What has been missing from my work, from everyone else’s work, from personal stories, from those who interpret personal stories, from experts in religion and spirituality, from the news media, the scientists, the grief-stricken, and the born again . . . is the voice of the collective . . . inside what we all seek to describe. What lies at the heart of near-death experiences? A God that in ways beyond description, smiles at you. Not the God of holy writ, but a Sourceplace—an all-encompassing Oneness, Allness, that, as It breathes, moves skin and bark and wings and stars and babes and rivers and comets and dreams and faces . . . as well as the mustard on your hotdog. The book you have before you releases that collective voice, the sum
of millions of people—worldwide—who speak as one. It is nothing less than the proof that everyone on planet Earth, in their own heart, seeks to have: that God exists.

p.m.h. atwater, L.H.D., is one of the original researchers in the field of near-death studies, having begun her work in 1978. Her research base now covers nearly 4,000 adult and child experiencers. Some of her findings have been verified in clinical studies, among them the prospective study conducted in Holland and published in Lancet medical journal, 12-15-01. Her The Big Book of Near-Death Experiences, was featured in an online version of Newsweek Magazine, and remains the only encyclopedia of the entire phenomenon worldwide. She has received many lifetime achievement awards and travels the world speaking on all aspects of the near-death experience, transformations of consciousness, and the evolution of the human species. Near-Death Experiences:  The Rest of The Story is the summation of 33 years of research, highly controversial because of its frankness and revelatory nature. Her book Future Memory expands the subject of changing consciousness into new areas, and reads like walking through a labyrinth. Keenly interested in children and evolution, her in-depth work with child experiencers is detailed in The New Children and Near-Death Experiences; updated to include the surprising characteristics of normal children born since 1982 in Children of the Fifth World. A real departure for her is Dying to Know You:  Proof of God in the Near-Death Experience. This is not a research book, nor a personal story, nor an opinion piece. Rather, this is the first book yet written that sums up the voice of the many:  the collective, speaking in their own voice, about the collective experience. Bold, blunt, daring–Dying to Know You speaks directly about Mission, God, Soul, Life, Death, Heaven, Hell, the Big Picture, Revelations, Truth. And us tells about eternity, our real home.

Contents

Foreword

1. Mission

2. God

3. Soul

4. Life and Death

5. Heaven and Hell

6. Near-Death Experience

7. Near-Death Aftereffects

8. Threshold

9. The Big Picture--Adult's Version

10. The Big Picture--Children's Verson

11. Revelation

12. Surprise

13. Riddle

About the Author

Suggested Contacts

Suggested Reading

"The book you have before you releases that collective voice, the sum of millions of people--worldwide--who speak as one. It is nothing less than the proof that everyone on planet Earth, in their own heart, seeks to have: that God exists." 

" . . . fascinating book on a controversial subject . . . I felt pulled out of my comfort zone." 

" . . . stunning and revelatory book of wisdowm teachings . . . Even people generally familiar with NDEs will find much to treasure in this illuminating book written in PMH's inimitable warm and winning style." 

"It is rare that such a huge cache of wisdom is packed in so few pages." 

"[A] remarkable summary of the author's life philosophy of love, freedom, knowing and service—a timely reminder of essential values."

Foreword

On a flight to San Francisco, April 19, 2013, the unexpected happened. What I mean by that is, an energy in front of my face began writing a book. First came the title poage, then the table of contents, front quotes, outline for eleven chapters, and backmatter. This was energy--just air that seemed possessed of its own consciousness. No exotic or spooky being, no voices, no channeling, no vision. Just energy, in front of my face, writing a book. Very strange.

After a while I took pen to paper and wrote the thing down. This was uncomfortable because it made no sense. I refused to accept the manner of this intrusion; still, the energy kept writing. Words and ideas kept pouring forth. There seemed to be no way to stop what was happening. Days became weeks in a non-stop circuit of talks, workshops, and travels I was committed to do. One such foray took me through Felton, California. Funky town. Almost hidden next to the large Antique Barn was a Greek Orthodox Church. I made a bee-line for it and the solace of prayer. I needed guidance. Kneeling, with my forehead to the floor, I heard a soft grandfatherly voice say, "Hush child, hush child. Now, do your work." The message spoke to my soul. I could now trust what was happening. This book is a tickler, not heavy on research as most of my others, not anything I would ever write by choice or design. Nope. Its purpose is simply to allow the heart inside near-death experiences to speak. That heart, our heart of hearts, needs to be heard.

The market is crowded today with gripping tomes about near-death experiences. Cases of verifiable details and corroboration not only from loved ones, but from the medical establishment itself. A number of them are now bestsellers. People seem unable to hear enough, read enough, learn enough ... from those who have passed through death's doorway and returned.

I've been on the cutting edge of this phenomenon since 1978, one of the pioneers to emerge in this new field of study. My research base numbers nearly 4,000 adults and children. Ten books contain my findings, some of which has since been clinically verified, including in the Dutch study published in Lancet Medical Journal, 12-15-01. My The Big Book of Near-Death Experiences is considered the encyclopedia of the phenomenon worldwide: Near Death Experiences: The Rest of the Story sums up over 33 years of questioning and probing, checking, and rechecking, along with a decade I spent before I died investigating the mystical path. What I have rarely mentioned is that when I began my research of near-death, I had never heard of Raymond Moody or his book, Life After Life. Elizabeth Kubler Ross, whom I met at O'Hare Airport outside of Chicago, told me about such episodes as she validated the three near-death experiencs I had had within three months time in 1977. She called me a near-death survivor, but never said a word about Raymond or his book. Hardly returned from dying myself, I began my work, a research project I was told to do by a voice of other-worldly power that spoke to me during my third episode. "Test Revelation," it said. "You are to do the research. One book for each death." Books two and three were named, not book one. I was shown what was to be in each book but not how to do the job or how long it would take me. Meeting Elisabeth at O'Hare gave me the strength and the determination to begin. That soft grandfatherly voice at the Greek Orthodox Church gave me the courage to go back and finish the job--of letting the heart's truth ring out through jumbles of individual narratives and research findings.

What has been missing from my work, from everyone else's work, from personal stories, from those who interpret personal stories, from experts in religion and spirituality, from the news media, the scientists, the grief-stricken, and the born again ... is the voice of the collective ... inside what we all seek to describe. That voice, the sum of the many speaks like a thunderclap.

What lies at the heart of near-death experiences? A God that in ways beyond description, smiles at you. Not the God of holy writ, but a Sourceplace--and all-encompassing Oneness, Allness, that, as It breathes, moves skin and bark and wings and stars and babes and rivers and comets and dreams and faces ... as well as the mustard on your hotdog. The book you have before you releases that collective voice, the sum of millions of people--worldwide--who speak as one.

To make certain this is so, the "air-that-is-conscious" returned ten months lter, just before publication, to rearrange a few things and add two more chapters. This surprised me. Perhaps that added material will surprise you, too.