Surviving through a glimpse of near death

SIONY, 72, suffered from Guillain Barre syndrome (GBS) post-vaccination during the Covid-19 pandemic. GBS is an ascending paralysis that could be fatal if it reaches the respiratory muscles. She was intubated and was hooked in a ventilator for days, but with the great care and management of the University of the East Medical Center, she survived. She went home in a wheelchair and could barely move her toes. Like a newborn child, it took her months to learn to walk again.

She reported having been through a timeless journey in a place so peaceful and bright. She was floating but kept on running away from a hole of brightest light that appeared to be most welcoming. She insists that she saw her dead relatives seemingly welcoming her to what she describes as the afterlife. But she survived the death that was right in front of her.

Siony is my mother. And she is now back to her active life routines — capable of running and dancing.

The one who died seven times

“I was there, and it is unexplainable — there was no pain and there was only comfort. Smell was indescribable. Music was peaceful. It was full of joy.” This is how Butch describes his seven neardeath experiences across his lifetime. He can attest to the life after death — and claims that it is a beautiful one. He prescribes that we should never be afraid of death for it is a beautiful one, and only love can permeate the barrier.

He was born prematurely and was in the incubator for months. He had three surgeries before he turned 1 year old and, according to the doctor, his heart stopped. He is able to retain in his memory of the infantile experience of the bright light in the long tunnel.

Growing up, he had to undergo another set of corrective surgeries of his gastrointestinal tract again — three times.

And during the pandemic quarantine, he had an attack of seizure, his first and only. Further diagnosis revealed that he had a tumor inside his skull, and he went under surgery for three hours and survived. He is the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s national board’s Butch Guerrero.

Near-death experience

A near-death experience (NDE) is a broad range of personal subjective experiences associated with death or impending death. People having NDE are unconscious, lack heartbeat or respiration, and have a flat electroencephalogram.

Accounts of NDEs have been found in many different cultures and throughout history but share some common features across cultures and religions, according to leading NDE researcher Dr. Bruce Greyson.

Individuals, like Siony and Butch, who had NDE describe the presence of light, feeling pleasant and relaxing sensations, going through a tunnel, seeing a quick overview of their whole life from birth to death, experiencing another world with indescribable beauty and having feelings of levitation, total serenity, security, warmth and the experience of absolute dissolution. Even Iranian Muslim CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) survivors, in a research, reported

NDE experiences that are much similar to those reported by survivors in Western countries with different theistic religions.

Death through the Catholic lens

The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that every spiritual soul “is immortal: It does not perish when it separates from the body at death, and it will be reunited with the body at the final Resurrection.” Human souls never die. Could the NDE be an experience of the soul?

Each man receives his eternal retribution in his immortal soul at the very moment of his death, either entrance into the blessedness of heaven — through a purification immediately — or immediate and everlasting damnation. (CCC 1022). There is scriptural evidence of these in the books of Luke, Corinthians and Philippians. Could the bright light be heaven?

Science and the skeptics

In spite of scientific interest and modern pursuit for its more empirical understanding, there is still no scientific consensus about NDE, and there is a lack of rigorous experimental data, and controlled and reproducible experiments. The subjective nature of these experiences makes them difficult to verify scientifically. Additionally, cultural beliefs and expectations can influence interpretations of such events.

The medical world has generally ignored these “near-death experiences,” dismissing them as “tricks of the brain” or wishful thinking. Skeptics argue that NDEs can be explained by brain activity during near-death states, hallucinations caused by medication or psychological defense mechanisms in response to trauma. The similarities in NDEs across cultures might be due to shared cultural expectations about death, rather than evidence of an afterlife (Blackmore). NDEs could be the brain’s way of trying to make sense of a traumatic experience like cardiac arrest (Dawkins).

Beyond religion, science

Dr. Bruce Greyson, without a religious belief system, approached near-death experiences from a scientific perspective. He shares the transformative lessons he has learned over four decades of research.

Our culture has tended to view dying as the end of our consciousness, the end of our existence — a dreaded prospect that for many people evokes fear and anxiety. But Dr. Greyson shows how scientific revelations about the dying process can support an alternative theory. Dying could be the threshold between one form of consciousness and another, not an ending but a transition.

This new perspective on the nature of death can transform the fear of dying that pervades our culture into a healthy view of it as one more milestone in the course of our lives. This challenges us to open our minds to these experiences and to what they can teach us, and in so doing, expand our understanding of consciousness and of what it means to be human.

Life-changing NDEs

There is evidence that the NDEs for the majority of survivors have brought about life-changing effects. Patients who have had NDEs report more daily spiritual experiences than those who did not. Leading a more altruistic life has also been documented as one of the outcomes of NDE.

Dr. Janus de Leon had a freak vehicular accident and had NDE seeing souls wearing golden robes in a very bright place. He reports that there was no pain, no fear; just gratitude and total surrender to God. He knew that God was there and that life is everlasting. He concludes that his NDE is a life-changing second chance to pursue a life mission.

Indeed, NDEs can be interpreted as glimpses of the heavenly realm, a confirmation of our eternal existence (Kushner).

Through 30 years of investigation, experts from around the world share the history and current state of neardeath experience knowledge in the “Handbook of Near-Death Experiences” (2009, Holden, et al.). They explore controversies in the field, offer stories from their research and express their hopes for the future of investigation into this fascinating human experience.

The “Handbook” makes clear that great controversy exists in the medical and psychological fields concerning NDEs. Are they caused by physiological changes in the brain, or are they biological reactions to oxygen loss or impending death? Are they a product of changing states of consciousness? Or are they caused by something else altogether?

Reflecting upon the meaning of death, regardless of how it will be experienced, will surely add more meaning to the appreciation of life itself.

Blessed Lenten reflection …