Characteristics of a Near-Death Experience

Characteristics from PMH Atwater's book: Coming Back to Life, 1988.

• A sensation of floating out of one's body.  Often followed by an out-of-body experience where all that goes on around the "vacated" body is both seen and heard accurately.
• Passing through a dark tunnel.  Or black hole or encountering some kind of darkness.  This is often accompanied by a feeling or sensation of movement or acceleration.  "Wind" may be heard or felt.
• Ascending toward a light at the end of the darkness.  A light of incredible brilliance, with the possibility of seeing people, animals, plants, lush outdoors, and even cities within the light.
• Greeted by friendly voices, people or beings who may be strangers, loved ones, or religious figures.  Conversation can ensue, information or a message may be given.
• Seeing a panoramic review of the life just lived, from birth to death or in reverse order, sometimes becoming a reliving of the life rather than a dispassionate viewing.  The person's life can be reviewed in its entirety or in segments.  This is usually accompanied by a feeling or need to assess loss or gains during the life to determine what was learned or not learned.  Other beings can take part in this judgment like process or offer advice.
• A reluctance to return to the earthplane, but invariably realizing either their job on earth is not finished or a mission must yet be accomplished before they can return to stay.
• Warped sense of time and space.  Discovering time and space do not exist, losing the need to recognize measurements of life either as valid or necessary.
• Disappointment at being revived.  Often feeling a need to shrink or somehow squeeze to fit back in to the physical body.  There can be unpleasantness, even anger or tears at the realization they are now back in there bodies and no longer on "The Other Side."

Characteristics from Raymond Moody's book: Life After Life, 1975.

• Hearing the news.  Reporting hearing people talking even though presumed dead.
• Feelings of peace and quiet.  Many people describe extremely pleasant feelings and sensations during the early stages of their experiences.  "Pain was gone", "All my troubles were gone".
• The Noise.  Various auditory sensations.  "Bells tingling", music, majestic music, loud ringing, buzzing noise, whirling noise, clicking, roaring, banging, etc.
• The Dark Tunnel.  Some reports of black, utterly void, narrow passageway, dark valley, time tunnel, down a path.
• Out of the Body.  Often finding oneself viewing his own physical body from a point outside it, being unfamiliar with their body, Floating, passing through walls, floors, etc.
• Meeting Others.  Awareness of other spiritual beings nearby.  Relatives, friends, feelings they had come to protect or guide.  Guardian spirits.
• The Being of Light.  Encounter of very bright light.  Unearthly brilliance.  Identification of being of light varies from individual to individual.  Many biblical parallels.
• The Review.  Extraordinarily rapid.  Vivid and real incredible detail, three dimensional and in color, like slides clicking.
• The Border or Limit.  Fence, large body of water, line, warnings that if one crosses the border the they cannot return.
• Coming Back.  Some do not want to come back or have difficulty.  Squeezing back into the body.
• Telling Others.  Feelings of lack of sympathy and understanding when telling others.  Difficulty talking with relatives, ministers, peers.
• Effects on Lives: Reticent to tell others.  Broadened and deepened by experience.  More reflective and more concerned with ultimate philosophical issues.
• New Views on Death No longer afraid of death, feelings of a lot of changing to do before leaving here, mission, disavow suicide.