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People Who Don't Know They're Dead: How They Attach Themselves to Unsuspecting Bystanders and What to Do About It
In People Who Don't Know They're Dead , Gary Leon Hill tells a family story of how his Uncle Wally and Aunt Ruth, Wally's sister, came to counsel dead spirits who took up residence in bodies that didn?t belong to them. And in the telling, Hill elucidates much of what we know, or think we know, about life, death, consciousness, and the meaning of the universe. When people die by accident, in violence, or maybe they're drunk, stoned, or angry, they get freezeframed. Even if they die naturally but have no clue what to expect, they might not notice they're dead. It's frustrating to see and not be seen. It's frustrating not to know what you're supposed to do next. It's especially frustrating to be in someone else's body and think it's your own. That's if you're dead. If you're alive and that spirit has attached itself to you, well that's a whole other set of frustrations. Wally Johnston, a behavioral psychologist, first started working with a medium in the 70s to help spirits move on to the next stage. Some years after that, Ruth Johnston, an academic psychiatric nurse, who'd become interested in new consciousness and alternative healing, began working with Wally to clear spirits who weren't moving on. These hitchhikers had attached themselves to the auras of living relatives or strangers in an attempt to hold on to a physical existence they no longer need. Through her pendulum, Ruth obtains permission from the higher self of both hitchhiker and host to work with them. Then Wally speaks with them, gently but firmly, to make sure they know they are no longer welcome to inhabit the bodies and wreak havoc on the lives of the living. Hill has woven this fascinating story with the history and theory of what happens at death, with particular emphasis on the last 40 years and the work of such groundbreaking thinkers as Elmer Green, Raymond Moody, William James, Aldous Huxley, Edith Fiore, Martha Rogers, Mark Macy, Elisabeth KublerRoss, Bruce Lipton, and a host of others, whose work helps inform our idea of what it is to live and to die. As it turns out, our best defense against hitchhikers is to live consciously. And our best chance of doing that is by paying attention and staying open to possibilities.
183 pages, Paperback
First published May 24, 2005
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 17 reviews
best-titles-ever
February 22, 2008The #1 self-help book for people who are afraid of zombies
January 26, 2010
I fully admit that aside from a grudging admission that I sort of believe in certain paranormal things, sort of, I am not a fan of the New Age aside from its entertainment value to me. However, I tend to cut those who believe in New Age teachings a lot of slack. Unusual beliefs make the world more interesting. But there are times when bad, bad writing combine with bad, dangerous information, and I am left with nothing but snark. If Penn Jillette read this book, he would shit blood.
It's not like I came into this book expecting to have what little I do know about science validated by New Age squick. This book is supposed to be about combating spirit possession, which defies science too, but you can prepare yourself for a such scientific suspension when you know you are going to have the YES! of something fun, like expelling unwanted human spirits. That didn't really happen because the book doesn't live up to its title in any way. But before I spew bile over some of the stupid science and dangerous information contained in this book, let me give you the quick lowdown. The horribly long title would lead you to believe this book is about spirits who don't know they are dead and take up residence in hapless humans. If only life were that easy. If, out of 182 pages, 30 have anything to do with spiritual possession, I would be very surprised. Read the rest of the review here: http://ireadoddbooks.com/?p=174
It's not like I came into this book expecting to have what little I do know about science validated by New Age squick. This book is supposed to be about combating spirit possession, which defies science too, but you can prepare yourself for a such scientific suspension when you know you are going to have the YES! of something fun, like expelling unwanted human spirits. That didn't really happen because the book doesn't live up to its title in any way. But before I spew bile over some of the stupid science and dangerous information contained in this book, let me give you the quick lowdown. The horribly long title would lead you to believe this book is about spirits who don't know they are dead and take up residence in hapless humans. If only life were that easy. If, out of 182 pages, 30 have anything to do with spiritual possession, I would be very surprised. Read the rest of the review here: http://ireadoddbooks.com/?p=174
July 27, 2017
Gag me. This was horrible. I believe this nonsense as much as I believe in Abra Cadabra, Hocus pocus and of course open sesame. Spirits will only come forth through a "sensitive" medium and to decide if you should seek medical treatment, what should you do? Consult your pendulum. Tell folks to head towards the light. Of course, if you are seeking some excuse... uh I mean "explanation" for why you're lazy and low energy but don't want to admit that it has any thing to do with how you live your life, well then this is just the book for you!
July 5, 2012
Great title, but its so poorly written I could not continue past the first 30 minutes of reading.
April 17, 2020
People who do not know they are dead: this is a problem that should also be given attention during a pandemic like what we are experiencing now.
The author has an aunt and uncle (siblings) who can communicate with the dead. By their own experience there are a lot of people who die (usually suddenly) who’d try to continue living as they’ve lived before by attaching themselves to persons or things they’ve been fond of. Like one named Ezra Barrens who passed away in 1782 then hovered in a dreamscape of a house he had built with his own hands and knew every inch of although the house no longer stood and it is no longer 1782 even if he thinks it still is.
“These were sudden and unexpected deaths. In such cases, the discarnate spirit often wanders confused, not knowing they are dead. They may hang out around the site of their death. Or they may follow their physical bodies to the hospital or to the funeral home or to the cemetery. Many never leave their cemetery plots. Others may be drawn to familiar surroundings or to a place that was important while they were physically alive, like Ezra Barren’s long gone house….
“In each instance, Lorraine had been able to channel the entity and Wally was able to steer them toward the Light.
“But, in the case of what Wally calls a hitchhiker, the disembodied spirit attaches itself to the aura of a person who is still alive. Perhaps a close relative or friend to whom they feel devoted and literally ‘cannot live without’. Wives cling to husbands, husbands to wives. Dead mothers latch onto their own living children with sometimes the best of intentions to protect and give guidance, other times to meddle and interfere.
Or the hitchhiker may simply latch onto the first warm body passing by—a perfect stranger or unsuspecting bystander—and proceed to live vicariously through them, most often with no notion of what is going on. Sometimes for many years. Sometimes through consecutive lifetimes.”
But how does this happen and how can you avoid being such a miserable hitchhiker when the time comes? This book explains and advises:
“At the moment of death we slip out of our physical bodies as we might an overcoat…but we continue to exist in the form around which our physical bodies originally grew—our spirit body. There is no sudden change of personality and our surroundings appear as before. We are, in fact, exactly where we were…And the essence of who we are continues.
“The degree of confusion these conditions occasion is equal to the knowledge one has in advance. If we expect death to be the ultimate blackout, end of everything, and instead, when it comes, nothing seems to have changed, we may continue to focus on the physical plane of people and things. Not realizing that we are dead, we may seek to satisfy our needs and appetites as we always have. It doesn’t work.
“Nobody talks to you. People act like you’re not there. ‘If you roll over in bed and reach out for your wife and your hand goes through her…you’re dead.’
“Without physical bodies, we no longer need shelter, food, or clothing, let alone sex, alcohol, or drugs. But if we die ignorant of our situation, if we don’t know we are dead, or worse, have died under the influence of anger, alcohol, or drugs, our appetites remain, and we will blindly seek to satisfy them.”
The author’s aunt and uncle’s mission is to counsel these misguided dead and tell them, first, that they are already dead. If one had attached (hitchhiked) onto a living person, they tell him that that is not his body; that his own body is no longer there, and that he should seek the Light and look for a beloved family member or a friend who had also passed so the latter can guide him on what to do.
The author has an aunt and uncle (siblings) who can communicate with the dead. By their own experience there are a lot of people who die (usually suddenly) who’d try to continue living as they’ve lived before by attaching themselves to persons or things they’ve been fond of. Like one named Ezra Barrens who passed away in 1782 then hovered in a dreamscape of a house he had built with his own hands and knew every inch of although the house no longer stood and it is no longer 1782 even if he thinks it still is.
“These were sudden and unexpected deaths. In such cases, the discarnate spirit often wanders confused, not knowing they are dead. They may hang out around the site of their death. Or they may follow their physical bodies to the hospital or to the funeral home or to the cemetery. Many never leave their cemetery plots. Others may be drawn to familiar surroundings or to a place that was important while they were physically alive, like Ezra Barren’s long gone house….
“In each instance, Lorraine had been able to channel the entity and Wally was able to steer them toward the Light.
“But, in the case of what Wally calls a hitchhiker, the disembodied spirit attaches itself to the aura of a person who is still alive. Perhaps a close relative or friend to whom they feel devoted and literally ‘cannot live without’. Wives cling to husbands, husbands to wives. Dead mothers latch onto their own living children with sometimes the best of intentions to protect and give guidance, other times to meddle and interfere.
Or the hitchhiker may simply latch onto the first warm body passing by—a perfect stranger or unsuspecting bystander—and proceed to live vicariously through them, most often with no notion of what is going on. Sometimes for many years. Sometimes through consecutive lifetimes.”
But how does this happen and how can you avoid being such a miserable hitchhiker when the time comes? This book explains and advises:
“At the moment of death we slip out of our physical bodies as we might an overcoat…but we continue to exist in the form around which our physical bodies originally grew—our spirit body. There is no sudden change of personality and our surroundings appear as before. We are, in fact, exactly where we were…And the essence of who we are continues.
“The degree of confusion these conditions occasion is equal to the knowledge one has in advance. If we expect death to be the ultimate blackout, end of everything, and instead, when it comes, nothing seems to have changed, we may continue to focus on the physical plane of people and things. Not realizing that we are dead, we may seek to satisfy our needs and appetites as we always have. It doesn’t work.
“Nobody talks to you. People act like you’re not there. ‘If you roll over in bed and reach out for your wife and your hand goes through her…you’re dead.’
“Without physical bodies, we no longer need shelter, food, or clothing, let alone sex, alcohol, or drugs. But if we die ignorant of our situation, if we don’t know we are dead, or worse, have died under the influence of anger, alcohol, or drugs, our appetites remain, and we will blindly seek to satisfy them.”
The author’s aunt and uncle’s mission is to counsel these misguided dead and tell them, first, that they are already dead. If one had attached (hitchhiked) onto a living person, they tell him that that is not his body; that his own body is no longer there, and that he should seek the Light and look for a beloved family member or a friend who had also passed so the latter can guide him on what to do.
January 8, 2021
I'm surprised to say that I just enjoyed the heck out of this book. There are lots of things in it that make me say "hmmmm...."
March 17, 2021
This is an interesting look at the religion of Spiritualism as it stands today. Beautifully written, but it allows you to draw your own conclusions.
July 9, 2023
chock full of some entertaining nonsense.
July 30, 2014
Mildly entertaining. It was too heavy on the preaching and flaky metaphysics and too light on the stories. Dispite being a light book, it's a pleasant enough of a read (if you've got any metaphysical inclinations) and I've found it to be a good read-at-the-bus-stop kind of book.
Decent, could be better, have read worse.
Decent, could be better, have read worse.
March 28, 2009
Anyone with an open mind should explore the pages of this non-fiction journey. It'll make you think about things that you wouldn't naturally consider. I loaned this to a co-worker and haven't seen it since!
January 10, 2013
Finished today. Quite poorly written or maybe it was just me who couldn't cope with the big words and the "Plot" jumping all over the place.
Such a shame as the blurb and the title really had me hooked
Such a shame as the blurb and the title really had me hooked
October 20, 2008
This was quite the intriguing book. I thought it was going to be a light read about ghosts, but it crossed into a number of metaphysical subjects.
October 19, 2009
Interesting, certainly. More than I expected, definitely. Worth a read if you're into this sort of thing.
September 8, 2010
Read the book here:
http://www.libertary.com/books/people...
http://www.libertary.com/books/people...
July 28, 2011
So weird.
April 16, 2017
without questioning the possibility of spirits not knowing they're dead. the narration is perhaps what makes this a 1 star of 5 - it tends to bore... that gnawing feeling that u look for completing the book because you bought it...
Displaying 1 - 16 of 17 reviews