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September 28, 2012
Q. From a North Ridgeville reader: “Can you explain why so many people describing a near death experience (NDE) are in a long tunnel with bright lights at the end and dead family members urging them forward? Dreams? Coincidence?”
A. As of 2006, there were 65 research studies of over 3,500 NDErs from North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia, says University of North Texas professor of counseling Janice Holden, editor of the Journal of Near-Death Studies. About one in five surviving a close brush with death report an NDE, which might perhaps best be described as an “equal opportunity transpersonal experience” — transpersonal meaning “transcending the usual personal limits of space and/or time.” Why some people have one and others don't is unclear. Most of those undergoing such an experience report feelings of peace, joy and love; only a minority recount feelings of fear or profound isolation.
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