As part of its 13-week summer series, “Primetime Nightline” will continue its five-part investigation into the realm of extra-sensory, spiritual and more, and this week is covering the topic of near death experiences, airing Wednesday, August 3 at 10 p.m. eastern on ABC Television Network.
In it, ABC’s Bob Woodruff will share his own near death experience, as well as the experience of others, including what people see, feel and hear when they describe crossing over from this world to the next before returning back.
During the one-hour special, Woodruff will talk candidly about what he remembers in the minutes after a vehicle he was traveling in while in Iraq during 2006 hit an improvised explosive device, according to ABC. Woodruff saw his body floating beneath him, and in “The Other Side” he speaks with other people who report the same type of out of body experience, as well as theologians, preachers, researchers and physicians who try to explain it, the network reported.
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I enjoyed watching your program this evening about near death experiences. As a nurse I have had several patients share with me their near death experiences. Also as a daughter, I was with my mother before she died and was able to witness a few of the experiences that she had.
My 1st nursing job in the early 1070’s was on a post coronary care floor, a step down unit from a cardiac ICU. An elderly woman told me that she had a strange dream when she was still in the cardiac ICU. She told me that she had a dream where she suddenly floated up to the ceiling and was able to look down on her self lying in the hospital bed. She they went on to describe what the nurses and doctors did to her to revive her. Much of the equipment was very new back then and most people were unaware of the existence of defibrilators.
Another patient told me how when he was at home, he floated up thru the roof of his home and was up in the sky before he was suddenly pulled back into his body. He had gone into cardiac arrest while at home and was revived by EMTs.
While I was standing at my mother’s bedside a few days before she died, she said, “Oh, how grand!” I asked her what she had meant by that and she said, “It’s my grandfather.” Shortly after that, she slipped into a coma and remained unresponsive for a day and a half. Before she died, she suddenly opened her eyes, and raised her arms straight up into the air. She had a look of peace on her face and then died soon after.
I watched Beyond Belief hosted by Bob Woodruff, August 3, 2011, with personal interest. I found the guests on the segment all had very similar experiences of seeing a light and feeling an inner peace. I had a near death experience that was very different. Like Don Piper, I did not share my experience immediately with others, not because I felt it was ‘sacred secret’ , but because I was trying to comprehend it.
On July 17, 1997 at the age of 37, I had a massive brain hemorrhage which resulted in a paralyzing stroke. While I was having emergency life-saving brain surgery, my heart stopped and all vitals failed. When I became conscious the first words I said were, “I have a purpose. There is a reason I am here. I may never know what that purpose is, but there is a reason I am here.”
My near-death experience involved neither light nor inner peace, but a ladder, with no beginning or end. It represented a choice. Ascend to leave this earth, or descend to remain but in a different, broken body. I chose to remain, broken physically, but empowered spiritually to help others facing hardship.
The Ladder was also symbolic during my recovery. When my hemorrhage occurred, I was climbing the corporate ladder, too busy to see gratitude in simplicity. I had to relearn to walk and climb stairs. At one point, I was faced with another ladder in an old in-ground pool. Impulsively, I jumped in to see if I could swim. The only way out of the pool was a ladder attached to the pool wall. With my paralysis, I could not climb up the ladder and was stuck. How I got out is another extraordinary act of God.
I self-published a book called, P.S Julia, which was purchased at a publisher’s auction by HarperCollins and republished as Don’t Leave Me This Way (or when I get back on my feet you’ll be sorry). The cover of my self-published copy depicts the vision of me on the ladder in the clouds. Although my book’s primary focus is about self-empowerment by using heavy doses of humor and integrating humanity in all we do, the common thread is gratitude. I just celebrated my 14th ‘Homage to my Hemorrhage’. Although I am no longer afraid of dying , I am immensely grateful for these extra years here on earth. My once skeptical husband, now says, ‘Thank you for choosing to stay with us.’