Jim Bruton - You've had an NDE: What Now?
What Researchers Found
The Story
Jim Bruton, an inventor, journalist, and pilot, had a near-death experience after a plane crash on October 6, 2016. During a test flight of his vintage Flying Flea aircraft, the engine failed, causing him to crash into trees. He suffered broken ribs, ruptured lungs, leg fractures, and a back injury, leading to a medically induced coma and five clinical deaths. In the experience, Jim appeared on a terrace in a ruined, post-apocalyptic city under storm clouds. He approached a tall egg-shaped lattice structure filled with moving sector gears. A voice explained the gears as future probabilities from his thoughts, words, or actions, calling it the process of becoming. Jim touched and removed painful gears representing harmful choices, causing the system to recalibrate. The voice taught him about destiny, unintended consequences, grace as a birthright, and the need to focus on relationships and let go of attachments. He accepted the lesson and returned. Afterward, Jim gained heightened empathy, improved vision and health, and noticed electronic anomalies. His marriage ended after 18 months of therapy. He wrote two books, joined IANDS, and now helps experiencers integrate through support groups and 12-step programs. He lives with greater humility, authenticity, and spiritual focus on letting go and interconnectedness.
“burning questions about God so I go back years so the one time I went there was”
This NDE contains no veridical perception claims whatsoever; it is entirely a symbolic, visionary experience involving future probabilities via gears and a guiding voice, with no mentions of observing real-world medical events, conversations, or details during the coma. The only potential evidential note is amnesia bookending the clear recall, but this does not constitute veridical perception.
Score reflects verifiable perceptions reported. A low score indicates the experience was primarily spiritual or subjective, not that it didn't occur.
Score reflects transformation as described. Domains scored 0 indicate the topic was not discussed, not that no change occurred.
Are you here because someone you love has died?
These accounts were gathered because death may not be the end. Thousands of people have experienced something beyond — and come back to tell us about it.
What Researchers Found
This NDE contains no veridical perception claims whatsoever; it is entirely a symbolic, visionary experience involving future probabilities via gears and a guiding voice, with no mentions of observing real-world medical events, conversations, or details during the coma. The only potential evidential note is amnesia bookending the clear recall, but this does not constitute veridical perception.
Score reflects verifiable perceptions reported. A low score indicates the experience was primarily spiritual or subjective, not that it didn't occur.
Score reflects transformation as described. Domains scored 0 indicate the topic was not discussed, not that no change occurred.