The most important finding of the present study is the evidence of a wide variety in the life reviews the subjects experience... The popular picture of the ‘whole life’ being seen all at once (panoramically) is false as a generalization about these experiences. Some subjects do indeed have this kind of experience, but the majority [do] not.
"The NDERF studies also found that the setting in which life reviews occur during near-death experiences can vary. In life reviews, it is common for NDErs to see pictures of their life flashing, as if on a screen. The life review may be a sequential order of prior life events, or it may skip around. There is often one or more beings with the NDErs during life reviews. NDErs almost never report being judged by other beings during their life reviews. NDErs report a range of emotions, including feeling happy or sad about what they see in their prior lives. Life reviews are among the transformative events that happen in NDEs. The lessons learned from the life review may help NDErs to live better lives after they recover from their close brush with death.
"Here are some examples of life reviews in near-death experiences:
My whole life was there for me to witness, much like a movie film of pictures filling up in front of me with a solid background. I was not aware of anything other than these pictures. I would not call this 'my life flashing before me' because it was still and entirely present. Knowing and experiencing each emotion ALL AT ONCE, and not one after the other, was incredible to me.
There is no way to describe the immaculate beauty of this experience, though I've tried every day for the last 35 years. I wish I could find a way. Bliss is a merely descriptive word. 'Bliss' is close yet does not convey what I wish I could. I saw and experienced every detail of my present life up to that moment. It was like watching a movie yet starring as the main character while everything happened simultaneously. As I had not lived my life in a state of serene joy, I felt quite sad and ashamed. I re-experienced every moment of my life in refined detail, including feelings, thoughts, sounds, smells, people, loves, hates, anger, sorrow, fear, happiness, fun times, food, everything up until I was in the Goldenness. It was like I relived my life, but from the standpoint of a witness.
"Some life reviews include awareness of only part of their prior lives:
It was so natural. We discussed my life while I relived what seemed like portions of it. The review proceeded from the oldest event to the youngest event and only stopped when I seemed uncertain of my actions at the time. There was no condemnation, right or wrong. I felt complete acceptance and understanding with only one loving 'don't you think you could have done it this way' type of comment. You judge yourself!
"One of the more astounding aspects of life reviews is that some near-death experiencers relive their lives through the perspective of those they interacted with:
I went through a life review. The life review was all about my relationships with others. During this, I felt what they had felt in my relationship with them. I felt their love, pain, or hurt from things I did or said to them. Their hurt or pain made me cringe. I found myself thinking, 'Oooh, I could have done better there.' But what I mainly felt was love, so it was not too bad. No one judged me during this life review. There was no disapproval from anyone else. I felt only my personal reactions to it all while the feeling of unconditional love continued to saturate me. I judged myself, and nobody else judged me in this life review.
"Here is another example of a life review with awareness of the feelings of others:
I went into a dark place with nothing around me, but I was not scared. It was peaceful there. I started to see my whole life unfolding before me like a film projected on a screen, from babyhood to adult life. It was so real! I was looking at myself, but it was better than a 3D movie. I could sense the feelings of the people I had interacted with through the years. I could feel the good and bad emotions I made them experience.
"Life reviews with awareness of what others were thinking and feeling while the near-death experiencers interacted with them are robust evidence for a consciousness that transcends the physical. These types of NDEs support the reality of an afterlife with retained accurate and detailed remembrance of our entire lives."
Jeffrey Long, MD, "Evidence for Survival of Consciousness in Near-Death Experiences: Decades of Science and New Insights." In the next several posts I will share excerpts from Long's 2021 article. Footnotes have been deleted. The complete text is available as a pdf at https://www.nderf.org
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