Death & Dying
(This is an excerpt from a University Of Metaphysical Sciences course at www.umsonline.org,
please feel free to visit the school website)
A Metaphysical View
Assisting A Person Who Is Dying
Conclusion
Written By Margaret Branch
A Metaphysical View
Life can be seen as a biological process of self-regeneration of the physical body. Cellular maintenance is a task that is automatic, and proceeds until it is no longer feasible to continue do so. There can be many reasons for cells to cease their optimum renewal processes in the process of degeneration. However, we humans seem to be driven psychologically by a strong survival instinct even after the body slows its regenerative ability and moves toward what is known as clinical death.
In this respect, it is rewarding and meaningful to study the death process, because the cultural emphasis has always been on birth and the growing aspects of life. Death arrives all too soon, without what seems to be adequate preparation for it. Perhaps this is so in part because of the modern cultural taboo against cultivating awareness of the death process in our children. Generally, there seems to be a negative judgment regarding dwelling on death if one is active and healthy. It is possible that this human perspective is a direct reflection of our survival instinct, as if we believe (despite the evidence to the contrary) that we should stay in the physical body just as long as we desire.
Regardless of the relationship between the survival instinct and the lack of preparation for death, all humans share in the basic urge to experience life. Early on, what can be called the Evolutionary Imperative directs us immediately toward personal individuation and autonomy. As we grow into these states of awareness, the healthy, maturing consciousness has no choice but to psychologically repress its experience of trauma and separation from the womb. At a very young age, we suppress into unconsciousness what the great contemporary Indian mystic Sri Aurobindo has described as "The Vital Shock." This powerful event is one which he declares is universal for humans, for in order to survive, there must occur "the recoil of awareness from the perception of the vulnerability and mortality of the flesh." (quoted from The Grace In Dying, 1988) The denial of this trauma is automatic as we are encouraged by parents and society to grow and to achieve. In this context, our natural anxiety is usually discouraged, and suppression continues to occur.
In order to fully recognize our trepidation at facing our decline and eventual demise, it is important to understand just how strongly the forces of life have shaped us toward a lifetime of social contribution and success. By the time we reach old age, many years have been spent in physical and psychological service to these dictums. Our cognitive abilities and a sense of the personal self, which can be termed the ego, are refined and honed to move toward the achievement of power and control, however illusory they may be. Underlying these drives is a basic need for an emotional sense of predictability and acceptance, as well as the physical need to avoid discomfort.
In this respect, part of our emotional maturation—and the inevitable movement toward death—is learning to accept those circumstances which seem to conflict with our needs. As we grow in awareness and begin to temper our desires with the needs of others, we are training ourselves for a future in which we are forced to become more flexible. Indeed, getting older involves changing our perspective many times regarding the nature of reality, and our value systems change accordingly as we feel less inviolable. For many, the journey toward the limitations of aging, less-than-optimum health, and the realization of our mortality becomes the foundation for what has been popularly labeled the "mid-life crisis." The development of coping skills for this difficult time through therapy, accompanied by a re-assessment of the lifestyle in order to maximize the quality of life, are hallmarks of this passage. Major life changes can occur which can manifest as being erratic and "immature."
However we react, life is designed to set us on the course for moving naturally toward decline and death after we have peaked in our egoic development. The descent into the limitations of aging can seem unjustly premature and depressing, but in effect it can more easily be understood as the paradox between a sense of "losing ground" and the survival instinct to thrive. With a youth-oriented society driving us, rather than a celebration of ripening into maturity and the wisdom of age, there is more panic and resistance to the natural life process occurring than ever before. As people reach out for comfort, the psychological focus on this sense of loss and its emotional integration—as well as the emergence of interest in many kinds of spiritual paths—becomes evident.
Kathleen Dowling Singh, a Hospice therapist and death specialist, has written that the process of dying is more appropriately seen as the dissolving of the ego into a regressive state. But what is the real nature of this journey of regression? It is one of ultimately transcending the need to develop the physical body to its ultimate prowess, which is a natural function of youth. She further describes this journey to portray "the removal of the false support of Primal Repression, and the subsequent free-fall—one of a crumbling personal reality—into loss and fear." (The Grace In Dying, 1988) (The reference to Primal Repression is associated with the aforementioned Vital Shock of Sri Aurobindo—the unconsciously repressed fear of our essential vulnerability in order to preserve our sense of control and survival). Thus in the death process of ego-regression, the illusions of the ego become stripped away. The ego is disturbingly divested of its false sense of value, as the reality of its powerlessness dawns. For without that false support of identification with our egoic value, we come to the realization of our vulnerability; we are helplessly shaken by forces much larger than ourselves. How, then, can we more optimally respond to the stages leading toward death, or rather, the more fundamental fear— the annihilation of the ego? A pioneer in the education of death consciousness, as well as the emergence of the death-with-dignity Hospice movement, is a recently deceased Swiss woman by the name of Dr. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross. She has enriched the lives of many with her work with terminal cancer patients, and has been referred to as an international thanatologist. In her book On Death And Dying (1997) Dr. Kubler-Ross describes the stages of death and dying as the following: denial and isolation, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance, and finally, hope. These psychological stages are ones through which the dying person and/or those close to them may pass, and there is no specific order to them. As well, any of the stages may be re-experienced at any time. By such a categorization of human anguish, a certain perspective for the cycles of grieving has been established that is helpful. Hospice Grief Support groups help caretakers and survivors cope with death on many levels, as well as being providers of direct support for the dying. It is definitely an important step to become more aware of the processes through which the mind and heart confront the reality of loss of life. The opportunity to freely express the depths of grief in empathetic community is valuable, and one is reminded of the mourning practices of ancient cultures, which had wailing and garment tearing as part of the burial rites. While denial can be a natural and protective mechanism, it is a stage that needs to be moved through so that emotional energy can be liberated. On Death And Dying (1997) is an insightful book in which Dr. Kubler-Ross has given us a compassionate perspective on the dying process by observing that "…grief, shame and guilt are not very far removed from feelings of anger and rage. The process of grief always includes some qualities of anger. Since none of us likes to admit anger at a deceased [or dying] person, these emotions are often disguised or repressed and prolong the period of grief or show up in other ways."
In terms of the stages of grieving, there are some considerations that are useful to keep in mind. While denial and bargaining with the Divine for a different outcome might generally appear to be short-lived stages, anger and depression tend to linger and recur, even while a resigned acceptance can appear to temporarily surface. Indeed, it is possible that final acceptance, in the most positive sense of the word, might never be experienced with the death of a loved one, and the meaning of "personal hope" may undergo radical change in a person's life view. Therefore it is important, as a society, to reconsider our focus on death. As Kubler-Ross has stated in On Death And Dying (1997), "The fear of death is a universal fear, even if we think we have mastered it on many levels. What has changed is our way of coping and dealing with death and dying and our dying patients." She further adds that from the study of death, the highest spiritual values can emerge; and for those who seek to understand it, death can be a powerful, creative force. Stephen Levine is a contemporary spiritual teacher and writer who has worked extensively in the Hospice movement. With his wonderful ability to be openheartedly present to the reality of those who are dying, he encourages embracing the experience as deeply and non-judgmentally as possible. In this way, he sees it as an opportunity for a deeper participation of life, one in which we open fully to death as a moment-by-moment experience in which all of life, in its most subtle changes, is expressed. Thus it is seen as a deeper healing and investigation, a process of not resisting the fear of death but rather surrendering in love as much as possible, albeit with support. For as he observes in his book Healing Into Life And Death, (1987), "By fully participating in this moment, the next moment takes care of itself…it is not a matter of life or death, of healing or dying, but simply of life which includes death, healing which excludes nothing. It means living our death, healing our dying."
The contemporary teachers who investigate the death process in new ways offer us much insight, for their work is a departure from what has been mostly relegated to the arena of religious thought. This kind of consciousness addresses the commonality of our physical selves, regardless of belief systems, and thereby fosters much compassion among the living and dying. As we respond to the great loss of illusion of being a separate self in the world, we understand how ego annihilation can be threatening to us all. Yet, we can either cower in fear, or relax into the awareness of being possessed by a much larger, if unknowable, force.
In her Hospice work Kathleen Dowling Singh has witnessed that many persons undergoing the death process experience expanded awareness, in the beginning stages, as a roller coaster journey. It takes the form of accepting the Larger Reality, then resisting it, and back again. But the point of no return, she notes in The Grace In Dying (1988), is the undeniable realization of the futility of keeping up a separate identity. She says that this is usually accompanied by despair, but then "….there is nothing left to do but surrender and fall through the illusion to the Ground of Being. Ultimately, there can be great liberation in this transcendence. At the point of despair/surrender, there may still be gravitational pulls, but never as solidly as before, for there is a steady course being set for the re-integration of body and mind, and the subsequent experience of an expanded and expanding sense of self that lies ahead."
At this point, the journey of the dying person has become one of transcending the grievous loss of the physical and moving toward the positive reality of a different awareness. Viewing death as a process of transition and a gateway to new experience is the focus of many religions and systems of thought. In scientific terms, this transition is seen as a ceasing of biological processes—measured in physiological terms of heart rate and brainwaves—but the metaphysical perspective sees death as a physical transmutation to another form. While the change seems to be an extinguishing of what we recognize to be the thinking/feeling personality, in actuality the expired person has retained consciousness throughout the entire process of releasing the body. Although the living may not be able to share these, the person entering through the portals of death continually has new frames of reference for subsequent experiences. Indeed, it has been reported by many survivors that they have felt energetic shifts of great magnitude when the pulse of those close to them actually stops.
The question then becomes one of defining what this physical transformation consists of in metaphysical terms. Basically, it requires a change of vibration from the biological form—the physical manifestation—to what can be labeled in this paper as an "etheric," or more subtle, level of being. As living organisms, the overriding reality we experience is the denser, slower vibratory rate of the physical dimension. Yet, our etheric encasement is the part of ourselves which we have always experienced in a subtly energetic form, but of which we may not have been very conscious. Upon the falling away of the physical body, the etheric becomes the predominant mode of being. When this occurs, our consciousness is matched to the experience of the dimensional form in which it finds itself. It is postulated that at other levels of dimensional existence the vibratory rate is more rapid and expansive than the denser, material plane of the physical body.
It is important to note that modern physics, with its revolutionary concepts of relativity and quantum theories, supports the metaphysical view of the arbitrary solidity of matter. Quantum physicist Fritjof Capra mentions in his book The Tao Of Physics (1979) how new scientific perspectives are re-defining the nature of reality through the study of the submicroscopic world, which consists of the properties and interactions of the subatomic particles from which all matter is made. With advancing technology and thought, new analyses of what has been taken for granted has led us to move forward from Newtonian physics. This modality has been our traditional scientific assessment of the nature of creation, predicated on Sir Isaac Newton's theories of the mechanics of the universe—such as the law of gravity. Capra further states in The Tao Of Physics (1979) that "The influence of modern physics…has led to a deep revision in our conception of the universe… in the Twentieth Century [it] has revealed an unsuspected limitation of classical ideas, and has necessitated a radical revision of many of our basic concepts." Recently, a film has been produced called "What the Bleep do We Know" regarding new frontiers in the world of physics in conjunction with ground-breaking molecular research on brain peptides and emotions. This film is an important landmark in the evolution of humanity. It is an opportunity for the lay person to become educated in a revolutionized approach to reality, and interviews with the scientists who study these areas are included in the film. Dr. Amit Goswami is one of the contributors, and he has approached the notion of death from the relationship between Quantum Physics and Tibetan Buddhism in his book Physics Of The Soul (2001). Dr. Goswami feels that while the notion of a soul may be dictated by religious belief, it is intriguing that in a near death experience people feel no body awareness. They do not feel pain, for example, and insist that they are "out" of their body. He concludes that clearly people in this state are shifting their identity away from their physical body, but he then asks the question as to exactly what state they are shifting. In this respect, he has interpreted the surviving aspect of humans to be what he calls the "vital" body, or the resident energy consisting of program-like behavior driven by emotions, which have a different relationship to our known molecular structure. In Physics Of The Soul (2001) he states, "Consciousness uses the physical hardware to make software representations of the vital and mental [functions]." It is this aspect that survives death, and the modes of movement of this vital body have been described as "prana," in the Hindu Tradition, or "chi" from the Chinese meridian system of healing.
In the metaphysical view of life beyond Newtonian Science, what has been defined in this paper as etheric energy—sometimes referred to as astral energy or astral body—is not usually perceived by normal human vision. It is, however, able to be perceived by psychically sensitive people with their physical sense of vision as well as through their intuition. To such people, their visual perception of this level, mostly through color and light, seems to be infused into the more slowly vibrating dimensions quite naturally. Young children are very open to etheric energy, as well. Unfortunately, because of the redirection of consciousness in children toward intellectual development, the subtle, fine awareness of such energies recedes.
Human progression beyond the etheric level into other dimensional levels of existence may well be part of our evolutionary heritage, but the limitations of the physical intellect defy an understanding of it in a rational manner. It appears that the best method of immediate approach to these realms is through the reports of those who have gone through what has become popularly known as NDE's, or "near death experiences." These people, who are growing in number because of increased public acceptance, are vocal about their journeys and seek to share the extraordinary events that have occurred to them. As well, the verbal descriptions of people under deep hypnosis who are regressed into former life and death experiences corroborate with many NDE reports. As such, it appears that the etheric level as an immediate post-death dimension is best suited for study by our limited human intellect. Following will be further excursions into the nature of these events, but first it would be useful to examine the supra-physical states from the standpoint of the emergent field of Parapsychology.
Through an unusual photographic process that has been studied by parapsychologists, science has recently addressed the existence of what could be the etheric life force. The energy around live objects in this process is seen as a filmy cloud of swirling colors and shooting lights in the presence of a high-frequency electrical field. It is a question as to whether this electro-magnetic energy is indeed the "aura," long claimed to be visible to psychically sensitive people, children, and mystics. If so, what is known as Kirlian photography, developed by the Russian research team Valentina and Semyon Kirlian, has been able to successfully capture the aura. The Kirlians began their research in 1939 and were granted government funds by Russia in 1960 to continue their work after impressing many Russian scientists and dignitaries.
As it developed, the process of Kirlian photography was achieved through the use of a high-frequency generator or oscillator. A high-frequency electrical current was applied through electrodes, along with photographic paper, to living things such as fingers, hands, and leaves and buds that were either whole or torn apart. As described in the book Psychic Discoveries Behind The Iron Curtain (1970), the electrical visual image for a human hand was "…what looked like the Milky Way in a starry sky… Against a background of blue and gold…a fireworks display. Multi-colored flares lit up, then sparks, twinkles, flashes… some lights glowed steadily like Roman candles, others flashed out then dimmed." It was indeed a time of exciting discovery, and the team further found that the brightness and activity of these flashes were affected by moods and relative health of the living object being photographed.
A well-known American psychic named Dr. Judith Orloff has worked extensively with Kirlian photography, and she has contributed much to the field of parapsychology. In her career as a lecturer and psychiatrist, she uses her natural gift of clairvoyance with clients. During her late teens, Dr. Orloff was fortunate enough to work in a new paranormal phenomena research laboratory, located at the Neuropsychiatric Institute of the University of California in Los Angeles.
The parapsychology lab was established in the late 1960's and was headed by research psychologist Dr. Thelma Moss. In her initial interview with Dr. Moss, young Judith demonstrated advanced intuitive capabilities through the practice of psychometry, in this instance holding the house keys belonging to Dr. Moss. As part of the parapsychological experiment, she was instructed to report what she saw in her inner field of vision through the instrument of holding the keys in her hand. As she tuned into the house and its surroundings, her accuracy and detail regarding what she saw convinced Dr. Moss that Judith would be a valuable asset in the lab. Soon after, she was assigned to work with plants in a special booth designed for the Kirlian process. In Judith's subsequent work she was able to record the subtle energy field of all forms of life, which she noted could extend as far as a few feet or more beyond the body. Corroborating the descriptions of the Russian observers, she could see the energy field of the human corona in a black-and-white photo as a stunning white fire shooting off the edge if the skin; leaf patterns could be seen containing beautifully complex strings of brilliant, jewel-like bubbles along the veins. Over time, Judith began to sense the plant leaf energy fields in her body as a physical sensation. It reminded her of childhood feelings of being impacted (negatively or positively) by physical proximity of people and plants, to the extent that she writes in her book Second Sight (1996), "This work had validated what I'd felt for a long time: There was more to human beings than their physical qualities… a palpable essence extended outward. Before, I had no way to confirm what I sensed to be true."
These parapsychological investigations into the existence of electro-magnetic manifestations are certainly intriguing as we consider a new approach to the death process. How human consciousness perceives the transition from a predominantly biological to a fully etheric level of existence—one that can be photographed and sensed—is a fascinating question. It is a rich topic of new scientific considerations, and in recent years, brain wave research has addressed the difference in physical "altered states," such as sleep and meditation, with interesting results.
Indeed, the states of dreaming, sensory deprivation, and psychedelic drug use have a common component, according to psychologist Charles Tart. He says in his article Who Survives? Implications Of Modern Consciousness Research (1990) that humans ultimately do not have stable sense of "I" in these states, which are still within the parameters of living in the body. The awareness fluctuates and interferes with the stabilizing function of the brain in tandem with the body at these times. Thus, it is possible that this non-stable consciousness of body/mind, or a lack of consistent ego-identity, is what we experience at death. It is difficult to imagine what, psychologically and through the laws of physics, may be the ultimate essence of consciousness at the moment of death. A close look at the near death experience might be a useful contribution in this regard. Perhaps the most rewarding, if not scientifically provable, investigation on the death journey can be found (as mentioned before) in correlating NDE reports with those from subjects in deep hypnotic states regarding previous dying experiences.
By definition, a near death experience is the process of coming very close to death, being unconscious or in a coma. One may even be pronounced clinically dead but then miraculously regain full consciousness, sometimes even days later. NDE's are fascinating chronicles of the dying or "dead" person experiencing otherworldly states of consciousness, sometimes in long-lasting comas. These experiences can give birth to lengthy descriptions and have become the subject of many new books. However, many people who report their NDE experiences in the hospital are discredited by the medical community, friends and family. They are viewed as having drug reactions or hallucinations that are stress-induced. As a result many have formed support groups for themselves in order to help integrate their experiences, which appear to have quite a bit of commonality. Analysis of the emotional component of NDE's might help us to understand how human consciousness mirrors the biological change in death. An indicator of correspondingly changing perceptions might be reflected in the actual feelings felt by the person at the onset of an NDE experience. As we break it down, such an investigation seems to reveal an immediate identification with something other than the physical–-for example, in many reports there is a sense of surprise and relative dispassion at seeing one's unconscious physical body lying below. The desire at the time seems to be to stay floating up above, and not be particularly concerned with the crumpled heap on the floor. Some people report an urge to explore and a fascination with their ability to freely move about. On the other hand, there can be a total removal from the immediate scene of death, where one is simply aware of moving through space and light. The reports of this kind of movement are varied, but have very common themes, such as finding oneself in a tunnel of light. It is important to note that the differences in these descriptions might correspond to the differences in the personalities undergoing the experiences, considering that they are being reported by a "living mind" in the physical dimension.
Following is a detailed examination of some NDE reports to address the question of how feelings might shed light on consciousness transformation. To begin, Dr. Judith Orloff experienced two such experiences in her life, one when she was a teenager. Even though she was not found to be dead, in her book Second Sight (1996) she describes a very close encounter with death. At the age of sixteen she was a passenger in a car that drove off a cliff, and she writes, "The horror of my predicament—my imminent death—never really registered. Instead, something shifted; I found myself standing in a sort of tunnel, feeling safe and secure. It didn't occur to me to question where I was or how I got there. Although far in the distance I could hear the wind rushing past the open windows of the car, I was now suspended in this peaceful sanctuary while we fell through space toward the canyon floor hundreds of feet below."
The paradoxical feelings of relaxation and safety that this person felt as she anticipated imminent death is representative of what many people have reported, including dying children in hospital wards. It would seem that Dr. Orloff's identification with the etheric state transcended time and space, and was marked by freedom from anxiety and horror. Yet in the background, so to speak, there was an awareness of the physical experience while it was occurring. As such, it is interesting to compare it with the following story, which was passed on to this author through a verbal interview regarding NDE's:
In this account, a woman wrote of having received flowers from a female accident victim whose crash she had been forced to witness on the highway, having been among the cars immediately behind. The card thanked the woman for her prayers, the power of which the victim had strongly felt as she floated above the accident. It was apparently so overwhelming to her sense of self apart from her unconscious body that she was motivated to memorize the license plate numbers of the praying woman's car, which was stopped behind the accident. She was able to recall this when she regained consciousness in the hospital, and though it was some months before she acted on her feelings of gratitude, she did not forget. Similarly, although Dr. Orloff found herself with minor injuries (the car had landed on a rock shelf and was suspended by strong desert tree-like shrubs, enabling her to climb out the window to safety), she was in shock and unable to digest the enormity of her experience at the time. It was only later in her life that she could write about her experiences with a sense of wonder and awe. A remarkable work that has been published and is quite detailed regarding feelings and perceptions during NDE's is one pertaining to Dannion Brinkley, an ex-Marine who has been at the edge of death several times. In the first instance, he was struck by lightning and found by his wife. She frantically administered Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation, only to have her husband declared dead in the ambulance. However, half an hour later he was discovered breathing under the sheet on a gurney in the morgue. (Later, he suffered from an illness that was complicated by his debilitated condition, which resulted in another NDE.)
Brinkley graphically describes in his writing the sensations he felt as lighting struck his house while he was in his bedroom, speaking on the telephone. He recalled hearing the sound of a freight train roaring in his ear through the receiver, and then he was conscious of being ripped through with jolts of electricity. The power of these was such that his body was hurled up towards the ceiling, before landing across the bed he had been sitting on. His immediate thoughts went from wondering what kind of force could toss him up so easily to the sensation of absolutely searing pain—and then right afterwards, he writes in Saved By The Light (1994), " I went into another world… From immense pain I found myself enveloped by peace and tranquility. It was a feeling I had never had before and have not had since… like being in glorious calmness."
As time seemed to stand still, Brinkley became aware of his surroundings enough to experience a curiosity to know where he was in the room. He recalls turning over in mid-air to see his body below with the melted telephone in his hand, and then he saw his wife run in and immediately start CPR on his body. Subsequently he became aware of his body being carried in the ambulance, his wife by his side. Yet in his book Saved By The Light (1994) he indicates having felt that "who I was had nothing to do with that body they had just covered with a sheet."
During the time he was declared dead, Brinkley reported entering a bright tunnel, which is often reported in NDE's. He went on to experience communication with beings of light who proceeded to instruct him in various ways, along with experiencing very unusual and beautiful surroundings. Ultimately, he felt quite resistant to the fact that he had to leave that peaceful arena and return.
It is evident that the aforementioned NDE accounts share some important perspectives regarding the nature of consciousness upon approaching death. Essentially, what stands out is the paradoxical sense of peace and acceptance of a situation in which the physical body is perilously endangered. A sense of timelessness seems to pervade, and awareness of other realms is mixed with knowledge of what is occurring in the physical dimension.
A common theme in many NDE reports accompanying the tunnel experience is the feeling of not wanting to return from such a transcendent place. The great psychologist Carl Jung wrote of a heart attack that he had suffered in 1944 in such a way. He said, "Death is the hardest thing from the outside and as long as we are outside of it. But once inside you taste of such completeness and peace and fulfillment that you don't want to return." (quoted in Physics Of The Soul, 2001) Indeed, the consciousness which might correspond to the etheric state of being could be aptly described as one of freedom and serenity, one that is loving, and one that is clearly preferred.
If the awareness of transition from the physical dimension is reported in such terms by near death survivors, it is interesting to compare these experiences to hypnotically-induced states of "past death" memories. In these, the subjects are asked to recall dying in previous lives and questioned closely about their immediate experience. Although there is no way that we can verify any of what is reported, the similarity of experience in the moments following death by these subjects is notable in conjunction with NDE'S. Such an exploration can be found in the material following, which has been recently published.
Dr. Michael Newton is a practicing clinical psychologist who uses hypnosis with his patients. He has most recently recorded reports of his subjects transitioning from previous lives into "between life" states, or those previous to their present embodiment. The experiences of re-living these death events under very deep hypnotic induction forms the basis of Dr. Newton's cross-correlated data. This body of work in his books Journey Of Souls (2002) and Destiny Of Souls (2002) comprise a school of thought that is broad enough for its own study. However, for the purposes of this paper, it would be most useful to focus on the sensations of leaving the body and on the energetic/visual components of that immediate environment.
By way of introducing the material, Dr. Newton indicates that the hypnotic state he induces is one in which people are neither dreaming nor hallucinating. In this carefully achieved state, the conscious mind is not unconscious. Therefore the mind can both send and receive, which means it can answer questions even as it processes sensory awareness. The brain wave activity that corresponds to this state is called the Theta level, which is deeper than the meditative Alpha but less deep than Delta sleep states. Although Dr. Newton's hypnosis subjects had a wide range of diversity in their personal philosophies and religious beliefs, their experiences were found to be congruent in many ways. In Journey Of Souls (2002) Dr. Newton states, "The astounding thing I found as I progressed with my research was that once subjects were regressed back into their soul state, they all displayed a remarkable consistency in responding to questions about the spirit world."
The generally homogeneous nature of Dr. Newton's findings has not deterred his desire to be as scientific as possible in this work. The body of data reflects the conscientious attempt to verify the statements of his subjects, and to corroborate the reported material. In this regard, he found that the research process was painfully slow. Yet as the body of his cases grew, Dr. Newton felt certain that whatever place we find ourselves in after death is one of order and direction. In his opinion, there definitely exists an overarching design to the afterlife and the way it is linked to the life experience.
Case study dialogues are the method by which Dr. Newton presents his findings in his books. Although he writes about conclusions he has reached, he makes an effort to give complete question-and-answer transcriptions of the sessions for the reader, which are quite revealing. Insofar as how NDE experiences relate to hypnotically-induced death experiences, Dr. Newton indicates in Journey Of Souls (2002), "The descriptions of subjects mentally going through their past deaths do not contradict the reported statements of people who have actually died in this life for a few minutes…both find themselves floating around their bodies in a strange way, trying to touch solid objects which dematerialize in front of them…both state they feel a pulling sensation away from the place where they died and experience relaxation and curiosity rather than fear."
As well, Dr. Newton says that when experiencing death from a previous life, his subjects generally report a sense of freedom which is euphoric. They sense brightness all around, and while some note a brilliant whiteness surrounding them at the moment of death, others perceive that brightness at a distance and feel a pulling sensation toward it. This finding seems to correlate with the NDE's who report moving away from their body and toward a "tunnel of light."
In one hypnosis case, a subject who had just died was sensing of the proximity of bodiless entities around her in the form of a feeling of love. She reported to Dr. Newton that she knew she would see them soon. They were apparently waiting until she was ready, because at the moment she was busy trying to reach inside the mind of her husband, who had held her in his arms as she lay dying. The sense of consciousness of both the physical and non-physical worlds which was reported in the aforementioned NDE stories was quite evident in this particular case, and it seems to be a hallmark of the hypnotically-induced death experience.
Yet Dr. Newton points out in Journey Of Souls (2002) that "Contrary to what some people believe, souls often have little interest in what happens to their body once they are physically dead…[it is] an acknowledgment of these souls to the finality of mortal death. They have a desire to hurry on their way to the beauty of the spirit world." If this is so, then what may keep any soul lingering over their body may be unresolved feelings of grief or bewilderment over their sudden death or murder, even while they report feeling the magnetic force that pulled them out of their body continuing to tug at them. For example, Dr. Newton asked a subject if she could resist the pulling sensation for as long as she wanted, and was told by the subject (as a young woman killed by an Indian arrow) that she could do that, if she really wanted to stay. How long that might be was indeterminate, however, as he suggested that they "fast-forward" to the time when she was ready to move on.
In light of the reports presented, it seems that the subjective work of coming to terms with being immediately dead varies in intensity, and is contingent on circumstances. As well, it seems be an inverse mirror of our waking life-consciousness in regards to "sorting things out." As time goes on, however, the overall consciousness does appear to become more and more refined and one-pointed toward exploring new territory. Be that as it may, open gates beckon us to a momentous transition as we finish our earthly experience on this physical plane.
It is hard to imagine how different and liberating the state of mind at death might be without the reports of those who have gone before us, so to speak, but as we experiment with altered states we might get a feel for this difference. Certainly, deep meditation and many dream states free us of the feeling of being in a body; we are able to transcend its limitations, however temporarily that might be. If the "new physics" aspect of consciousness can be a tool to shed light on the death experience, perhaps the ancient religious practices pertaining to what is known as "death yoga," found in the Tibetan Book of the Dead, can reflect most closely these kinds of understandings.
In establishing these principles, ancient Tibetan Buddhist monks have articulated the practice of preparing for death so that at the moment of death one automatically attains the state of "the clear light." This corresponds to the 4th Bardo of death, and the aforementioned physics theorist Dr. Amit Goswami has postulated that it represents a recognition of ultimate liberation that is essentially creative in nature, and thus out of space and time. He further states that, since the only thing there is to reality is the creative play of consciousness, death yoga—or creative dying—teaches us to comprehend the true nature of reality. In this context, it is seen as the ultimate wave-form of possibility: Unity Consciousness encompassing all dualism.
Dr. Goswami goes on to speculate that the Bardos are not spatial paths as understood from the dualistic perspective of creation; rather, they are non-local (outside of linear space/time) experiences in the non-ordinary state of consciousness at death. He states in Physics Of The Soul (2001), "The moment of death offers us the opportunity for a creative experience of insight, but whether we have such an experience or what insight we might have depends on our preparedness. If we are ready, the insight would be that of …[one's real identity being] with the whole." He goes on to say that the moment would be eternal because it is outside of time, but if one was not ready for that one might recognize their identity to be in a kind of heaven—or not totally free of incarnational reference. In the Tibetan Buddhist perspective, this insight would correspond to the 5th Bardo, and ultimately leads once again toward material re-manifestation, or reincarnation (the 6th Bardo).
Regardless of how one might approach the death experience, it behooves us all to consider it in a new light corresponding to human evolution. Our creative new thinkers in the West, along with compassionate spiritual healers and teachers, as well as the time-honored paths of consciousness transcendence from the East, offer us much food for thought. Perhaps by regarding death as a true beginning of a marvelous new adventure rather than an end, the frame of reference for collective fear of death can be changed.
Assisting A Person Who Is Dying
This portion is written by Christine Breese, D.D., Ph.D.
Assisting a person who is dying is part of a metaphysician's practice. It is your job as a counselor, teacher and healer to be available to people who are dying when they call on you for help. Many people approach death with very little understanding of it and great fear. Death is a looming monster to someone who has never given thought to the larger things in life. It may also be a fearful matter for someone who doesn't believe in God. On the other hand, if someone believes in a vengeful God, and hasn't been a model citizen throughout life, he or she may fear what punishment awaits in the after life. Whatever the fears are, it is your job to assist as a metaphysical practitioner in the dying process so that he or she can cross over without fear. This can be quite a task if there is a lot of "work" to do!
You can lead a person who is dying through meditations, or provide meditation tapes or CDs to listen to on their own time. The process should bring the person to a peaceful state, a willingness to surrender to higher forces, and an awareness of the spirit beings who await there. This is a useful meditation for someone who is feeling resistant to dying. Other meditations you can lead a person through can help them resolve issues with people they have had conflicts with, finding forgiveness in each situation. It may be that the person who is dying must find forgiveness for some past hurt by someone, or must seek forgiveness of a person who he or she wronged. This can be done by connecting at the soul level of each person, where no blame is ever placed on another, and the open heart connection is embraced. You can also lead this person on meditations where he or she forgives the self for all the "stupid" things he or she did in life, or opportunities missed, or wrongs toward another were committed. Self betrayal is a common issue upon death, when looking back at the lifetime, where a person regrets choices and decisions that were made.
Remind this person that death is but a rebirth into a new way of being. A greater freedom lies beyond Earth life, for the human condition is quite limiting indeed. Even a happy and successful human life is limited compared to the joys of the life beyond. Remind this person that a great new adventure awaits, and a freedom that he or she never experienced before awaits.
A person who is dying may simply need someone to listen to whatever he or she has to say. If he or she would like to give people messages, record them on a tape recorder if that person is not available to be present in person. Be a great listener during this process, even if the person is a little disorganized in his or her communication. It is not necessary that everything makes sense to you. What is important is that the person feels "heard."
Try to facilitate family meetings and resolutions, and make arrangements by calling anyone the person would like to see and ask if they would come for a visit. Sometimes people will resist dying until that last goodbye has been said! Be willing to be a coordinator for all the details concerning getting everyone together for the last chance to see each other, if you are the only person who is available to do it.
Sometimes people will have very bizarre, yet harmless hallucinations. If this happens, play along. You don't have to admit to seeing something that you don't, but be willing to let them know that just because you don't see it doesn't mean it isn't there. Help the person realize that he or she is starting to see the other dimensions and that he or she is beginning to see things that normal human beings cannot. He or she is getting some special privileges now!
Sometimes, a person will experience great terror and have horrible hallucinations. You are welcome in these instances to deny that these are real, and say that they are not there. Try to get the person to focus on you, or a loved one in the room, and calm him or her down. Sometimes the medications that are being given to people who are dying and in pain interfere in morose ways with the functions of a dying person's mind. Also, his or her fears, if he or she is resistant to death, may manifest as terrifying beings or objects that seem quite real, but are only hallucinations. It is quite difficult to help a person in this state, but do the best you can with what you have to work with. Put some soothing music on, bring flowers and beautiful things closer into view. Continue to say reassuring words. Sometimes a person just wants to be alone and is feeling overwhelmed by too many people in the room and doesn't know how to ask everyone to leave. Use your intuition to know when this is a possibility. It may be that all but one person should leave. Whatever seems to be best in that moment, follow your hunches.
When the time comes, help the person make the crossover. If he or she says that there is a beautiful light, an inviting tunnel, angels who are here to carry him or her, a train or some sort of vehicle is moving very quickly now and he or she is on it, encourage him or her to go with it. Play along with whatever form this person's crossing takes. Most often he or she will make the crossover during sleep, but this may be the last conscious moment where you might help ease him or her into the process and reassure the person that this is alright and natural.
Each person's crossing is going to be a unique experience. Don't try to make the person follow an experience you think he or she should have. Be inventive and follow the cues he or she gives, and then add to it. Play along with any images or feelings he or she is feeling. This is a very intense time, and it is this person's time to have it his or her way! Conform to his or her experience or you will find yourself being a nuisance rather than assisting with the process. Don't try to direct the experience. Let the person's experience unfold naturally and let the person lead your own efforts. You are a facilitator in this process, which means you assist rather than direct the experience.
For you, the rewards are great for being a person who assists in the crossover. You are lucky and blessed to be with someone during this time. It is a wonderful process, especially if the person has done much meditation and self inquiry throughout his or her lifetime. Be grateful for your opportunity to be present for this experience, for it isn't everyone who gets to be there at the Grand Finale of a lifetime. It is a birth into a new way of being, and the ending of a movie that was well played. You are the lucky spectator!
Conclusion
No one gets out alive, so to speak. Even the greatest among us turns into a memory, a life that has come and gone. There is not a single person who has not faced death. It is inevitable, unavoidable, and non-negotiable. It is important to make peace with the fact that death can come at any time. There is nothing that can help us live with an open heart more than if we live each day as it if might be our last.
On the other hand, everyone gets out alive, so to speak. Death does not really exist. Only the body dies, not the consciousness that spent a lifetime in it. Most likely, the egoic identity dies too, but not the eternal awareness that had all the experiences of the lifetime. Death is always a birth. The ability to have experiences is not limited to only those you can have while in a human body. Death is the great liberator. The after life is a level of freedom that is impossible on the Earth plane in a human body, and the adventures in consciousness continue onward in the ever-unfolding now. Death is to be celebrated. It is not a time of sadness, really, for it is an ending of a dream, an illusion, a small part of your true experience. After death, one can be the true self more easily than ever before. All the questions a person has ever had will be answered, and no more will the suffering of the human condition plague the mind, emotions and the body. Freedom is found at last!
If you have fear of death, face this fear now. Die before you die, as the Buddhists say. Find what survives the birth and death of the body. Who still lives? This is who you really are, and all other identities are temporary conditions, illusions. Dive into this question deeply, and don't stop until you find the answer. Who are you? Who is this "I" that you have been calling yourself all this time? If the body is gone, the lifetime is gone, then who is still here? That is how you can die before you die. You do not need to experience an astral projection or a lucid dream to find this out. You can find out right now, here in this moment.
If you find yourself in the position of helping someone crossover, realize the blessing that this opportunity is. Help this person find the answer to this question too. Find out together who he or she really is. This will help the person greatly on the other side, and he or she can bypass some of the mental constructs and meanderings that might otherwise delay him or her from separating fully from the Earth life just lived. Death is but a transition into another great adventure, and you are the lucky spectator!