#220 - Russell is Held by Jesus
What Researchers Found
The Story
Russell Ricks was an 8-year-old boy with a neurological disorder called complete agenesis of the corpus callosum. He faced bullying and social struggles at school. One night, he prayed to God, begging for help to escape the abuse, either by removing it or taking his life since he had just been baptized. During the experience, Russell left his body and saw it below. A bright light pulled him with love through the ceiling, sky, and stars to a spiritual realm. He landed in an Aspen grove with vibrant colors, music from nature, and inner light in everything. He witnessed the creation through faith and God's power. He walked a path but stopped at a warning of no return. Jesus appeared, touched his shoulder, and comforted him. Jesus showed his wounds, held him, and took him to a golden city of light. They talked; Jesus said Russell had missions to fulfill, like being a father, and assured him of forgiveness through his sacrifice. Jesus promised to always be by his side. After returning to his body, Russell felt God's presence for months, which helped him endure bullying. He developed a strong faith, read scriptures daily, and gained resilience. As an adult, he became an artist, father of 14, and shared his story in a book to inspire others facing struggles.
“love of God or Christ and his love for us and you think about the aspen tree”
This account describes a profound spiritual experience during a prayer-induced altered state at age 8, featuring out-of-body travel to a heavenly realm and encounter with Jesus, but lacks any veridical perceptions of earthly events or details that could be independently verified. The primary limiting factors are the absence of medical crisis, no impossible sensory access claims, no verified elements, and delayed reporting decades later without prior corroboration.
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 account describes a profound spiritual experience during a prayer-induced altered state at age 8, featuring out-of-body travel to a heavenly realm and encounter with Jesus, but lacks any veridical perceptions of earthly events or details that could be independently verified. The primary limiting factors are the absence of medical crisis, no impossible sensory access claims, no verified elements, and delayed reporting decades later without prior corroboration.
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.