Nurse Shares 30 Years Of Spiritual Experiences With Death & Dying
What Researchers Found
The Story
Becky Hawkins, a seasoned hospice nurse and chaplain with over 30 years of experience, has collected countless stories of near-death experiences (NDEs) from her patients, revealing profound insights into the transition between life and death. One striking account comes from a woman who, as a four-year-old girl in a Tulsa children's hospital, suffered excruciating pain from polio. In the midst of agony, with her father at her bedside, she suddenly stopped breathing. Her consciousness floated above her small body in the white metal bed, observing her distressed father and nuns rushing down the hall to revive her. Then, she was enveloped in a cocoon of brilliant light—warm, peaceful, devoid of any pain. An indescribable love surrounded her, offering pure tranquility. But witnessing her father's anguish pulled her back into her body, the torment returning as she tried to explain, only to be dismissed as dreaming. Decades later, reading books by Raymond Moody and others validated her memory; it wasn't a dream but a genuine NDE that reshaped her understanding of death. Hawkins shares similar tales, like an elderly woman shocked back from 'heaven's gate' three times during heart failure, describing heavenly music, light, and love, vowing no more resuscitation. Or her friend's hospital slide into a swirling blue paradise of joy, halted by his wife's plea. And her brother, choking from lung cancer, meeting their deceased mother and a suicided friend in a warm realm, gaining peace that suicide doesn't doom one to hell. These experiences, Hawkins notes, universally erase fear of death. Patients return transformed, embracing life with purpose—valuing relationships, using possessions joyfully, contributing selflessly. No longer afraid, they live authentically, knowing death is merely a loving transition. Through these stories, Hawkins, once terrified of death herself, became its gentle midwife, teaching us that we're spiritual beings on a brief earthly lesson in love, purpose, and care for each other and the planet. Her book 'Transitions' distills this wisdom, reminding us: fear not the end; cherish the journey.
“God glory be to God I'm going to heaven money and just back and forth all he was”
The strongest veridical claim involves an OBE during surgery perceiving specific staff names, lined-up instruments, and the phrase 'We're losing her' from a corner vantage point impossible for normal senses. Medical severity is high with deep unconsciousness implied, and details are specific but predictable in an OR context. Lack of verification attempts, confirmed checks, or prior reporting significantly weakens evidential value.
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
The strongest veridical claim involves an OBE during surgery perceiving specific staff names, lined-up instruments, and the phrase 'We're losing her' from a corner vantage point impossible for normal senses. Medical severity is high with deep unconsciousness implied, and details are specific but predictable in an OR context. Lack of verification attempts, confirmed checks, or prior reporting significantly weakens evidential value.
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.