"I remember the pain, like my whole chest just seized up and I thought to myself, 'This must be a heart attack.' Then the pain just went away, and suddenly I felt so peaceful. Next thing I knew, I could see myself on the bed, as if I was looking down from the ceiling. The nurse came running in--must have been some noise I made--and she checked me. Then she grabbed the phone and said something like, 'Call a code.' I felt like I should tell her not to bother, I was just fine, but that seemed like too much effort. I was so peaceful. The nurse started working on my chest, but I sort of turned away. Suddenly I was outside in some beautiful gardens, with sunlight and flowers. I walked--or sort of floated--down a path toward an entrance to someplace. Very brightly lit with a yellowish light. Then I saw my wife--she's been dead three years now--up past the entrance thing. When I started to go to her I heard a voice--or I think I heard a voice--telling me that it was not time yet, and that I had to go back. I didn't want to go back, but I couldn't say anything. Then things got gray, and the next thing I remember was that young doctor with the things in his hands." ²

The above statement was given to a hospital chaplain by a man who had been revived through CPR and defibrillators after suffering a heart attack. The description is a typical example of what is termed a near death experience, or an NDE.

NDE's usually occur at the point of clinical death, either at the scene of an accident or at the hospital. Because of the increasing abilities of modern medicine, people's lives are often saved when at the very brink of death, resulting in several reports of very brief visits to 'heaven' before being returned to life.

Like out-of-body experiences, research into NDE's has gained the attention of people interested in the possibility of life after death, or the existence of some type of soul that is separate from the physical body and even survives the body after death. While this is a purely psychical or religious goal, the research is intertwining with orthodox medical research. ²

As a small number of doctors began conducting surveys of patients on the topic, they were surprised to discover that the overwhelming majority of those who reported experiencing NDE's were normal, level-headed individuals, thus ruling out the possibility that NDE's were simply the fabrication of events by a fantasy-prone personality. ³

One rather curious circumstance involving NDE's is that the images reported are all extremely similar. In general, NDE's involve the following characteristics:

Upon entering the NDE, some people simply return to the body shortly afterwards, but the majority of people report a sense of traveling. This travel begins with a strong feeling of peace followed by the sensation of being separated from the body. Next the experient travels through a type of tunnel in which there is a light at the end, and during which time they meet dead friends, converse with angels, and view images associated with the Christian Heaven or other places of indescribable beauty. However, this is not a solely religious experience, as even atheists have reported viewing such images.

A small number of people have also reported images that may be associated with the Christian Hell, a common report being the sense of panic or desolation. However, many such negative NDE's have been associated with attempted suicides, while the majority of NDE's are reported as positive experiences. Often, there is a reluctance to return, but once the person does, they strive to lead more spiritual lives and become better people. Often, it is reported that the experient's fear of death is greatly reduced. ³

Some people have attempted to explain NDE's as hallucinations brought on by medical drugs or oxygen deprivation, however this does not account for the fact that some cases are reported as having taken place during a time when the experient's brain wave record was completely flat. ²

Another explanation put forth by Carl Sagan attempted to include the fact that NDE's are reported all over the world, by people of different religions, and include many strikingly similar images. Sagan proposed that an NDE is the remembrance of a person's most traumatic experience--birth.

However, psychological and neurological research has shown that newborns are incapable of perceiving or remembering the detail necessary to support this theory. Also, even if an infant could remember its birth, the general belief is that the experience would be one of leaving a serene place, the opposite of the experiences reported in NDE's. ²