Tag: near-death experience

UVA’s Bruce Greyson, MD, on Near-Death Experiences

I recently had the pleasure of making a pilgrimage to my alma mater, the University of Virginia, in beautiful Charlottesville, VA. It was a gorgeous late-winter day, and I strolled the “grounds” (Note: Not the “campus,” as any UVA student quickly learns), taking in the glorious Rotunda and Lawn, and wandering through a few of the gardens enclosed within elegant “serpentine”  brick walls, where lemony daffodils were already abloom far before ours up north had even begun to poke their sleepy heads through the soil. I remembered studying in those gardens, and even taking exams there, unwatched, as the U. has always had an Honor System that allows for such things. I thought about, and truly felt, the history of the place, founded and designed by Thomas Jefferson (or “Mr. Jefferson,” as he’s known on grounds). And I marveled that a place so steeped in history and tradition is now, in fact, the home of some of the most remarkable, most cutting-edge research in the field of what some would term “the paranormal.”

University of Virginia, Rotunda
University of Virginia, Pavilion Garden

In honor of that visit, Reader, I’m thrilled to share this interview with Bruce Greyson, MD, UVA Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences, and colleague of Dr. Jim Tucker, who heads up the University’s remarkable Division of Perceptual Studies, and whom I featured in my first blog entry, as well as in my book Adventures of a Soul. While Dr. Tucker has focused his fascinating work mainly on children’s past-life memories, Dr. Greyson’s area of expertise is the NDE, or near-death experience. (And I can only say: Go, Wahoos, go!)

In this excellent interview, Dr. Greyson discusses the prevalence of NDEs (some 5 percent of the population have experienced them); the patterns and features of NDEs that are consistent across cultures—going as far back as ancient Greece and Rome; the accurate and verifiable things NDE experiencers have observed that logically should have been impossible for them to observe while unconscious and apparently “out of body”; the fact that NDE experiencers have often encountered deceased friends and loved ones whom they did not yet know were deceased at the time they “met” them during the NDE;  how NDEs have dramatically affected and altered the lives of the great majority of those who have had them; how science has tried to explain NDEs; and more.

Dr. Bruce Greyson

There are a host of other interesting interviews with Dr. Bruce Greyson on YouTube, and he’s also featured in the provocative documentary Surviving Death (along with Dr. Jim Tucker), based on the book of the same name by journalist Leslie Kean and available on Netflix. I haven’t yet read Dr. Greyson’s book, After, but Reader, it’s high on my list.

Dr. Jim Tucker

I had planned to visit Jim Tucker, who has been so kind to me and to my book, during my visit to the U., but alas, he was called to attend to a family matter and unable to meet up with me, though he hoped to, he assured me, next time I pass through. I’ll be sure to contact him then, and I’m hoping to meet Dr. Greyson too. It’s my dream to be a fly on the wall in the offices of the Division of Perceptual Studies. I’m wondering what other provocative stuff they’re looking into these days! Is sixty-two too old to be a student intern? Student of the metaphysical, that is!

University of Virginia, Historic Lawn Rooms 

Will a day ever come when UVA students may actually take courses in Perceptual Studies, or even Parapsychology? I’ll have to ask these two pioneering men of science for their take on that, next time I’m down in C’ville. Meantime, well, a gal can dream . . .

Near-Death Experience: Anita Moorjani

I first encountered Anita Moorjani some ten or twelve years ago, on a TV special featuring the now late Wayne Dyer, on PBS. For those who don’t know him, Wayne Dyer was one of the first New Age gurus, the best-selling author of a great many self-help/spirituality books. He was so popular as a speaker that PBS often ran his specials during their fund-raising weeks.

In the course of the show, Wayne introduced a petite, dark-haired, extremely “down to earth” and ordinary-seeming woman—someone you might easily strike up a chat with in the check-out line at the grocery store—whose apparently remarkable story had somehow come to his attention. And he invited her to share that story. She did, simply but profoundly—she was a natural speaker with true ease before this huge audience, with an engaging smile and an air of quiet confidence. And I, and the millions of viewers tuned in, were, I’m certain, simultaneously blown away.

Anita Moorjani has since gone on to become a best-selling author in her own right, and a fast-rising icon in New Age/metaphysically oriented media. Her first book, Dying to Be Me, which I purchased after watching the show, gobbled up, and passed on to my mother, as I knew she’d find it as provocative and uplifting as I had, was a massive hit. She quickly began to show up as a guest on New Age/spiritual talk shows, and not long after, as a featured presenter in New Age/spiritual conferences. She now has several other books under her belt, all quite popular as well.

What, you ask, was Anita Moorjani’s story? Obviously, Reader, I don’t want to give it away, but hope to entice you to watch it for yourself. Suffice it to say that it involves a horrific battle with stage-four, “terminal” cancer, a coma, a fascinating near-death experience, a fantastic voyage beyond the body, and a total recovery of her health that left her doctors astonished and perplexed.

Several years ago, I was surprised and pleased to be offered Anita’s latest book, Sensitive Is the New Strong, as a freelance copyediting gig. A copy editor’s job is to correct mistakes in spelling, grammar, punctuation, consistency, etc. But it also involves carefully reading a manuscript and making suggestions for how it may be improved—made clearer, more concise, more correct, etc. etc. etc.

Wow, I thought. I was going to be suggesting improvements for a best-selling author’s book?! Well, it wasn’t the first time in my freelance editorial career, I must say, but being a huge fan of Anita Moorjani’s, I was a little bit . . . nervous. I needn’t have worried, though. Anita loved and appreciated all my suggestions and fixes, according to the production editor who’d hired me. I asked that editor if she might pass along a personal note to Anita, as I was a fan, and she agreed—not a common practice, so I was thrilled. Since that note, I have been able to connect with Anita a number of times via email. She’s never been anything but friendly and gracious, and I know that she’s an extraordinarily busy woman, so I’ve always appreciated her answering my emails at all.

And so, it is my true pleasure to share this early TEX-X talk by Anita Moorjani with those of you who may not know who she is, and may not have heard her story. I count it among the really important stories of NDE’s, as near-death-experiences are often called. If you enjoy it, check out Anita’s Web site where she’s created a global online community called The Sanctuary, which she’s kindly invited me to join, when my own time permits (and I surely will).

I’d love to hear about any NDE you’ve had, Dear Reader, or anything else provocative you’ve experienced in the “invisible realms” that you’d like to share.

Happy viewing, and happy exploring!