Near death experiences

First published in Daily Tribune under Anthony Vivero's Vibes and Vision dated March 1, 2010.

Many stories have been told regarding Near-Death-Experience (NDE). Medically, if one’s heart stops beating and breathing ceases, one is “clinically dead.” After several moments, the brain’s electrical activity (EEG) would indicate a “flat line” in the machine. That is when one is declared dead.

So, how come an individual can tell stories of experiences after life if the brain reading in the machine does not have any electrical activity? And to top it all, the experience brings a “life-changing” lesson. The changes range from worse to good, better to good and never the other way around.

Though science discredits such a scenario, with debates opening and no end in sight, let us take a look at these sworn experiences, or what some people swear happened after the so-called “travel” to another realm. Read on...



Mother’s love

Aling Nena is a woman with plenty of colorful stories to tell on survival, love and deception. She is a typical Filipina, who had fallen in love with a dashing man, trusted him and gave everything she could possibly give for the success of their relationship. Unfortunately, their partnership ended as fast as it started.

She was left alone to tend to their three children and did whatever to survive by all means. As the years went by, she overlooked her physical health just to meet the needs of her children.

One day, she collapsed while on the street just outside their home on her way to work. She hit her head on the corner pavement of the street. She was pronounced dead on arrival upon reaching the nearest hospital.

While she was in the hospital, and had been pronounced dead medically, Aling Nena had a different experience. From a sleep-like state, she felt an invisible hand lift her and she floated toward a shimmering silver white light of rays. The feeling was different, she said. “Hindi ko man po maipapaliwanag sa salita ang naramdaman ko, basta masaya, masayang masaya ang pakiramdam. Parang nawala lahat ang problema ko, walang sakit, walang hapdi, puro saya lang (I can’t translate into words what I experienced. But the feeling was of overflowing happiness and joy. It seemed like all my problems had been taken away — no pain, no hurt, it was just all happiness),” she said.

Then she heard several familiar voices, crying and calling her name. Instantly, she felt something in her heart. Like a pinch to the core of her soul. Motherly love for her children turned happiness into anxiety.

She said, “Hindi ko na po pansin ang ganda at saya, naalala ko po ang mga anak ko at gusto ko po silang makita at makasama. Hindi ko po sila makita pero naririnig ko po sila, kaya ako ay naguluhan. Umiyak po ako at tinawag ko ang pangalan ng mga anak ko (I suddenly forgot the beauty and joy; I just remembered my children and I wanted to see and be with them. I couldn’t see them, but I could hear their voices. I was confused. I cried and called the names of my children).”

Simultaneously, the medical staff became active. The dead body started to perspire and move. Vital signs were coming back having lost it for almost half an hour. The doctors were baffled, but were all excited.

Aling Nena came back from the dead. She was one miracle case. She told me that after that experience, everything is so much better. It seems lady luck did come with her. As of today, her three children are all professionals; one of them is a medical doctor.

She can still tell this story in detail. She knows that death is not a horrifying experience, but an experience with God. She says if there is too much love in one’s heart, God makes things work out for you.



Supreme sacrifice

Mang Berto is a middle-aged man. His wisdom can be paralleled to a great man of history. His life is ordinary, like his contemporaries, but with desires and thoughts beyond his personal ambitions. Then one day he suffered a severe heart attack. He was rushed to the hospital and the doctors tried to revive him, but he was pronounced dead after an hour of trying to bring him back to life.

Mang Berto told me that while he was being pronounced dead at the hospital, “I was standing in front of the most awesome sight. I could see a man standing in front of me, but he was not like anyone I’d ever seen before in my life. His garments were shimmering white in color — garments of light. I could see His bare feet and His hands were outstretched toward me as if welcoming me. I knew I was looking upon God … as I looked toward His face, the intensity of the light seemed to increase a hundredfold. You couldn’t make out the form of his face as the light was so bright — such purity, such holiness, such fulfilling sensation. It was soothing, and as the light penetrated my body and enveloped me, love began to flow toward me, and I felt very safe in His hands.”

Mang Berto told me the experience was so great that he couldn’t help but cry and that his tears still fall whenever he remembers that wonderful experience. While he was being welcomed by this being of light, he asked, “Where am I?” He noticed he was in a place he had never imagined. “Is this heaven?” The holy entity did not answer, but he sensed He was answering in the affirmative, telepathically.

He asked again, “Can I still go back?” As he turned his back on the “divine entity,” he received a response, “Why?”

Mang Berto replied with full of humility and uttered, “I think with this experience with you, God, and the knowledge that You entrusted me, people will have a better chance to experience the feeling of being with you.”

God smiled and the scenario was suddenly transformed into a different scene like turning your television remote to another program. There was a flash of light and people wearing white robes suddenly appeared. They were not angels, but doctors. Then he heard the doctor shout in joy, “He is back!” According to the doctors, he had been declared dead almost 15 minutes earlier!

Mang Berto tells his story to anyone who would care to listen and people who would ask him about that experience. And along with that story, he teaches people to live a life according to the laws of nature and of God. He is successful in converting people who have conflicts with society and turning them into productive citizens.

Death is a wonderful experience as narrated above. Those who committed suicide and came back had lonely and sad experiences in a very dark place. As a guide based on the above stories, let us take the most sensible path and let God judge us based on the purity of love in our hearts.

(Names of the above subjects have been changed, as they requested.)



Any comment and suggestion can be forwarded to anthonyvivero@hotmail.com.