Hell
Jeffrey - Childhood Distressing NDE
11 14
This case will be hard to read. It is of a twelve-year-old boy who was shot by an older brother, died, and had a hellish/distressing near-death experience. The public is accustomed to reading only about heavenly, loving near-death experiences. Sorry, but they're not all that way. Some can be terrifying, even for children. I want to thank Jeffrey for the courage it took him to first hunt me down, and then detail his story. He gave me permission to pass his story on to you. Notice as you read it about the black mass that kept trying to take over him, devour him, claim him, then how that terror changed when he asked for God's help. The is not the first time I've heard experiencers describe a black mass trying to attack them or oozing up from the ground to chase them. The next morning he awoke to glowing light before anyone opened the shades for the morning light to come in. He could suddenly see a glow around everything and everything, and there was no more pain. The spleen he lost recreated itself - apparently he is one of fifty such cases in medical history when an organ did that. He demonstrates many of the typical aftereffects of a near-death experience, although still haunted to this day by what happened to him and what he saw. I suspect much of this will disappear now that he has told his story and reclaimed his experience. There's something about not only telling your story but writing it down, "Making Your Book," so to speak, that heals and cleans and clears and validates. I encourage anyone who has had a near-death experience to "Make Your Book." Claim it. Write it down. Validate what happened to you. You can. When you make it yours, it morphs into a change agent that heals and helps you as nothing else can. This case is important for many reasons - especially for how it illustrates that children can face the same extremes of emotion and response that adults do. ~PMH
Michael - "WE CREATE OUR OWN HELL"
06 06
It is difficult to determine in Michael's case how close he was to physical death. He certainly was in the throes of a drug overdose (or suffering from a bad batch of the chemical he took). His experience was hellishžand his aftereffects genuine. Whether his was a near-death or near-death-like episode, it is inspiring to see how he chose to deal with the many challenges he had to face afterwards. Far too many people grew up in a household like he did, confused about God, and ill-prepared for life. That he used the hell he went through as a "wake-up call" to make significant changes in his life - and very much for the better - is an inspiration to all of us, and proof that hellish or distressing episodes can and often do lead to positive change.
--Dr. P.M.H.Atwater
Maire - "A Hellish Near-Death Experience"
09 06
The hellish near-death experience of Maire is very brief, but well worth considering. It helps us all to realize that not everything is angels and harp music when one dies, even for the religious. I wish Maire would have gone into more detail. Still, her willingness to take classes and integrate what happened to her in a healthy, positive manner shows that no matter what happens to us, we can learn from it - we can use it to make our lives better.
--Dr. P.M.H.Atwater
Guenter - "Themes of Good and Evil"
09 06
You will be surprised by this account from Guenter Wagner of Germany. His near-death experience when 11 years old is not at all like the reports of loving encounters with the Light that the public is used to hearing from both adult and child experiencers. But then, a lot of accounts deviate as his does from the so-called "classical model." He originally termed his episode an "out-of-body experience." Still, it has all the characteristics of near-death, as well as those more typical to youngsters, so for that reason I am publishing it herein the NDE Cases Section. Notice how themes of good and evil interweave the scenario,and,how he as a child is lectured and even taunted by a predominant"Voice" - to the extent of becoming as fearful and confused as elated. Information about future careers and achievements are common to childhood accounts, as well as stern or threatening messages given with great authority. I refer you to my book,CHILDREN OF THE NEW MILLENNIUM, which details how children's near-death experiences can differ from those of adults, and how suicidal tendencies and alcoholism can be a problem afterwards. This account is followed by some personal data from Guenter Wagner, and then a brief Question/Answer exchange. Although he remembers very little in the way of aftereffects, I suspect he was far more affected by this experience than he admits(children tend to ignore or compensate for"differences").
--Dr. P.M.H.Atwater
