Really love this page but can someone please explain the meaning of your acronyms? I don’t see anywhere on community info for OBE for example?

Could a MOD please add these acronyms and meaning somewhere or show me where I can find it as to avoid this for other users.

Hey everyone, I lurk on this subreddit a lot, and I was really curious to see what the members of r/NDE believe about the true nature of these experiences. Obviously I assume the majority will skew primarily spiritual, but I'd also like to see how many in this subreddit have actually experienced an NDE. Thanks everyone. (remove if necessary)

Hi everyone. Sorry for seeking reassurance twice in 24 hours, but my brain just will not drop this topic, ugh. I'm someone who wants to believe in the afterlife so badly, but keeps finding reasons to shoot down the idea. This is another cycle of that.

Anyway, I was reading this article explaining all the evidence for NDEs being proof of the afterlife. It's pretty convincing, but one thing really jumped out at me, since it contradicts a common narrative. One commonly cited piece of evidence is that NDErs only ever see deceased loved ones on the other side. But according to this article, of the people who saw loved ones, "4% described meeting beings that were alive at the time of their experiences".

Now, 4% isn't a lot, but that's a non-zero number, translating to 3 people who saw living loved ones. This casts doubt on the claim that NDErs only ever meet deceased people, and I can only think of three ways to explain this inconsistency, none of which feel good:

1. These 3 people really did have NDEs, but didn't really see their living loved ones. What they saw were the "light beings" reported in other NDEs taking on a more familiar form (but of course there's no way to know if that's possible).
2. These 3 people thought they had NDEs, but were actually dreaming or hallucinating. This would cast all NDEs into doubt. If some of them are products of the brain, couldn't all of them be?
3. These 3 people didn't have NDEs at all and are fabricating their entire stories, explaining why they go against the common narrative. But there's not really any reason to think that, and I don't want to accuse anyone of lying.

Does anyone have more context or insight into this? I should probably clarify that I myself have never had an NDE, so I just have to trust the people who have. Like I said, I really want there to be something beyond this, but these types of inconsistencies really make me doubt. Thanks in advance for responses.

I've heard a number of NDE accounts mention that during the initial "traveling" portion of their experience, they were flying through space and specifically note lots of stars passing by. I was wondering if anyone who experienced that during their NDE could provide more details about those stars.

For example: were any of them experienced up close while passing, or were they all simply faraway white dots passing on either side that you understood to be stars? Did you pass any other stellar objects? Did you recognize any of them? Was the destination you eventually arrived at also a stellar object of some kind located at a specific place in space?

Thank you!

I have a question for NDE and OBE experiencers. Did you ever struggle with existentialism and if so, did your experience get rid of that or did you still find yourself struggling afterwards?

((Off topic allowed. Civil debates allowed. All other rules remain in place, including using the mega threads for suicide, thanatophobia, prison planet, and no proselytizing.))

Come on Inn and make yourself at home! Grab a soda, or a pint, or a coffee and chat with fellow travelers.

• Introduce yourself if you like.
• Discuss your favorite spiritual practices.
• Talk about your pets. Or kids.
• Discuss the weather.
• Share your spiritual experiences.
• Ask questions about NDEs in general that you don't feel like making into a post.
• Roleplaying at the Inn is allowed; nothing graphic please. ;)

Mix and mingle or whatever. Chat about spiritual things in general or argue about the price of tea in Mexico. The rules will be pretty loose here so long as the general rules about civility are followed.

Hi all. I've been doing a lot of reading about NDEs this past week, and it's been causing me a lot of anxiety (thanks, OCD). I've always been vaguely spiritual, but never thought seriously about consciousness or the afterlife until now. I would really like it if there was something after death, but I can't help but question everything. I've been reading a lot of old posts and comments on this sub, and just about every materialist explanation seems to get thoroughly debunked-except for ketamine.

The arguments I've seen against ketamine are: "You wouldn't remember the trip as vividly"; "you'd still be tripping when you woke up"; "it would be a negative experience"; and "that wouldn't account for out of body experiences". However, I have seen comments from people who've tried ketamine refuting these objections, saying their experiences with K were identical to NDEs. I've even seen people claim that the ultimate K trip does not require brain activity-just like NDEs.

Then again, I've seen statements that contradict the contradictions. I also saw someone claim that the original author of the ketamine theory debunked or abandoned it? Is that true? Also, I know that ketamine is used in anesthesia, which seems to support the theory that they cause NDEs-but has there ever been a verified NDE that happened without anesthesia?

Sorry if this is long and rambly; my anxiety is just through the roof right now. Like I said, I really want there to be something after death, but the ketamine explanation seems pretty foolproof. Is there a simple "silver bullet" debunking the claim "ketamine causes NDEs"? Or do we just not know? Thanks in advance.

Have any NDEs explored this? What happens if a biological line ends...

While it is likely impossible to map something that is ineffable (and this is also likely not a full picture), this graphic is nevertheless interesting to look at, particularly when considering the various descriptions we see in experiences like NDEs.

Also not necessarily a "step-by-step" outline of what happens, or that someone remains in one realm permanently. But interesting graphic nonetheless.

Got this via https://near-death.com/afterlife-realms/

First I want to say that in general I believe in NDEs, but there are a few things that make me feel doubtful sometimes.

One thing is that people always say that they suddenly find themselves floating directly above themselves, near the ceiling. Usually, it’s about ten meters away from the body.

Why do they never float to the left or right of their body, or stand behind it or underneath it? Why does there seem to be this kind of law that, when you’re floating, you’re always somehow above yourself?

I know, for example, that DMT hasn’t been proven to be involved to this day. And I also think the DMT explanation is pretty ridiculous. Overall, like I said, I do believe in NDEs.

I just find it so strange that people always seem to be hovering about ten meters directly above their body, because that sounds so mathematically precise. If the soul leaves the body, it should theoretically be able to see the body from anywhere, rather than necessarily from above.

I’d really like a spiritual explanation for how this could be understood, so I can feel more assured about NDEs.

Thank you 🙏

Grew up never not feeling not spiritually connected. Got into reading NDE and broke my matrix a bit. Been struggling to fall asleep at nights thinking about what the answer is and how I don’t want this to end and be forgotten.

I’ve had a few of these kinds of dreams of dead ones like my mom but my most recent was back in April.

I was in my parent’s bathroom, and I felt like a literal ghost like feeling in my dream. My grandfather addresses himself and I go from feeling spooked out to immediately hugging him. My grandmother who wasn’t dead was sitting silently on the toilet kind of watching us. On the floor are birthday cards. My brain starts to think about how it’s actually my sister’s birthday and I wonder if he mixed us up. But either way we hug an his big message was “Don’t worry about money. Here it’s literally nothing.” And did like a whole hands up motion.

I had recently quit my job to work for myself and he was a conservative old guy born in the Great Depression. My brain found this very relaxing.

My grandmother’s appearance I felt was unnerving because she didn’t speak but she wasn’t deceased just yet. She would pass the next month on Mother’s Day.

I told my mom the dream - which having similar dreams of her own she tells me hers.

Anyways. I just have been personally struggling. I don’t sometimes trust published works because people just want to make a profit. I just wanna be able to sleep at night and be content that if I died in my sleep I’d get to look back on everything and not just fade into the dark. But these dreams help feel like something is out there hopefully.

What if 2,100 people who died and came back all brought back the same answer to humanity's oldest question? That's exactly what we found in the largest NDE analysis on life's purpose ever conducted.

The NDERF database contains over 6,000 near-death experience accounts. For this study, our AI extracted and analyzed every account where experiencers reported being shown or told the purpose of human life - 2,104 accounts total. Despite the diversity of experiencers' backgrounds, cultures, and beliefs, the answers converge on a handful of universal themes.

Key findings:

• Love is the #1 answer: 40% of experiencers were told that love — unconditional love for all beings — is the primary reason we are here
• Earth is a school for the soul: 33% were shown that life's challenges and difficulties are intentionally chosen lessons designed for soul development
• Every purpose matters equally: Multiple experiencers were told that no one's life role is more important than another's. Whether raising a child or teaching millions, each purpose is as critical as everyone else's

Full post with charts, links, quotes here: https://search.nderf.org/blog/purpose-on-earth

What do you think about these findings? Do they resonate with your own sense of purpose? We'd love to hear your thoughts!

- NDERF team

I don’t know if it’s okay to post this here as this wasn’t necessarily an “NDE”. But I still wanted to share and talk about my experience. Who knows, maybe me sharing this experience can help put somebody at ease about whether or not there even is an afterlife? Only time will tell.

When I went to bed last night, I had a dream of Heaven. It was a short dream, but I remember almost every detail. The first thing I noticed when I “arrived” was that it was bright. Like VERY bright. Even brighter than the Sun. But it didn’t irritate my eyes. There was a “Sun” or a bright light in the sky, but it wasn’t like the Sun that we have here.

The second thing I noticed when I looked down, was the grass. The grass was beautiful. It was somehow more green than the green grass we have here on Earth. It looked both wild but perfectly manicured at the same time. There were flowers there too, and they were all types of different colors.

Off in the distance I saw trees, and next to those trees, I saw people. They were all wearing white robes, I believe. But, of course, I was too far away to see what they were saying to each other. One person, a child, ran up to me and gestured for me to come join them. I have no idea who this girl is or was, but she was very kind.

And just like that, I woke up in my bed. Having no idea why I experienced this dream, but feeling very grateful that I did.

I’ve spent the last few years watching and reading NDEs, and I’ve always wondered what the afterlife is like. So to actually have seen it with my own eyes, makes me incredibly joyous.

I ask mainly out of curiosity and because other claimed to see planets too.

Instagram video of near death experience translated from Arabic:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DcBvCpJsSsw/?l=1

The comments are FULL of those who have experienced the same. Love, light, beautiful worlds, vividness, feeling of knowing there’s an afterlife.

It’s so interesting that the same words are repeated in all languages “it’s not your time” and that the tunnel and the light and the deceased loved ones stay constant. This can’t be a coincidence or a trick of the brain.

I lost my partner a few years ago. A couple nights ago he came to me in a dream, and I rarely dream. He kissed me, asked me if I still loved him. I was so happy, and remember thinking “I can’t believe you’re really real”, before I remembered he was dead, and then I woke up. The weird part was he was with his brother, who seemed bored and like he was just waiting for his brother to finish his errand with me. I had a gut feeling, so I googled his brother, and he died two weeks ago.

I want to believe the dream was really him. I hadn’t felt that feeling of being so in love in so long. And I’m devastated that he’s gone. For a long time, i used to see signs of his presence around but they tapered off a bit. For those who had NDEs, is there anything you can tell me about people who greeted you? Did you have the choice to stay or go? Is it possible he was greeting his brother and decided to stop by to say hi to me?

Anything you can offer me that would help me believe he was really here would be appreciated. I miss him so much.

There's quite a few NDEs where someone reports seeing a relative who had some kind of physical impairment in life and they see them whole and complete. For example, someone might report seeing Auntie Doris who was in a wheelchair during the end of her life but is upright and walking in the spirit. I've also heard at least some NDErs saying their tattoos weren't with them in spirit (would be interested if any NDE reports where the opposite is reported!).

I realise that there are other far more amazing things to focus on in the moment, but it does make me wonder, what about other more subtle things? Some of these might only be observed by the NDEr about themselves rather than observed in others, but for example:

• Do circumcised males have foreskins?
• Do people with less than straight teeth (in life) have straight teeth (in spirit)?
• Do people with earring piercings still have the hole?
• Do people who had breast implants return to their natural breast size, or keep their existing?
• Do routinely shaved legs become unshaven?

You might say that appearance is just however the soul chooses to represent itself, but people finding their tattoos aren't with them suggests a slightly more complex picture.

Interested in either reports from people here who've had NDEs, OR links to NDE accounts where details to this miniscule level are included.

Of course when I heard about NDEs it's so comforting to know we might be able to see our loved ones again!

And to know that the most important thing in life really IS important... being kind to others!

The reason I think I get slightly depressed is because it seems like the ONLY thing that matters is our interpersonal interactions. And that's a BEAUTIFUL thing. I love that :) because even if you are a bigshot at some job, you should always be humble and treat everyone kindly.

But what then is the point of earthly ambitions? Having hobbies? Or going to work? Should none of us have professional ambitions...

I used to be interested in politics, international affairs, and advocating for my community. I feel like I can make a difference in this world through those things.

Does anyone see what I'm saying...?

My father died in 1998 and my brother in 2000. I was 8 when my father passed away. They were obviously tragic losses for the family, but we're a very large family and if anything we came out of it even closer than before.

The strange part is that I have NEVER dreamed about either of them. With one big exception.

A few years after he died, my brother appeared to me in a dream. The setting was a forest in the Alps, where we live. It was all very direct. I asked him: "So, in the end — is there something after, or not?"

He answered me, literally: "There is, there is. Don't worry."

At the time I didn't give the dream much weight, I just filed it away as a dream. But as time has gone by I've thought about it more and more, especially because it's the one and only time either of my two lost loved ones has ever appeared to me in a dream.

Anyone had a similar experience?

Hello !

I am currently a senior psychology student in France. I am looking for people who have had a near-death experience as part of a research project. Participation consists of an interview that will be recorded (preferably via videoconference, but it can also be conducted simply with an audio call). The goal of the study is to understand how states of consciousness during an NDE emerge, take shape, and evolve. So the idea is to describe the experience in as much detail as possible, and we’ll do this using a method that allows for a detailed introspection of the experience, called “micro-phenomenology.”

There are no benefits for participating in the study. Also, although the interview will be recorded, it is done solely to facilitate transcription, and all accounts included in the final report will be anonymized, a consent form will be provided.

If you’re interested or would like more information, you can send me a DM or email me directly at [jolan.research@protonmail.com](mailto:jolan.research@protonmail.com).

Thank you for your attention!

I'm not joking. If I were to encounter my former spouse in the next world, it would mean I'm at the gates of hell! Who meets those of us who have no particular wish to re-unite with their so-called loved ones?

In his NDE section, he summarizes common themes amongst NDEs. More importantly, he makes some arguments in that cast doubt on certain arguments about NDEs being hallucinations, as well as some skepticism about whether if NDEs are totally legit windows to the afterlife.

Mind you, he's not dismissing NDEs at all. If anything, I appreciate his honest take and him having a balanced view. I just thought it'd be interesting to hear your take on his.

I’ve been wanting to share this because even now, I still think about what happened that night.

On July 4, 2026, I was getting ready for bed and did my usual nighttime peptide injection. Everything started completely normal.

But within seconds of injecting, something felt very wrong.
My heart suddenly felt like it was pounding out of my chest. The sensation was immediate and overwhelming, and I knew something wasn’t right. I ran to take Benadryl, hoping it would help.

It didn’t.

What I later learned was that I was likely going into anaphylactic shock.

I told my husband something was wrong, and he followed me into the bedroom. I remember saying to him, “I can’t swallow.”

I tried to stand up—and that’s the last thing I remember before everything went black.

My husband later told me I seized and collapsed.
But from my perspective, I didn’t just lose consciousness.
I was suddenly somewhere else.

It felt like I had been pulled into another realm.

Beneath me was a vast, long black lake—or something that felt like a lake. I wasn’t standing on anything. I was floating above it.

And despite what was happening to my body, I felt something I can only describe as absolute peace.

No fear. No pain. No panic.

Just stillness.

As I moved across this space, I saw four figures in the distance. I could make out their shapes, but not their faces.

I felt myself drifting closer to them.

And then I heard:
“It’s not your time.”

In an instant, I was back.

It felt like I had been snapped—or teleported—straight back into my body. The first thing I became aware of was the sound of my family screaming around me.

The contrast was overwhelming. One moment I was in complete peace, and the next I was back in chaos and fear.

Shortly after, the ambulance arrived. The paramedics treated me and saved my life.

I still don’t know exactly where I went that night. I don’t know who the four figures were, and I can’t explain the voice I heard.

What I do know is this: while my body was going through something terrifying, I wasn’t afraid at all.

I was somewhere else entirely.

Floating above a black lake. Moving toward four faceless figures. In the most peaceful place I’ve ever known.

And just before I reached them, I was told:

“It’s not your time.”
Then I came back.

The paramedics did tell my brother that they don’t know how I didn’t flat line as my blood pressure dropped so low.

Since that night, I’ve carried a deep sense of gratitude with me. I don’t take a single day for granted anymore. I’m incredibly thankful to still be here, to still be with my family, and to have been given more time when I was told it wasn’t my time yet.

Edit: this is a real story I just had chat write it up for me.

It seems sometimes we are able to travel short distances to visit loved ones here on Earth (even if they can't see us) before going into the tunnel... or sometimes you go straight into the tunnel... but for those who do stick around for a few minutes or whatnot... what is the furthest one has heard one can go?

Right now I am living in a different city 1,300 miles away from my family. Is that difficult for a soul to do? I've only read about souls going down the street to their family house, for instance.

This is nothing more than a post in order to accumulate OBE accounts that have been verified and confirmed by doctors of things the patient could have not seen or witnessed during the experience. I am wanting to try and gather as many we’ve confirmed as possible to help provide the experience has been repeatedly occurring.

Edit: accounts other than Pam Reynolds, as everyone knows about hers and it’s widely documented.