1 00:00:00,640 --> 00:00:03,480 Speaker 1: And you're here. Thanks for choosing the iHeartRadio and Coast 2 00:00:03,480 --> 00:00:06,760 Speaker 1: to Ghost Day and Paranormal Podcast Network. Your quest for 3 00:00:06,880 --> 00:00:10,640 Speaker 1: podcasts of the paranormal, supernatural, and the unexplained ends here. 4 00:00:11,119 --> 00:00:13,520 Speaker 1: They invite you to enjoy all our shows we have 5 00:00:13,640 --> 00:00:16,440 Speaker 1: on this network, and right now, let's start with Chase 6 00:00:16,480 --> 00:00:18,720 Speaker 1: of the Afterlife with Sandra Champlain. 7 00:00:21,920 --> 00:00:25,200 Speaker 2: Welcome to our podcast. Please be aware the thoughts and 8 00:00:25,280 --> 00:00:29,280 Speaker 2: opinions expressed by the host are their thoughts and opinions 9 00:00:29,280 --> 00:00:34,520 Speaker 2: only and do not reflect those of iHeartMedia, iHeartRadio, Coast 10 00:00:34,520 --> 00:00:38,960 Speaker 2: to Coast, am employees of Premiere Networks, or their sponsors 11 00:00:38,960 --> 00:00:42,159 Speaker 2: and associates. We would like to encourage you to do 12 00:00:42,240 --> 00:00:49,640 Speaker 2: your own research and discover the subject matter for yourself. Hi. 13 00:00:49,920 --> 00:00:53,959 Speaker 2: I'm Sandra Champlain. For over twenty five years, I've been 14 00:00:54,000 --> 00:00:57,560 Speaker 2: on a journey to prove the existence of life after death. 15 00:00:58,240 --> 00:01:01,480 Speaker 2: On each episode, we'll discuss us the reasons we now 16 00:01:01,520 --> 00:01:05,480 Speaker 2: know that our loved ones have survived physical death and 17 00:01:05,600 --> 00:01:10,360 Speaker 2: so will we. Welcome to Shades of the Afterlife. I'll 18 00:01:10,360 --> 00:01:13,639 Speaker 2: start our time together today with a true story shared 19 00:01:13,680 --> 00:01:16,960 Speaker 2: by a hospice volunteer about one of her patients. An 20 00:01:17,000 --> 00:01:20,920 Speaker 2: elderly man named Frank. Frank had been a quiet, stoic 21 00:01:21,000 --> 00:01:23,960 Speaker 2: man all of his life, but in his final weeks, 22 00:01:24,200 --> 00:01:28,760 Speaker 2: ravaged by cancer, he had grown even more withdrawn, Rarely 23 00:01:28,920 --> 00:01:32,440 Speaker 2: speaking to his family or the staff. He spent most 24 00:01:32,440 --> 00:01:35,920 Speaker 2: of his days in a state of semi consciousness, his 25 00:01:36,040 --> 00:01:42,040 Speaker 2: breath shallow, his eyes closed. His family was heartbroken, feeling 26 00:01:42,160 --> 00:01:44,960 Speaker 2: as though they had already lost him. They would sit 27 00:01:45,040 --> 00:01:48,680 Speaker 2: by his bedside, talking to him, but getting no response. 28 00:01:49,240 --> 00:01:52,920 Speaker 2: One afternoon, the volunteer was sitting with Frank while his 29 00:01:53,000 --> 00:01:56,360 Speaker 2: family took a much needed break. The room was still 30 00:01:56,400 --> 00:01:59,640 Speaker 2: and quiet, filled only with the soft toumb of an 31 00:01:59,680 --> 00:02:04,960 Speaker 2: ox machine. Suddenly Frank's eyes, which had been closed for hours, 32 00:02:05,520 --> 00:02:09,200 Speaker 2: fluttered open. But he wasn't looking at the volunteer or 33 00:02:09,240 --> 00:02:12,200 Speaker 2: the ceiling. He was looking toward the foot of his 34 00:02:12,280 --> 00:02:17,560 Speaker 2: bed with a look of pure, unadulterated joy. A huge, 35 00:02:17,840 --> 00:02:22,600 Speaker 2: brilliant smile spread across his face, a smile no one 36 00:02:22,600 --> 00:02:27,280 Speaker 2: had seen in years. His frail hand lifted from the blanket, 37 00:02:27,880 --> 00:02:32,600 Speaker 2: reaching out toward the empty space. He let out a soft, 38 00:02:32,840 --> 00:02:39,440 Speaker 2: breathy laugh and whispered a single word, Sadie. His eyes 39 00:02:39,600 --> 00:02:43,239 Speaker 2: tracked something invisible moving from the foot of the bed 40 00:02:43,680 --> 00:02:48,040 Speaker 2: along the side right up to his hand. He began 41 00:02:48,160 --> 00:02:51,560 Speaker 2: to make a soft, rhythmic stroking motion in the air, 42 00:02:52,120 --> 00:02:55,800 Speaker 2: his fingers gently curling and uncurling, as if he were 43 00:02:55,880 --> 00:03:00,480 Speaker 2: running them through a thick coat of fur. There's my girl, 44 00:03:00,960 --> 00:03:05,800 Speaker 2: he whispered, his voice filled with love. There's my good girl. 45 00:03:06,639 --> 00:03:11,840 Speaker 2: The volunteer watched, mesmerized as this dying man, lost to 46 00:03:11,880 --> 00:03:16,560 Speaker 2: the world just moments before, was now completely engaged with 47 00:03:16,720 --> 00:03:21,160 Speaker 2: his unseen companion. He continued to pet the air, his 48 00:03:21,280 --> 00:03:25,360 Speaker 2: eyes sparkling. He murmured, you came to take me for 49 00:03:25,440 --> 00:03:31,000 Speaker 2: a walk, didn't you. Okay, girl, Okay, let's go. He 50 00:03:31,080 --> 00:03:35,440 Speaker 2: closed his eyes, but the blissful smile remained. His hand 51 00:03:35,600 --> 00:03:39,440 Speaker 2: slowly came back to rest on the blanket. His breathing 52 00:03:39,560 --> 00:03:43,960 Speaker 2: became slower, deeper, and more peaceful than it had been 53 00:03:44,080 --> 00:03:48,000 Speaker 2: all day. When his daughter returned, the volunteer told her 54 00:03:48,040 --> 00:03:51,960 Speaker 2: what had happened. The daughter's eyes filled with tears. She 55 00:03:52,080 --> 00:03:56,880 Speaker 2: explained that Sadie had been Frank's cherished black labrador dog, 56 00:03:57,440 --> 00:04:02,400 Speaker 2: his constant companion for fourteen years, who had passed away 57 00:04:03,040 --> 00:04:08,400 Speaker 2: ten years earlier. Every single day, without fail Sadie would 58 00:04:08,480 --> 00:04:11,240 Speaker 2: wait for him at the door, ready to go for 59 00:04:11,280 --> 00:04:15,720 Speaker 2: their evening walk. Frank passed away peacefully early the next morning. 60 00:04:16,120 --> 00:04:19,680 Speaker 2: His family found immense comfort in knowing that in his 61 00:04:19,880 --> 00:04:24,480 Speaker 2: final hours, he wasn't scared and he wasn't alone. He 62 00:04:24,600 --> 00:04:28,719 Speaker 2: was with his best friend Sadie, setting off for one 63 00:04:28,880 --> 00:04:33,800 Speaker 2: last walk together. That my Friend, is a classic example 64 00:04:34,200 --> 00:04:40,599 Speaker 2: of a bedside visitation, also known as eldv's end of 65 00:04:40,680 --> 00:04:45,920 Speaker 2: life Dreams and Visions, coined by doctor Christopher Kerr. On 66 00:04:45,960 --> 00:04:50,320 Speaker 2: our episode today, we'll discuss doctor Kerr's prize winning essay 67 00:04:50,600 --> 00:04:54,320 Speaker 2: from the Bigelow Afterlife Essay Contest. But before I do, 68 00:04:54,480 --> 00:04:57,800 Speaker 2: I want to share with you some words from a listener, 69 00:04:58,160 --> 00:05:02,040 Speaker 2: plus the extraordinary dream I had last night that contained 70 00:05:02,320 --> 00:05:07,000 Speaker 2: my loved ones and pets. So first listener Jen's email 71 00:05:07,160 --> 00:05:09,760 Speaker 2: was filled with the most beautiful stories and they are 72 00:05:09,880 --> 00:05:12,840 Speaker 2: perfect example of how our loved ones and spirit can 73 00:05:12,880 --> 00:05:16,760 Speaker 2: communicate with us in ways that are deeply personal and undeniable. 74 00:05:17,279 --> 00:05:20,920 Speaker 2: The first story she shared is a illustration of what 75 00:05:21,000 --> 00:05:24,479 Speaker 2: I call a sign from the perfect personality. As we 76 00:05:24,520 --> 00:05:28,560 Speaker 2: started our episode with pets today, the dog Sadie, Jen 77 00:05:28,640 --> 00:05:31,200 Speaker 2: told me about one of her cats she had ham 78 00:05:31,279 --> 00:05:34,719 Speaker 2: fed as a tiny kitten. Now, after all that care, 79 00:05:35,120 --> 00:05:37,880 Speaker 2: you think that would be a cuddly lapcat, But he 80 00:05:38,000 --> 00:05:41,640 Speaker 2: grew up to be independent and very stand offish. Jen 81 00:05:41,760 --> 00:05:44,279 Speaker 2: said that he acted like she was the bane of 82 00:05:44,279 --> 00:05:47,240 Speaker 2: his existence, and holding him for even two minutes was 83 00:05:47,279 --> 00:05:51,599 Speaker 2: a miracle. Sadly, he was diagnosed with cancer, and Jen 84 00:05:51,680 --> 00:05:55,120 Speaker 2: and her boyfriend spent his last few days loving him 85 00:05:55,560 --> 00:06:00,120 Speaker 2: before helping him peacefully pass into the warm sun. Two 86 00:06:00,200 --> 00:06:02,800 Speaker 2: days later, Jen was lying on her bed and she 87 00:06:02,839 --> 00:06:06,200 Speaker 2: felt the bed move with a very distinct motion. If 88 00:06:06,279 --> 00:06:08,400 Speaker 2: you're somebody who has ever had a cat, you'll know 89 00:06:08,600 --> 00:06:12,320 Speaker 2: just what I'm talking about, That unsubtle thumping movement when 90 00:06:12,320 --> 00:06:14,719 Speaker 2: they are scratching an ear with the back of their foot. 91 00:06:15,120 --> 00:06:17,400 Speaker 2: She looked over, and of course there was no cat there. 92 00:06:17,839 --> 00:06:22,279 Speaker 2: But then it happened again, and again Jen knew it 93 00:06:22,360 --> 00:06:25,799 Speaker 2: was him. It wasn't a gentle nudge or a soft whisper. 94 00:06:25,839 --> 00:06:29,479 Speaker 2: It was a clear, physical and almost demanding sign which 95 00:06:29,520 --> 00:06:33,719 Speaker 2: perfectly matched the personality and the nightly routine of the 96 00:06:33,720 --> 00:06:37,400 Speaker 2: little cat she lovingly called Bratt. She feels it was 97 00:06:37,440 --> 00:06:40,760 Speaker 2: so evidential because it was so perfectly him. But Jen's 98 00:06:40,760 --> 00:06:44,240 Speaker 2: signs didn't stop there. She shared another story from this 99 00:06:44,480 --> 00:06:48,719 Speaker 2: past week that she calls putting a spirit to the test. 100 00:06:49,400 --> 00:06:52,440 Speaker 2: It started when Jen was listening to an old episode 101 00:06:52,480 --> 00:06:55,480 Speaker 2: of mine. During the show, she was prompted to think 102 00:06:55,600 --> 00:06:57,919 Speaker 2: of a sign she would like to receive from a 103 00:06:57,960 --> 00:07:03,000 Speaker 2: loved one, and she said her sign out loud, a dragonfly. Well, 104 00:07:03,080 --> 00:07:06,960 Speaker 2: that Friday night, her dog became extremely sick. It was late, 105 00:07:07,240 --> 00:07:10,560 Speaker 2: there were no vets available, and she was terrified. She 106 00:07:10,680 --> 00:07:13,560 Speaker 2: sat with him in the dark and prayed, begging her 107 00:07:13,560 --> 00:07:16,760 Speaker 2: deceased mother to watch over him and help him get 108 00:07:16,840 --> 00:07:20,080 Speaker 2: through it. The next morning, her dog was still wobbly 109 00:07:20,200 --> 00:07:23,960 Speaker 2: and she was heartbroken, praying, please, Mom, watch over him. 110 00:07:24,520 --> 00:07:27,160 Speaker 2: When a little while later she was walking him in 111 00:07:27,200 --> 00:07:31,040 Speaker 2: the backyard and a dragonfly landed directly on his little 112 00:07:31,080 --> 00:07:35,760 Speaker 2: dog jacket and walked around the yard hanging on to him. 113 00:07:36,320 --> 00:07:39,640 Speaker 2: Then two or three more dragonflies appeared, landing on the 114 00:07:39,760 --> 00:07:43,160 Speaker 2: chairs and even on Jen herself. In that moment, she 115 00:07:43,400 --> 00:07:46,520 Speaker 2: said she knew her dog would come through this and 116 00:07:46,520 --> 00:07:49,480 Speaker 2: that he would be okay, and he was. If the 117 00:07:49,520 --> 00:07:52,160 Speaker 2: story ended there, it would be amazing enough. But the 118 00:07:52,280 --> 00:07:55,800 Speaker 2: very next day, Jen was sitting with her grandson, who 119 00:07:55,840 --> 00:07:59,600 Speaker 2: looked at her and said, I wish she, meaning Jen's mom, 120 00:08:00,160 --> 00:08:03,680 Speaker 2: could have met River his baby boy. Jen told me 121 00:08:03,800 --> 00:08:08,320 Speaker 2: that right after her grandson said that, several dragonflies flew 122 00:08:08,400 --> 00:08:11,440 Speaker 2: over and just hovered right above their table, and she 123 00:08:11,640 --> 00:08:15,120 Speaker 2: believed it was a message from mom. How often do 124 00:08:15,200 --> 00:08:17,760 Speaker 2: we have the courage to ask for a specific sign? 125 00:08:18,320 --> 00:08:20,760 Speaker 2: For Jen, her mom delivered a sign, not as a 126 00:08:20,760 --> 00:08:24,160 Speaker 2: casual hello, but in a moment of desperate need, bringing 127 00:08:24,160 --> 00:08:26,720 Speaker 2: comfort and peace, and then she sent it again like 128 00:08:26,760 --> 00:08:29,960 Speaker 2: a little wink from heaven to remove any doubt. It 129 00:08:30,080 --> 00:08:32,679 Speaker 2: just shows us that our loved ones are listening, they 130 00:08:32,720 --> 00:08:35,160 Speaker 2: respond when we need them the most, and their love 131 00:08:35,200 --> 00:08:38,280 Speaker 2: is always with us. Now you would think me, I 132 00:08:38,559 --> 00:08:42,200 Speaker 2: Sander Champlain, am an expert on asking for signs and 133 00:08:42,240 --> 00:08:44,880 Speaker 2: getting them from my loved ones. But I'm going to 134 00:08:44,960 --> 00:08:47,680 Speaker 2: admit I'm human, and although I do trust that my 135 00:08:47,760 --> 00:08:50,439 Speaker 2: loved ones are around, I don't often ask for signs 136 00:08:50,520 --> 00:08:53,960 Speaker 2: or do many of the afterlife communication methods that we 137 00:08:54,080 --> 00:08:57,600 Speaker 2: so often talk about Tan Shades of the Afterlife. But 138 00:08:57,720 --> 00:09:01,679 Speaker 2: last night I finished recording last week's episode and at 139 00:09:01,679 --> 00:09:05,600 Speaker 2: the end spoke about some different ways we can talk 140 00:09:05,640 --> 00:09:08,840 Speaker 2: to and connect with our loved ones and spirit. So 141 00:09:09,040 --> 00:09:12,480 Speaker 2: I remembered episode one eight four when I spoke about 142 00:09:12,520 --> 00:09:16,240 Speaker 2: a dream expert and psychologist, doctor Janet Pete A. Latto. 143 00:09:16,960 --> 00:09:20,400 Speaker 2: She talks about a dream gate, so you can wake 144 00:09:20,480 --> 00:09:22,800 Speaker 2: up in the morning or just before you go to bed, 145 00:09:22,960 --> 00:09:28,400 Speaker 2: imagine a doorway or a gateway, and allow our loved 146 00:09:28,440 --> 00:09:31,240 Speaker 2: one to appear in your mind, just on the opposite 147 00:09:31,240 --> 00:09:34,079 Speaker 2: side of it. So we're kind of like jumpstarting a 148 00:09:34,160 --> 00:09:37,439 Speaker 2: dream visit and allowing the space for our loved one 149 00:09:37,520 --> 00:09:40,440 Speaker 2: to connect with us. You'll get all the details on 150 00:09:40,760 --> 00:09:44,560 Speaker 2: episode one eighty four. Anyways, this morning, I woke up early. 151 00:09:44,880 --> 00:09:47,000 Speaker 2: It was too early to get up. I was in 152 00:09:47,040 --> 00:09:50,400 Speaker 2: that day dreamy state and decided to try at that 153 00:09:50,480 --> 00:09:54,120 Speaker 2: dream gate. So I pictured my own backyard of my house, 154 00:09:54,440 --> 00:09:57,839 Speaker 2: but invented a fence with a gate. On the other 155 00:09:57,880 --> 00:10:01,599 Speaker 2: side of that gate, I pictured my dad, who was 156 00:10:01,640 --> 00:10:05,559 Speaker 2: in spirit. Well, apparently I fell asleep because I awoke 157 00:10:05,840 --> 00:10:10,520 Speaker 2: from the following very vivid dream. In my dream, I 158 00:10:10,559 --> 00:10:13,520 Speaker 2: walked into a beautiful house in the woods and my 159 00:10:13,800 --> 00:10:17,800 Speaker 2: dad was sitting at the kitchen table. I could clearly 160 00:10:17,960 --> 00:10:20,640 Speaker 2: see the black and white flannel shirt he was wearing 161 00:10:21,040 --> 00:10:24,920 Speaker 2: and tan corduroy pants. I was happy to see him, 162 00:10:25,040 --> 00:10:28,480 Speaker 2: of course, and although I don't remember what we talked about, 163 00:10:28,559 --> 00:10:30,800 Speaker 2: I know we talked for a few moments and he 164 00:10:30,880 --> 00:10:34,160 Speaker 2: stood up and gave me the biggest hug, which I 165 00:10:34,160 --> 00:10:37,360 Speaker 2: can still feel. Then he said, to me, let me 166 00:10:37,440 --> 00:10:41,720 Speaker 2: show you something. So Dad led me down the hallway 167 00:10:42,360 --> 00:10:46,960 Speaker 2: to a closed door, and then he opened it. Behind 168 00:10:47,160 --> 00:10:52,280 Speaker 2: the door was my grandmother, his mom, I call her Grammy, 169 00:10:52,679 --> 00:10:56,160 Speaker 2: who passed away seventeen years ago. She was sitting on 170 00:10:56,200 --> 00:10:59,000 Speaker 2: a couch. I bent down and I gave her a 171 00:10:59,120 --> 00:11:02,880 Speaker 2: very real kiss on cheek. But the sweetest thing was 172 00:11:02,920 --> 00:11:07,160 Speaker 2: that around her lap, sitting cozied up against her, was 173 00:11:07,600 --> 00:11:13,079 Speaker 2: my three cats that are in spirit, Millie, Ozzie and Harry, 174 00:11:13,520 --> 00:11:16,679 Speaker 2: who just passed last month. I was so happy I 175 00:11:16,720 --> 00:11:21,000 Speaker 2: could feel there, for I could even feel Millie kind 176 00:11:21,000 --> 00:11:24,080 Speaker 2: of nuzzle up against my gin. And then I woke up, 177 00:11:24,800 --> 00:11:27,199 Speaker 2: and I woke up with tears of joy in my eyes. 178 00:11:27,720 --> 00:11:31,640 Speaker 2: So I want to thank Jen for sharing her stories. Friends, 179 00:11:31,679 --> 00:11:35,800 Speaker 2: I love hearing your stories of signs, et cetera. Don't forget. 180 00:11:35,840 --> 00:11:39,120 Speaker 2: You can email me Sandra Champlain at gmail dot com. 181 00:11:39,480 --> 00:11:42,040 Speaker 2: And I also want to thank my loved ones who 182 00:11:42,040 --> 00:11:45,720 Speaker 2: made a special guest appearance in my dreams. I feel 183 00:11:46,000 --> 00:11:49,439 Speaker 2: like after today I'll be asking for some more signs. 184 00:11:49,840 --> 00:11:51,960 Speaker 2: What are we talking about today? Yes, I said, We're 185 00:11:52,000 --> 00:11:57,000 Speaker 2: going to turn to doctor Christopher Kurz prize winning essay. 186 00:11:57,679 --> 00:12:01,080 Speaker 2: Back in twenty twenty one, Robert bigel Hello, founder of 187 00:12:01,240 --> 00:12:06,479 Speaker 2: Bigelow Aerospace, created a contest looking for proof of the afterlife. 188 00:12:06,760 --> 00:12:10,040 Speaker 2: The winners were chosen based on the power of their arguments, 189 00:12:10,360 --> 00:12:14,840 Speaker 2: and the essays they wrote were all about human survival 190 00:12:15,240 --> 00:12:20,400 Speaker 2: of consciousness beyond a reasonable doubt, as though they were 191 00:12:20,440 --> 00:12:24,120 Speaker 2: in a courtroom presenting it. When we get back from 192 00:12:24,160 --> 00:12:28,360 Speaker 2: the break, we'll dive right into doctor Christopher Kerr's winning 193 00:12:28,480 --> 00:12:34,960 Speaker 2: essay called Experiences of the Dying Evidence of Survival of 194 00:12:35,080 --> 00:12:39,720 Speaker 2: Human Consciousness. We'll be right back. You're listening to Shades 195 00:12:39,720 --> 00:12:43,280 Speaker 2: of the Afterlife on the iHeartRadio and Coast to Coast 196 00:12:43,360 --> 00:13:10,240 Speaker 2: AM Paranormal podcast Network. Welcome back to Shades of the Afterlife. 197 00:13:10,280 --> 00:13:13,960 Speaker 2: I'm Sandra Champlain, and next I want to feature some 198 00:13:14,200 --> 00:13:19,480 Speaker 2: words from doctor Christopher Kerr's prize winning essay Experiences of 199 00:13:19,520 --> 00:13:24,280 Speaker 2: the Dying Evidence of Survival of Human Consciousness, which he 200 00:13:24,600 --> 00:13:28,959 Speaker 2: entered in the Bigelow contest back in twenty twenty one. Now, 201 00:13:28,960 --> 00:13:31,320 Speaker 2: if you go back to episode two hundred and forty four, 202 00:13:31,720 --> 00:13:34,560 Speaker 2: I feature some of the words from the first prize winner, 203 00:13:34,840 --> 00:13:39,480 Speaker 2: which is Jeffrey Mishlev. The reason I picked doctor Kerr's 204 00:13:39,600 --> 00:13:43,520 Speaker 2: essay for today is simply because it is one of 205 00:13:43,600 --> 00:13:49,160 Speaker 2: the subjects that brings me personally the most comfort. That's 206 00:13:49,200 --> 00:13:52,199 Speaker 2: how I chose it. So today, no talk of near 207 00:13:52,240 --> 00:13:57,440 Speaker 2: death experiences or mediums. We are going to look at 208 00:13:57,480 --> 00:14:01,920 Speaker 2: the afterlife from the perspect of a hospice doctor who 209 00:14:01,960 --> 00:14:04,640 Speaker 2: has spent more than two decades at the bedside of 210 00:14:04,679 --> 00:14:09,120 Speaker 2: the dying. His name is doctor Christopher Kerr, a neurobiologist 211 00:14:09,160 --> 00:14:13,120 Speaker 2: and the chief medical officer at the Center for Hospice 212 00:14:13,320 --> 00:14:17,120 Speaker 2: and Palliative Care in Buffalo, New York. What doctor Kerr 213 00:14:17,160 --> 00:14:21,040 Speaker 2: has documented is something that happens not after death, but 214 00:14:21,120 --> 00:14:25,400 Speaker 2: in the weeks, days, and hours before death. These are 215 00:14:25,400 --> 00:14:30,200 Speaker 2: the profound, vivid, and deeply meaningful dreams and visions that 216 00:14:30,280 --> 00:14:34,360 Speaker 2: the vast majority of his patient's experience. He calls them 217 00:14:34,520 --> 00:14:38,000 Speaker 2: end of life dreams and visions, or eldvs for short, 218 00:14:38,440 --> 00:14:42,480 Speaker 2: and what they reveal is a consciousness that not only 219 00:14:42,560 --> 00:14:45,920 Speaker 2: remains vibrant in a failing body, but also seems to 220 00:14:45,960 --> 00:14:50,480 Speaker 2: transcend it, connecting the dying with loved ones who have 221 00:14:50,560 --> 00:14:54,880 Speaker 2: already passed on. This is not spooky, It's not about 222 00:14:54,880 --> 00:14:59,640 Speaker 2: ghosts any abstract theology. This is about love, connection and 223 00:14:59,640 --> 00:15:03,600 Speaker 2: the power, powerful, lived reality of the human soul at 224 00:15:03,600 --> 00:15:09,000 Speaker 2: its most vulnerable and perhaps its most heightened and enlightened moment. 225 00:15:09,560 --> 00:15:14,040 Speaker 2: So let's dive into some powerful stories and evidence that 226 00:15:14,120 --> 00:15:18,400 Speaker 2: doctor Kerr has gathered. Doctor Kerr began his work by 227 00:15:18,480 --> 00:15:23,160 Speaker 2: admitting that his extensive medical and scientific training, including a 228 00:15:23,400 --> 00:15:27,440 Speaker 2: PhD in neurobiology, hadn't prepared him for what he would 229 00:15:27,520 --> 00:15:31,800 Speaker 2: witness at his patient's bedside. He, like many in the 230 00:15:31,800 --> 00:15:35,880 Speaker 2: medical field, was trained to see dying as a series 231 00:15:35,920 --> 00:15:40,840 Speaker 2: of failing organs, a biological process to be managed until 232 00:15:40,880 --> 00:15:45,600 Speaker 2: it inevitably ended. It was, in his words, about caring 233 00:15:45,760 --> 00:15:49,960 Speaker 2: for life pre death. But what he discovered was something 234 00:15:50,160 --> 00:15:53,120 Speaker 2: entirely different. He came to realize that there is so 235 00:15:53,240 --> 00:15:56,360 Speaker 2: much more to dying than just the physical act of 236 00:15:56,480 --> 00:15:59,800 Speaker 2: death itself. He saw that in the final stages of 237 00:15:59,840 --> 00:16:04,800 Speaker 2: life life, as our bodies deteriorate, the mind and consciousness 238 00:16:04,800 --> 00:16:09,440 Speaker 2: often do the opposite. They elevate, they expand they become 239 00:16:09,520 --> 00:16:13,000 Speaker 2: more acute. He makes a powerful point right away in 240 00:16:13,040 --> 00:16:17,160 Speaker 2: his essay. To find evidence for the survival of consciousness, 241 00:16:17,360 --> 00:16:20,720 Speaker 2: we can't just focus on what happens after death. The 242 00:16:20,800 --> 00:16:24,960 Speaker 2: dying process itself might be the key. It's a continuum, 243 00:16:25,040 --> 00:16:29,960 Speaker 2: a transition where patients often experience a heightened awareness of 244 00:16:30,040 --> 00:16:34,800 Speaker 2: their entire existence, past and present, and most incredibly, this 245 00:16:34,920 --> 00:16:39,200 Speaker 2: awareness is often shared with people who have died before 246 00:16:39,280 --> 00:16:43,760 Speaker 2: them and pets who are now in that moment fully 247 00:16:43,880 --> 00:16:46,960 Speaker 2: present to them. What he and his team at Hospice 248 00:16:46,960 --> 00:16:51,280 Speaker 2: Buffalo began to see time and time again where patients 249 00:16:51,320 --> 00:16:56,760 Speaker 2: having vivid, meaningful reunions with their deceased loved ones, parents 250 00:16:56,800 --> 00:17:01,800 Speaker 2: and children lost decades earlier, would return to provide comfort, 251 00:17:02,120 --> 00:17:06,840 Speaker 2: peace and forgiveness, helping their loved one transition. This is 252 00:17:06,840 --> 00:17:10,600 Speaker 2: what doctor Kerr calls the great paradox of dying. At 253 00:17:10,600 --> 00:17:14,600 Speaker 2: the very moment we associate with physical decline and darkness, 254 00:17:15,000 --> 00:17:20,680 Speaker 2: patients often spiritually and perceptually are vibrant, filled with an 255 00:17:20,680 --> 00:17:25,240 Speaker 2: inner life that defies their failing biology. Now, many of 256 00:17:25,320 --> 00:17:29,400 Speaker 2: us are familiar with the near death experience or NDEs 257 00:17:30,040 --> 00:17:33,560 Speaker 2: Skeptics of NDEs often attribute them to a lack of 258 00:17:33,640 --> 00:17:38,520 Speaker 2: oxygen in the brain, anesthesia, or the trauma of resuscitation. 259 00:17:39,040 --> 00:17:42,639 Speaker 2: But doctor Kerr's work is very different. His patients aren't 260 00:17:42,680 --> 00:17:47,160 Speaker 2: having a sudden, traumatic brush with death. For most, dying 261 00:17:47,480 --> 00:17:52,080 Speaker 2: is a prolonged process. His team has studied over fifteen 262 00:17:52,240 --> 00:17:56,520 Speaker 2: hundred patients, many of whom were fully awake, lucid, and 263 00:17:56,760 --> 00:18:02,560 Speaker 2: neurologically intact when these experiences began, not just minutes before 264 00:18:02,600 --> 00:18:05,919 Speaker 2: their death, but in the days and weeks leading up 265 00:18:05,960 --> 00:18:09,520 Speaker 2: to it. These experiences are not the result of a 266 00:18:09,560 --> 00:18:13,640 Speaker 2: brain shutting down or rebooting. They happen on a continuum, 267 00:18:13,920 --> 00:18:19,080 Speaker 2: from full intact cognition to the final hours. Doctor Kerr 268 00:18:19,200 --> 00:18:22,800 Speaker 2: argues that it is the dying themselves who have the 269 00:18:22,840 --> 00:18:26,640 Speaker 2: best and most unique vantage point, the keyhole through which 270 00:18:27,000 --> 00:18:31,800 Speaker 2: to see what lies beyond. So what are these experiences 271 00:18:32,119 --> 00:18:36,439 Speaker 2: really like? Doctor Kerr and his team conducted rigorous, peer 272 00:18:36,640 --> 00:18:41,359 Speaker 2: reviewed studies to find out. They interviewed patients daily, screening 273 00:18:41,400 --> 00:18:45,480 Speaker 2: them to ensure they weren't suffering from delirium or confusion. 274 00:18:45,760 --> 00:18:50,960 Speaker 2: What they found was staggering, and their first major longitudinal study, 275 00:18:51,480 --> 00:18:56,000 Speaker 2: eighty eight percent of patients reported having at least one 276 00:18:56,359 --> 00:18:59,840 Speaker 2: end of life dream or vision. These weren't fleeting and 277 00:19:00,040 --> 00:19:04,680 Speaker 2: fuzzy dreams. Nearly all of them ninety nine percent were 278 00:19:04,680 --> 00:19:09,720 Speaker 2: described by patients as feeling more real than real. This 279 00:19:09,760 --> 00:19:12,920 Speaker 2: is a phrase that comes up again and again. These 280 00:19:12,960 --> 00:19:18,560 Speaker 2: weren't just memories, they were lived, felt, tangible experiences. And 281 00:19:18,600 --> 00:19:23,400 Speaker 2: who were they seeing. Overwhelmingly, they were seeing people they 282 00:19:23,520 --> 00:19:28,239 Speaker 2: loved who had already died, And seventy two percent of 283 00:19:28,320 --> 00:19:32,840 Speaker 2: these end of life visions involved reunions with deceased friends 284 00:19:33,080 --> 00:19:37,600 Speaker 2: or relatives, and critically, these were consistently rated as the 285 00:19:37,640 --> 00:19:42,080 Speaker 2: most comforting experiences of all. As the patients got closer 286 00:19:42,119 --> 00:19:46,400 Speaker 2: to death, the frequency of these visits from the deceased increased, 287 00:19:46,760 --> 00:19:49,879 Speaker 2: and so did the comfort level they provided. Let me 288 00:19:49,880 --> 00:19:54,000 Speaker 2: share the story of Florence, a patient doctor Kerr describes. 289 00:19:54,680 --> 00:19:58,320 Speaker 2: Six days before she died. She was physically frail, but 290 00:19:58,480 --> 00:20:03,119 Speaker 2: completely lucid with with no neurologic disease, and not on 291 00:20:03,240 --> 00:20:08,200 Speaker 2: any psychoactive medication. She described her dying process not as 292 00:20:08,240 --> 00:20:12,440 Speaker 2: something to fear, but as a vibrant, conscious experience. She 293 00:20:12,560 --> 00:20:17,879 Speaker 2: wasn't having grand, abstract revelations. Instead, she felt the comforting 294 00:20:17,960 --> 00:20:22,320 Speaker 2: and familiar presence of her deceased husband and daughter. She 295 00:20:22,520 --> 00:20:26,040 Speaker 2: was back with them and back at her family's kitchen table. 296 00:20:26,480 --> 00:20:29,560 Speaker 2: In her own words, she felt she had been put 297 00:20:29,680 --> 00:20:34,800 Speaker 2: back together and she was truly home. Her awareness was acute. 298 00:20:35,280 --> 00:20:39,600 Speaker 2: Love was the entire experience. It sustained her and removed 299 00:20:39,680 --> 00:20:44,200 Speaker 2: any fear of death. This validation is so important. Think 300 00:20:44,200 --> 00:20:47,320 Speaker 2: of Bridget, an eighty one year old grandmother who started 301 00:20:47,359 --> 00:20:51,560 Speaker 2: having such vivid visions that they blended into her waking state. 302 00:20:52,200 --> 00:20:55,200 Speaker 2: Her daughter didn't know what to say. Bridget saw her 303 00:20:55,240 --> 00:20:58,919 Speaker 2: two deceased aunts standing and watching over her. Then she 304 00:20:59,080 --> 00:21:02,600 Speaker 2: saw her mother wearing a long luminous white dress, sitting 305 00:21:02,640 --> 00:21:06,800 Speaker 2: at a table and crocheting. Bridget was deeply religious, but 306 00:21:06,880 --> 00:21:10,560 Speaker 2: these experiences created a crisis of faith for her. She 307 00:21:10,680 --> 00:21:13,800 Speaker 2: kept asking, why am I seeing this? Am I going crazy? 308 00:21:14,160 --> 00:21:18,399 Speaker 2: She expected to see angels, not her dead relatives. The 309 00:21:18,440 --> 00:21:22,159 Speaker 2: weight was only lifted when doctor Kerr's team explained that 310 00:21:22,240 --> 00:21:27,240 Speaker 2: what she was experiencing was not only normal, but incredibly common, 311 00:21:27,600 --> 00:21:31,880 Speaker 2: that nearly ninety percent of their patients had similar experiences. 312 00:21:32,240 --> 00:21:37,000 Speaker 2: After that, Bridget became comfortable, even delighted, to share her visions. 313 00:21:37,440 --> 00:21:40,840 Speaker 2: She even told them that she learned spirits like to 314 00:21:40,920 --> 00:21:46,960 Speaker 2: follow the living, especially disbelieving people. These experiences don't just comfort, 315 00:21:47,359 --> 00:21:50,680 Speaker 2: they reconnect people with the very essence of who they are. 316 00:21:51,400 --> 00:21:54,080 Speaker 2: Take Ryan, a fifty one year old man who had 317 00:21:54,119 --> 00:21:57,919 Speaker 2: never married and still lived in his childhood neighborhood. His 318 00:21:58,040 --> 00:22:01,160 Speaker 2: whole life was anchored in the seinem joys of his youth, 319 00:22:01,560 --> 00:22:05,199 Speaker 2: the music and culture of the nineteen seventies. As he 320 00:22:05,320 --> 00:22:08,760 Speaker 2: was dying, his dreams returned him to that life. He 321 00:22:08,800 --> 00:22:11,520 Speaker 2: was going to concerts and fishing in the local river 322 00:22:11,800 --> 00:22:16,080 Speaker 2: with his deceased friends. He revisited the weekly garage sales 323 00:22:16,320 --> 00:22:19,080 Speaker 2: where they used to hunt for old record albums. He 324 00:22:19,160 --> 00:22:22,919 Speaker 2: felt alive and unburdened by his illness. For a time, 325 00:22:23,440 --> 00:22:27,080 Speaker 2: his health actually improved, and the dreams and visions stopped. 326 00:22:27,680 --> 00:22:33,080 Speaker 2: His reaction, he sighed and said, I'm back. I really 327 00:22:33,119 --> 00:22:37,359 Speaker 2: missed the other stuff. He missed the vibrant, lived reality 328 00:22:37,400 --> 00:22:41,040 Speaker 2: of his visions, which felt more real and satisfying than 329 00:22:41,080 --> 00:22:45,960 Speaker 2: his physically limited existence. Another patient, Frank, was ninety five 330 00:22:46,040 --> 00:22:49,280 Speaker 2: years old and was a lifelong baseball fan with an 331 00:22:49,440 --> 00:22:53,440 Speaker 2: encyclopedic memory of the game. Though his body was failing, 332 00:22:53,520 --> 00:22:56,440 Speaker 2: his mind was sharp. When he would close his eyes 333 00:22:56,480 --> 00:23:00,719 Speaker 2: to rest, his room would become crowded with dead wad relatives. 334 00:23:01,200 --> 00:23:04,280 Speaker 2: One of them was his uncle Harry, dead for forty 335 00:23:04,320 --> 00:23:07,920 Speaker 2: six years, who, as he said, just wouldn't shut up. 336 00:23:08,640 --> 00:23:11,800 Speaker 2: Over time, Frank's inner world returned him to what he 337 00:23:11,880 --> 00:23:15,960 Speaker 2: treasured most, his wife's love. The more he dreamt of her, 338 00:23:16,320 --> 00:23:20,280 Speaker 2: the more peaceful he became. Eventually, he felt her presence 339 00:23:20,359 --> 00:23:25,440 Speaker 2: so strongly that he requested to discontinue his treatment, telling 340 00:23:25,440 --> 00:23:28,960 Speaker 2: the staff he wanted to join Ruthie in heaven. His 341 00:23:29,080 --> 00:23:32,760 Speaker 2: decision was not one of despair, but a much awaited 342 00:23:33,000 --> 00:23:36,840 Speaker 2: reunion with the woman he loved. You won't hear doctor 343 00:23:36,920 --> 00:23:40,240 Speaker 2: Christopher Kerr's voice on this episode, but I encourage you 344 00:23:40,280 --> 00:23:43,760 Speaker 2: to go to YouTube type in I see dead people. 345 00:23:44,160 --> 00:23:48,680 Speaker 2: Doctor Christopher Kerr is a Ted talk seen by over 346 00:23:48,880 --> 00:23:55,119 Speaker 2: five million people. There are hundreds of comments, many people 347 00:23:55,240 --> 00:23:59,919 Speaker 2: sharing their stories. This One person said, the last words 348 00:24:00,080 --> 00:24:03,240 Speaker 2: my father said before his death was I have to go. 349 00:24:03,800 --> 00:24:06,480 Speaker 2: My parents are sitting here next to my bed. They 350 00:24:06,520 --> 00:24:09,560 Speaker 2: want to take me somewhere. He was very relaxed and 351 00:24:09,600 --> 00:24:13,240 Speaker 2: peaceful when he died. Another person says, I was taking 352 00:24:13,280 --> 00:24:16,399 Speaker 2: care of a hospice patient when my brother died. She 353 00:24:16,520 --> 00:24:20,280 Speaker 2: hadn't spoken above a whisper in weeks. My brother died 354 00:24:20,320 --> 00:24:24,840 Speaker 2: on the Thursday afternoon, seven months after being diagnosed with 355 00:24:25,119 --> 00:24:28,120 Speaker 2: stage four lung cancer. He was buried on a Sunday, 356 00:24:28,160 --> 00:24:31,240 Speaker 2: and I returned to work on a Tuesday around two am. 357 00:24:31,320 --> 00:24:34,680 Speaker 2: My patient clearly said, your brother is here. She had 358 00:24:34,720 --> 00:24:38,160 Speaker 2: no idea I had a brother. She passed soon after. 359 00:24:38,560 --> 00:24:41,159 Speaker 2: Although I didn't see my brother, I think he was 360 00:24:41,160 --> 00:24:44,240 Speaker 2: there to comfort me. It's time for a break. We'll 361 00:24:44,280 --> 00:24:48,200 Speaker 2: be right back with more end of life visions and dreams. 362 00:24:48,600 --> 00:24:52,520 Speaker 2: You're listening to Shades of the Afterlife on the iHeartRadio 363 00:24:52,600 --> 00:25:15,680 Speaker 2: and Coast to Coast AM Paranormal podcast Network. Welcome back 364 00:25:15,760 --> 00:25:18,800 Speaker 2: to Shades of the Afterlife. I'm Sandra Champlain and on 365 00:25:18,840 --> 00:25:22,920 Speaker 2: our episode today, we're exploring a prize winning essay by 366 00:25:23,000 --> 00:25:27,480 Speaker 2: hospice doctor Christopher Kerr on end of life dreams and visions. 367 00:25:28,040 --> 00:25:32,399 Speaker 2: As his research team analyzed hundreds of these experiences, clear 368 00:25:32,480 --> 00:25:37,000 Speaker 2: themes began to emerge. They weren't random, They followed distinct 369 00:25:37,040 --> 00:25:40,000 Speaker 2: patterns that seemed to serve a profound purpose in the 370 00:25:40,119 --> 00:25:45,000 Speaker 2: dying process. First, there was the comforting presence. This is 371 00:25:45,040 --> 00:25:48,960 Speaker 2: the most common theme where deceased loved ones simply appear, 372 00:25:49,520 --> 00:25:53,399 Speaker 2: offering a sense of peace and reassurance. One woman dreamed 373 00:25:53,400 --> 00:25:56,000 Speaker 2: of her dead sister sitting by her bed and said 374 00:25:56,000 --> 00:26:00,159 Speaker 2: it was extremely comforting because I'm not going alone. My 375 00:26:00,320 --> 00:26:04,920 Speaker 2: sister will be with me. Another patient named Alice described 376 00:26:04,960 --> 00:26:08,440 Speaker 2: an intense vision of deceased loved ones that left her 377 00:26:08,480 --> 00:26:11,760 Speaker 2: with a feeling of enormous love and a sense of 378 00:26:12,040 --> 00:26:16,080 Speaker 2: joy and peace that was hard to describe. Another dreamed 379 00:26:16,080 --> 00:26:19,080 Speaker 2: of her deceased mother in a beautiful garden, who told 380 00:26:19,080 --> 00:26:23,399 Speaker 2: her everything will be okay. This was so comforting to 381 00:26:23,440 --> 00:26:26,399 Speaker 2: the patient that she told her family she wanted to 382 00:26:26,440 --> 00:26:29,720 Speaker 2: go back to sleep because her mother would be coming back. 383 00:26:30,400 --> 00:26:34,960 Speaker 2: One patient who dreamed of both deceased and living friends 384 00:26:34,960 --> 00:26:38,600 Speaker 2: and relatives, said that in the dream, they were all 385 00:26:38,680 --> 00:26:41,920 Speaker 2: simply telling me I would be okay. Perhaps one of 386 00:26:41,920 --> 00:26:45,920 Speaker 2: the most incredible examples was a ninety five year old 387 00:26:46,000 --> 00:26:48,800 Speaker 2: man who dreamed of his mother, who had passed away 388 00:26:49,119 --> 00:26:52,879 Speaker 2: ninety years earlier when he was only five years old. 389 00:26:53,520 --> 00:26:56,920 Speaker 2: The dream was so vivid that he reported smelling her 390 00:26:57,000 --> 00:27:01,879 Speaker 2: perfume and hearing her soothing, comforting voice say I love you. 391 00:27:02,920 --> 00:27:07,000 Speaker 2: The second theme was preparing to go. About thirty nine 392 00:27:07,040 --> 00:27:12,040 Speaker 2: percent of patients had dreams that involved travel, packing a suitcase, 393 00:27:12,160 --> 00:27:16,439 Speaker 2: boarding a plane, or driving somewhere. One man dreamed he 394 00:27:16,560 --> 00:27:19,280 Speaker 2: was boarding a plane with his son. He didn't know 395 00:27:19,320 --> 00:27:23,440 Speaker 2: their destination, but he felt comforted. In a later interview, 396 00:27:23,880 --> 00:27:25,879 Speaker 2: he said that he and his son were on the 397 00:27:26,160 --> 00:27:29,919 Speaker 2: edge of leaving. Another patient dreamed that he was just 398 00:27:30,040 --> 00:27:33,399 Speaker 2: driving around town and had to go somewhere, but again 399 00:27:33,520 --> 00:27:37,080 Speaker 2: he did not know where. It's as if the consciousness 400 00:27:37,400 --> 00:27:40,440 Speaker 2: is getting ready for a journey that the body can 401 00:27:40,480 --> 00:27:45,160 Speaker 2: no longer take. The third theme was watching or engaging 402 00:27:45,240 --> 00:27:49,280 Speaker 2: with the dead. Sometimes the deceased would just be present 403 00:27:49,880 --> 00:27:53,200 Speaker 2: watching over the patient, which was found to be very comforting. 404 00:27:53,840 --> 00:27:57,360 Speaker 2: One patient said she dreamed of her two aunts standing 405 00:27:57,400 --> 00:28:00,320 Speaker 2: over and watching her while she was lying on a couch. 406 00:28:01,000 --> 00:28:04,959 Speaker 2: Other times the engagement was more active. One woman dreamed 407 00:28:04,960 --> 00:28:08,760 Speaker 2: her deceased husband and sister joined her for breakfast, and 408 00:28:08,800 --> 00:28:12,360 Speaker 2: that she played cards with her dead friends. Another patient 409 00:28:12,480 --> 00:28:16,400 Speaker 2: dreamed that her father and two brothers, all deceased, were 410 00:28:16,440 --> 00:28:21,080 Speaker 2: silently hugging her and playing games. Then she described how 411 00:28:21,240 --> 00:28:24,919 Speaker 2: they were welcoming her to the dead and in a simple, 412 00:28:25,000 --> 00:28:28,840 Speaker 2: beautiful vision. Another man dreamed he was able to pet 413 00:28:29,040 --> 00:28:34,480 Speaker 2: and play with is deceased dog. The fourth theme, closely related, 414 00:28:34,640 --> 00:28:39,240 Speaker 2: was loved ones waiting. Here the message is more explicit. 415 00:28:39,800 --> 00:28:42,960 Speaker 2: The deceased are not just visiting, they are waiting to 416 00:28:43,040 --> 00:28:47,160 Speaker 2: welcome the person home. One woman had waking visions of 417 00:28:47,360 --> 00:28:50,840 Speaker 2: six dead family members in her room, and she said 418 00:28:51,280 --> 00:28:53,720 Speaker 2: they were just waiting for me, and that it was 419 00:28:53,800 --> 00:28:57,440 Speaker 2: good to see them just three days before she died. 420 00:28:57,880 --> 00:29:01,040 Speaker 2: Another woman dreamed she was at the top of a 421 00:29:01,080 --> 00:29:05,720 Speaker 2: beautiful staircase with her husband waiting for her at the bottom. 422 00:29:06,160 --> 00:29:11,640 Speaker 2: Of course, not all experiences were purely comforting. The fifth 423 00:29:11,680 --> 00:29:19,640 Speaker 2: theme was distressing experiences, and the sixth unfinished business. We'll 424 00:29:19,680 --> 00:29:23,240 Speaker 2: talk about these in more detail, but they show something profound. 425 00:29:23,760 --> 00:29:28,360 Speaker 2: We die as we have lived. These experiences are not 426 00:29:28,560 --> 00:29:33,200 Speaker 2: a generic heavenly escape. They're deeply personally tied to the 427 00:29:33,240 --> 00:29:37,520 Speaker 2: life of the individual, including their traumas, their regrets, and 428 00:29:37,560 --> 00:29:42,000 Speaker 2: their deepest worries. The idea that end of life experiences 429 00:29:42,080 --> 00:29:47,840 Speaker 2: are always peaceful and beautiful, unfortunately, is not the complete picture. 430 00:29:48,480 --> 00:29:52,640 Speaker 2: Doctor Kerr's work shows that these visions are an extension 431 00:29:53,040 --> 00:29:55,960 Speaker 2: of the life that was led, and for some that 432 00:29:56,040 --> 00:30:00,360 Speaker 2: life include trauma and some unresolved pain. But even in 433 00:30:00,400 --> 00:30:05,440 Speaker 2: these distressing visions, there is always a path toward healing 434 00:30:05,600 --> 00:30:09,680 Speaker 2: and resolution. Let's talk about Dwayne. Dwayne was a forty 435 00:30:09,720 --> 00:30:12,840 Speaker 2: eight year old man dying of throat cancer after a 436 00:30:12,880 --> 00:30:18,400 Speaker 2: lifetime of substance abuse and crime. When he arrived at hospice, 437 00:30:18,520 --> 00:30:22,240 Speaker 2: he was charming, funny, and sociable, acting as if he 438 00:30:22,320 --> 00:30:26,640 Speaker 2: had a clear conscience, despite a violent past that included 439 00:30:26,760 --> 00:30:31,640 Speaker 2: killing two men in self defense. His cheerful demeanor was 440 00:30:31,680 --> 00:30:35,120 Speaker 2: a survival mechanism, a way to avoid the deep pain 441 00:30:35,520 --> 00:30:38,600 Speaker 2: and guilt of his past. But his end of life 442 00:30:38,920 --> 00:30:42,480 Speaker 2: vision would not let him hide. He had a recurring, 443 00:30:42,800 --> 00:30:47,240 Speaker 2: terrifying dream. In it, he was grabbed and stabbed right 444 00:30:47,320 --> 00:30:50,400 Speaker 2: at the side of his cancer. He said, it was 445 00:30:50,600 --> 00:30:55,080 Speaker 2: like I was fighting somebody. They were digging the knife 446 00:30:55,200 --> 00:30:58,160 Speaker 2: trying to cut off my neck where the cancer was. 447 00:30:58,800 --> 00:31:01,440 Speaker 2: When a nurse tried to reassus sure him that people 448 00:31:01,560 --> 00:31:05,200 Speaker 2: just talk in their sleep, Dwayne insisted, no, this was real. 449 00:31:05,960 --> 00:31:10,560 Speaker 2: These visions led to a complete transformation. During a filmed interview, 450 00:31:11,040 --> 00:31:14,200 Speaker 2: this man, who was known for his jokes and casual 451 00:31:14,280 --> 00:31:19,880 Speaker 2: attitude began sobbing uncontrollably. He was finally confronting his past, 452 00:31:20,440 --> 00:31:24,080 Speaker 2: talking about his cancer as karma and regretting his life 453 00:31:24,120 --> 00:31:28,000 Speaker 2: of ripping and running. In tears, he said, one thing 454 00:31:28,080 --> 00:31:30,200 Speaker 2: I know is that I heard a lot of people 455 00:31:30,600 --> 00:31:34,000 Speaker 2: and I feel bad about doing it, very bad. And 456 00:31:34,040 --> 00:31:36,440 Speaker 2: I just hope and pray that they do forgive me 457 00:31:36,800 --> 00:31:40,160 Speaker 2: because they see what influence I was under at the time. 458 00:31:41,160 --> 00:31:45,400 Speaker 2: His consciousness, which he suppressed for a lifetime, returned with 459 00:31:45,440 --> 00:31:49,440 Speaker 2: a vengeance, forcing a reckoning that ultimately led him to 460 00:31:49,480 --> 00:31:54,600 Speaker 2: seek forgiveness, especially from his estrange daughter Brittany. Their deathbed 461 00:31:54,680 --> 00:31:58,400 Speaker 2: reunion was so powerful that it helped Brittany, who had 462 00:31:58,440 --> 00:32:01,840 Speaker 2: followed her father into drug use, to turn her own 463 00:32:01,920 --> 00:32:06,280 Speaker 2: life around after his death. Then there's the story of 464 00:32:06,400 --> 00:32:10,400 Speaker 2: John Stinson, an eighty seven year old World War II veteran. 465 00:32:10,840 --> 00:32:14,000 Speaker 2: For his entire life, John had never spoken to his 466 00:32:14,080 --> 00:32:17,560 Speaker 2: family about the horrors he witnessed as a twenty year 467 00:32:17,600 --> 00:32:21,000 Speaker 2: old soldier during the D Day landing on Omaha Beach. 468 00:32:21,720 --> 00:32:24,440 Speaker 2: He had been part of a rescue mission, and the 469 00:32:24,560 --> 00:32:28,840 Speaker 2: vision of the bloodied beach, strewn with mutilated bodies and 470 00:32:28,880 --> 00:32:33,360 Speaker 2: floating limbs, had haunted him silently for over sixty years. 471 00:32:33,920 --> 00:32:37,320 Speaker 2: As he lay dying in hospice, the trauma came roaring 472 00:32:37,400 --> 00:32:41,600 Speaker 2: back in his nightmares. He was terrified, crying out, There's 473 00:32:41,680 --> 00:32:45,800 Speaker 2: nothing but death, dead soldiers all around me. His son 474 00:32:45,880 --> 00:32:48,960 Speaker 2: later said, I learned more about my dad in the 475 00:32:49,040 --> 00:32:52,560 Speaker 2: last two weeks than I did during his lifetime. But 476 00:32:52,720 --> 00:32:57,200 Speaker 2: then a few days later, a remarkable shift occurred. John 477 00:32:57,360 --> 00:33:01,520 Speaker 2: was visibly at peace. He told to Occur about two 478 00:33:01,680 --> 00:33:05,520 Speaker 2: new dreams, and the first he joyfully relived the day 479 00:33:05,880 --> 00:33:09,240 Speaker 2: he got his discharge papers from the military, and the 480 00:33:09,320 --> 00:33:12,239 Speaker 2: second he was approached by a soldier who had been 481 00:33:12,320 --> 00:33:15,560 Speaker 2: killed on Omaha Beach. The soldier came back to tell 482 00:33:15,640 --> 00:33:18,760 Speaker 2: him soon they are going to come and get you. 483 00:33:19,840 --> 00:33:24,920 Speaker 2: John instinctively knew that they were his fallen comrades, and 484 00:33:24,960 --> 00:33:28,120 Speaker 2: this was not a message of judgment, but one of 485 00:33:28,280 --> 00:33:33,880 Speaker 2: joyful reunion. His overwhelming guilt that he had carried for decades, 486 00:33:34,200 --> 00:33:37,120 Speaker 2: the feeling that he had failed to save his brothers 487 00:33:37,160 --> 00:33:41,720 Speaker 2: in arms, was finally lifted from him. Their consciousness returned 488 00:33:41,760 --> 00:33:45,560 Speaker 2: to grant him the forgiveness he could never grant himself. 489 00:33:46,240 --> 00:33:49,960 Speaker 2: He finally had closure and could rest, and their stories 490 00:33:49,960 --> 00:33:53,680 Speaker 2: are not unique in this regard. Other patients reported dreams 491 00:33:53,720 --> 00:33:58,800 Speaker 2: that replayed specific anxieties and traumas. One woman dreamed of 492 00:33:58,840 --> 00:34:02,640 Speaker 2: her son's serious injury that occurred on a naval ship. 493 00:34:03,280 --> 00:34:07,120 Speaker 2: Another man had distressing dreams of his very critical brother. 494 00:34:07,760 --> 00:34:12,960 Speaker 2: Several patients that relived abusive childhood experiences. This connects to 495 00:34:13,000 --> 00:34:18,719 Speaker 2: another important theme, unfinished business. The dreams are a continuation 496 00:34:18,840 --> 00:34:23,160 Speaker 2: of life, including its worries. One young mother had distressing 497 00:34:23,239 --> 00:34:27,640 Speaker 2: dreams about her daily responsibilities like getting her kids ready 498 00:34:27,640 --> 00:34:31,560 Speaker 2: for school and getting them to practice. Another young mother 499 00:34:31,760 --> 00:34:35,720 Speaker 2: dreamed about her real life worries about bills and her children. 500 00:34:36,400 --> 00:34:41,200 Speaker 2: These heartbreaking stories show how the consciousness remains focused on 501 00:34:41,320 --> 00:34:46,120 Speaker 2: love and responsibility right down to the very end. Sometimes 502 00:34:46,360 --> 00:34:50,520 Speaker 2: the power of consciousness can even seem to override biology. 503 00:34:51,040 --> 00:34:54,560 Speaker 2: There was a ninety eight year old matriarch named Maizie 504 00:34:54,880 --> 00:34:58,480 Speaker 2: who had cared for over one hundred foster kids in 505 00:34:58,560 --> 00:35:02,440 Speaker 2: her life. She had eating days earlier and was no 506 00:35:02,480 --> 00:35:08,800 Speaker 2: longer verbal. Her family gathered worried that her estranged biological son, Ronnie, 507 00:35:08,960 --> 00:35:13,719 Speaker 2: wouldn't make it from Oregon in time to see her. Suddenly, Mazie, 508 00:35:13,840 --> 00:35:17,840 Speaker 2: who had seemed unconscious opened her eyes, sat up in bed, 509 00:35:18,120 --> 00:35:23,040 Speaker 2: and cried out her deceased husband's name. Amos, my amos. 510 00:35:23,440 --> 00:35:26,440 Speaker 2: I can't come to you now. My son Ronnie is coming. 511 00:35:27,080 --> 00:35:31,080 Speaker 2: Ronnie arrived later that same day, twenty four hours later, 512 00:35:31,680 --> 00:35:35,200 Speaker 2: Maizie closed her eyes for the last time. You know 513 00:35:35,280 --> 00:35:38,200 Speaker 2: how we hear of life reviews. When someone has a 514 00:35:38,239 --> 00:35:42,600 Speaker 2: near death experience, they see all kinds of screens simultaneously, 515 00:35:43,120 --> 00:35:47,040 Speaker 2: and they relive different portions from their life from other 516 00:35:47,239 --> 00:35:51,160 Speaker 2: people's perspectives. Well, it sounds to me and doctor Kerr's 517 00:35:51,160 --> 00:35:56,760 Speaker 2: research that a small group of people experience what's mainly 518 00:35:56,800 --> 00:36:00,719 Speaker 2: on their consciousness. So if we don't have something resolved, 519 00:36:01,120 --> 00:36:04,080 Speaker 2: or if we have some worries, they might be there 520 00:36:04,200 --> 00:36:08,040 Speaker 2: for a short time before we find out that everything 521 00:36:08,080 --> 00:36:11,120 Speaker 2: is going to be okay. So I know, for myself, 522 00:36:11,360 --> 00:36:14,120 Speaker 2: I don't want to relive shameful things that maybe I've 523 00:36:14,160 --> 00:36:16,319 Speaker 2: done in my life, So I try to live my 524 00:36:16,440 --> 00:36:19,600 Speaker 2: life with integrity and clean things up and be in 525 00:36:19,640 --> 00:36:22,880 Speaker 2: communication so I don't have to review anything in a 526 00:36:22,920 --> 00:36:26,399 Speaker 2: life review. I think the same holds true for these 527 00:36:26,480 --> 00:36:29,520 Speaker 2: end of life visions. Why don't we do our very 528 00:36:29,560 --> 00:36:34,399 Speaker 2: best to keep communication open? Resolve problems and all of that, 529 00:36:34,640 --> 00:36:36,840 Speaker 2: so that when our time comes, we can just be 530 00:36:36,920 --> 00:36:40,479 Speaker 2: greeted by our loved ones and our pets. Let's head 531 00:36:40,520 --> 00:36:43,000 Speaker 2: off to the next break. Oh but before we do, 532 00:36:43,560 --> 00:36:47,400 Speaker 2: here's a story. Tracy says. My grandmother on her dying bed, 533 00:36:47,840 --> 00:36:50,879 Speaker 2: said that there were angels with her and also told 534 00:36:50,920 --> 00:36:55,240 Speaker 2: her daughter, who could not have children, that she was pregnant. 535 00:36:55,600 --> 00:36:58,440 Speaker 2: Her daughter told her that can't be true. You know, 536 00:36:58,560 --> 00:37:02,800 Speaker 2: I cannot have children. But eight months later she delivered 537 00:37:02,840 --> 00:37:07,080 Speaker 2: a healthy baby boy. All right, now, let's head off 538 00:37:07,080 --> 00:37:09,759 Speaker 2: to the break and we'll be back with more end 539 00:37:09,760 --> 00:37:12,400 Speaker 2: of life dreams and visions in the work of doctor 540 00:37:12,480 --> 00:37:16,720 Speaker 2: Christopher Kerr. We'll be right back. You're listening to Shades 541 00:37:16,719 --> 00:37:20,240 Speaker 2: of the Afterlife on the iHeartRadio and Coast to Coast 542 00:37:20,280 --> 00:37:47,279 Speaker 2: AM Paranormal Podcast Network. Welcome back to Shades of the Afterlife. 543 00:37:47,440 --> 00:37:50,200 Speaker 2: I'm Sandra Champlain. If you want to know more about 544 00:37:50,440 --> 00:37:53,600 Speaker 2: end of life visions and dreams, I encourage you to 545 00:37:53,640 --> 00:37:56,480 Speaker 2: pick up a copy of doctor Christopher Kerr's book It's 546 00:37:56,520 --> 00:38:00,400 Speaker 2: called Death Is But a Dream, Finding hope and meaning 547 00:38:00,640 --> 00:38:04,359 Speaker 2: at life's end. Also, his research was featured in the 548 00:38:04,400 --> 00:38:10,160 Speaker 2: Netflix docuseries called Surviving death and you can find his 549 00:38:10,280 --> 00:38:16,120 Speaker 2: website doctor Christopher Kerr dot com. That will lead you 550 00:38:16,239 --> 00:38:21,600 Speaker 2: to a YouTube channel for Hospice and Palliative Care Buffalo 551 00:38:22,120 --> 00:38:26,680 Speaker 2: where you can watch a documentary. He's got many playlists 552 00:38:26,960 --> 00:38:29,120 Speaker 2: and you can meet some of these people who had 553 00:38:29,160 --> 00:38:31,920 Speaker 2: the end of life dreams and visions and you can 554 00:38:31,960 --> 00:38:36,440 Speaker 2: hear their stories directly from them before they passed. One 555 00:38:36,480 --> 00:38:39,880 Speaker 2: of the most powerful aspects of doctor Kerr's end of 556 00:38:39,920 --> 00:38:43,960 Speaker 2: life dreams and Visions research is how it demonstrates the 557 00:38:44,120 --> 00:38:48,200 Speaker 2: universality of these experiences. Yes, they can happen to children, 558 00:38:48,400 --> 00:38:52,640 Speaker 2: and they happen to people with severe cognitive impairments, challenging 559 00:38:52,760 --> 00:38:56,759 Speaker 2: everything we think we know about how the mind and 560 00:38:56,880 --> 00:38:59,759 Speaker 2: brain operates. Let's start with the children. How does it 561 00:38:59,840 --> 00:39:02,840 Speaker 2: ch child who may have a limited concept of death 562 00:39:03,280 --> 00:39:07,080 Speaker 2: process the end of life? Doctor Kerr found that children 563 00:39:07,120 --> 00:39:11,760 Speaker 2: too have these profound experiences that provide comfort and meaning. 564 00:39:12,239 --> 00:39:17,040 Speaker 2: Pick Jessica, a thirteen year old girl. She wasn't focused 565 00:39:17,239 --> 00:39:20,600 Speaker 2: on the life she would miss. She was too busy 566 00:39:20,800 --> 00:39:24,680 Speaker 2: living in the now, and her end of life vision 567 00:39:25,120 --> 00:39:29,040 Speaker 2: was a natural part of her present moment. Her greatest 568 00:39:29,120 --> 00:39:33,400 Speaker 2: fear was being without her mother, her visions addressed that 569 00:39:33,480 --> 00:39:37,480 Speaker 2: fear directly. She had a waking vision of Mary, her 570 00:39:37,520 --> 00:39:41,440 Speaker 2: mother's best friend, who had died from leukemia when Jessica 571 00:39:41,560 --> 00:39:45,799 Speaker 2: was just eight. Jessica described it in detail. Mary is 572 00:39:45,840 --> 00:39:48,759 Speaker 2: one of my mom's best friends. I'd seen her in 573 00:39:48,840 --> 00:39:52,759 Speaker 2: my mom's room. She had her favorite shirt on, which 574 00:39:52,800 --> 00:39:56,640 Speaker 2: she then described as a gray and blue checkered flannel shirt, 575 00:39:57,200 --> 00:40:01,080 Speaker 2: a detail her mom confirmed. This vision of a loving, 576 00:40:01,360 --> 00:40:06,759 Speaker 2: motherly figure brought her tremendous peace. Her mother recalled, you 577 00:40:06,880 --> 00:40:10,720 Speaker 2: told me all the time that Mom, I saw an angel, 578 00:40:11,080 --> 00:40:14,480 Speaker 2: and then you were able to go to sleep. Jessica nodded, 579 00:40:14,520 --> 00:40:18,239 Speaker 2: saying I was not afraid of it at all. These 580 00:40:18,360 --> 00:40:22,640 Speaker 2: experiences assured her that she would not be alone. In 581 00:40:22,640 --> 00:40:26,399 Speaker 2: addition to this vision, Jessica also had dreams of her 582 00:40:26,440 --> 00:40:32,160 Speaker 2: deceased dog, Shadow, who reaffirmed that she was okay and 583 00:40:32,280 --> 00:40:36,800 Speaker 2: helped her to feel secure and loved. Then there was Ginny, 584 00:40:36,840 --> 00:40:39,840 Speaker 2: a fifteen year old girl. She had a beautiful dream 585 00:40:40,040 --> 00:40:43,920 Speaker 2: during an MRI. She was in a castle filled with 586 00:40:44,120 --> 00:40:48,399 Speaker 2: warmth and light, playing with her deceased aunt. She saw 587 00:40:48,440 --> 00:40:52,400 Speaker 2: a stained glass window depicting a baby and that you 588 00:40:52,440 --> 00:40:55,920 Speaker 2: could see the sun through it. The castle was a 589 00:40:55,960 --> 00:41:00,520 Speaker 2: safe place and populated by her deceased family pets, who 590 00:41:00,560 --> 00:41:04,880 Speaker 2: were now all healthy and playful. In the dream, Aunt 591 00:41:05,000 --> 00:41:08,040 Speaker 2: Mimi hugged her and whispered, You've got to go back 592 00:41:08,080 --> 00:41:12,640 Speaker 2: down there and fight. She woke up from the dream euphoric, 593 00:41:12,760 --> 00:41:16,520 Speaker 2: telling her mother, I'm going to be okay. I'm not alone. 594 00:41:17,239 --> 00:41:20,160 Speaker 2: A few days before she died, her mother heard her 595 00:41:20,480 --> 00:41:24,000 Speaker 2: having an animated conversation. When she asked who she was 596 00:41:24,040 --> 00:41:28,520 Speaker 2: talking to, Ginny replied, I was talking to God. She 597 00:41:28,600 --> 00:41:31,239 Speaker 2: told her mom, I'm not going to be sick. You 598 00:41:31,320 --> 00:41:35,359 Speaker 2: know where I'm going, you know, to the castle. These 599 00:41:35,440 --> 00:41:40,560 Speaker 2: experiences also occur in patients whose minds we often marginalize, 600 00:41:41,000 --> 00:41:46,760 Speaker 2: those with cognitive impairments like dementia or autism. Consider Gerd, 601 00:41:47,160 --> 00:41:50,840 Speaker 2: a woman who suffered from dementia and the lifelong trauma 602 00:41:51,200 --> 00:41:55,360 Speaker 2: of living through the Nazi occupation of Norway as a teenager, 603 00:41:55,800 --> 00:42:00,360 Speaker 2: where she saw her school principle executed. From much of 604 00:42:00,360 --> 00:42:04,120 Speaker 2: her illness, she was consumed by bitter memories of the war, 605 00:42:04,640 --> 00:42:09,440 Speaker 2: but as death neared, a transformation took place. The anger 606 00:42:09,800 --> 00:42:17,160 Speaker 2: faded and she became uncharacteristically affectionate. She began spending hours 607 00:42:17,320 --> 00:42:21,319 Speaker 2: staring lovingly at a portrait of her son Thomas, who 608 00:42:21,360 --> 00:42:24,719 Speaker 2: died of leukemia at the age of three. She would 609 00:42:24,760 --> 00:42:28,480 Speaker 2: blow kisses to his picture, reclaiming a love that had 610 00:42:28,520 --> 00:42:32,240 Speaker 2: been buried under decades of trauma. In her final weeks, 611 00:42:32,600 --> 00:42:36,359 Speaker 2: her consciousness returned not to the trauma, but to the 612 00:42:36,360 --> 00:42:39,880 Speaker 2: one memory that brought her peace and love. She became 613 00:42:40,040 --> 00:42:43,480 Speaker 2: so angered in the distant past that she no longer 614 00:42:43,880 --> 00:42:47,600 Speaker 2: recognized her own eighty five year old reflection in the mirror, 615 00:42:47,960 --> 00:42:51,640 Speaker 2: which she used to call herself the Crazy Lady. Perhaps 616 00:42:51,640 --> 00:42:54,920 Speaker 2: the modest touching story is a story of Andre, a 617 00:42:54,960 --> 00:42:58,880 Speaker 2: seventy five year old man with high functioning autism. He 618 00:42:59,040 --> 00:43:03,320 Speaker 2: was childlike and joyful, and had become a beloved member 619 00:43:03,560 --> 00:43:07,640 Speaker 2: of his cousin Lisa's family. He and Lisa's young son, 620 00:43:07,800 --> 00:43:13,040 Speaker 2: Hazen were inseparable best friends, playing nerf guns and communicating 621 00:43:13,200 --> 00:43:16,840 Speaker 2: with walkie talkies around the house. His family chose not 622 00:43:17,000 --> 00:43:20,960 Speaker 2: to tell him the severity of his terminal diagnosis, but 623 00:43:21,280 --> 00:43:25,319 Speaker 2: his end of life dreams and visions told him in 624 00:43:25,360 --> 00:43:30,560 Speaker 2: the gentlest ways possible. He started having waking visions, first 625 00:43:30,640 --> 00:43:33,319 Speaker 2: a friendly man and a hat who waved at him. 626 00:43:33,960 --> 00:43:36,840 Speaker 2: Then a man and a woman who looked familiar like 627 00:43:36,920 --> 00:43:40,120 Speaker 2: his grandparents. From an old photo. He saw a man 628 00:43:40,200 --> 00:43:44,400 Speaker 2: taking pictures, which was one of his favorite hobbies. His 629 00:43:44,480 --> 00:43:48,560 Speaker 2: most moving vision was a little boy chasing butterflies. It 630 00:43:48,719 --> 00:43:52,560 Speaker 2: was his cousin's nephew, Lucas, who had died of leukemia 631 00:43:52,640 --> 00:43:56,560 Speaker 2: at the age of six. Through this beautiful, innocent image, 632 00:43:56,680 --> 00:44:01,719 Speaker 2: Andre's consciousness was being gently familiar on with mortality in 633 00:44:01,760 --> 00:44:05,040 Speaker 2: a way that was completely devoid of fear. He just 634 00:44:05,120 --> 00:44:08,839 Speaker 2: knew these experiences were real and positive, and they made 635 00:44:08,880 --> 00:44:12,320 Speaker 2: him feel secure and loved. And just as these visions 636 00:44:12,360 --> 00:44:16,160 Speaker 2: can gently guide someone who isn't aware of their prognosis, 637 00:44:16,360 --> 00:44:19,320 Speaker 2: they can also break through to someone who is actively 638 00:44:19,400 --> 00:44:23,840 Speaker 2: denying it. This brings us to the powerful story of Sierra. 639 00:44:24,520 --> 00:44:27,600 Speaker 2: At only twenty eight, she was in hospice with days 640 00:44:27,640 --> 00:44:31,080 Speaker 2: to live, yet she insisted I am going to beat this. 641 00:44:31,800 --> 00:44:35,200 Speaker 2: Her care team was worried, assuming her denial meant she 642 00:44:35,480 --> 00:44:39,600 Speaker 2: wasn't having these experiences. The breakthrough came when her physician 643 00:44:40,000 --> 00:44:43,640 Speaker 2: asked if she'd been having any dreams. After a long pause, 644 00:44:44,040 --> 00:44:48,480 Speaker 2: Sierra looked past the doctor, smiled and whispered hi Grandpa, 645 00:44:49,080 --> 00:44:53,200 Speaker 2: her deceased grandfather, an Army veteran, was there with her. 646 00:44:53,640 --> 00:44:56,760 Speaker 2: When her mother asked what he was saying, Sierra replied, 647 00:44:57,239 --> 00:45:00,400 Speaker 2: he says he is proud of the young woman and 648 00:45:00,520 --> 00:45:03,720 Speaker 2: mother I have become. He does not want me to suffer. 649 00:45:04,360 --> 00:45:07,360 Speaker 2: Her grandfather reached her and away no one else could, 650 00:45:07,600 --> 00:45:11,920 Speaker 2: providing the love and guidance and acceptance she needed to 651 00:45:12,000 --> 00:45:16,120 Speaker 2: find peace. The impact of these end of life experiences 652 00:45:16,200 --> 00:45:20,560 Speaker 2: doesn't stop with the person who is dying. It ripples outward, profoundly, 653 00:45:20,600 --> 00:45:23,840 Speaker 2: affecting the families and loved ones who are left behind. 654 00:45:24,400 --> 00:45:28,919 Speaker 2: Caregivers repeatedly told the research team how much peace these 655 00:45:29,000 --> 00:45:33,080 Speaker 2: visions brought. One elderly sister of a patient said, when 656 00:45:33,120 --> 00:45:36,279 Speaker 2: he told me that he saw his favorite sister who 657 00:45:36,360 --> 00:45:40,040 Speaker 2: was deceased hold out her hands to him, it made 658 00:45:40,040 --> 00:45:44,000 Speaker 2: me feel comforted because I knew it comforted him. Another 659 00:45:44,080 --> 00:45:47,840 Speaker 2: caregiver put it plainly, he did find comfort talking to 660 00:45:48,160 --> 00:45:50,759 Speaker 2: and seeing people who passed before him. He was not 661 00:45:50,880 --> 00:45:54,960 Speaker 2: afraid or scared. Sometimes the consciousness of the dying person 662 00:45:55,239 --> 00:45:58,400 Speaker 2: is so strong that it feels shared by the living. 663 00:45:59,080 --> 00:46:01,840 Speaker 2: The story of Son and Joan is a perfect example. 664 00:46:02,320 --> 00:46:05,240 Speaker 2: They were an elderly couple who had spent a lifetime together. 665 00:46:05,640 --> 00:46:10,040 Speaker 2: After Sonny died, Joan's health began to decline rapidly, but 666 00:46:10,160 --> 00:46:13,400 Speaker 2: for her, Sonny was never gone. She kept him alive 667 00:46:13,480 --> 00:46:17,640 Speaker 2: through constant pre death visions, both asleep and awake. Her 668 00:46:17,760 --> 00:46:20,399 Speaker 2: daughters would hear her calling out to him at night, 669 00:46:20,840 --> 00:46:24,280 Speaker 2: come and get me. I miss you. Her daughter Lisa, 670 00:46:24,520 --> 00:46:28,759 Speaker 2: said that Joan's visions made Sonny's presence so real that 671 00:46:28,840 --> 00:46:31,879 Speaker 2: she felt it too. For Lisa, the true full weight 672 00:46:31,920 --> 00:46:35,000 Speaker 2: of her loss didn't hit when her father died. It 673 00:46:35,120 --> 00:46:38,000 Speaker 2: hit when her mother died two months later, because it 674 00:46:38,040 --> 00:46:41,719 Speaker 2: was only then that Sonny's felt presence finally faded from 675 00:46:41,800 --> 00:46:46,839 Speaker 2: their house. The transformative effect on the family is especially 676 00:46:46,880 --> 00:46:49,719 Speaker 2: important when it comes to the parents of children who 677 00:46:49,719 --> 00:46:52,680 Speaker 2: have passed. We talked about Ginny, the girl who dreamed 678 00:46:52,719 --> 00:46:56,960 Speaker 2: of the Castle. The impact of her visions on her mother, Michelle, 679 00:46:57,360 --> 00:47:01,320 Speaker 2: is a story in itself. Michelle, by her own admission, 680 00:47:01,520 --> 00:47:07,000 Speaker 2: rather agnostic, but witnessing her daughter's profound comforting left her transformed. 681 00:47:07,520 --> 00:47:10,600 Speaker 2: Two days before Ginny's passing, when her daughter was no 682 00:47:10,680 --> 00:47:14,360 Speaker 2: longer responsive, Michelle looked at her and said, she is 683 00:47:14,400 --> 00:47:19,560 Speaker 2: always teaching me something. Ginny's final experiences forced Michelle to 684 00:47:19,719 --> 00:47:23,440 Speaker 2: question her own belief system. She threw up her hands 685 00:47:23,440 --> 00:47:27,600 Speaker 2: in surrender and concluded, who knows, Maybe there is a castle. 686 00:47:28,080 --> 00:47:31,800 Speaker 2: I no longer know what not to believe. Years later, 687 00:47:31,920 --> 00:47:36,360 Speaker 2: Michelle's bereavement is shaped by that continuity. She sees rainbows 688 00:47:36,400 --> 00:47:40,480 Speaker 2: and heart shapes in the clouds as evidence of Ginny's 689 00:47:40,640 --> 00:47:45,400 Speaker 2: continuing presence, sustaining her until the day she says she 690 00:47:45,600 --> 00:47:49,600 Speaker 2: too will find her way to Ginny's castle. So what 691 00:47:49,640 --> 00:47:53,440 Speaker 2: does this all mean? Doctor Kerr's decade of research paints 692 00:47:53,440 --> 00:47:56,680 Speaker 2: a consistent and compelling picture. At the end of life, 693 00:47:57,040 --> 00:48:00,880 Speaker 2: something extraordinary happens to all of us. As our bodies 694 00:48:00,920 --> 00:48:04,600 Speaker 2: and brains fail, a heightened form of consciousness takes place, 695 00:48:04,880 --> 00:48:08,799 Speaker 2: and our loved ones our pets are there to greet us. 696 00:48:09,160 --> 00:48:11,560 Speaker 2: These are not regular dreams as we think of them, 697 00:48:11,760 --> 00:48:15,680 Speaker 2: their lived experience, as people say, more real than real. 698 00:48:16,239 --> 00:48:19,360 Speaker 2: A dying patient named Horace struggled to find the words 699 00:48:19,360 --> 00:48:22,920 Speaker 2: to describe what he was experiencing, but he described his 700 00:48:23,000 --> 00:48:26,200 Speaker 2: wife as being even more beautiful than he remembered, and 701 00:48:26,239 --> 00:48:30,840 Speaker 2: then everywhere there was happiness. Man named Patrick was reliving, 702 00:48:30,880 --> 00:48:35,320 Speaker 2: eating his family's secret spaghetti sauce with his deceased grandmother. 703 00:48:36,120 --> 00:48:40,040 Speaker 2: Just before he died. Patrick's end of life vision revealed 704 00:48:40,239 --> 00:48:44,720 Speaker 2: the secret ingredient the grandmother put in the spaghetti sauce. 705 00:48:45,200 --> 00:48:48,800 Speaker 2: And there was Irene, an elderly woman with advanced dementia. 706 00:48:49,400 --> 00:48:52,759 Speaker 2: Days before her death, she joyfully attempted to leave her 707 00:48:52,800 --> 00:48:56,640 Speaker 2: nursing home. In her mind, she was experiencing the best 708 00:48:56,719 --> 00:48:59,640 Speaker 2: day of her life, her wedding day, and she needed 709 00:48:59,640 --> 00:49:03,279 Speaker 2: to get to the service. These visions and dreams come 710 00:49:03,360 --> 00:49:07,799 Speaker 2: back to heal old wounds, offer forgiveness, and reassure us 711 00:49:08,040 --> 00:49:12,520 Speaker 2: that nobody dies alone. As doctor Kerr puts it so beautifully, 712 00:49:13,120 --> 00:49:17,480 Speaker 2: death becomes less about finality and more about life's resilience. 713 00:49:18,120 --> 00:49:21,759 Speaker 2: It's not a pulling down of the shades, but an enlightenment, 714 00:49:22,120 --> 00:49:25,960 Speaker 2: an expansion of reality to include a world that has 715 00:49:26,120 --> 00:49:30,280 Speaker 2: been there waiting all along. If you'd like to read 716 00:49:30,480 --> 00:49:34,399 Speaker 2: doctor Christopher Kerr's full essay, you can find it at 717 00:49:34,719 --> 00:49:39,399 Speaker 2: Bigelowinstitute dot org and read many of the others while 718 00:49:39,400 --> 00:49:42,919 Speaker 2: you're there. I hope you've enjoyed our time together. Want 719 00:49:42,920 --> 00:49:45,239 Speaker 2: to remind you come visit me at wee Doo'tdie dot 720 00:49:45,280 --> 00:49:48,120 Speaker 2: com so much to explore and come meet me at 721 00:49:48,160 --> 00:49:52,000 Speaker 2: one of my free Sunday gatherings with medium demonstration included. 722 00:49:52,440 --> 00:49:56,560 Speaker 2: I'm Sandra Champlain. Thank you for listening to Shades of 723 00:49:56,600 --> 00:50:00,799 Speaker 2: the Afterlife on the iHeartRadio and Coast to Coast a 724 00:50:00,840 --> 00:50:03,120 Speaker 2: paranormal podcast network. 725 00:50:11,200 --> 00:50:13,719 Speaker 1: Thanks for listening to the iHeartRadio and Coast to Ghost 726 00:50:13,760 --> 00:50:16,759 Speaker 1: Ay and paranormal podcast network. Make sure and check out 727 00:50:16,840 --> 00:50:20,080 Speaker 1: all our shows on the iHeartRadio app or by going 728 00:50:20,120 --> 00:50:26,880 Speaker 1: to iHeartRadio dot com