The Trigger of Surgical Procedures: Janet's
Near-Death Experience
Many
near-death experiences are unintentionally induced because of
a complication during surgery. Such an event happened to a woman,
named Janet, who had a near-death experience during a hysterectomy.
She was interviewed by Dr. Cherie Sutherland, an experiencer
whose experience led her to conduct an in depth three year study
of the phenomenon and to the subsequent publication of
Reborn in the Light
and
Within the Light.
She is a visiting research fellow in sociology at the University
of New South Wales. Following her research and publication,
Dr. Sutherland has lectured and become involved with a variety
of NDE projects.
The following is an excerpt
from Dr.
Cherie Sutherland's book, Within the Light, describing Janet's near-death
experience.
"I was to have a total
hysterectomy, and it was during surgery that I had a cardiac
arrest. The surgeon indicated that it was due to the anesthetic
- he already knew that I'd had problems with anesthetics in
previous operations. Anyway, at that time I became conscious
of seeing my body lying there on the operating table, and I
could hear the communication that was going on between the surgeon
and the staff. I could see it all, but in a very detached sort
of way. In an almost offhand way I realized that that was my
body, and I realized that I'd died (in the physical sense).
While I was in that out-of-body state I was aware of my husband
and children so clearly, and yet there was no grief or sadness
at the thought that I had died and was separate from them. I
felt total peace, total rapture. There was no fear at all. And
time didn't exist - it seemed like it was just a matter of a
spit in time and I would be reunited with them anyway, so it
wasn't an issue for me.
"I then felt myself moving
off very fast, exceedingly fast, into what seemed like outer
space. I always felt that it was the fact of going so fast that
gave me the sense of being in a tunnel. And I was going toward
a very bright light. As I was traveling along I could see different-colored
lights, and then I got stopped, just stopped before I got to
the light. And I felt this extreme presence of love, just absolute
love. It shocked me somewhat, but there was no problem with
accepting that in essence I was being confronted with my creator.
"I was also very conscious
of communicating with other presences around me at that time,
but I didn't see any. I was just conscious of so much love coming
from those presences as well. Then there was a review of my
whole life. I can remember looking at it and assessing it and
really judging it myself. I felt no one else judged me - I judged
myself. I think the greatest shame I felt about my life was
that I had totally rejected the concept of God. I'd totally
given no acknowledgment to God, I really didn't believe in God.
And I felt such sadness, I was incredulous that I could ever
have doubted that God existed, because he was so real and tangible
- the whole essence of love. I say he, but that's just my conditioning.
God was just this essence, this total essence of love.
"At the time I felt the
presence of that extreme love I could also hear beautiful music.
I'm not sure if it was instrumental music, but somehow I think
it was more massed voices giving that sound. But there were
no words - it was more just a resonance of sound. And my consciousness
seemed to increase dramatically, to the point where I felt all-knowing.
I felt I was in touch with all knowledge - I just knew and understood
so much more.
"And the light communicated
with words.
"He said, 'You'll now
believe in me.'
"He also said, 'I made
you a woman, I created you. I know everything about you and
I'm now going to send you back, because it's not your time to
come over. You still have your life's work to do.'
"I felt very humble,
very much in awe of such love. I could hardly believe that someone
could love me so much.
At that time I remember
asking what my life's work was, and I was told, 'You'll not
know at this time but you will be shown.'
"And I think I was still
asking questions like 'When?' (laughs)
"I was always saying,
'When?'
"I was also told to come back and
tell my husband and children what had happened. I was to share
it with them. I think it was about then that I regained consciousness.
I don't recall coming back. Strangely enough, I only recall
waking up a day and a half later, and by that time I was back
in the ward."
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