Some people describe dark and terrifying NDEs — what causes those, and could that happen to anyone?

“Some people fear losing control because the near-death experience is not something you can control. And people who were used to having a lot of control in their lives can be quite fearful afterwards because, like, wow, I could not control this. This was out of my control. Some people have like a fixation with the experience. And what I mean by that is that they have a very strong need to talk about it and think about it and journal about it. And sometimes family members and friends don't understand like, why do they need to talk about it all the time? But it's very, very common with NDErs is a very strong need to talk about. I think it's part of the processing of the experience. There can be also despair and sadness that the bliss and joy of that near-death experience has ended. And people can be particularly upset if they're coming back into a very unhappy or dysfunctional life situation. They would much rather have stayed on the other side. And sometimes people are angry, like, why did God send me back? It is so much nicer on the other side. But alas, we are sent back to resolve our unresolved issues here and learn and grow. And similarly, people may recall unresolved issues.”36:35

“Near-death experiences, or NDEs for short, are more than just brushes with mortality; they are profound, life-altering events that often lead to significant personal and spiritual growth. For Anna, the echoes of her NDE continue to resonate, shaping her life in ways she could never have imagined. It was not just an escape from the clutches of death, but a rebirth into a new existence marked by resilience, forgiveness, and a deeper understanding of her place in the world.”8:37

“And, I, I'm always cautious answering this question because I did not have a distressing NDE, and so I don't necessarily feel qualified to say what they are, why they exist, why somebody may have experienced them. I think there is an element of personal experience that happens in everybody's NDE and so for those that have a distressing NDE, their personal reflection on their experience is going to be the best answer to that question than anybody on the outside looking in saying, well, my experience was really positive. Because as soon as I say that, I'm invalidating that other person's experience and we've all have, just like we do in our physical lives. I might have a beautiful day and you may have a horrible day. But if all I do is talk about how great your day could be if you just changed or you just did things differently, I've just invalidated your entire experience. And so I think the keys to those experiences really have to be answered by those people that have had them.”15:56

“Simply being with the person and letting him or her talk will be more helpful to them than you may think. You're not expected to have answers or opinions. There are many interpretations of NDEs, and only the individual can decide the meaning of this particular experience. An NDE is not an indication of mental disorder, but its effects are often powerful. Some people adjust easily afterwards, while others feel challenged to integrate the experience into their subsequent lives.”1:01

“Is something that other people who might have an NDE might experience as well?”11:35

“Um, as Dr. Pim Van Lommel, who's a cardiologist and NDE researcher from the Netherlands said, 'Such a terrifying NDE usually produces long-lasting emotional trauma.' So, not surprisingly, it's known as a hell experience. And the exact number of people who experience such a frightening NDE is unknown because they often keep quiet out of shame and guilt. So the truth is, it's probably underreported, whatever the percent. But honestly, the percent doesn't matter. Um, the reality is, if these are real, we need to understand, well, what do we do about it? How do we avoid it at all costs, right? And what can we learn from this?”22:54

“So, people appearing. What we know about NDEs from 40 years of research is that maybe one in five people who survive a close brush with death report an experience during the close brush that they perceive to be real or hyperreal of their consciousness functioning, usually apart from their physical body, perceiving the material world, perceiving and interacting with transmaterial domains and entities like deceased loved ones, spiritual entities. And most of these experiences are predominantly pleasurable, profoundly pleasurable, but some are distressing. Maybe we're just really guessing here, maybe 10% are predominantly distressing. And they range from being simple, having one or two features, to very complex with numerous features, very that the person experiences to be very profound.”1:27

“Why do some people have near-death experiences? What do NDEs mean? And what are we supposed to do about them?”0:19

“An NDE occurs when a person physically dies or is very close to death, and that person's spirit separates from the body, and their consciousness remains intact, and then the person returns to their body and recalls vivid details of that experience.”4:14

“NDEs tell us anything? It tells us God is watching, and we have these life reviews are like our judgment day. And so many people are told, you know, to be kind or to be nice, or that I didn't like that, or, um, whatever. Our NDE, there's morality in it. There's lessons to be learned in it.”28:48

“Hellish, demonic, loneliness, darkness. In both instances, people find themselves sometimes a little out of range of their comfort zone. Spontaneity. In their death experience, they're always spontaneous. Even people who think that they're trying to take their own lives aren't expecting a near-death experience. I'm willing to say all NDEs are spontaneous. In an out-of-body experience, some people plot them through meditation or perceptions or through substances.”54:45

“What we hear often is that NDEs kind of give people a spiritual awakening, and of course, I'm wondering why I'm going through this very difficult experience when I was already spiritually aware and awakened dedicated my life to illumination.”10:00

“Um, but that wasn't my NDE, but that was, that was just, I think also a lot of people are having these like, um, you know, they're falling into the dark night of the soul. And it is a death. I mean, it's a death, and a lot of people unfortunately are choosing death. It's really, you get so low, it's so hard.”17:04

“And, um, the NDE-ers are in a challenging situation because it means to have an NDE means that you are in a situation where you have to, uh, pass out, writing a test of life. So, you get taken outside into the hallway, you get cherished people talk to you soothingly, saying, 'Oh, everything will be fine,' and you get a nice drink, and then when they tell you, 'Oh, you must go back inside and finish your test,' most people feel like they don't want to do it because it's a lot nicer to be in the hallway and to be pampered. But, uh, spiritually speaking, it's not about pampering. The pampering is just a very effective way to get you back on track.”16:32

“I'm not coming. I don't use drugs. There there's no reason I should have had those experiences. So what precipitates an NDE? I'm not sure. But I can tell you with any NDE is an extremely amount of life. And I have contemplated, that contemplation, meditated, anything else. Sed, uh, my experience. And when I talk to people who have the same experience, I mean, I start crying too. That sometimes okay, just because their emotion, I can feel.”19:30

“thought here in the human incarnation, but over years and years of telling yourself certain things, you absolutely can create things good or bad for yourself over time. And so, when somebody has a certain belief system and they die and they believe that something's going to happen, they've gone into a realm where they have the ability to create those things and it happens. And so, then they come back and they have this experience. But it's very few and far between. I think it's 6% of all NDEEs have a negative experience.”36:49