Continued from Page 1

In addition to her research in the field, Corcoran is a popular speaker on the subject. She frequently conducts workshops on near-death experiences for nurses, members of the clergy, physicians, psychologists and others who work in hospitals or hospice settings.

She once gave a lecture to 5,000 ICU nurses and was amazed by how many of the nurses remembered patients describing the characteristics of near-death encounters.

“Unfortunately, many doctors and nurses are skeptical that NDEs exist and they have no idea how to address a patient who claims to have had one,” Corcoran said. “Nurses don’t need to believe in the phenomenon to keep an open mind and acknowledge the patient had an amazing and life-changing experience.”

To insinuate that a patient is crazy, or to deny them the chance to voice their experience, can lead to long-term problems. “Patients who don’t have anyone to talk to about their experience can become isolated and depressed and they may have trouble adjusting to life after their NDE,” Corcoran said.

She is especially concerned about children who have these experiences and have difficulty talking to parents or teachers.

“So many patients are seen in our hospitals every day and may be discharged without ever telling someone about their near-death experience,” she said. “For many patients, these encounters can bring about life-altering changes, such as developing allergies, sensitivity to light or wanting to transition careers.”

Defining moment

Bob Olson, a social worker and counselor, attributes his career choices to a near-death experience he had as a boy. He described his encounter in a story that appeared in the December issue of the association’s Seattle newsletter.

“When I was 12, I was out on a lake with several fellow Boy Scouts when our boat flipped and we all tumbled in the water,” Olson said. “I tried to breathe water and felt intense pain.”

Olson’s pain was quickly followed by an overwhelming comfort and peace as he was surrounded by warm light traveling through a bright tunnel. At his side were other young people who he seemed to recognize as his deceased ancestors, although at that age he had not experienced the death of a relative or close friend.

A white-robed, bearded young man who resembled pictures Olson had seen of Jesus Christ grasped his hands in greeting. Then the view changed and he felt himself floating in the sky about 20 feet above the lakeside beach, where a small crowd was gathered around someone giving artificial respiration to another person. Olson descended and the next thing he remembers is coughing up water.

His survival was considered a miracle because he had been underwater for a long time.

“Many of my life experiences reflect the rascally humor of unpredictable fate,” Olson said. “But the direction of my life since my childhood NDE has been consistent in working with others toward personal and shared understanding.”

Debbie James, MSN, CNS, RN, of The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston has become accustomed to receiving strange looks from colleagues.