My (very) little NDE
When I was about 9 years old I had what is now called a near-death experience or NDE and, although it was not deep or profound, it did have some long-lasting effects. There has been a substantial increase in interest in NDEs since those days and that has inspired me to share my story and to say a couple of things about the phenomenon, as a psychologist who has studied NDEs for a number of years. For those not familiar, as the name suggests they are experiences that usually happen when someone is close to death but who then recovers and describes the experiences they had during that time. Common features of such experiences include: • Changes in the sense of time, either speeded up or having feelings of timelessness • Changes in understanding about their own life or life more widely • Intense feelings of peace and/or joy • Vivid sensations and being surrounded by light • A feeling of leaving their body and becomi...