Reborn thru his NDE, not as an artist but as the art

Atwater writes: "In 1991, Dan Rhema survived a near-death experience caused by the multiple brain infections of dengue fever (breakbone fever) and spinal meningitis. During his recuperation, Dan began to compulsively create multimedia collages, sculptures, and masks from found objects. He also began to paint, capturing the images flowing through him in a unique three-dimensional style. It soon became apparent to Dan that these acts of creating were healing and re-creating him. He has taken this realization and made it the focus of his art; trauma can awaken creativity, and through creativity, healing can begin.

"The near-death experience," explains Dan, "brought me to a place where I no longer need to seek answers to all the big questions—I am content to let the mystery be. In my life, the difference between reality and unreality has become permanently blurred. I now experience a Zen-like existence living right here, right now only in the present moment.

"The sensation of floating began during my near-death experience and I have continued floating ever since. One night, I had a dream that I was gazing out from within the sculpture I had just completed. At that moment I understand that I had not been reborn as an artist—I had been reborn as the art."

P. M. H. Atwater, Near-Death Experiences: The Rest of the Story (Hampton Roads, 2011).