Erik Medhus speaking to his mom from the Flipside

You want to hear someone say "I love you mom" from the afterlife? 

Dr. Medhus sent this to me last night. It's an interview she did with medium Veronica Drake with Dr. Medhus' son Erik and a scientist. 

(Erik makes a couple of appearances in "Flipside" and "Hacking the Afterlife.")

 I first met Dr. Medhus because I heard a clear EVP event during one of her other sessions, and wrote about it. 

Jennifer Medlyn Shaffer and I did a session a bit like this a few weeks back with Mr. Hawking, (I invited some other famous atheists to weight in - it's pretty funny) and we got the same answers. 

(i.e. He appeared to be healthy, about the age of 29, had a past life memory of a life in the Roman era, same descriptions of what he now sees black holes as) Our interview will be part of Jennifer and my next book. 

I met Dr Medhus because I heard an EVP on one of her other interviews.  She hadn't heard it but I did. What's really mind boggling is that Dr Medhus' son took his own life. Then later he called her on her cellphone to tell he was "okay." 

She told me she didn't believe in an "afterlife" until the phone rang from an unknown caller.

 She answered it and he told her. "I'm okay, mom." She heard him. Then a medium called her and said "your son is in my living room and he told me to call you." And now here he's casually saying hi.

 His voice on the flipside. Clear as a bell. 

"I love you mom." Not a trick or an anomaly. Not a fluke. Her son Erik speaking to her but this time we can hear it

 She didn't hear it at first.

 But she does now.

It's unusual to come across an actual EVP that a mom can point to as being "the voice of her son who is no longer on the planet." The whole interview is about an hour, this clip is just a few seconds. Listen carefully. 

https://youtu.be/j78wep1UN4g?t=49m51s

Flipside thoughts on death in the news

With the death of the great actor Phillip Seymour Hoffman in the news, it's worth noting that there are a number of things about his death worth noting.

“I try to live my life in such a way that I don’t have profound regrets,” Mr. Hoffman told The NY Times. “That’s probably why I work so much. I don’t want to feel I missed something important.” A lot to be missed. Family. Friends. We'll miss his craft. I curse the poppy in the field, I curse those who sell it, I curse the needle, trying to capture a feeling of bliss or nothingness; if only ODs could see the day after. No judgment here, only compassion for friends and family, for the lessons he chose to explore and learn from this all too short journey. RIP

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/02/03/movies/philip-seymour-hoffman-actor-dies-at-46.html?_r=1&referrer

When someone we love dies, it doesn't take the pain away to realize that they might not actually be dead.  We experience loss, we experience pain in the way we're built as humans to experience it.

But when we examine the reports of consciousness existing outside the brain (see post below) or we examine accounts from people who have died and come back to report their stories, it's worth noting that all of these reports are not faked, or false.  Take for example Annie Kagan's "The Afterlife of Billy Fingers."

Billy was a person who struggled with drug addiction his whole life - and yet when he passed over, he came to his sister and recounted the reasons behind his addiction and life in a very direct way.

In "My Life After Life" written by Dr. Ken Stoller, his son Galen died at 16 and came to him to recount what he was experiencing in the afterlife.  Interesting to note that the realm or region he seemed to be in - the place he was reporting from - was a place where a number of other people either weren't aware they were dead, or were having a hard time adjusting to it.

In Dr. Medhus' "Channeling Erik" she has full and detailed conversations with her son about people and events that are uncanny in their scope.  Personally, I experienced one of those sessions as she allowed me to supply a series of questions to the people involved, questions that I alone know the answers to, and they were accurate.  So I'm convinced that these conversations with her son are happening - whether they're 100% accurate, or whether they hit or miss particular events are subject to the odds of anyone getting stories 100% accurate - suffice to say I've yet to come across any account from any story that was 100% accurate since no one can take into account all the differing points of view to any event.  Be that as it may - here we have another Doctor, trained in materialist science, who is communicating with her son in the afterlife.

In the numerous accounts I've researched and reported on, people recall past lives where they died in some fashion where their minds were altered - and they claim that it takes awhile to gather up the ability to focus your energy so you can realize where you are, and what's happening to you. 

There are a myriad of reasons why people take their lives.  Some can't handle the pain - that they signed up for.  It's a bit like walking off the field in the middle of the Super Bowl - "nope, sorry, these guys are just too big for me to play against."  (I'm actually surprised that doesn't happen more often).  But we can't judge why someone sticks a needle in their arm - any more than we can judge why the poppy flower delivers such pain and sorrow to so many and retains its beauty.

Start with the idea that between lives people (for the most part, and always at some point) experience a blissful kind of existence that's beyond any bliss they've ever felt as humans.  One can argue that drugs (and addictions) are a way to try and recreate that blissful feeling - which of course, we get to experience for eons between lives.  So what's the hurry?

I'm reporting on this topic because I think it's important - it's important to realize that we're not going to die, if only to realize that we have a lot of work ahead of us - we aren't just in it for this one 8 second ride aboard a bull - we're in it for multiple rides, multiple lessons, multiple fractures each time we take the bull into the arena.  And that's why we sign up for it.

I heard Scott De Tamble (Lightbetweenlives.com) speak in Orange county to an iands.org group (institute of near death studies) and he said "You are the courageous ones.  We don't have to come here, we don't have to incarnate, but yet you had the courage to do so - to come here to this planet to experience all the difficulties life has to offer."    

So here's to the courageous ones.  It takes courage to come here in the first place, and whatever reasons Mr. Hoffman had to check out early are part of his own journey and are only known to him and his soul group. My two cents.

Afterlife Convention Sept 28th and some Near Death Research

Some exciting news.. we're organizing the Afterlife Convention on Sept 28th here in Los Angeles.  The idea is to bring together people from a variety of disciplines to compare stories about the afterlife - about their research into it, with the hopes of helping people on this planet by sharing information about what happens to us after we're on it.  Gary Schwartz Ph.D is going to be one of our keynote speakers, yours truly will be speaking, along with Elisa Medhus MD, Ken Stoller MD and others.  We won't be the first convention of its kind, but we're aiming at something a bit less new age, and a bit more practical - as in "Ok, so we don't die per se. How does that affect my life now?"

The idea is that with the combination of studying the various modalities that will be represented - ESP, Near Death (NDE), hypnotherapy as practiced by Michael Newton (LBL), first hand accounts of being contacted by loved ones in the Afterlife - these accounts frequently report the same information.  So what is that information?  And how can it affect our lives here on Earth?  And further, how can it help change our mindset so that by considering that we may return here in the future, we leave the planet as clean healthy place to return to?

I note that it's interesting that the two most vocal groups against this research are from opposite ends of the spectrum - the religious right for lack of a better word (people who believe strongly in what their religion has taught them, and I'm not arguing whether it's accurate or not, it's just by way of identifying that group) and on the other spectrum what can be only describe as extreme left, atheists, or people who are convinced that the science community has no evidence for their being consciousness before, after (or by way of logic) during our lifetimes.  It's interesting to note that both sides of the coin find this kind of research "nutty" or "heretical" - but I can only state that in the interest of science - in the interest of humanity - we are forging ahead with the best tools that we have to examine this research.  Batten down the hatches, here we go!

www.afterlifeconvention.com

Rich Martini Conference Chairman Author/award winning filmmaker Richard Martini explores startling new evidence for life after death. Based on thousands who claim under deep hypnosis they experienced the same basic journey in the Afterlife, his book and film features "between life" sessions and interviews with Michael Newton ("Journey of Souls") and hypnotherapists trained in his method. Extensively researched, breathtaking in scope, the bestselling book (Amazon Kindle) examines research that ties up the various disciplines of past life regression, near death experiences, and between life exploration. In the words of  Ph.D author Gary Schwartz ("Sacred Promise") once you've read it, "you will never see the world in the same way again."

New Speakers Announced for Afterlife Convention The Afterlife Convention will examine the research, the people, the experiences and the scientific evidence for life after death, a discussion that is increasingly part of the mainstream. The event will be held Saturday, September 28, 2013 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. in beautiful Santa Monica, California. Join us for this fascinating examination of a phenomenon that has thousands of people providing detailed descriptions of their experiences with unexplainable phenomena. The Pew Trust indicates that a quarter of Americans believe in reincarnation. Hear from people who have a deep understanding and experience with this journey. Just Announced - Afterlife Convention Speakers GARY E. SCHWARTZ. Ph.D ELISA MEDHUS, M.D. KEN P.STOLLER M.D. DR. ANNIE KAGAN The Afterlife Convention will examine: Near Death Experiences Out of Body Experiences Soul Groups Personal Accounts of Meetings With Deceased Relatives Past Life Memories Between-life Council  Life Planning Sessions Why you Chose to be Who You Are WHO SHOULD ATTEND? Those with a legitimate interest in exploring the evidence for a life after life, watching a demonstration and engaging with like-minded people who are not afraid to question the conventional wisdom. Unlike so many gatherings that explore similar themes, the Afterlife Convention will talk about fact-based realities based on eyewitness accounts. WHO SHOULD EXHIBIT? Authors, filmmakers, publishers, agents, programmers and others interested in reaching a curious and engaged audience interested in learning more.Join us today at the early-bird price and reserve your seat at what will be one of the year’s most talked-about gatherings examining life after death. If you would like to be an exhibitor, click here

AND THEN THIS INTERESTING CLIP FROM IANDS.ORG:

Study finds NDE memories are not of imagined events

Skeptics have long proposed that NDEs are dream-like memories of events that never happened or are altered memories of real events which are partly or fully imagined. A recently published study from the University of Liège in Belgium compared the memories of NDEs with memories of others who were in coma without an NDE. They found that memories of NDEs are significantly different from coma patients without an NDE. In particular they have significantly more characteristics, like visual details, memory clarity, self-referential information (being involved in the event) and emotional content.

The researchers propose that NDEs can't be considered as imagined events. which have significantly fewer characteristics. NDE events are really perceived but since the events did not occur in reality and likely result from physiological conditions (e.g., neurological dysfunction), the events are actually hallucinatory (see also ULg video). This conclusion is based on assumptions that are inconsistent with other evidence from NDEs. Other interpretations are possible.

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Seven researchers from the University of Liège, led by Dr. Steven Laureys, published a report in the peer-reviewed scientific journal PLoS ONE on the characteristics of memories from near-death experiences compared with the memories from others who were in coma but did not report an NDE. The study also compared NDE memories with memories of real events and imagined events (e.g., past dreams or fantasies).

Skeptics, such as Susan Blackmore and Chris French, have long proposed that NDEs are dream-like memories of events that never happened or are altered memories of real events which are partly or fully imagined.

The researchers included 21 patients who suffered from an acute brain insult and coma. The patients were divided into three groups: those reporting an NDE (≥ 7 on the Greyson scale, N=8), those reporting memories during coma but without an NDE (< 7 on the Greyson scale, N=6) and those reporting no memories of their coma (N=7). These three groups were all similar in etiology of the brain insult (traumatic, anoxic, hemorrhagic, metabolic and encephalopathic etiologies), as well as age and time since insult. The 21 coma patients were also compared with 18 healthy control subjects.

The researchers measured the memory characteristics of patients using the Memory Characteristics Questionnaire (MCQ), comparing the target memories (NDE or coma memories) versus memories of real events and imagined events (e.g., past dreams or fantasies). The memory characteristics included sensory details (visual, auditory, etc.), memory clarity (e.g., mentally reliving the events when remembering), self-referential information (memories of being involved in the event) and emotionality (e.g., feeling the emotions of the event when remembering).

The researchers found that memories of NDEs have significantly more characteristics than both memories of real events and imagined events (p<0.02), that is, in general the NDE memories had extremely high emotional content and were more vivid and "real" to the NDEr, even compared with memories of recent real events. Thus,"NDEs can't be considered as typical imagined event memories". The NDE memories "seem to be unique, unrivalled memories".

The memories of NDEs also have significantly more self-referential, emotional and memory clarity characteristics than memories from coma without an NDE (all p<0.02), that is, in general the NDEr remembered being more involved in the event than the non-NDE coma patient. The researchers suggest that "what makes the NDEs 'unique' is not being 'near-death' but rather the perception of the experience itself".

Furthermore, since it is possible that the core components of an NDE are neurophysiologically determined (e.g., temporo-parietal junction dysfunction or deficit), then "the subject really perceived these phenomena". However, since the perceived events did not occur in reality, the perceptions are hallucinatory. Indeed,memories of NDEs are likely 'flashbulb memories' of hallucinations.

CNN also published an in-depth news article on this study.

Commentary

The researchers' conclusions are based on two assumptions that are inconsistent with other evidence from NDEs: (1) that the perceived events do not occur in reality and (2) that NDE phenomena are determined neurophysiologically. Therefore, other interpretations are possible.

The first assumption, that perceived events in an NDE do not occur in reality, is not consistent with the veridical perceptions that are reported by NDErs. In fact, nearly all "apparently nonphysical veridical perceptions" (AVPs) are verified when checked. Janice Holden (2009) reported that of 93 veridical perception cases in the NDE literature, 92% were completely accurate, 6% were accurate with some errors and only one case was completely erroneous. The AVPs are frequently of objects or events outside the NDEr's physical line of sight or at a distant location from the NDEr's physical body.

Furthermore, previously unknown veridical information received during the "transcendent" part of the NDE(e.g. meeting deceased relatives) is frequently later verified. For example, a man saw and interacted with an apparently deceased person and later found out the man was his biological father who had died in the holocaust (van Lommel, 2010, pp. 32-33).

Since the perceived events in fact occurred or accurately conveyed previously unknown information, one cannot conclude that NDE perceptions are hallucinations. If some parts of the NDE events were perceived accurately, where do the NDE perceptions become unreal? If a patient accurately describes the details of operating room events while he had no heart beat or blood pressure, at what point did the other parts of his experience (the tunnel and light) become an hallucination?

Eben Alexander's experience included both veridical perceptions and an episode of "ICU psychosis". During his recovery, he experienced intense delusions and very vivid dreams but both were completely different from the "astonishing clarity and vibrant richness—the ultra-reality" of his NDE (Alexander, 2012, pp. 117-118). His NDE memories are consonant with the results of this study but point out the stark difference between true hallucinations and NDE memories. The finding that NDE memories contain both more emotional and self-referential information than other target memories is more likely due to the hyperreal and veridical qualities of the experience than vice versa.

The second assumption, that NDE phenomena are neurophysiologically determined, is not consistent with the full spectrum of NDE cases. A number of physiological factors are generally cited in explanations of NDEs (Greyson et al., 2009). None of these factors is adequate to explain NDE phenomena, because (1) the reported physiologically-caused experiences bear only a slight resemblance to NDEs, (2) many NDEs occur under conditions without the suggested physiological factor, and/or (3) in cases where the physiological factor is present, NDEs are not reported in even a large percent of cases.

Furthermore, many NDEs occur during cardiac arrest which results in complete cessation of blood flow to the brain. In these cases, heightened, lucid awareness and thought processes are reported, the same kind of experiences as are remembered by patients in this study (van Lommel, 2010, pp. 159–176). In these NDEs, neurophysiological causes of the core components of the NDE could not have occurred because the brain was not functioning. Veridical perceptions of the onset of resuscitation efforts also establish the time of the experience to be when the brain had no electrical activity.

Robert Mays, NDE researcher

References

• Alexander, Eben (2012). Proof of Heaven: A neurosurgeon's journey into the afterlife. New York: Simon & Schuster.

• Greyson, B., Kelly, E. W., & Kelly, E. F. (2009). Explanatory models for near-death experiences. In J. M. Holden, B. Greyson, & D. James (Eds.), The Handbook of Near-Death Experiences: Thirty years of investigation(pp. 213–234). Santa Barbara, CA: Praeger Publishers.

• Holden, Janice M. (2009). Veridical perception in near-death experiences. In J. M. Holden, B. Greyson & D. James (Eds.), The Handbook of Near-Death Experiences: Thirty years of investigation (pp. 185–211). Santa Barbara, CA: Praeger Publishers.

• Thonnard M, Charland-Verville V, Brédart S, Dehon H, Ledoux D, et al. (2013) Characteristics of Near-Death Experiences Memories as Compared to Real and Imagined Events Memories. PLoS ONE 8(3): e57620.doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0057620.

• van Lommel, P. (2010). Consciousness beyond life: The science of the near-death experience. New York: HarperCollins.

Channeling Erik, Jesus & my dad's pocketknife

My wife attended a workshop at a local Tibet shop in Santa Monica (Katmandu).  They were having a class in mediumship, and the instructor Monique recommended people bring along a photograph of a loved one who passed over.  The prior week, she brought a photograph of her old boss who passed away a few months ago.

The person who looked at his photograph was quite accurate about who he was (LA County Public Defender) and what kind of person he was.  He was forever giving people "mix tapes" of music that he thought they might like.  Imagine, an attorney who spent his time making tapes for others so they could enjoy music.  A wonderful person.

So my wife was meditating on him, and asked him for some kind of a "sign" which would prove that life continues on.  And a few seconds later, her phone message light began blinking on her cell phone, and when she checked it, saw that it was a reply to a message she had sent his widow six months earlier.  And in the note she spoke of how much she missed her departed husband.  So perhaps a coincidence that the two events occurred, but perhaps not.

Then last week she took a picture of my dad, who passed in 2004.  And he came clearly through to Monique, who spoke of his passion for plants, for books and his life as an engineer / architect.  Also the manner of his passing, and the kind of ecstatic grace he found himself in.  (For those who've read "Flipside" there's a moment when he spoke to me the night he died and told me he was experiencing "indescribable joy.")  He said a number of things about his life and what he's been up to - when asked for "proof" he was really there, he said my wife's maiden name - which no one in the room was aware of - and then casually mentioned that one of his sons had his "pocketknife."

Dad's pocketknife

I wasn't aware that he had a pocketknife - per se - and I queried my brothers as to who might have it.  Well, here it is, and my eldest brother Jeff gave it to me as a gift yesterday - our annual birthday lunch as we're born six days but ten years apart - so now I have the pocketknife.  Thanks Jeff. Thanks Dad.

Erik, star of "Channeling Erik"

Awhile ago I ran across Dr. Elisa Medhus's website: "ChannelingErik" - her son passed away some years ago, and he's been in contact with her since, and gives her reports from the afterlife.  The blog is fascinating, and coincides with the research yours truly has been doing about the Afterlife, including the work of Michael Newton ("Journey of Souls") and others.

Dr. Medhus

 But I came across this clip on youtube yesterday, and I felt I had to share it.




In the clip, Erik introduces his mom to two people; Quentin Crisp, the author of "Naked Civil Servant," and none other than Jesus.  Now, like any Catholic raised fellow, I'm skeptical about accounts of people seeing Jesus - accounts of seeing him are done usually by people having a near death experience (Todd Bumpo's NDE in "Heaven is For Real" is one) and people usually stop thinking or asking questions about him after they run into him.  "I saw God" is about all they can remember.

Naked Civil Servant,  Quentin Crisp,
note Jaimie Butler's description of him

Well, if you're curious what Jesus looked like, I refer you to the chapter in Flipside where I interview June, who remembered a lifetime in Jerusalem where she met and knew him.  She describes him in great detail - and the reason for that is because many folks have said they've seen him during their LBL's - so many that I suggested that hypnotherapists ask for a description of him - because if he had red hair and blue eyes, for example, and everyone said the same thing, it would be another way of confirming his appearance.

In this interview, done with Jaimie Butler (withloveandlight.com) she describes his appearance - the same as June's description.

Jesus goes on to describe some pretty amazing events. That he survived the Crucifixion.  I've researched this quite a bit - Joseph of Arimethea asked for his "living body" off the cross, and Pilate replied "you mean his corpse" - in this he says it was with the help of the Roman guards that he was able to pull off a Tibetan yogic trick of appearing to be dead. (see wiki Pratyahara)

 I've been to the monastery in Hemis where he learned it.  I was told by the Abbot of the monastery that Jesus had studied there. I thought I was hearing him wrong. Then I looked it up - "Jesus in India" - and he references the trip - which followed the silk road.  He went to Persia, later what is now Pakistan where he studied with the Jains, was nearly killed by Brahmins who didn't like his "everyone is equal" preaching - and wound up in Tibet - which is now part of northern India in Ladakh.  It's all detailed in the "Tibetan gospel" which has been translated by two people - Nicholas Notovitch and an Indian pandit who translated the same document - which tells the accurate story of Jesus traveling to India BEFORE he went to Jerusalem.

Main courtyard of Hemis, located along the Silk road,
monks here say that Jesus spent a number of years studying Buddhism here.

And then he eventually went back there - got married and settled down.  (tombofjesus.com has these accounts - written by an Islamic student from Northwestern, whom I've interviewed - there is some motivation there, to prove the Qu'ran is correct - because it speaks of Jesus' going to India AFTER the Crucifixion - as it does in the gnostic "Gospel of Thomas") Either way, it's in the research if you want to follow these links.

So when Jesus says in this clip that he survived the Crucifixion - and he did it with using a yogic practice of slowing the body's heart rate - I can tell you that I've heard that same account before, and I'd be hard pressed to believe anyone else has done this research - as I can't find it anywhere.  I had never heard that the Roman guards were in on it - I do know that Joseph of Arimethea is a logical candidate for pulling it off.   (and for those skeptics out there - check out the last sentence of the four gospels - it appears to have been written by the same author, who was most likely based in Rome, where the Gospels appear to be artfully rewritten to suit the Roman tastes).

From the shroud - which he says "is him"

This clip also explains why Jesus shows up in so many NDE accounts.  He says that's part of his work - to help people who've shown up on the afterlife, to make it comfortable for them to see a familiar face - and to hear that he's been back to the planet many times, including the US as a child who suffered in a hospital.. when he says to the effect "I chose that lifetime to help everyone involved learn about compassion" is exactly what is said over and again in "Flipside." We choose difficult lives because we want to help others learn from our experience.

He also talks about "right and wrong."  He's trying to explain why he wants people to understand that it's wrong to use his words and legacy to punish or hurt other people.  Erik, the Dr's son, pipes in "but there is no right and wrong."  And Jesus replies "you have to teach people what is right and what is wrong, before you can teach them that there is no right and wrong."  And what he means by that is "relative" right and wrong.  Meaning if it doesn't come from the heart, then it's wrong.  But there is forgiveness, and compassion - and loving your enemy, turning the cheek, loving your neighbor as yourself - because inherently there is no good or bad in the afterlife.

Certainly we live in a planet of polarity - yin and yang, dark and light - and that allows us to examine these energies in our lifetime. But between lives, we don't see these actions here as good or bad - just relatively good and bad - the way you might consider a play "bad" or "good."  We watch the events here like sitting in a theater, as we act out our lives - we are able to see that "bad characters" bring out the good in people - so they have their place and purpose. It just depends what kind of drama you want to experience while you're here.  Some think they can handle what roles they sign up for - but then realize, or believe they can't.  They sign up to experience courage or selflessness, and can't handle it.  So teaching that there is no inherent right or wrong, can't be taught until it's learned that compassion and love are the paradigms to reach for, and once you realize every action is about learning compassion, then the fear associated with right or wrong falls away.  At least that's my humble interpretation of it.

And finally, he says that he's currently on the planet, living in India. I can think of a few candidates - but either way, this is not a story about worship, about finding Jesus - he said his mission on the planet was to teach people about the Afterlife. That he regretted people not knowing that he survived the Crucifixion, but realized (from the between lives realm) that is was more powerful of a statement when people believed that he had died and gone to Heaven.  But he also points out the Bible is metaphor - stories written by people to describe their own relation to God, and not the other way around.  And as such, written as a tool, and not as a weapon.

He also takes to task (if it can be called that) those who use his words out of context.  He clearly states that he loved everyone unequivocally - without prejudice - and that includes EVERYONE.

For me, it follows with the session that I filmed recently where a person asks their spirit guide (guardian angel) "Who or what is God?"  And the guide answered "God is beyond the capacity of the human brain to comprehend. It's just not physically possible.  However, if you want to experience God, open your heart to everyone and all things."  It bears repeating: Open Your Heart to Everyone.

Not just those who love you. Those you like. Those who like you in return. Open your heart to everyone. And all things. The planet.  What we're doing to it. To the people you meet in the street. To the guy who cuts you off in traffic.  To terrorists. To those in need.

So what's the point? He says that in the next four years, we will be able to bridge this link between us and the Afterlife, and that it will change everything - our way of business, of teaching, of taking care of the planet.. and he clearly says it will be through an "Invention" - even those Elisa adds "science" - he said an "invention" to bridge the gap.  So my mind is racing - what Invention is that?  Something that will allow us to pick up those vibrations that mediums or psychics receive and translate them into words? A "Twilight Zone" telephone that will speak to our departed ones in the afterlife? If what I'm saying is true, then why not?

A call to action for all your inventors out there!  Tesla, are you listening?

My two cents.