Peter Fenwick's initial NDE research project

A UK neurophysiologist and neuropsychiatrist, Peter Fenwick explains that: “The experiences described in The Truth in the Light: An Investigation of Over 300 Near-Death Experiences are all first-hand accounts from people who wrote to me or to David Lorimer, chairman of the International Association of Near Death Studies (UK), after a television program, radio broadcast or magazine or newspaper article made them aware of our interest in near-death experiences.

“We asked 500 of those who wrote to answer a detailed questionnaire about their experiences. Our aim was to gather in a standardized format as much detail as we could about the NDE, the people who have experienced it, and the effect that the experience has had on their lives.

“Over 350 people replied. Of these 78 per cent were women and 22 per cent men. Eighty per cent were adults (over 18) at the time of their experience; 9% were ten or younger. About half described themselves as Church of England, 12 per cent as Roman Catholic, 19 per cent as other Christian denominations and 1 per cent were Jewish. Eight per cent described themselves as agnostic and 2 percent as atheist. But few were regular churchgoers—only 16 per cent went to church every week, though just over a third had been to church in the previous month. Asked whether religion was important to them, 39 per cent said it was, 41 per cent that it wasn’t, and 20 percent replied ‘Maybe.’

“We asked those who replied about the effects of their NDEs. Although the great majority (82 per cent) said they have less fear of death, less than half (48 per cent) believed in any life after death. 42 per cent reported they were more spiritual as a result, 22 per cent claimed to be a ‘better person,’ and 40 per cent said they were more socially conscious. 47 per cent of our sample said they felt the experience had made them more psychically sensitive. Only 2 percent said they had been aware of NDEs before their own experience.”

“The first question people ask about near-death experiences is always ‘Are they real?’ Sometimes what they really mean is, are people making it up? The answer to that is definitely no. If the experiencers had simply made it up, why would they have been (as most of them were) so reluctant to tell anyone else about it? For most people the experience is something they talk about only diffidently, and only to people they trust. They fear ridicule—why would they court it by inventing the whole thing? They are describing exactly what happened to them as they remember it. Also implicit in the question is, are they mad? And again the answer is no. They were quite sane before it and just as sane after it.

“In March 1987 Dawn Gillot was admitted to Northampton General Hospital, seriously ill with microplasma pneumonia. She was put into intensive care, and doctors eventually decided to remove the ventilation tubes and do a tracheotomy because she could not breathe. The next thing was I was above myself, Dawn says, near the ceiling looking down. One of the nurses was saying in what seemed a frantic voice, ‘Breathe, Dawn, breathe.’ A doctor was pressing my chest, drips were being disconnected, and everyone was rushing round. I couldn’t understand the panic. I wasn’t in pain. Then they pushed my body out of the room to the theatre. I followed my body out of the ICU and then left on what I can only describe as a journey of a lifetime.

I went down what seemed like a cylindrical tunnel with a bright warm inviting light at the end. I seemed to be travelling at quite a speed, but I was happy, no pain, just peace. At the end was a beautiful open field, a wonderful summery smell of flowers. There was a bench seat on the right where my Grampi sat (he had been dead seven years). I sat next to him. He asked me how I was and the family. I said I was happy and content and all my family were fine.

He said he was worried about my son; my son needed his mother, he was too young to be left. I told Grampi I didn’t want to go back, I wanted to stay with him. But Grampi insisted I go back for my children’s sake. I then asked him if he would come for me when my time came. He started to answer, ‘Yes, I will be back in four—’ then my whole body seemed to jump. I looked round and saw I was back in the ICU. I honestly believe in what happened, and that there is life after death.”

“Mrs Nita McCallum had her experience at a time when she was very ill and in excruciating pain.  At the time of my NDE I was a practicing Roman Catholic. Had I died I would most certainly have expected that any visions I had would have related to my faith; and that if I were to see a being of light I would have related it to Jesus or Mary or an angel. As it was, when I suddenly found myself in this gentle glowing light and standing a little below the three beings above me; they appeared to me as young Indian men, and, though they were dressed alike in high-necked silver-colored tunics with silver turbans on their heads, I felt they were young Indian princes, or rajas. Two were facing each other and the third facing me. And from a jewel in the center of each forehead or turban three ‘laser’ beams emitted, meeting in the center. My whole lifestyle was changed as a result—much reading about various religions and philosophies.

Peter and Elizabeth Fenwick, The Truth in the Light (Berkeley Books, 1997).