Dr. Atwater is an international authority on near-death states as well as a near-death experiencer. She is one of the original researchers in the field of near-death studies, having begun her work in 1978.
Please see my Q&A Blog for future announcements, also subscribe to my free newsletter for the curious for the latest on nearly everything!
Labels: afterlife, Consciousness, NDEs, Near Death Experiences, UFO, unexplained phenomenon
posted by PMH @ 11:28 AM
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Just back from the big IANDS conference held this year in Arlington, VA! And my latest newsletter for September is available online: Be What You Might You Might Have Been.
It is now possible to purchase my book, EDGE WALKER: THE MANY LIVES AND DEATHS OF PMH ATWATER, from me, the author, via my new bookshop (still under construction). No discounts this way, but you will get a personal autograph. For free shipping go directly to Amazon.
And read my latest Q&A here:
A LETTER FROM RAFAEL About Multidimensional Beings
Labels: NDEs
posted by PMH @ 7:26 PM
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I’ve done something different this December for both my blog and newsletter. I am featuring the case of
Rickie Bradshaw, one of the most unusual near-death
experiences we’ve yet discovered. Both my husband and I came to know him, and I want his story to continue to be available for the general public.
Labels: NDEs
posted by PMH @ 10:08 PM
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2022 IANDS Conference Proposals are due in now. Visit https://iands.org/ for your application form.
2022 IANDS Symposium: NDES & THE MIND-BRAIN RELATIONSHIP, online Friday-Sunday, Feb. 11-13, 11am to 4:30pm, EST. All three halfdays: $30 IANDS members, $50 non-members. Register Now!
February 12, 3 to 6 pm EST, Workshop: EASY WAYS TO THRIVE IN TODAY’S RAPIDLY CHANGING WORLD. Taught by PMH Atwater.
Cost: $40. Register NOW Exercises from “A Manual for Developing Humans.”
Visit Dr. Kenneth Ring’s “final blog” here.
Bill Guggenheim’s latest book will be out soon. Look for STORIES FROM HEAVEN, SPIRITUAL SHORT STORIES AND OTHER WRITINGS.
You can reach him at BillG934@hotmail.com
Labels: IANDS Conference, NDEs, Workshop
posted by PMH @ 1:39 PM
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ANNOUNCEMENTS
I have three special talks/workshops coming up. Here they are:
Fellowship Worldwide Spiritual Uplift -
My part on the 9th, 2:30 pm EST on Zoom.
Title of talk: “Glimpses of Beyond,” features drawings done by near-death experiencers from six countries. Among the artists who participated was Diane Goble, who exhibits her artwork online. I will speak of what well over 3,000 adult and child experiencers told me about life, death, and the God of our being.
Charge: $25
https://www.thecopticcenter.org/ref/19/
FEBRUARY 12 - “Easy Ways to Thrive in Today’s
Rapidly Changing World.”
East/West Bookstore, Seattle, WA, 3 to 6 pm EST on Zoom
This is a Playshop. Reidentify your body, where you live, what each room in your home symbolizes. Learn how to give yourself an acupressure facelift. Also know about some specific energy changes this year plus a few to come.
Based on the book A MANUAL FOR DEVELOPING HUMANS.
Charge: $40
https://eastwestbookshop.com/products/february-12-2022-saturday-12-3pm-pst-easy-ways-to-thrive-in-todays-rapidly-changing-world-with-pmh-atwater-webinar
MARCH 10 - “What We Have Been Waiting For Is Here”
in person also Zoom.
Walter Russell Museum, Wayesboro, VA -
518 West Main Street, Waynesboro, VA - 1-800-882-5683.
Talk about specifics on cycles now occurring and to come; critical dates for this year plus a few others in the not-so-distant future. Bring paper and pen. Some helpful grounding exercises. Questions afterward.
Charge: donation to Museum.
Call, write, e-mail for advance registration, contact:
University of Science and Philosophy
My original talk on Walter Russell’s pattern of NDEs versus how it dovetails the work of Dr. Bucke’s findings on Cosmic Consciousness, plus what I discovered with child experiencers of near-death states between the age of birth and age five, is still available here.
APRIL 9 - “The Challenge of September 11 - A Memorial”
On Zoom for Chicago IANDS, 3 pm EST.
This talk details my out-of-body experience of being near the first tower as a plane pierced the second tower. All I saw and experienced later confirmed to the extent that it could be, then turned into a small book. Chicago IANDS has already had a guest that fled the second tower as it was collapsing share his story. My sharing will detail what happened to that building as the previous guest escaped.
Charge: donation to Chicago IANDS.
Labels: NDEs, Near Death Experiences
posted by PMH @ 2:15 PM
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Labels: NDEs, Near Death Experiences
posted by PMH @ 11:29 AM
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Labels: IANDS Conference, NDEs, Near-Death Experience
posted by PMH @ 12:31 PM
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Labels: Electrical Sensitivities, IANDS, NDE Research, NDEs
posted by PMH @ 8:44 PM
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Labels: Fifth World, Findhorn, IANDS, NDEs
posted by PMH @ 12:20 PM
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posted by PMH @ 10:49 PM
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Labels: afterlife, Children, Eben Alexander, Fifth World, Heaven, NDEs, Near-Death Experience
posted by PMH @ 9:14 PM
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Labels: NDE, NDEs, Norway, Nursing, Sola Helsefarm
posted by PMH @ 12:02 AM
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On September 12th, Scientific American Magazine carried an article by Charles Q. Choi, entitled “Peace of Mind: Near-Death Experiences Now Found to Have Scientific Explanations by New Research on Abnormal Functioning of Dopamine and Oxygen Flow.” I would like to reply to Choi’s assertions.
Scientific explanations for some of the common aspects of near-death states have relevance, but not as causal to the phenomenon. In keeping with Choi’s assertions, let’s discuss what he mentioned.
There has been no recent survey of experiencer percentages done by the Gallup Poll, but research in the field of near-death studies now estimates that between 4 to 5% of the general population worldwide has had a near-death experience. In crisis and hospital settings, the number hovers between 12 to 21%. Not all experiencers who undergo the phenomenon are actually at the edge of death or are clinically considered dead, although some revive in the morgue, even hours later. There are near-death-like experiencers: those who thought they were going to die but didn’t (a fear death), those who it seemed as if they would die but revived, those who were in a crisis situation but were never harmed, and those who were in good health and had no reason to suddenly experience the phenomenon.
Most of the biological “explanations” for various aspects of the scenario itself have been overturned in clinical studies. Extensive work to this end has been done. To examine these studies and their authors, access the website of the International Association for Near-Death Studies, (IANDS) at www.iands.org, and by referring to the peer-reviewed Journal of Near-Death Studies.
The idea of a “walking corpse” (a delusional belief that one has died) does not apply, even remotely. Only a few experiencers ever thought they were dead. Most had no idea they had died and frankly rejected any such notion. It was only after they were resuscitated or revived, that medical personnel or relatives indicated that vital signs had been lost and that the individual had either been near death or had actually died, much to the experiencer’s surprise.
The notion of the out-of-body component to near-death states is indeed common, most child and adult experiencers speak of it. There is no sense of paralysis. In fact, during episodes like this, the individual has the sense of full movement with vivid, often startling scenes observed, and with details the experiencer could never have known or been able to see. Most of these, at least those I am familiar with, have been verified by third-party testimonials afterward. The experiment conducted August 24, 2007, written up in an article entitled “Out-of-Body Experiences are All in the Brain” and published by Science Journal, described a lab experiment where the illusion of being in a virtual body outside one’s own was created by disturbing the visual input of volunteers wearing virtual-reality goggles connected to video cameras. What these experimenters produced was the “doppelganger” affect and not a real out-of-body experience. The making of “phantom” bodies is a regular part of shamanistic practice, both in ritual work and to increase the spread of information coming to them through the phantom (about their environment). This image supposedly confuses enemies or “signals” that a shaman is present. Superficial at best, doppelgangers have no relation to genuine out-of-body states or to near-death experiences.
A variety of explanations were given for seeing the deceased in a near-death experience, especially as related to what may cause patients who have Parkinson’s disease to report visions of ghosts - that may apply to what causes near-death experiencers to do the same thing. No attempt by the author was made, however, to explain how, during a near-death episode, one can be met by a deceased friend or relative, revive, laugh at what just occurred as that person was known to be quite alive and healthy; and then, upon later investigation, find out that the individual in question did indeed die at time and in the manner revealed. Again and again, the deceased recount information, stories, details that the individual could not have possibly known, that later check out as accurate. This happens so often, it is considered a “signature feature” of a near-death state.
The euphoria experienced in near-death states seems to mirror what can be gleaned through drug highs, ketamine experiences, and even through taking DMT in supervised trials. Yet in case after case when an individual who took drugs compared the highs once obtained with drugs to the euphoria of a near-death state, their reply in essence said “no contest.” What they felt during a near-death state could not be compared to any other experience. In my book, Beyond the Light (Avon Books, NYC, 1994 - in both Chapter 4 and on page 128), I discuss the case of Steven B. Ridenhour who spent 20 years trying to re-create his near-death episode through drug use, and was unsuccessful. His is not the only such case. Adult experiencers sometimes describe the experience as “more powerful than a million suns.”
As concerns the infamous “tunnel” effect, this is more myth than reality. Not that many people report tunnels, and never did. In the Gallup Poll survey conducted in 1982 about people who may have had a near-death experience, only 9% even mentioned a tunnel. It was not until the media sensationalized Raymond Moody’s first book Life after Life (Mockingbird Books, Covington, GA 1975) that reports of tunnels became more comonplace. Were people lying? No, I don’t think so. These experiences are ineffable. How do you describe something you do not have language for? For those who encountered darkness and lights, all of a sudden there was now a word they could use and that word was “tunnels.” Whether I’m right about that or not, the fact is only a few report or describe tunnels. Certainly not enough to account for the exaggerated claim by scientists that oxygen flow explains tunnels which explains near-death states. Not hardly. Yes, the “classical model” of near-death states still includes the tunnel feature as a basic component of scenarios, yet it is only one of many aspects that can occur during the phenomenon. In this regard, I suggest to you that the classical model isn’t always that classical.
Near-death states as a self-fulfilling prophecy about life after death? The public does indeed listen carefully to these stories with the hope that they might illustrate what happens after we die. A check of the various religions and clerics shows that each will endorse only those episodes that apply to their own belief system or dogma, rejecting anything that varies. It’s as if only the “proof” they want to hear is declared “genuine.” If you really study these accounts as I have, you begin to notice that “across the board,” the near-death phenomenon faithfully reveals the core wisdom common to all spiritual and religious traditions - as if these traditions may have sprung from the telling of such stories farther back in time than can be recounted. No research can be certain. What we know is that the phenomenon puts names and faces on life’s “mysteries” in ways no dogma or tradition can.
What is glaringly missing from the article by Charles Q. Choi is the fact that the scientific community he speaks for, investigates only in piece meal fashion some of the various aspects of near-death states without viewing the phenomenon as a whole, and completely devoid of the pattern of physiological and psychological aftereffects which follow. No skeptic that I know of, and none of the scientists Choi uses as references, has ever done a full study of all aspects of the experience and its aftereffects and in numbers acceptable as a valid study. I am quite certain that Choi would lose no time trying to invalid my voice. However, 33 years of mostly fieldwork with nearly 4,000 adult and child experiencers and their significant others, gives me at least a unique lens in which to observe, cross-compare, and analyze.
If the scientific community wants to make a point and inform the public in a credible fashion, I suggest that they know more about their subject before they try to explain it away.
Thank you, P. M. H. Atwater, L.H.D., author of
10 books on near-death findings, among them
The Big Book of Near-Death Experiences and
Near-Death Experiences: The Rest of The Story.
Labels: altered consciousness, death, Hallucinations, IANDS, NDE, NDE aftereffects, NDEs, Near-Death Experience, Near-Death Experience aftereffects, OBE, Out of Body Experience, Research, Science
posted by PMH @ 7:27 PM
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I am very concerned about claims from near-death experiencers concerning how long they were without vital signs, as if this were the single sign of legitimacy (which it is not).
Labels: NDE, NDEs, near-death states
posted by PMH @ 1:00 PM
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ANNOUNCEMENTS
**** If you missed the ABC show “Beyond Belief” about the near-death experience,
you can still watch it at http://abcnews.go.com/nightline/beyondbelief . There is
also an interview you can watch about the show between Jeffrey Long, M.D. and
Caroline Myss - http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/beyondbelief/experts-death-
experience/story?id=14221154 . No, my work is not mentioned. I was
interviewed for the show. They dropped me when I was unable to find a child
near-death experiencer able to appear with me.
**** Registration is now open for the Second Annual Afterlife Awareness Conference.
This one will be held in Virginia Beach, VA, March 9 through 11, 2012. Guest
speakers are many - one of the most exciting lineups I have seen in a long, long
time. Yes, I will be there, too. Terri Daniel is the producer of this event. You
can contact her at info@afterlifeconference.com. Her website is http://www.Afterlife Conference.com.
You can also access information about the conference from
http://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?EventID=975447 .
**** For those who want to tap into inner guidance and the eternal quest for self-
discovery, here is a clear, inspiring and lucid explanation of how to do this via the
book Soul Writing by Joanne DiMaggio. E-mail Joanne at are.cville@gmail.com
for more information. You can order the book directly from Olde Souls Press,
P. O. Box 6475, Charlottesville, VA 22906. It is just out. The website, by the way,
is http://www.oldesoulspress.com .
Labels: afterlife, broadcast, Child NDE, NDE, NDEs, Near-Death Experience, television
posted by PMH @ 7:58 PM
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**** In regards to integrating NDEs and other life transforming episodes, there is a special book about to come out, authored by Arleen Lorrance (OSO), called The Theatre of Life. I’ve known OSO for well over four decades, and I can say without hesitation her work and her ideas are exceptional. The Theatre of Life has been an experiential workshop run and facilitated by OSO and Diane Pike (Mariamne Paulus) for 26 years. Both are teachers of the highest order; their work utterly profound. I was lucky enough after I died to take several classes from them, and I am glad I did. This book (that has evolved from their workshops) is about uncovering your motivating forces, identifying purposes and objectives, becoming more adept at expressing artistically through your body, writing your own life story. Above all, making your life a work of art. To obtain a copy, contact: Teleos Institute, 7119 E. Shea Blvd., Suite 109, PMB 418, Scottsdale, AZ 85254.
posted by PMH @ 2:49 PM
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*** The International Association For Near-Death Studies (IANDS) celebrates their 30th Anniversary with an incredible conference, September 2-4 in Durham, NC (come a day early, there are activities then, too). Raymond E. Moody, Jr., M.D. and Bruce Greyson, M.D. will be the keynote speakers. It will be held at the Millennium Hotel, right across the street from IANDS headquarters on Campus Walk Avenue. Register as soon as possible. Contact: http://www.iands.org; (919) 383-7940; services@iands.org. You will need to register separately for the Hotel. I will be presenting my last research paper at this conference, entitled “The NDE as a Threshold Experience.” The theme is “Lives Changed Forever.”
posted by PMH @ 1:08 PM
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If you have read Amazon.com lately, and the page for Near-Death Experiences: The Rest of The Story, you know about the biting criticism I received from Dr. Harold Widdison and comments by others that are misleading. Everyone has the right to say whatever they please. I honor that. Dr. Widdison is a wonderful man, and he is sincere in whatever he does, and this includes his attacks against me. Normally, I do not reply to such comments. This time I feel the need to set the record straight on some of the points that have been made.Read more »
Labels: books, Dr. Harold Widdison, Dr. PMH Atwater, NDE, NDEs, Research
posted by PMH @ 8:17 AM
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There is a new blog - about unpleasant, distressful, and frightening near-death experiences. Done by Nancy Bush, long-time researcher in the field of near-death studies, retired President of IANDS, and a fellow experiencer herself, the material covered is exceptionally helpful and insightful. This blog celebrates, that at last, unpleasant near-death experiences can be recognized and discussed with understanding and respect. Check out: http://dancingpastthedark.wordpress.com .
Labels: NDE, NDEs, Near-Death Experience
posted by PMH @ 7:43 PM
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*** New Series on the Biography Channel....”I Survived - Beyond and Back” (near-death experiences). Debuts December 5th at 10 pm EST, 9 pm Central. Every week, new cases.
*** New book - “Science and the Near-Death Experience: How Consciousness Survives Death,” by Chris Carter. Rochester, VT: Inner Traditions/Bear & Co, 2010.
*** Special Edition of “New Dawn Magazine,” devoted entirely to near-death experiences, messages from the light, and the afterlife. Large issue, packed with articles. Although “New Dawn” comes out of Australia, you can contact the following to obtain this issue: e-mail editor@newdawnmagazine.com or through their website at www.newdawnmagazine.com. They publish in Melbourne.
*** Extraordinary new book: “The Book: The Creator’s Template for Eternal Life, Expand Your Soul’s Awareness for Eternity,” by Sharon Day. Contact her at thebook4@gmail.com or through her website at www.yoursoteria.com. I know Sharon and have seen her work. She is as extraordinary as her book.
Labels: Biography Channel, Childhood nde, NDE, NDEs, Near-Death Experience, Science
posted by PMH @ 6:59 PM
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An international authority on near-death states, PMH Atwater is the author of 10 books, her writings have also appeared in numerous magazines and newspapers. She has lectured twice at the United Nations and guested on tv and radio talk shows such as Sally Jessy Raphael, Larry King Live, Entertainment Tonight, Regis & Kathy Lee, Geraldo, and The Shirley Show in Canada. Recently she was awarded the "Lifetime Achievement Award" from the National Association of Transpersonal Hypnotherapists and the "Outstanding Service Award" from IANDS (where she has also been a 2 term board member).
