The Crossover Experience / Life after Death is Real

by D.J. Kadagian

Ninety-six percent tell us that what they experienced was more “real than real.”

75% transitioning into new careers1 and 54% reporting major life changes with follow-up studies 20 years later showing virtually no falloff in the intensity they originally experienced.2

Crossover’s compilation of prospective and retrospective studies report out-of-body experiences with a range of 37% and 65%3 respectively, in which NDErs can accurately recount what was said and done during resuscitation, from a vantage point outside their bodies.

the Near-Death Experience Research Foundation (NDERF.org) founded and maintained by Jeffery and Joy Long. This is by far the largest repository of testimonials, which number over 5,000 and have been gathered over more than 20 years.

International Association for Near-Death Studies (IANDS.org),

near-death experience, when articulated by someone who has crossed over, is nothing if not experiential. And the experiential will be the closest we can come to understand the wonder and power of these journeys.

In writing, complex sentences are necessary for adding the right level of detail and precision, and these complex sentences can be made easier to digest and assimilate with the right punctuation. Conversely, complex sentences are deadly in oral presentations. They flatten out delivery and risk losing the audience in the experiential component.

writing, you want to choose your words very carefully. A well-chosen word can often make or break the point you are making. In speaking, the exact words you choose are not as important as the general point you are trying to convey.

A treasure trove of NDE research can be found on our website at www.CrossoverExperience.com.

Death is not extinguishing the light; it is putting out the lamp because dawn has come.

Rabindranath Tagore

was allowed to have full knowledge and understanding. I remember that the awareness hit me with complete clarity and I thought, "Of course, it’s so obvious. Why are we all missing it?" Although not allowed to keep all the knowledge shown to me, there are two items I was allowed to keep: 1) In response to my question regarding religions of the world and which is the "true" religion, HE answered "Men come to me on many paths," and I had the complete understanding of the response, which is broader than the words can convey. The point is not religion, but faith. In response to my question about why we are here, He answered "To love one another." Again, the understanding and meaning of His answer is so much more than the words. We are each part of Him and by loving one another (and ourselves), we are in fact loving Him.

Finally, I was told that this was my last chance and that I should have the courage to live the life I wanted to live.27

On the way, much was being erased from my memory. Not the event itself, but the newfound universal knowledge,

I still knew some things and when alone with my husband I told him to listen carefully and remember what I was telling him because it was being erased. And as quickly as I was telling him things, it was being erased just as quickly. When I finished I asked him if he got all I told him. He looked at me strangely. I asked again. Then he told me that I sounded like I was speaking a foreign language and he could not understand anything I said to him previously. He was alarmed. By then, all of the universal knowledge was gone. But not the experience.31

felt an unshakable sense that mankind's theories about life and death were wrong, that the truth is so much bigger as to escape logic. It's the relationships that can transform any of us. Even though I have been a therapist for twenty-nine years, I didn't see the shimmering significance, beauty, and power of our relationships. Now I give much more to my relationships. I still make mistakes, but I correct them and move on. There is no point in arguing and fighting. We are all the same. We are in essence one.

NOW believe the big picture cannot be grasped, except as through an NDE or some unusual mystical experience or extraordinary phenomenon.

And even then, it can only be surmised or grasped in part.34

there is no doctrine that contains all the essence of the spirit that comprises our lives.

now know that there is life after death. I now know that there is no hell other than the one we create ourselves. I know the most important thing is love between people and all beings. I know that we are here to learn and reflect in each other. I know that I receive as much help from the other side, as I am ready to receive, from those with who I am most connected in love.

Your Guides

even the earliest NDE researchers discovered, no two NDEs are exactly alike. We know that the occurrence of NDEs is not due to expectations and prior religious beliefs, otherwise, they would not happen to atheists and very young children. It’s clear that we’re not creating the experience, but our cultural backgrounds and our individuality act as filters for it. Even as we’re experiencing it, our minds help to give it form and structure through the symbols and metaphors that help us to make sense of our reality. In other words, we’re co-creating the experience, together with…whatever causes NDEs in the first place.

Whether we interpret a near-death experience as literal or symbolic, it has an intensely deep meaning to all who visit this realm. It is, no doubt, a very different world. Is it literal? Is it symbolic? Is it both?

This realm seems to communicate in the in-between.

we find extensive use of metaphor in the great religious and spiritual texts the world over. How else could we describe the ineffable, that a near-death experience embodies?

As recently as 50 years ago, the NDE was an almost unknown phenomenon.

Thousands describe meeting loved ones and spiritual beings.

1. NDE testimonials have remained remarkably consistent over decades — even millennia. 2. NDEs are universally described as “more real than real.” 3. NDEs are so clear and powerful that they are remembered as if they had “just happened yesterday.” 4. Those who have had an NDE state that the experience was the most significant event in their life. In short, the details of an NDE are not easily confused or forgotten — even over time.

Just as a little bird cracks open the shell and flies out, we fly out of this shell, the shell of the body. We call that death, but strictly speaking, death is nothing but a change in form. Swami Satchidananda

Those having an out-of-body experience (OBE) most often find themselves floating directly above the operating table looking down on their bodies — not standing or floating to the side.

In transitioning to this state, they often express pain at being pulled or “wrenched” out of their bodies while experiencing an intense compression. This feeling is generally short-lived and there is relief from any pain they were suffering just prior to their NDE.

There is a very clear realization that they have died, along with a loss of physical and emotional connection with their body. They begin to understand it as separate...

There is rarely a “fight” to survive or to hang on to this life. On the contrary, more often they attempt to communicate to the medical staff to stop trying to resuscitate them

A high percentage of those who have an OBE speak in great detail about what is happening around their body during attempts to resuscitate them

It is common for someone knowingly approaching death over a more extended period, whether in a hospital, hospice, or at home, to experience a bedside apparition or visitation from deceased loved ones or spiritual beings.

They appear to be entering a stage of preparation where they are drifting between our physical world and the next. The beings they often encounter are comforting and appear to be helping them prepare for the transition.

is common to hear NDErs express that they are not concerned with leaving their families. They now know their loved ones have so much to look forward to when they pass, while also understanding that, in the grand scheme of things, their time on earth is very brief.

There are often feelings of disgust at the corpse they are now viewing from above.

as if the coat were the body as if the body were the soul!

was found that about 98 percent of the reported OBEs were completely accurate. Through

For many people, the overwhelming feelings of peace, joy, and bliss constitute the first and best-remembered element of their experience.

is often confusing to hear bystanders or doctors declare them dead at a moment when they feel extremely alive and whole. 21

If a sound is heard at this point, it is usually a buzzing or whistling sound. Sometimes, a loud click or a soft murmur is noticed instead.

Patients feel as if they have taken off their body...

The most common vantage point is from the ceiling,

The range of their vision can extend to 360 degrees with simultaneous detailed and bird’s eye views. Blind people have the faculty of sight while deaf people know exactly what is being said.

In an end-of-life experience, you can see your deceased mother, father, or partner coming to comfort or take you with them.

The Tunnel Experience

Suddenly, with a physical shock, I was out of my body, standing, alone, in a gray darkness. I stood there for a bit and looked around, but while I could see my naked body and feet, I couldn't make out anything else. I remember saying, "God, is this where I am going to spend eternity?" Suddenly, to my left, I could make out a "cave?" (The best way I can put it) entrance which was as dark as anything I had ever seen. I really had a feeling of fear and apprehension and knew I didn't want to go there. At about the same time I had a sense of absolute peace and also saw a "path" leading off and up to the right which had begun to get lighter. I began "moving", not walking, just moving, like on the moving walkways in some airports towards that path. The "grayness" I was in was absolutely, totally, "gray" but had depth and seemed to go on forever. Not like being in a dense fog where you have some sense of "closeness" to the fog. More like looking out into space and seeing nothing. I can't even verbalize it. Although I knew I was standing upright, I didn't have a sense of being supported by anything; I guess I was floating but it didn't seem like that, either. I was just "there". I also remember vaguely wondering if this was Limbo. I knew Catholics had the theory of Limbo, but I never knew exactly what it was or thought too much about it. In looking at the "cave", I was also aware that it was totally and absolutely black. I can still vividly picture it in my mind and the sight of it...

Beings encountered in the tunnel, which is not uncommon, are never people they knew on this plane, who are still alive. They are deceased loved ones, people they don’t recognize, or spiritual beings.