Life goes on after the death of the body. This is the certainty of psychiatrist Christophe Fauré, based in particular on his research into NDE, as well as on the many testimonies of contact with deceased loved ones and visions of the other world that soothe some people at the very end of their lives. In his latest book “Cette vie et au-delà” (This life and beyond ), published by Editions Albin Michel, he explains how he can be certain that there is an afterlife, and here are a few short extracts.
The Being of Light
One of the common features of many NDE is the encounter with a “whitelighter”. Some call him Jesus, Mohammed, Buddha or something else, depending on their religious culture. But they all describe the same reality. And this encounter is decisive in the life changes that follow a NDE.
“I found myself in an intense light. And that light was ‘someone’. I was in the presence of an entity of light, overflowing with infinite love and compassion, a being of wisdom who saw me in all that I was. This being was nothing but love, and nothing else existed but love, as if it were the very structure of the universe.. “
” From this being emanated a love that infinitely surpasses all forms of human love. It was a thousand times bigger, a thousand times more beautiful, a thousand times deeper. It was a combination of all the forms of love that can exist. I could have stayed in his presence until the end of time. ”
A moving encounter
This extraordinary encounter is experienced as the purest, most ultimate expression of what the word “love” can mean.
Whatever the nature of this being of light, one thing is certain: this encounter leaves an indelible imprint on the hearts of those who experience it. It feels like a seal of ineffable love that heals, soothes all their fears, erases all their doubts about their fundamental dignity and worth.
Life review
This life review is an essential part of the encounter with the whitelighter.
Around 20% of people who have a NDE experience this review. It is always presented as deliberate on the part of the Whitelighter, as if he wanted the person to examine his life in detail. It’s extremely precise: the person relives every thought, every word, every action, as if they had all been preserved.
What’s more, the person is aware not only of what he or she has experienced, but also of the impact of his or her thoughts, words and actions on the other people involved, right down to the thoughts they had at the time. Existence appears to him from his own point of view and that of others.
Our real motivations come to light, and we realize that they are even more important than our actions.
There is no judgment
There is never any external judgment: only the person himself makes his own judgment about his life.
“The being of light faded away and I immediately saw my whole life flash before my eyes, as if it wanted to show me what I had done with my existence. It seemed intentional on his part, so that I would understand and learn. I was reliving the most important situations in my life, with all my thoughts and emotions of that moment. I realized that nothing is forgotten: everything is inscribed somewhere in the universe, and I was reliving every detail of it.”
“Everything was there, even the smallest details, and I understood that it was they, the small moments of life, that mattered most.”
” It was a learning process, not a court of law. The only judge in the case was me.”
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One piece of evidence that IMEs are not produced by the brain is that around 20% of them take place under general anaesthetic, when the brain has no activity. Imagination and memory are not physically possible at this point.
Another example is that of people blind from birth who see their surroundings during a NDE.
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Lessons to be learned
We could integrate NDE and other related experiences into end-of-life care. This would complete our understanding of the natural end-of-life process. We could then speak of “spiritual care” in the same way as we have physical and psychological care.
Profound life changes after a NDE
Two essential and complementary changes are apparent for most people:
- The realization that we are all part of the same universal consciousness, that there is no “me” and “you”, and that this awareness is at the heart of our life mission.
- Love is the very nature of this consciousness.
To use the classic image of the wave and the ocean, during an IME, people realize:
- That they are both a wave on the surface and the ocean below.
- That this ocean is an infinity of love.
Love changes everything
It is love that allows us to realize that there is no separation between ourselves and others.
The universe is not made up of separate material elements. It is the manifestation of a single consciousness, “made” of love, which encompasses and unites all that exists.
Becoming aware of this, even if we haven’t had a NDE, can profoundly reorientate our lives. We then try to live and express the love that is our true nature. This love begins with ourselves, since we can’t love others authentically if we don’t love ourselves.
People who have experienced an encounter with a whitelighter feel totally loved, and sense their immense worth and profound dignity. They felt worthy of love. This in turn gives them a great deal of self-confidence and removes the need to worry about other people’s opinions.
Uncovering our fundamental nature, realizing that we too are beings of light, an infinite source of love, compassion and wisdom, is a magnificent life project.
We are invited to love
We are invited to choose love, whatever the difficulties, deeply anchored in the certainty that this is what we are asked to learn in this life. This will enable us to live, and then die, in peace.
It’s a path of joy, courage, dignity, love and wisdom, for learning to live life to the full.
This life … and beyond!
To find out more about Christophe Fauré and his work: https: //christophefaure.com
