Sunday, July 19, 2009

Did my Child have a Near-Death Experience?

QUESTION:

"I am the mother of an ll-year-old daughter that had a near-death experience when she fell into a hot tub when she was two, and nearly drowned. She has no memory of the experience now, but prior to her fall in the water, she was terrified of water, bathing, etc. She was five feet away from me when she fell in. Because of her fear of water, I didn't have to really worry about her getting in, but my attention was distracted when I started tending to my eight-month-old son. During that time she silently fell in. When we realized she was no longer by my side eating her pizza, I turned around and saw her lying face down at the bottom of the hot tub. We jumped in; my friend performed CPR and I ran to find a phone and called 911.

"Afterwards, I grabbed my 10-year-old daughter and we stood away from the apartment pool near some mailboxes. I grabbed her hands and told her we need to PRAY! We prayed to God. We prayed to Mom and Grandmother, who had passed, and prayed that if they see Kelsea to send her back to me! I told God that we have been through too much, and please do not take her from me. About that time, my friend approached me. The ambulance arrived, and he told me Kelsea was breathing!

"I rode in the ambulance with her and was greeted by a Nun at the hospital, who comforted me through the worst event in my life. The doctors where not sure of her prognosis. She was admitted to I.C.U., placed on a ventilater. I never left her side the entire time. After a day and a half she was removed from the ventilater, and calling for me (her mommy). Three days later she was discharged. To the doctors amazement, no pneumonia, no brain damage, etc.

"The first night from the hospital, I put my baby in bed with me and held her. That night she said her FIRST complete sentence (she was two). The sentence was 'Mommy, I came back! Mommy was crying. Tanner was crying, and Kristen was crying.' I told her, 'Honey, I know you did and thank you.' I didn't ask her any more questions after that. I was afraid to know, and now I regret it. Amazingly, after her near-death experience she was no longer afraid of water. To my fear, she would run to any water source, pool, bath, etc.

"Now, nine years later, I have this amazing child. She is so gifted in so many ways. She is charismatic. She was writing all kinds of words at the age of three, reading short stories before she was four. She is in gifted talented Pre-Ap classes at school and a high achiever. She is my God child. She continues to amaze me with her intelligence. Could this be a result of her NDE? I find this amazing. Do you know anyone that can test her IQ? Also, what book do you recommend me to read of yours?"...Kelsea's Mom

ANSWER:

Dear one, young children who have near-death states often do not remember their experience. The way to tell if a child had one is (1) was there an incident where such could have happened? and (2) how well do they match the spread of aftereffects?

A child who cannot remember much or at all, will still exhibit the pattern of aftereffects if indeed they had a near-death experience. There's no stopping the aftereffects. You cannot fake or stop them because they are both physiological and psychological. You may delay onset or call them something else besides what they really are, but they're still there. Of my books, please read "The New Children and Near-Death Experiences." It will tell you what you need to know about your daughter.

One of the most important things you can do now is to inspire your daughter to make her book. I am serious. Have her create a cover and title it. Her book can be construction paper, cardboard for the cover (or poster board), sheets of paper in the middle, maybe tied together with ribbon. Whatever she wants to do, feels called to do, do it; but make a book. Inside the book should be a copy of the newspaper announcement, if there was one, and all the details of the event. Be specific. Then, in the book, your daughter talks about the rest of the story her way. You already have a few words she said at the time. Give these to her. Once she gets in the mood, more words will follow. Then, have her talk about what happened afterward and continues to happen as she grows; how she sees herself, life, her family, school, what she "knows." Books can have poetry or drawings or little stories in them, and blank pages at the back for more to come.

Invite your daughter to make her book.

For parents, make a journal. Keep that journal up-to-date. Put in it your version of what happened, how if affected you, and what you noticed at the time and are still noticing about your daugher and how she is different - as it occurs. When you daughter is grown and has left home, give her your journal. Her book and your journal will be like a miracle in her life. They will be that important!

Please, encourage your daugher. You might send me a photo or two of her and her book. I'd love that. If it is such that it can be copied, I'd like a copy of it. I have a few of them and they are all precious. Each one changed the life of the person who made it. My address is P. O. Box 7691, Charlottsville, VA 22906. --PMH

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

The next big conference on the near-death experience will be held October 16-17 near San Diego, California, at the Mission Valley Resort (they have very reasonable prices). Ann Ellis is the Conference Chairperson. You can contact her directly at ellisann@juno.com. For more information about the conference itself, access the IANDS website at www.iands.org (that's the International Association For Near-Death Studies). This conference will focus on the enhanced abilities experiencers come to have afterward, and what to do with them. A topic IANDS has never tackled before, but one that really needs a good hearing. I will be there. So far, they have not announced who will present papers or the keynote speakers. Make your arrangements now, anyway. Don't wait. I know the program will be incredible! It always is.

September 11 through 13, I will be in Skaneateles, New York, doing a full program for Upstate New York Friends of IANDS group. Anyone can attend. Everyone is invited! Friday night there will be a public talk on "Revelations from Near-Death Experiences." Saturday I will be giving readings for those who are interested. Sunday is a six-hour intensive on "Deepening Into Spirit," for those who are ready to "dig deeper" into the realms of spirit and soul. I seldom give this intensive, so this session will be particularly special - to me and I hope to you! Access www.unyi.org and Dave@unyi.org.

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Skeptics and the Fear of Death

QUESTION:

"I was very hesitant about sending you this e-mail, but I cannot take this torment much longer. It has been weeks since this has started, and it isn't the first time. One day, all of a sudden, it came back. . . my fear of death. This last time was two years ago when I started college. Somehow I had gotten over that, but I don't know about this time. I think the reason this is happening to me is because I have Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, and I keep dwelling on these thoughts (I can no longer afford any medication or therapy). I haven't been able to study anything ever since this has started. If this continues, I will probably flunk college. But I am powerless and unable to do anything. I simply don't have strength any more. I really want to buy your books but unfortunately I live in a third world country. Even though I have the money due to the cheap price of your lovely books, I cannot manage money transfer. I live in a bit of a small house, and my parents are devout Christians. Their beliefs make them happy. I do not want to change that for them.

"So, I decided to read some of the articles in your website. I was feeling better reading them, then I decided to browse around the Internet. I read on a skeptic site about out-of-body experiences, but it was nothing I haven't seen a good reply to, so I was happy. But then I decided to read the comments, and found one that made me shiver and I am more depressed than ever. It was a comment left by someone who used to believe in NDEs, but stopped. The reason he stopped believing is because he went to an IANDS Conference, and he was asking around. He found from one of the researchers who was there, who had been experiencing with people who have OBEs, that despite the large number, none of them had been able to prove they had had an OBE (in the sense that they couldn't describe their surroundings). Is this true? I really want to believe in NDES, but I just can't. Also, I am scared about the AWARE study. What if the researchers come out with negative results? Will that prove that NDEs are not true spiritual experiences?

"On a bit more optimistic note (if that is possible), I have read an article on child near-death experiences. Even though I am 20 years old, I was kind of surprised at how I could relate to the story. I sensed that in some way it described my childhood. Even when I was around 10, I have a rather keen love for 'light.' In the living room, we have a window in which the sun shines right through. I really HATE it when that window is closed. For some reason, I feel like I HAVE to open it, and when I do, I usually like to lay on my back on the couch and just look at the sky. I really dislike the afternoon. It depresses me for some reason. I always felt alienated during my childhood. It was not until college that I met new friends whom I can relate to. I always feel detached from the world. Maybe that is partly due to my ADD and OCD. I have always had a hunger for knowledge, and an amazing zest for life! I liked laughing, studying, and almost anything else (rather ironic considering my situation).

"At first I thought these things were normal, especially since I don't remember having an NDE. But when I read the article on your website about people repressing childhood NDEs, I thought maybe that was the case with me. Do you think that is the case? If so, how do I unlock those memories? Please help me."...Patrick

ANSWER:

I attended that same conference where the man said after decades of work he had yet to find one bit of proof about the validity of out-of-body experiences. He spoke the truth from his viewpoint, but that was only his viewpoint. He did not and could not speak for the field of study, only for himself. In the field of study there are thousands of verifications, more than I can count, really, and within my own research as well. Why people like this "authority" makes statements like this (which are not true), is beyond my understanding. Perhaps it is because he was unable to verify any, and interpreted that to mean no one had. Researchers do that a lot, thinking that what they do and who they are speaks for the entire field. Wrong.

For instance, in the field of near-death studies, there has yet to be a single skeptic who has researched the entire phenomenon (the experience and the aftereffects). They only look into bits and parts, never the whole thing. That means there is no skeptical approach yet that has the bearing and weight of true research. Not one.

The near-death phenomenon does not prove there is an afterlife, yet of all other human encounters, it comes the closest to revealing what death may be and what may happen after death. As a fact, the phenomenon actually reveals more about life than it does death, a life that far exceeds what we think life is, what our faculties are, our purpose or mission in life, and what we are capable of. For this reason, if none other, the near-death phenomenon is the most important field of research today. Whether or not the AWARE project proves anything new or not, it is still a valuable step forward. I personally doubt they will be able to "prove" out-of-body experiences as part of the near-death phenomenon, because of the protocol they are using. It is full of "holes" and may not work. I really doubt that it does work. OBEs as part of near-death states evolve around emotion and are emotional. This is something that bothers "science," and something science has no real way to measure. Pim van Lommel, a Dutch cardiologist, comes out with his great book later in 2009. I am sure it will be most incredible, and with the type of verification scientists should welcome.

Excessive fear is a state of mind. Perhaps something happened to you while you were young, or a past life is "bleeding through" or making itself known. A good past-life regressionist tends to be better than a doctor with this. But you want a trained transpersonal hypnotherapist. This is the best type to go to. You must check credentials, though, to make certain the individual is who he or she claims and has good endorsements.

ADD and OCD can be caused or irritated by diet/allergies in food. A number of psychologists in Canada are now giving such children (those with "learning disorders") food tests to check on food allergies. By doing this and with some good counseling, they are turning around 80% of their cases: no more learning disorders. You may be able to check on this yourself. Investigate through the Internet how to check on foods that may be harmful to you or causing problems. I was born with dexlexia and synesthesia, and became a stutterer because of how I was treated by kids at school. Determination is a funny thing - I was so determined to teach myself how to keep a focus, talk right, read right, that, after three years of effort, I was just fine, did well, and turned my grades around for the better at school. We didn't have special education classes then. If something was the matter with your faculties or brain, that was your tough luck. Guess I was born a fighter, because I refused to accept the verdict. I also had a number of major illnesses as a child. I wouldn't accept them, either. Check your intention. What is it you want? Lay out a plan to get there, do it, and you will. You have to stay the course, however, and not give up.

You're not afraid of death.

You're afraid of life.

Seize the life you have and live it fully - your way - not some other person's way. I like things squared up on table tops and throughout our house and wherever I am. That doesn't make me OCD. It just means I'm a neat-freak. Yup, I can see a dirt ball at 40 paces. Chuckle.

Bless yourself. You have more going for you that against you. Remember that! PMH


ANNOUNCEMENTS:

I have never done this before - telling you about the talks and workshops I offer, but it feels right to do so now. Just access my website at www.pmhatwater.com and move over to the Talks and Workshops Section. You will see that I offer a broad selection: anywhere from subjects like the near-death experience and its evolutionary aspects, to fun-intensives about relearning how to live life's basics in new ways ("Thriving Skills for Dynamic Times"), to rediscovering that life itself is a dream and how we can recognize and interpret "those" symbols ("Day and Night, the Symbols We Create"). And don't forget, Rune Casting Playshops using Goddess Runes (these are not like oracle runes and are much more specific - they are a particular divinatory system that fosters whole-brain development, not just right-brained).

Two new ones have been added (1 1/2 hours each or could be extended into a half-day session), and they are mentioned here. Don't forget I can gear my material to your needs or the wishes of your group. You can easily contact me through my website.

(1) "Revelations from the Near-Death Experience"
  • - everyone has a purpose in being born
  • - most experiencers return to life because they have more work to do
  • - the pressure to be about doing their purpose is relentless
  • - some state that the greatest sadness they have endured afterward is never learning what their purpose is
  • - child experiencers have a solution to this
  • - revelations of the "Big Picture" from adult experiencers
  • - revelations of the "Big Picture" from child experiencers

(2) "The Will of the Soul"
  • - the incredible power of our soul is unveiled in transformative experiences
  • - we begin to recognize that the soul, our soul, has a will and agenda of its own
  • - soul cycles, soul waves, soul groups, twin souls, the goal of souls
  • - manifestations/ensoulments
  • - the human form
  • - our comings and goings
  • - we have gifts to share
  • - the talents we bring in, and what we did with those talents when we leave
  • - fate/destiny/free will
  • - the numbers 12 and 13

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