A window into the next life: How do people who have had an experience of it, describe the afterlife?

 

In most countries, the majority of the adult population believe that life after death is either ‘probable’ or ‘certain’, according to surveys carried out by the Pew Research Center between 2023 and 2024. There was wide variation though, ranging from 85% in Indonesia to 38% in Sweden. In the United Kingdom, where I live, the figure is 53% and I count myself in that group.

Like many who don’t simply adopt the religion of their family or culture, with the view of the afterlife that goes with that, I have wondered what the afterlife is like and whether anything that I do now will make a difference to the afterlife experience, so I have spent a few years researching that. 

By the way, before I go on, if anyone who has not studied the afterlife much before wants to get into the topic by looking into the more credible sources, then the Bigelow Institute for Consciousness Studies (BICS) essay competition of 2021 is a good source that is packed with solid information (link below).

For this article, I drew together features of the afterlife by searching through sources that claim, with at least some credibility, to have experience of the afterlife, rather than simply beliefs about it. This included Near Death Experience (NDE) reports, including work associated with the International Association for Near-Death Studies (IANDS), and researchers such as Raymond Moody, Penny Sartori, Jeffrey Long, and others who specialise in NDEs. I went to accounts of mental and physical mediums, and past-life recollections. The mediums that I looked at were those who have been tested, such as Suzanne Giesmann. I also included ‘The Spirits’ Book’ of Allan Kardec and out of body experiencers (OBE), such as Jurgen Ziewe and William Buhlman, when they said that they were experiencing the afterlife. I looked at the work of Michael Tymn, author of ‘The Afterlife Revealed’ because of his extensive knowledge of the work of mediums. I also went to the work of Stafford Betty, a university professor who specialises in the study of the afterlife.

To get an estimate of the number of people who have had some kind of experience of the afterlife and who then reported it, I asked the AI Grok the following question:

Can you estimate how many of those who have had an experience of the afterlife, from whichever source, actually documented that experience in a way that is publicly accessible?

Here is the summary that Grok provided:

Publicly accessible documentation means first-hand accounts (or closely based summaries) that anyone can find and read/view online, in books, journals, or other open sources—without needing private archives or personal contact. It excludes purely private journals, unpublished research notes, or oral-only shares.

Most likely in the low tens of thousands for detailed, structured accounts, and perhaps 50,000–200,000+ when including informal online posts, videos, books, and shorter reports across all categories. This is a tiny percentage (well under 0.1%) of the hundreds of millions of estimated experiencers.

By the way, for those who think this article was mainly written by an AI, the main sources I went to for it were my collection of research resources on the topic, which I then supplemented with small-scale AI searches. 

I did not draw on mainstream religious accounts of the afterlife as there are plenty of those already, whereas the mystics and direct experiencers are still under-represented in discussions of the afterlife. 

So here are some features of the afterlife, as described by those who say they have experienced them:

•     Conscious experience continues after the death of the physical body. 
•     Consciousness still has access to sensory experience, including a sense of perception, and can look back on the physical body as it leaves, for example.
•     Reports may include heightened mental clarity, faster thinking, and expanded perception, including 360-degree awareness.
•     Reports may describe moving through a dark or tunnel-like region and approaching or entering an intensely bright, non-blinding light associated with overwhelming peace, unconditional love, and well-being.
•     Many experiencers report that individual or personal identity continues after death.
•     The afterlife may be experienced as consisting of graduated realms or planes corresponding to different states of spiritual development or consciousness, allowing for individual growth and progression.
•     The afterlife may be experienced as:
•     More pleasant than physical life on earth. Experiencers may describe beautiful landscapes (meadows, gardens, rivers, cities of light), more vibrant colours and clarity than on Earth, unusual architecture, or multidimensional spaces.
•         Less pleasant than physical life on earth, perhaps including descriptors such as ‘hellish’, for example.
•         About the same as physical life on earth.
•     Immediately after death, some souls (i.e. those permanently in the afterlife who were contacted by mediums) find themselves stuck in a place (perhaps ‘state of mind’ might be a better way to put it) that has features in common with purgatory, except that it is not a place of punishment but of healing.
•     Some report that they can communicate with other beings in the afterlife. Those beings can include a radiant, loving presence (sometimes identified in religious terms), deceased relatives and friends (often appearing healthy and younger), pets, and other entities. Entities may include angels, guides, a vaguely felt and intelligent presence of great consciousness, symbolic animals, historic or cultural figures and extraterrestrial (ET) or non-human intelligences (NHIs).
•     Communication with and between afterlife beings is described as telepathic rather than verbal.
•     The environment is sometimes said to respond to thoughts and emotions.
•     Movement can be instantaneous.
•     Some experiencers report a ‘life review’: a panoramic or detailed replay of one’s life events, often including the emotional impact of one’s actions on others, experienced from their perspective. This is frequently accompanied by self-assessment rather than external judgment.
•     Some experiencers report a sense of suddenly knowing or understanding profound truths about life, the universe, or existence, sometimes described as unlimited knowledge or special insights. Some report previews of ‘future’ events, although time may feel nonexistent, slowed, expanded, or irrelevant.
•     Some experiencers report a sense of ‘coming home.’

In talking or writing about how they experience the afterlife, many report some sort of connection to their life on earth. Putting this simply, a person who leads or led what may be described as a ‘good life’ on earth often reports a more pleasant experience of the afterlife.

Some of the features of a good life on earth that they mentioned, include:

•     Showing love (usually broad, humanitarian love), kindness and compassion (especially small, spontaneous, everyday acts) to others. This seemed to be mentioned most often, so I put it first on this list. The rest are in no particular order.
•     Many report that growing in the capacity to love is particularly important.
•     Living a peaceful life.
•     Experiencers commonly feel both the joy and the pain they caused to others. They often put the emphasis on the interconnectedness of beings and the way that effects ‘ripple out.’
•     Being authentic and having sincere intentions.
•     Forgiving others and oneself, rather than holding on to judgements, anger and resentments. NDE experiencers in particular, reported that this helped align with the non-judgmental love that they encountered.
•     Seeking, and adding to, understanding, wisdom and spiritual growth.

More were mentioned. These above just seemed to come up most often.

It is perhaps worth mentioning a couple of the things that either mattered less or not at all to the afterlife experience:

•     Material success
•     Status
•     Power
•     Fame
•     Specific religious affiliation or dogma.

Prior religious belief seemed to have little relevance, although NDE experiencers, in particular, often described increased spirituality thereafter, sometimes shifting away from rigid religious beliefs, toward a more universal sense of connection. 

As a final, quick reminder, these reports come from subjective experiences and research compilations, and are not objective proof of an afterlife. However, the experiencers themselves often describe the insights as profound and life-changing, leading to reduced fear of death, greater appreciation for life, increased empathy, and shifts away from materialism, toward service and connection to others. 

The message many bring back is simple: the quality of the afterlife experience is closely tied to how much one has learned and practiced love, kindness and compassion while on Earth.

That seems like a good point on which to end...

Selected sources

Archer, R. (2025, June 17). Visual testimony of life eternal [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a810abapSpI

Betty, S. (2014). Heaven and hell unveiled: Updates from the world of spirit. Guildford: White Crow Books.

BICS (2021). The Bigelow Institute for Consciousness Studies https://www.bigelowinstitute.org/

Buhlman, William. Adventures in the Afterlife. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform.

Castle, N. G. (2018). Afterlife, interrupted: Helping stuck souls cross over—A Catholic priest explores the interrupted death experience. Fluid Creations / R. R. Bowker. (ISBN 978-0-692-18753-1)

Castle, N. G. (2020). Afterlife, interrupted book two: Helping souls cross over. Independently published. (ISBN 979-8-5671-1081-2)

Castle, N. G. (2023). Afterlife, interrupted book three: Please let me explain: A Catholic priest explores the interrupted death experience. Independently published. (ISBN 979-8-8710-3761-4)

Delorme, A., Radin, D. and Wahbeh, H. (2022). Advancing the Evidence for Survival of Consciousness. Accessed on 8th January 2024: https://www.bigelowinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/delorme-radin-wahbeh-survival-consciousness.pdf

Evans, J., Lesage, K., Miner, W., Starr, K., & Corichi, M. (2025). Believing in spirits and life after death is common around the world. Pew Research Center. https://doi.org/10.58094/tk92-mf49

Forster, P. M. (2024) Awakening and the afterlife. https://herethewaking.blogspot.com/2024/01/awakening-and-afterlife.html

Giesemann, S. (2024). The awakened way: Making the shift to a divinely guided life. Hay House.

IANDS: The International Association for Near-Death Studies https://iands.org/

IONS: The Institute of Noetic Sciences https://noetic.org/

Kardec, A. (1857). The Spirits’ Book.

Long, J. & Perry, P. (2010). Evidence of the Afterlife: The Science of Near-Death Experiences. New York; HarperCollins.

Marable, M. (2023). How to have a good life after you’re dead: Explorations into the afterlife. Oxford Book Writers.

Moody, R. (1975). Life After Life. Atlanta: Mockingbird Books.

Sartori, P. (2006). The Incidence and Phenomenology of Near-Death Experiences. Network Review (Scientific and Medical Network) 90, 23-25.

Tymn, M. (2011). The afterlife revealed: What happens after we die? Guildford: White Crow Books.BICS: The Bigelow Institute for Consciousness Studies https://www.bigelowinstitute.org/

Van Lommel, P. (2010). Consciousness Beyond Life: The Science of the Near-Death Experience. Harper Collins, New York.

Ziewe, J. (2015). Vistas of infinity: How to enjoy life when you are dead. ISBN 978-1-326-35338-4

Key words
 

afterlife, angels, awakening, compassion, consciousness, death, extraterrestrials, hellish, kindness, love, NDE, OBE, past life, spiritual growth

Link

https://herethewaking.blogspot.com/2026/08/a-window-into-next-life-how-do-people.html