Near Death Experiences in Childhood | An In-Depth Interview with PMH Atwater
What Researchers Found
The Story
PMH Atwater experienced multiple near-death events in 1977 after being raped, which caused a miscarriage. Complications from the miscarriage led her to die twice in January and once in March. During her third NDE, she suddenly entered a whole new world, away from Boise, Idaho. She heard a powerful voice, unlike any other, that instructed her to become a researcher on near-death experiences. The voice felt like God's. After the NDEs, she faced severe physical challenges, relearning to crawl, walk, and distinguish directions. She rebuilt her belief systems. The experiences transformed her life. She started researching NDEs in 1978 using police techniques. She interviewed over 5,000 adults and children, wrote 18 books, and is working on her 19th. Her work focused on children's NDEs and their lifelong impacts.
“come back after death um is your life yes um are we always met by someone when”
The transcript features second-hand anecdotes of childhood OBEs and pre-birth perceptions, such as a child accurately drawing parental conception, validated by embarrassed parents, and other cases like womb awareness or trauma OBEs. However, claims lack detailed medical crises (e.g., no flatline confirmation), precise physical details, prompt pre-verification reporting, and independent corroboration beyond researcher summaries, capping evidential strength.
Score reflects verifiable perceptions reported. A low score indicates the experience was primarily spiritual or subjective, not that it didn't occur.
Was this Evidence Strength score useful?
Was this Experience Depth score useful?
Score reflects transformation as described. Domains scored 0 indicate the topic was not discussed, not that no change occurred.
Was this Life Impact score useful?
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.
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What Researchers Found
The transcript features second-hand anecdotes of childhood OBEs and pre-birth perceptions, such as a child accurately drawing parental conception, validated by embarrassed parents, and other cases like womb awareness or trauma OBEs. However, claims lack detailed medical crises (e.g., no flatline confirmation), precise physical details, prompt pre-verification reporting, and independent corroboration beyond researcher summaries, capping evidential strength.
Score reflects verifiable perceptions reported. A low score indicates the experience was primarily spiritual or subjective, not that it didn't occur.
Was this Evidence Strength score useful?
Was this Experience Depth score useful?
Score reflects transformation as described. Domains scored 0 indicate the topic was not discussed, not that no change occurred.
Was this Life Impact score useful?