
one of these
alternative theories.
Skeptics,
they're trying to explain
the near-death experience
by the lack of oxygen
to the brain.
Can you describe
what happens when
we have a lack of oxygen
and how that is
different from
a near-death experience?
One of my favorite
skeptical explanations,
if you will,
of near-death experience
is hypoxia which means
decreased oxygen
in the blood.
But many of us in our life
have had hypoxia:
we may become
severely short of breath,
we may be
experiencing suffocation
for a whole variety
of reasons.
Well, when you're hypoxic
- it has been
very scientifically studied
and determined -
you slowly have
decreased consciousness
and the more hypoxic
you get, the more
toward unconsciousness
you become.
Finally,
when you've been hypoxic
or you have a low enough
blood oxygen level
you're actually
completely unconscious.
Hypoxia and its associated
progression toward
complete unconsciousness
is actually
a very strong explanation
for the inexplicability
of near-death experiences
in the sense that they are
occurring in the face
of a life-threatening event
often with severe hypoxia
at a time
they should be associated
with unconsciousness.
And yet,
the near-death experience,
they are not unconscious,
they are having
these highly lucid, vivid,
ordered experiences.
We’ll have more
from our interview
with the knowledgeable
Dr. Long
in just a few moments.
Please stay tuned
to Supreme Master
Television.
Welcome back to
Science and Spirituality
on Supreme Master
Television.
According to
Dr. Jeffrey Long’s book
Evidence of the Afterlife:
The Science of
Near-Death Experiences,
those that have undergone
a near death experience
report remarkably
similar aspects
of their experience
regardless of
their age group,
religious background
or culture.
One of the lines of evidence
Dr. Long has advanced
as proof of the afterlife
is what he calls lucid
or crystal-clear
consciousness.
This is defined as alertness
when one is considered
clinically dead
and is a state that is
not able to be explained
by medical science.
Can we elaborate on
''lucid consciousness''?
The great majority
of people that have
a near-death experience,
even though
every physical test
and clinical observation
indicates that
they are unconscious
or clinically dead,
at that time they are having
a highly lucid experience.
In fact, one of my studies'
survey questions asked
what was your level
of consciousness
and alertness
at the time of your
near-death experience?
About 76% of
near-death experiencers
said that their level
of consciousness
and alertness
was actually higher than
that of their earthly
everyday life, and that's
medically inexplicable.
I mean, clinically,
if you go to any dictionary
on Earth,
unconscious means
“no consciousness.”
That means no ability
to have a conscience,
remembrance
during that time
that you're unconscious.
And yet, consistently,
essentially every
near-death experience
at the time that
they are unconscious,
that's when
the near death experience
is occurring.
And there's no possible
medical explanation for it.
One of our
survey questions asked
near-death experiencers
if their experience was
dream-like in any way.
The question was
deliberately worded
for them to give
an affirmative “yes”
response if there was
any part of their
near-death experience
that was in any way
like a dream.
Essentially, uniformly,
the response
to that question
was not just ''no'',
but ''absolutely no.''
Near-death experiencers
responded over and over
and over that there was
absolutely no connection
between the experience
of dreams and their
near-death experience.
The near-death experience
is not fragmented,
it's very clear,
it's not blurred,
not confused.
Virtually all other types
of pathological conditions
of human consciousness
- that is dreams,
maybe hallucinations,
maybe even
psychotic episodes –
typically, in other types
of altered consciousness,
the flow of the experience
is fragmentary.
That can happen
in other types of
pathological altered
consciousness as well,
but you essentially
never see that experience.
The experience elements
don't skip around.
They are very logical
and they are ordered
in which they occur
and very flowing
with no skipping around.
There's continuity from
a natural progression
from one element
to the other typically seen
in near-death experiences.
Near-death experience
has nothing to do
with dreams whatsoever.
Another factor
that was considered is
since 1975,
more and more people
have become aware of
near-death experiences
because there have been
books published
and because of TV shows.
One of the studies I did
was to compare
near-death experiences
before 1975.
Now that's an important
year because
that was the year
that the book
''Life After Life''
by Dr. Raymond Moody
was published, and
that was the first book
that described
near-death experience.
Before 1975, we knew
essentially nothing about
near-death experience.
In fact, the term
wasn't even invented.
But as part of my study,
I looked at
near-death experiences
that occurred
prior to 1975
and compared them
to near-death experiences
that occurred after 1975
and compared the elements
of the experience.
They were essentially,
absolutely identical
between the two groups.
So that tells me,
as a scientist,
that it doesn't
make any difference
''when'' your near death
experience occurred,
if you'd even heard about
near-death experience
at all.
A near-death experience
seemed to be constant
whether or not
there's any possibility
that you'd have even heard
of near-death experience.
There seems to be
no suggestion whatsoever
from my research,
from that study,
that if you've heard of
a near-death experience
that that will alter what
you share about your
near-death experience
at all.
Also you mentioned
in the book that about
66% of people who had
a near-death experience
have never even heard of
a near-death experience
before that.
Yes, that's true,
surprisingly.
We had a surprisingly
high percentage of my
near-death experiencers
surveyed, about two thirds
indicated that
at the time of their
near-death experience
they didn't even know
what a near-death
experience was, they'd
never heard about it.
And yet, they have typical
near-death experiences
just like all other people
even those
who have heard about
near-death experience.
So once again,
further strong evidence
that it makes no difference
whether you've heard of
a near-death experience
or not heard about
a near-death experience,
that is not going
to change the elements
of what occurs in
a near-death experience
at all.
Dr Jeffrey Long
is not only convinced
that there is an afterlife,
he is also sure that death
is a transition to another
wonderful new beginning.
He shares with everyone
a beautiful message:
“My absolute understanding
that there is an afterlife
for all of us -
and a wonderful afterlife.”
And: “The bottom line is
what's on the other side
is home.”
Our deep thanks
Dr. Jeffrey Long
for your insightful work
that is showing the world
through the lenses
of science that death is
not the end of the road,
but the start of
a new journey for those
who cross to the other side.
We wish
the Near Death Experience
Research Foundation
the very best
in its future work
in this fascinating area
that blends science
and spirituality.
For more details
on Dr. Jeffrey Long,
please visit
Dr. Long’s book
Evidence of the Afterlife
is available at
Respected viewers,
thank you for your
company today on
Science and Spirituality.
Next is
Words of Wisdom,
following
Noteworthy News.
May the grace of Heaven
always be upon us.