The Flipside of Father's Day and Bruce Springsteen

Happy father's day.

RC Martini chillin' during WWII

If you're like me, then your pop is no longer on the planet.  Maybe you're thinking of him, maybe you're thinking about how you miss him, or thinking about how you don't miss him.

If you've never visited this blog before, you'll know I'm not about to throw shade, or disrespect to anyone - everyone has their own path and journey on the planet, but because it's father's day - we reflect on our own journey in the shadow of our father's. So you could say that I'd like to talk about Bruce's dad, Doug Springsteen - but really I'm referring to all dads by extension of Bruce's dad.

Bruce talks about this trip with his dad in his book. Two smilin' NJ guys.

If you're a fan of "Flipside: A Tourist's Guide on How to Navigate the Afterlife" or "It's a Wonderful Afterlife" or "Hacking the Afterlife" what I'm about to say isn't new to you.

But it will be to Bruce.

Reading his autobiography "Born to Run" this paragraph jumped out at me:

"One night I had a dream. I'm onstage in full flight, the night is burning and my dad, long dead, sits quietly in an aisle seat in the audience. Then... I'm kneeling next to him in the aisle, and for a moment, we both watch the man on fire onstage. I touch his forearm and say to my dad, who for so many years sat paralyzed by depression, "Look, Dad, look... that guy onstage... that's you... that's how I see you." (pg 414 "Born to Run" Simon and Schuster)

Now I know Bruce doesn't believe in an afterlife - I know it because earlier in the book he took the time, while talking about his life, he added in parenthesese to a comment he was making about "life" - "there is only one."

I think that's funny when people opine that to be the case.  "Based on what evidence?" I'd like to ask.  I mean, sure, we all think that people die when they cease breathing on the planet.  Doctor's declare people dead all the time. But the sun goes away ever night, and we don't declare it dead.  Or that it's "reincarnating every day."

I've been documenting cases for the past ten years where people either have a near death experience (they die, then come back) or they remember a previous lifetime while under deep hypnosis (based on Michael Newton's 7000 cases over 30 years, or New Jersey native Dr. Helen Wambach's 2000 cases done a decade prior)- all of these people say the same thing while under hypnosis - that we don't die, that we can't die - that we "go home" and then decide with advice of loved ones and guides plan our next lifetime.

Another famous dad: Basil Jagger. He reminded me of Stan Laurel,just as sweet and fun..
and his kid ain't bad either.

There are hundreds of thousands of clinical cases of "near death experiences" - many books on the topic, and I've interviewed a number of near death experiencers. And they are all convinced, all of them - that there is life after death.  Why is that?

It's a bit like talking about what it's like to jump in a cold pool of water. If you haven't done it before, you can talk about it - sing about, tell stories about it - but if you're never done it before, then you're bound to get it wrong.  If you've spent your whole life outside of pools, maybe even afraid of the water, saying "hey jumping in the pool is great, it's liquidy, and every piece of skin enjoys it" - it's meaningless to someone who's never been in a pool. 

Doug Springsteen on the Jersey Shore. (from pinterest)

 So let's go in the pool, shall we?

This isn't my belief, opinion or philosophy. It's just based on the data.

If you take the time to read Newton ("Journey of Souls") examine the science (Dr. Greyson at UVA, Dr. Tucker's books about reincarnation) Gary Schwartz PhD, Mario Beuaregard PhD, Dr. Eben Alexander - Dr. Sam Parnia's epic study over ten years "the Aware project" etc, etc, etc - you'll find bona fide doctors - psychiatrists, scientists talking about how consciousness doesn't die, it lives on. (Or appears to)

I'll prove it to you.

Bruce says in his book he had a long a tempestuous relationship with his dad.  As I wrote to a friend today who was talking about his "deadbeat dad" who had abandoned the family: 

"For what it's worth; I've been filming people under deep hypnosis for a decade. ("Flipside") what they say about the journey is consistent. It can be disconcerting to hear, as I've had an earful. But I try to report what they say without opinion or prejudice. I've filmed 40 sessions (5 of my own) examined the work of Michael Newton (7000 cases) and Dr Helen Wambach (2000 cases). What they say consistently is that "we choose our parents for specific reasons." That the choice is made with "help and guidance from our guides and teachers." That when we ask "why?" 

The answer is often "so you could become who you are." (A better person, more compassionate human, or perhaps an artist who uses pain to help others.) This is not a belief, philosophy, or opinion on my part. I'm just reporting verbatim. So if this is true - I would argue - that you chose well. Your difficult choice has made you a better human, a better father. Happy dad's day."

The same applies to Bruce. If he examines his art, his work, his life, he's lived a lot of it in reply to his father. After all, he was only living with his father until he 17, the rest of his life his father was elsewhere - so for 40 some odd years, he had his own world to inhabit, and yet when you read his book, you can see how much his father had an influence on him.

Bruce reading with his pop. (fansite)

First some bonafides. I've been to about a dozen shows, starting with a bar next to Fenway, then in Cambridge, Charlie's, Harvard Square opening for Bonnie Raitt, Boston Garden, then a number of times in L.A. - I've met Bruce, twice. Once was backstage at Charlie's in Boston. I was brought there by an old friend of his Donna Stearns (she's from Deal, spent time at his place in Freehold when he was young, she grew up to marry the Allman Bros' Dickey Betts whom she met at the Stone Pony after an AA meeting.)

She took me to see Bruce twice - once after "Wild Innocent and E street" came out - his name was misspelled on the Boston marquee - "Springstein" - and she spoke to him after the show. Then months later, at Charlies benefit (where Jon Landau wrote his famous review for the Phoenix "I have seen the future or rock and roll and its name is Bruce") she took me backstage to meet him.

(An aside here: I just became aware of Donna having legal troubles in Fl. I wish I could help. I knew her before both parents died in a car accident, which led to her alcohol abuse - I knew her in college - she's a sweetheart, and struggled with alcohol her whole life. I've sent her cards over the years, tried to reach out to her - perhaps this page will find her - if so, Donna! Reach out. This research can help you as well.  "There is no act that we can't overcome.")

The book, like Bruce, is deep and rich.

I know I met Bruce backstage with Donna at Charlie's because he was complaining that someone had stolen his notebook with all his songs in it.  (Not me!)

Some years later, I met Bruce backstage at Sting's show at the Wiltern (I was covering it for Variety) and I reminded him of Donna - which he said "I don't know who that is." (His book says there were "lots of teen girl" who hung out at his house - whatever - I know what happened when I met him, so I found it a bit odd.) In response looking for something to say other than "when I went to school in Rome we had only your 3 albums, and we danced to them every night for a year" I said - "whatever happened to David Sancious?  He said "Ask him, you're leaning over his shoulder."

I realized he was sitting with the great keyboard artist David Sancious, who left his band when it hit big. D'oh.  End of conversation.

I had more fun conversations with other E street members:  Clarence Clemons at a party in Long Island - we had a mutual pal Lilia Chacon, (Chicago Fox News reporter) and Danny Federici who sat in with our band (played my Casio like it was a Hammond!) - so I do have bonafides when it comes to Bruce.  

In terms of this research, I have bonfides as well - the ex-wife of one of his band members is a good friend, did a between life session after losing her mom, and she appears in my film "Flipside" and the book as well - remembering a lifetime where she knew the alpha and omega. Talk about name dropping! Not only is she tight with everyone in the band, (name rhymes with Miss) she clearly remembered a lifetime where she knew the "real Boss."


Okay, enough about me.

Bruce's dad showed up to let him know he was still alive.  Showed up to him in a "dream" to let him know that he's okay.  How do I know that it was his dad, still alive, reaching out to his son from the Flipside, and not some figment of his imagination?  

Doug from a fan page.

 "One night I had a dream. I'm onstage in full flight, the night is burning and my dad, long dead, sits quietly in an aisle seat in the audience. Then... I'm kneeling next to him in the aisle, and for a moment, we both watch the man on fire onstage. I touch his forearm and say to my dad, who for so many years sat paralyzed by depression, "Look, Dad, look... that guy onstage... that's you... that's how I see you." (pg 414 "Born to Run" Simon and Schuster)

First of all - he saw his dad in the audience. Sitting on the aisle. 

How old did he look in the dream? Old? Or younger? Well it has to be at least a little bit younger, because he wouldn't have seen him sitting upright in a chair if it was based on the last time he saw him - just prior to his passing. So his dad somehow was able to get into the show and was sitting in the aisle.

People would argue "he imagined him there at the show."  But then I would ask "what was he wearing?" and Bruce might describe some outfit that his dad felt comfortable wearing. Perhaps he'd seen him in it before. But whatever it was, it was a "normal" set of clothes - as otherwise, he'd have mentioned them.

 Sometimes people remember precisely what the other person in the dream was wearing - it's usually it's some relatively "normal" version of how they looked on the planet.

But not always.

Evelyn Salt (archive pic)

While working on the film "Salt" I had an NYPD detective pull me aside after hearing me talk about this research on set, and he said "Can I talk to you? I think my house is possessed."  

I asked him why he thought that. He said his 8 year old daughter "sees a ghost."  I asked him who the ghost might be - someone he knew? He said "Well, I asked her about it, and she said "Daddy, he dresses like you." (an NYPD uniform.)  So he wracked his memory and pulled out a picture of his former partner, an African American policeman who died 10 years earlier.

And she said "That's him, but he looks younger now. He's got hair and he's thinner."  The Detective said to me "If it's my old partner who died 10 years ago, how does he show up to my 8 year old daughter thinner, and with hair?"  

And I said, "Well, time over there isn't like time over here. People tend to appear as people remembered them, because it makes it easier for them to get the message. And people report that they appear to people over here, as they'd like to be seen."

I said to the Detective "So did you like this guy?"  The cop looked at me and said "I loved him."  I said "So is it a bad thing that the guy you loved is hanging around your house keeping an eye on you and your 8 year old daughter?"

He said; "Not when you put it that way."  

Mom and Dad, Venice. Took me awhile to find the upside down sign.

He then brought up the fact that his daughter had suddenly been talking about reincarnation - how one day she claimed that she was "born in Australia and died there." He wanted to know if that was related to the ghost thing. 

I asked him if he was watching a tv show about reincarnation or about Australia.  He said he didn't own a TV.

I said "Well, the best way to find out the answer is to ask her. Why don't you bring home a map of Australia and see what she says?" The next day I returned to the set of "Salt" and he was waiting for me. He took me into a back room, locked the door and said "I did what you asked. I brought home a map of Australia and unfolded it in front of her.  I asked "So where were you from?"  

He said she pointed to Perth (a place he'd never heard of) and she described a lifetime there where she was a father and that the family was stuck in a terrible drought, and they all died from starvation."  He said his daughter said it as if she'd been waiting 8 years to tell him the story, and then she bursts into tears.

As I said to the NYPD Detective - "we're not used to not knowing the answers to things for our kids - but clearly she knew more about these events than you did."  Needless to say he locked the door to our conversation for a reason - it's something he could not share with anyone, as his department would "think he was nuts."

  But back to Bruce's "dream" of seeing his dad in the audience... then there's a quantum shift in the dream...

He's talking to his dad in the audience, and then refers to himself on stage. How did you get into the audience with him while you were still on stage?  How could you be in two places at the same time?  

We assume that was some kind of fantastical part of the dream - but I can point to numerous cases where that's a possibility, where people report seeing not only their "higher selves"  while under hypnosis, but people who are "still on the planet' during a near death event.

  People claim in this research that when we incarnate, we only bring about a third of our energy to this lifetime. When asked why - people say "if I brought any more I'd blow the circuits."  When asked where the other two thirds of their energy is they say "it's back home. It's always home.  It's always accessible."

This is why when people have a near death experience they sometimes see people who are not dead - but they usually see them in a way to indicates a more etheric version of them. (David Bennett's book "Voyage of Purpose" describes him seeing a friend back home during his near death experience who is still alive - then some years later, after his friend died, he saw him back home during a deep hypnosis session) 

(For those curious about "between life hypnosis, in LA, I recommend Scott De Tamble of the Newton Institute - "lightbetweenlives.com" if you're curious - I've filmed 35 sessions with him, and he's always successful taking people "back home.")

Bruce experienced "new information" - because he touched his father's arm, only he would know what that felt like - and he simultaneously observed himself on stage performing.  That's not physically possible - unless your consciousness can be in two places at the same time. Which according to this research; it always is.

And it could not be "cryptomnesia" (as materialist science calls these events - either "hypoxia" from a hallucination - which Bruce obviously wasn't having - or something he'd heard or seen somewhere, like in a movie (no film I can think of where a person is in two places at the same time - one with a passed away relative,looking back at himself on Earth). So it can't be cryptomnesia, hypoxia, or synesthesia (the latest claim that the wires of the brain are mixed up) because everything else about the dream was real. 

Touching his dad's arm, having his dad in the aisle, conversing with him, and then gesturing to himself on stage.  And being consciously aware of it to be able to say "Hey dad - see that guy on stage? That's how I think of you!!!"

 Because if he was making it up, imagining it, he never would have created two of himself - there's no basis in human experience to create two of ourselves in a dream - so therefore it must not have been a dream. And I'll bet (who wants to cover this bet for me?) he's never had another dream like it - where there were two of himself in the dream. Ever. 

Further, as I'm fond of pointing out - many folks refer to our lives here as "being on stage." That while two thirds of us are "back home" observing how we're doing on stage - think of it as sitting in the balcony watching yourself below - or even further, imagine it as a marionette and you're responsible for how the strings are moved - where you're literally in two places at the same time; on stage, and in the balcony watching yourself on stage.

Onstage with Walter and Chuck Grodin

I'd also bet Bruce is not aware of this research or information, nor are any of the therapists he's seen in his lifetime, because, well... they just aren't. I've had people say to me "someone should study this in a university setting" and I've had scientists say "well, the big pharma companies fund research so we can sell a pill to fix something" - that's why there are no studies to figure out what the heck is going on with consciousness. If you can't market it, what's the point?

It's contrary to the popular method of psychology. I'm happy to report the Newton Institute  (where they train therapists in between life therapy) reports that they have many psychiatrists and psychologists who are learning this method of therapy,so perhaps that will change.

Can you hear me now?

So Bruce got a chance to be himself standing next to his dad. How very cool is that? But his dad appeared to him to let him know he was okay, to let him know he was "still alive." Not gone. Just not here. 

If I was interviewing Bruce about it, I'd ask him if it was possible to "shift his consciousness to his dad's point of view" - and take a look at the Bruce in the aisle. How do you look to him?  

People often describe a color or light.. or someone different than what they thought they'd see.... but once you "shift your consciousness" to allow for new information to come forward, I'd ask his dad to see if he can't bring other people forward for Bruce to see or say hello to.  After all, this research shows that they're all accessible, because no one dies, they're not gone - they're just not here.

Clarence is accessible, as is Danny.  

And if Bruce wants to talk to his dad, or Clarence, or Danny - he can.  He just has to open himself up to the possibility.

I've been filming people talking to their loved ones for a decade now. And as anyone can tell you, when you hold the hand of your loved one, only you know what that's like. When you look into their eyes, ask them a question and they reply before you get the question out, only you know how real that feels.  It's next to impossible to describe what it's like to be in a pool if you haven't an idea of being in the pool - but when it happens, you come away knowing that you had a conversation with your loved one.  Directly, and through the heart.

There's another passage in the book that Bruce mentioned - and it was at a point when his father was feeling better. He was visiting with Bruce he spoke to him in an open, honest fashion and said in essence; "Money doesn't matter. Fame doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is that you've opened your heart to other people." I'm paraphrasing, but that in its essence is what I hear over and over and over again in this research.

That we come here to learn lessons in compassion and giving love. And that the difficult journey we choose for ourself is so that we can reach other people with lessons in love and compassion. And I would say that Bruce did an excellent job in choosing just the right kind of dad, just the right kind of environment, so he could continue teaching lessons in love to a planet hungry for it.

Hangin' with my homies in Ladakh

So - that's it for father's day. My gift for the reader is to understand that our dads are always accessible to us - to ask why, or how, or what they were thinking - the answers aren't always hilarious, but sometimes they are - and it's something that we can all access if we take the time to do it.

And one more thing - it's what his wife Patti Scialfi is referring to when she recounts that she had met Bruce as a teenager, but he was "swimming in different lakes" prior to finally realizing they were meant to be together. She was 17 when he first met her, and it took him all those years to realize that she was the love of his life. That she was meant to be by his side. 

Ms. Patti Scialfa Springsteen (publicity page)

People often talk about those kinds of kismet connections - and I'll bet him a HUNDRED BUCKS - (relatively small sum, but worth it, as I can buy some sheet music, or he can send me a free CD) and there's only one way to find out - that Bruce's dulcet toned wife Patti knew from the day she met Bruce that he was the guy she was supposed to be with.  It just took him awhile to figure that out.  But that's for him to ask her:  "Honey, when did you first know that you and I were meant to be together? When was your first conscious thought that "this is the guy?"

I can name a dozen people who either the man or the woman knew "the moment they met" their loved one that they knew they were supposed to be together.  Knew it as in "past tense" - like "I've always known you, and now I'm just running into you in this life." 

Just ask her if I'm right. If I'm not, send me the bill. But if I am, then let me know.

Happy Father's Day Bruce.

Tribute to Michael Newton

Lovely tribute to the author/psychologist Michael Newton.

The raw footage at the beginning, after the introduction by Pete Smith, current President of the Newton Institute (TNI) is from my original interview with him.

Great to hear him speak again.


Enjoy.

Lunch with George Noory and "The Afterlife Expert"

Luncheon with Coast to Coast's George Noory and "The Afterlife Expert" Rich Martini

Enjoy gathering with other like-minded people as you have fun at lunch and meet some of your favorite people in the world of the unknown and curious. Tickets will go fast, so reserve a spot now! 

Email your name and phone number to: 

lunchwithgeorge@gmail.com. 

You will be called back with details. The following dates are available:

Tuesday, June 27, 2017 – Lunch with George Noory & author/researcher Rich Martini Special Event Series: "Eat & Greet" 
Luncheons at the Great Greek Restaurant in Sherman Oaks, California

States of Mind and the Flipside

I have a friend who used to have OCD.

The Universe is a state of mind.

Obsessive compulsive disorder.  He's had it since he was a youngster; it may or may not be related to a car accident he was in as a youth.  I have relatives who have variations of the same - inability to throw stuff away is one of them, I know it's part of who I am as well. But in this case, I'm here to examine the genesis of "states of mind."

We all know people who have this "disorder" as medicine calls it - it's where the brain is firing willy nilly across a part of the brain, misfiring is more accurate - where a "loop" can be created and it causes them to wash their hands obsessively, count money obsessively - and a whole host of phobias, including not being able to get out of the house.  Or perhaps is causing a "tic" that can be identified as "tourette's" in extreme cases, as a twitch in those less so.

One could argue that we all have varying degrees of this "disorder" - which would make it not a disorder, but a natural example of how the brain works - like many flowers in the garden - it's why some of us can't stand crowds, can't stand certain foods, can't stand not being able to not stand something....

But today we were having this discussion, and some of the flipside notions discussed here began to line up.

An unusual state of mind in DC these days.

Bear with me.

While discussing "partitions" in the mind - Dr. Bruce Greyson notes (in "It's a Wonderful Afterlife" and in his public talk "Is Consciousness Produced by the Brain?") that in the reports from the British Health system, 70% of the Alzheimer care givers reported a moment when their patient's memory would come back to them just prior to passing. 

It could be "a few minutes, an hour, sometimes months" where people whose brains have atrophied - suddenly rally and remember everyone around them, and it's as if they've come back to say farewell. Come back to say goodbye to their loved ones.

But when the patient dies, autopsies show that the brain should not have been able to function - it's as if the "partitions" that kept us from accessing our higher consciousness - or past memories - have fallen, or died as well. The brain was dying, so perhaps the partitions died as well. 

And for that brief moment, we're able to access some form of higher consciousness which appears to retain those memories.

Dalai Lama and Richard Davidson

So in discussing OCD today, my pal was talking about his own "partitions."  And pointed out that when he was a young person, he'd "created" an alternate persona - someone who didn't have OCD, someone who could handle navigating the world.  He said that he knew a "tough guy" at work - and while his mind was worrying about the smallest details ("did I count that person's change correctly?" "Maybe I'm responsible for someone getting sick when I served them food...") he adopted this "tough guy" persona to be able to navigate the world. 

My film director persona

He says he borrowed another person's persona, someone at word he knew that was tough, and didn't care or worry about the small things he normally worried about during an OCD event.

Then he pointed out that at another time in his life, he had another persona that would appear - and this person was entirely selfless, would literally give the shirt off his back to someone in need, invite homeless people over to stay who needed a place to sleep.  Then he'd wake up and wonder "what did I do? I let this homeless person in my house, am I crazy?"

I pointed out that perhaps that the selfless fella, was actually giving him a glimpse of what it's like "between lives."  Because back there, people report (consistently) a place of selflessness, where we give and share love equally, without judgment.  That when he was acting without judgment, but just out of love, he was actually tapping into the nature of who we are when we're "back home."

Literal states of mind.

I pointed out that perhaps his brain was giving him a glimpse of another side of himself (and not what psychiatry might categorize as an illness.)  

In like form, adopting the tough guy persona was a way to deal with issues of the brain - and if someone could figure out to do that, how to actually get the brain to compartmentalize, or create partitions from the parts of it that cause problems (auto immune illnesses, viruses, OCD, things that occur as a result of certain pathways) then whoever figured out how to do that would win the Nobel Prize for medicine.

The seat of consciousness in Tibet, the Potala Palace

So let's look at some people who can do that.

Tibetan Monks for example. They've perfected the art of meditation in such a way as to change the body's reaction to pain, to cold, to any number of things that cause problems. (see "tummo" on youtube for examples.)  They've also perfected the meditation that directly affects the amygdala in the brain, which regulates serotonin release. (see Richard Davidson's work on it at the University of Wisconsin.)

Davidson with his pal HHDL

Davidson's work is monumental, because he shows that a single meditation session (and the one he used with Tibetan monks was "Tonglen" but a "non specific version" which he told me at a conference at UCLA years ago.)

What's a specific version of Tonglen?  I talk about it in "Flipside" and my other books. In essence it's imagining being a "mental physician" where you conjure up a vision of someone who is ill, you draw their illness into you as you breathe in, and then blast it with the "healing light of the universe" before you breathe the cured energy back into the patient. (In Richardson's study, he had the monks substitute the whole planet for a single individual - making it "non specific.")

But hang on.

So if its possible to mentally change the shape of the amygdala in one meditation session (according to Davidson's study) then that means that any one of us can do the same kind of work to change pathways in our brain.

You've heard of those cancer studies where a person helps the healing process by imagining a real "battle" against cancer cells.  I've heard the same from a doctor who talked about teaching his patients to imagine a "loving affection" towards cancer cells, to isolate and eliminate them using "love."  That doesn't mean that someone should stop doing traditional therapies - surgery, chemo, etc - but it does mean that there are ways that you can use your brain to affect healing.

No longer the lovable losers. They earned that.

It does mean that you can use your brain to change OCD behavior. It does mean that you can use your brain to eliminate phobias and other issues.

Because when you examine the mind more fully - you may find that the phobias are related to a past life experience - not a past life experience based on your DNA, as science is trying to prove that DNA has a "fear" memory - which may or may not be accurate, but is not necessarily the source of your fear - but being able to examine your previous lifetimes, and further, the life between lives, where you can access and understand all your lifetimes, and by doing so, pinpoint precisely when the phobia began, and more importantly...

Why you chose this lifetime to experience this phobia (again, or for the first time - it's really up to you.)  Why you chose this lifetime to experience this problem or dilemma, or illness, or whatever it is that's the stone in your path.  

It's hard to see that the stones in our paths turn to diamonds after we've overcome them.  And it's hard to see that we may appear to be "crushed" by the stone in our path - and it actually may be in a future lifetime that we've overcome them - we can't think of our lives in that fashion, that each one is part of the overall journey we've signed up to take.  That even the most difficult of stones, in this context, may be the stone we revisit over a couple of lifetimes in order to master it.

Which brings us back to states of mind.

If you can partition your mind to create a better happier healthier you - it doesn't mean you have to lose who you are to do so - it means that you've mastered the ability to see all your states of mind as what you've created to deal with your reality on a day to day basis.  And realizing that everything is part of your consciousness dealing with what's in front of you on a day to day basis, is a path to an enlightening way to view your journey on the planet.

N'est pas?

A Trip To the Council on the Flipside

That danged afterlife "council" again. Same council I report in "Flipside" and "Hacking the Afterlife" and visit LIVE ON AIR during my interview with Heather Wade on Art Bell's radio show last week. 

A council of my peeps in Ladakh

You don't need a Near Death Experience to get your life upright again. It helps but so does learning why you're here on the planet.


MAY 25, 2017
A Near-Death Survivor's Advice On Knowing What You Should Do With Your Life

Cherie Aimee

"I remember re-entering my body and finding myself in a hospital with a stiff and overbearing neck brace. I had just spoken to a “council” of six shadow figures, who told me I had more work to do in the world and asked me if I wanted to do it. I said yes, and was returned back to earth.

Hours earlier, I had been wakeboarding and hit a near-fatal wave that sent me to the hospital unconscious. What transpired when I was unconscious would dramatically shape the course of my life.

I experienced what scientists refer to as a “Near-Death Experience,” in which thousands of case studies report sensations of leaving their bodies, spending time in an otherworldly realm, meeting spiritual beings, and feeling a sense of connectedness to all things.

After my NDE, my sense of what mattered most in life was turned upside down. I used to wake up most mornings with a nagging sense that there was more I was meant to be doing with my life, without having any idea of how to do it.

Maybe you can relate to this nagging feeling or are like the 50% of other Millennials that want more direction in their lives.

While most of us will never experience an NDE—statistically they affect just 5% of the population—we can all gain value and perspective from those who live to tell about one. If you’re unsure about what you want to do with your life, NDE survivors can help shed light on what might be the right next step for you.

Meet Cherie Aimée, a fellow “NDEr” whose story is a well-known medical miracle to the world’s leading cardiothoracic surgeons. After dying in her husband’s arms, she sustained no heart beat for 90 minutes. Since then, she’s been interviewed by major news and TV networks, is a #1 bestselling author and an international motivational speaker, and has built a six figure company around living life with no regrets: Live Big Be Happy."

reprinted from Forbes Magazine: https://www.forbes.com/sites/julesschroeder/2017/05/25/a-near-death-survivors-advice-on-knowing-what-you-should-do-with-your-life/2/#f4f381c2722f

Here's Aimee talking about her experience.


What jumped out at me is this mention of meeting with her "council."

The question I have is "What council?"

Turns out, according to Michael Newton's career of writing about this "between lives" arena, we all have a council.  We meet with them prior to coming to our lives, and then upon our return, where they ask us "So? How did you do?"

They appear to serve as a kind of doctoral thesis panel - experts in their field who keep an eye on you and all your lifetimes, and show you images of what it is you did or experienced during your life that reflects what you "set out to do."

A little bit like Albert Brooks' film "Defending Your Life."




The council reference is consistent with the reports I've been cataloging for the past decade, that Michael Newton cataloged in his books for 30 years (Journey of Souls). 

Everyone - every single one of us - has a council, and we encounter them when we're off the planet - that could be because we've had a traumatic injury - a near death experience. 

Some people encounter that group with hallucinogens, some run into them through deep hypnosis hypnotherapy - and I've been showing people how you can access your own council without any drugs, hypnosis or meditation. And I did so on the radio show "Midnight in the Desert" with Heather Wade, and I visited my own council in the first of five between life sessions - which I filmed for "flipside" and transcribed the session for the books, which include "it's a wonderful afterlife" and "hacking the afterlife." 

The fact that Forbes would choose to print this - is because after her near death experience, it altered her business acumen, gave her insight to what she was doing on the planet, and made her life a more enjoyable adventure. That's not true with everyone who has a near death experience, but it is true with those who are able to remember, process, and eventually learn from the experience. Even the readers of Forbes.

There's a council story I mention in "flipside." 

When wrestler Dave Schultz was killed, his father's eulogy included the story when his son came to him as a little boy and asked if he could tell him a secret. His father, Philip said "sure, Dave." He said "I went to my council and asked them if I could teach a lesson in love." 

His dad asked who the council was. He told him "old men with white hair." His father said "and you came to teach a lesson in love?" Yes, his son said "but dad, I won't be here very long." I stumbled across this story printed in the Philadelphia newspaper account of the funeral. That wasn't an NDE or a hypnosis account but a memory of a young boy sharing a secret with his father - a story forgotten until his son was taken from him.

I've taken dozens of trips to visit councils.  My own I've visited twice in the five sessions I've done.  Not everyone visits their council in their near death experience, or in their between life hypnotherapy session.  I've found that if you can access some portion of your between life world - which apparently is accessible while you're fully conscious - you can ask your guide(s) to help you access your council.

And it's there where you begin to see who or what you are.

Don't take my word for it. Ask your council.

The Flipside of Memorial Day

Well that was interesting.

For those of you who did not get a chance to tune in to my interview with Heather Wade on Art Bell's "Midnight in the Desert" show - you can find it here:

It's worthy of note for a number of reasons.  Heather was familiar with her own near death experience (which I was not aware of) and she was passingly familiar with the accounts people had during a "Life Between life" hypnotherapy session, the kind done via the Newton Institute.

But she noted that in her near death experience, she had a profound past life review - where she got to "experience" everything good or bad she's done in this lifetime, and saw her journey in an instant.  "Flashing before her eyes" so to speak.


But she didn't meet anyone during this event.  Nor did she see any of the hallmarks associated with a between life hypnotherapy session (meeting your spiritual guide(s), seeing your soul group, or visiting your council to meet those who've been keeping an eye on your for all of your lifetimes.)

These are common experiences for those who've done a between life hypnotherapy session, but not common in near death experiences.  I think the reports show that a percentage of people "meet" others, or "higher consciousnesses" during their near death experience, but rarely to people spontaneously remember a visit to their council - at least not in the way that people who've done between life therapy had.

I can speak from experience - because I was skeptical of going anywhere during a between life session - and I went to see all the hallmarks of these sessions, including my soul group, my guides, and meeting my council. It was a humbling experience which I recount in "Flipside: A tourist's guide on how to navigate the afterlife."

But Heather had not seen anyone in her between life experience. 

Until now.

I asked Heather if she wanted to "try" to revisit her near death experience "live" on the air while we were talking over three hours.  She said she would like to.

I preface the following with this technique that I've honed from having filmed 40 between life sessions, having read Michael Newton's books, looked over Dr. Helen Wambach's cases where she asked people about "choosing their lifetime" under hypnosis.  I've also spent some time interviewing people who've had near death experiences, and as of late, using my knowledge of the between lives realm to interview (through mediums) people who are no longer on the planet to see if they can confirm or deny some of these reports.

So when I said "would you like to explore it?" I meant - "I've been exploring this awhile, and if it's possible to find something - we might find it."


I had no idea if Heather would "find" anything or anyone.  She had no idea I was going to ask her to do this. Again, I had no knowledge of her near death experience, other than her mentioning it on the air - and saying that she had this "incredible past life review."

I asked if we could go to the moment just prior to the review. To a moment that still had clarity in her mind, like flying or traveling through space in spirit form.

She said she could access that and I asked if she was floating, zooming, or being pulled.  She described a zooming sensation, but that it was not deliberate - as if she was being drawn somewhere.  I asked if it was like "metal fillings" being drawn across a table. (a description I'm familiar with.)  She said "Yes."

She then said she felt after passing tiny pinpoints of light, it was as if she was slowing down.  She stopped just shy of a brightly colored cloud.

Now at this point, most scientists stop their inquiry.  They'll ask "did you go through the cloud?" speaking in past tense. It's at this point, because she's being so descriptive, I asked "Can you put your hand in the light? And if so, tell me what it feels like?"  She said it was warm, almost hot, but not uncomfortable.  In fact she said there was a feeling of "contentment" associated with it.

After getting her to describe the colors inside this cloud, I asked her to "go through the cloud" in her minds eye and describe that feeling. She did. As she came through the other side she said she felt a "presence nearby."  I asked what it was - male or female, and she said she didn't know - just that it was a presence that felt familiar to her.

Because of my familiarity with these surroundings - and because we were live on air - I asked her if she minded if I "skipped ahead."  She said no. I asked whoever it was that is the presence nearby if he could shift his energy to appear to her in a form she could recognize and we could ask questions to.  She said "I see a male. He's old, looks Asian, has long gray hair and a long gray beard."  I asked if there was anything he wanted to tell her - and she said "He's telling me "it took you long enough to come back here."

Now I don't know what the means, because I don't know how long ago her event was. I do know it wasn't what she expected to hear - and noted that it was "new information" for both of us.  A guide laughing and saying "It took you long enough to come back here to see me." Pretty funny.

But we came up on a commercial break. As Heather said "I'm afraid if I break I'm going to lose this connection" and I said "Let me ask your friend to stick around until we come back."  When we came back after a few minutes, she said "during the break he was laughing, and become more and more clear to me. I feel as if I have one foot in the radio studio, and another in this other realm."

I thanked him for doing so - asked him his name. He gave her "Mr. Chown."  I thanked him for "putting that name in her head." Then I asked some simple questions about her path and journey. "How is she doing?" He said essentially that she's doing great, that she's doing what she set out to do, and even though it was a surprise (for her to take over this Art Bell show) it was the right thing for her to do. 

She said he looked a bit
like Pai Mei - character from "Kill Bill"

I asked if she knew this person, and asked him if he was her guide. He said "Yes" and she said "no, I've never seen him before, but I feel like I know him."  I asked him how many people were in her soul group. She said "18."  

We could have gone to visit the soul group, but knowing we only had so much time on the air, I chose to ask him to take her to the place that she was skeptical about - the place that she'd read about but didn't quite believe - her own council.

Skid Marks on Mars.

I asked her to describe if we were "inside or outside."  She said "Odd. We're outside, but we're in outer space."  I asked how many people were in her council. She said "12."  (Newton said the average is from 6-12, and the more people on a council reflects more accolades earned for difficult lifetimes.)  I asked how they were arrayed. She said "In a circle."  She was standing, they were seated.

I asked her to approach whomever seemed to be the leader of the group. (there's usually a spokesperson who speaks on everyone's behalf.) She said a woman, also asian, long grey hair was holding a book and she felt herself come forward to her.  I asked the woman to show her the book she was holding in her hands.

Heather said when the woman opened the book, it was as if each page had a moving hologram inside of it - that she could see the world inside, and it was her life story.  She got about a third of the way into the book and said "I see my house on the page. I'm sitting on a rocking chair on the porch, I have long grey hair." This was also "new information." I've never met anyone who saw a book in the afterlife that was holographic in nature, or that could show us images of something in the future - or was as she described it.  It was something she had never seen of, heard of, and had never experienced before.

NEW INFORMATION. Not from anyone or any source on this planet, or cryptomnesia from any book or TV show, or any other device. No one has depicted a book of your life that you could open and see holographic/moving images of your life.  That I'm aware of anyway, or that Heather is aware of. Which is what new information requires.

Hans Holbein - in costume

Now if she was in a session with a hypnotherapist, she could explore this in detail - why this moment in time perhaps?  But I wanted her to hear or feel from her council. I asked if they could give her a sensation in her body that would reflect on their appreciation for the job she's doing.

 She said "I'm in this very cold recording studio and I just saw them all stand up for me, and the entire room I'm in feels like it's now crowded with people." 

I asked her lead council member to put a sensation in her body that she could remember, so that when she felt it, it would trigger a memory of this event.  She said she had one.

I told Heather that it would likely take a few days for her to "return" fully to her self. That walking into this event does feel like you've stepped off the earth - a physical sensation of concomitance - existing in two places at the same time. I said it would eventually wear away, but you will remember more clearly the things that you've seen here.

Again - she was not under hypnosis. I am not a hypnotist.  It was live on the air. Everyone in the audience heard what she was seeing as she said it... and she said "she felt naked" by the experience.

Goddess of Memory

I've done this live with other folks, in a couple of IANDS talks, which I haven't posted them because it does feel like a journey into your most private place to see yourself as you truly are. 

I asked her guide to show her how he sees her - as a ball of energetic light, peach in color.  I asked her to describe the "cloak" she saw her council member wearing - it was white, or filled with reflective light that made her face glow.

These are also pieces of new information. I imagine there's a art director out there who can imagine an article of clothing that's white, yet adds light in a shimmering way - but it's not me, and it's not Heather.  It's the kind of visual I could not make up - and it's the kind of visual Heather would argue that she did not make up.  It was shown to her.

What to make of this?

Well, it's just a way of demonstrating that the nature of reality is not what it appears to be.  It's a way of demonstrating that we all have guides looking over us, loved ones keeping an eye on us - we are never alone.

And on this day - Memorial Day 2017 - it's important to realize that we can access anyone we've been missing, any loved one who is no longer on the planet - they won't show up to disrupt your reality, but they will show up to help you with this one.  Just say their name aloud and ask them some questions.

And that my folks is my two cents for the day.