Debra Diamond's Book "Life After Near Death" - A Review

General Debra Diamond has done a remarkable job of presenting some salient aspects of the Near Death Experience (NDE) through her book ‘Life After Near Death’. The book deals with a topic that is sorely needed today for transforming humanity from its shallow awareness to higher levels of perception.

Debra’s book takes people into an esoteric region beyond the conventional outlook of human beings governed by their habitual neurology. Thus, only those willing to leave the ken of the merely rational mind can appreciate the profundity of her presentation.

She combines her intellect and intuition wisely to discover the hidden messages behind the NDEs. An interesting thing about her presentation is that, now and then, she describes the physical ambience in which she finds herself, like “As I sat in in the coffee shop on the Montana Avenue, the sky translucent blue in every direction . . . . . . . . . .”. That gives a unique personal touch to her presentation.

Debra boldly left a lucrative job (that she calls the dollars and cents business!) and conventional high profile involvements to pursue a spiritual path that chimed in with her intuitive abilities. She had a strong call from the esoteric side and, along that line, she found the NDE to be a very good field for spiritual exploration. Strange circumstances took Debra to different people and places indicating that her mission had divine support. The result from it all is this wonderful book ‘Life After Near Death’.

Though her objective was to present her research findings on the aftereffects, she spreads her insight into several associated aspects – such as the vaster consciousness evident in the NDEs. Those areas can help people step out of the little psychological cocoon in which they spend their life and where their ego dominates.

The presentation is based on meeting several NDErs, sometimes directly and sometimes on Skype, and learning about their transformation and the aftereffects. Further, her meetings were dotted by her psychic ability to contact a higher level being that she calls Spirit. In the readings that she conducted, the answers that she and the NDEer received from Spirit were brief and meshed well with the death experience and its messages.

The Aftereffects: By communicating with a dozen NDErs, Debra identifies the following items as some of the significant aftereffects of NDE:

1. Electrical sensitivity 2. Enhanced auditory and visual abilities 3. Significantly enhanced IQ 4. Cured of depression and addiction 5. Sensing a mission that gives meaning to their life 6. Developing cognitive and clairvoyant abilities 7. Poetry with spiritual impact 8. Enhanced mathematical and scientific abilities 9. Rapid physical healing, wiping away earth bound maladies 9. Soul moving music and art abilities 10. Unqualified compassion 11. Becoming a vegetarian 12. Understanding natural spirituality rather than belonging to a system 13. Attracting animals and birds

Generally, one of the above items is predominant in each NDEr but more than one effect can also be there frequently. However, the unqualified compassion item seems to be universal. On the whole we may say, the shift the NDErs experience is at the soul level. It is clear from Debra’s presentation that the aftereffects stand as a testimony to the fact that the NDE is indeed an in-depth spiritual experience involving the vaster consciousness.

The case of Mark Jacobi is one of the most striking in terms of the aftereffects. It was in electronics. He said that, after his NDE, he could look at a schematic next to a machine and immediately know what components were malfunctioning. He could also turn his impact on the functioning of machines on or off at will. During her session with Mark, Debra could sense a high energetic realm far beyond us in evolution that would elude all conventional explanations.

The Transformational Experience Debra says that the NDErs are meant to create a pillar of light on this earth. Some are given a direct mission but not all experiencers. Some know they were given a mission but can’t remember it. Others don’t recall being given one. Each one was sent back to do his or her work. Some succeeded. Others fell by the wayside. All of this also seem to be part of a grander scheme.

Lewis looked much younger than his 60+ years, a trait Debra noticed in all NDErs. He said, “After my experience, I learnt that what I am goes far beyond the ego, the mind and the body. The essential core of all of us is the individual soul. My purpose now on earth is to let people know that we are all one and unique at the same time.” Debra comes up with such profound statements from all her interviewees.

The NDEs are found to transform the experiencer like no earthly experience, no material pursuits ever could. As our soul begins to separate from the body, its intent is more metaphysically focused. Rather than be concerned with earthly pursuits, it begins to search for true meaning, which it perceives immediately in the other realm. Tony Woody, one of the NDErs, found the answers lay outside the boundaries of religion and theology.

An interesting case study reported by Debra is that of Dr Rajiv Parti. It was veridical; that is, what he reported (as happening some 12,000 miles away) from his vision during his NDE could be verified and found to tally with the facts exactly. This can only be explained by the ability during an NDE to tap into the pervasive consciousness in which distance dissolves. This is part of the cognitive enhancement reported by some NDErs.

Debra found that those who return from an NDE are transformed forever. Their essence is merged with the universe. Nothing is familiar but you are supposed to carry on as if you had not been transformed. She says that the NDErs may not be able to access all the information when they return to earth, yet the events remain etched permanently in their consciousness. Similar to other NDErs, Mary Ann couldn’t take all the information back with her because it would simply be too burdensome. Just having the experience was more than enough. Imagine you died, saw a light brighter than a billion suns, met deceased relatives, had life lessons, and then were shown the secrets to the universe. Would you want any more gifts?!

Debra treads on vast areas of consciousness that would need several sessions of contemplation and reflection to understand and to be comfortable with in our life on this planet. She says, “The NDE is a hero’s journey, but one in which the experiencers have no say, as they are carried in the bosom of the universe, to travel to an unseen destination and return with the light of the universe embedded in them.” She also notices that the NDErs are generally endowed with eternal youthfulness.

Based on her research, she moved toward a viewpoint that verged on the border of science and spirituality – an idea that we are all participating in the same energy and vibration; that everything carries a spiritual message to us, a message that can transform our lives. A dull mind might put everything down to mere coincidence but when it comes out of its ken and senses the pervasive connectedness of all things, it will see the possibility of amazing transformation in the individual, and so in the collective. One understands that there is a loftier purpose to life than chasing ego-satisfaction and security through emotional attachment to man-made systems.

Debra's Conclusion Towards the end, Debra gives us a constructive suggestion:

“We are all energetic beings connected to the universe and by the universe to each other. We can collectively launch ourselves into larger states of consciousness. Although we may not be able to reach the transformative levels of NDEs, we can use intentional enlightenment to connect to humanity and embark on a higher state of frequency to tune into a lager perspective. Each of us can shine a light on our planet.”

Debra’s book can help transform our society to the point of its moving into a higher dimension of awareness. It would mean that human beings on this planet have an opportunity to live in peace and camaraderie. Here one is reminded of the Indian Sage Sri Aurobindo’s words in the last century:

“Life is the first step in the release of consciousness; mind is the second. But the evolution does not finish with mind; it awaits a release into something greater, a consciousness which is spiritual and supra-mental. That would make it possible for the human being to find himself dynamically as well as inwardly and grow out of his still animal humanity into a diviner race. ”

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