I didn’t fully understand the limitations of my body until this past June, when I fell down to escape my fire and floated outside myself in a near-death experience, just like Peter Fenwick— A psychologist who researched the end of life. Manifestations – documented during his career. (Dr. Fenwick died on November 22 at the age of 89.)
I was at my own housewarming party, standing on a fire escape with two friends, when I fell about 12 feet and hit my head. I lost consciousness for several minutes.
As my friends tell it, the paramedics arrived quickly, detached the screen from the second floor window and carried me down on a stretcher. As they loaded me into the ambulance, I lifted myself up and watched with fanfare: concerned neighbors stepping into the street; The pale sunset pink of my own body, short and far away on the stretcher as my roommate held my palm and my friend held my ankle. His touch brought me back to consciousness. I immediately felt pain and begged for water.
It wasn’t the first time I felt like having an out-of-body experience. When I was a teenager, I became fascinated with astral projection—intentional out-of-body travel—and began practicing it at night. One evening, I crawled to the ceiling and found myself falling asleep. A line was drawn from my sternum to my belly button. It was like a cord: silver and as long as a rope.
I had the same feeling after my fall, albeit without the cord. Doctors diagnosed severe concussion, and I spent the next three weeks recovering in my new home. At first, I struggled to make sense of my sudden proximity to death. Then I thought about fragility – and the thousands of minute ways humans avoid death every day without even knowing it – and my experience of our body’s ability to protect itself and the diminishing fear of death. Formed a new definition.
I was reminded of my own near-death experience when I learned that the New York Times, where I work, would publish Dr. Fenwick’s obituary.
His 1995 book, “The Truth in the Light,” which he wrote with his wife Elizabeth, included stories from more than 300 people who described near-death experiences — which he called was categorized with labels such as “out of body”. Approaching the Light, “Meeting Relatives” and “Life Review.” Below are some of his collected stories.
Meeting with relatives
In 1987, Dawn Gillett was undergoing emergency surgery in the intensive care unit of a hospital in England when she suddenly felt herself floating above her body and into a tunnel, where she emerged into an open field.
To the right was a bench seat where my Grumpy used to sit (he had been dead for seven years). I sat next to him. He asked me how I and the family were. I said I am happy and satisfied and all my family is fine.
He said he was worried about my son. My son needed his mother. I told Grampy I don’t want to go back, I want to be with him. But Grampy insisted that I was going back for the sake of my children. I then asked if he would come to me when my time came. He started to answer, “Yeah, I’ll be back in four -” then my whole body started to jump. I looked around and saw that I was back at ITU.
Getting closer to the light
Evan Palthorpe was driving on a dark, rainy day in 1986 when her car collided with an aquaplan and spun. She then felt herself shoot, tunnel-first.
As the tunnel began to lighten, there were presences. They were not people and I saw nothing but I knew their minds. They were debating whether I should go back. That’s what made me so safe. I knew I had. Not a responsibility at all To make any decision. This is an almost unknown situation for me, and it was surprisingly liberating. I also knew that I could not influence their decision, but that whatever had to happen would be right.
Life review
Alan Pring was given anesthesia during minor surgery in 1979 and quickly lost consciousness.
I experienced a review of my life that spanned from early childhood and included many events that I had completely forgotten. My life flashed before me momentarily but it was complete, including my thoughts. Some of the content embarrassed me but there were one or two that I had forgotten about that I was quite happy about. Overall, I knew I could have had a much better life but it could have been a lot worse.
Ameesha Padnani participated in the research.