Life Review: God’s Perfect Plan

by Pratibha A. Dabholkar, Ph.D.

Copyright © 2023 by Pratibha A. Dabholkar, Ph.D.,

with the U.S. Copyright Office

All rights reserved. (The unauthorized distribution, sale,

copying, editing, or any form of reproduction or modification
of any part of this copy-righted material is illegal.)

This is an authorized free edition from www.obooko.com

Note: Some core ideas are taken from my earlier book

Heaven is Not a Distant Place © 2019. Here, these ideas are
expanded and developed further, with detailed
explanations and examples, and supplemented with notes
and sources. A full, annotated bibliography is provided to
help readers further increase their knowledge.
To Earl, my Earth Angel

With eternal love

 1

Life Review: God’s Perfect Plan

by Pratibha A. Dabholkar, Ph.D.

People who have had near-death experiences (NDEs)

explain that the spirit dimension (or heaven) is our real
home. They knew with certainty that they had been there
before and said that it was a joyful homecoming.1 (For a
succinct description of the NDE phenomenon and the many
ways this experience is verifiable, see Dabholkar.2)

Several respected and open-minded scientists recognize

that NDEs are real and not hallucinations as reductionists
want to believe. These scholars have offered explanations for
various aspects of the spirit dimension to increase our
understanding of that realm. I include some examples in the
next section, before discussing the life review process.

A Brief Description of the Spirit Dimension

Brilliant Light and All Souls Are Eternal: NDErs describe

heaven as filled with the deepest love, accompanied by
brilliant light. While they were in the Light (a word they use
interchangeably for God or heaven), they felt one with God
and one with the universe. They realized that we all come
from God, that the goodness of God is deep within us, and
that our true selves are apparent in heaven.3 NDE reports
also mention that everyone and everything in the spirit
dimension is luminous. In addition, they assert that the spirit
world and everyone in it are eternal.4
 2

Physicist (and physician) Regis Dutheil has given

interesting explanations for the brilliant and eternal aspects
of the spirit dimension. He described the spirit realm as
“superluminal” space-time, beyond the speed of light,
“located on the other side of the light barrier.” Unlike
physicists who believe tachyons to be merely hypothetical,
Dutheil explained that “superluminal matter or tachyons”
(particles that travel faster than light) constitute
“consciousness” in the spirit realm; and because all
tachyonic matter constantly emits light, all beings in that
universe are luminous. Dutheil addressed immortality by
saying that it can be shown mathematically that tachyonic
matter can last forever.5

More Real than Earth and Far More Beautiful: The idea
that the spirit dimension is much more real than our
physical dimension, is one to which many NDErs have
readily attested. As one NDEr reported, “Now I finally know
what it is to be alive.”6 NDErs also report that our world
looks merely like a pale or “drab” version of the beauty of
the spirit dimension with its brilliant colors.7

Dutheil had explanations for both these aspects as well.

He stated that “our subluminal universe [earth] is only a
holographic projection of the fundamental universe
[heaven], where information and meaning are located.” He
clarified that this does not mean that we are illusions, but
simply a different level of reality, just as our reflection in a
mirror is real, but not as real as we are. As a result, the earth
 3

is only a pale version of heaven, and not as beautiful—or as

real—as the spirit dimension.8 Dutheil’s explanation of the
different levels of reality fits Plato’s Cave allegory where
people chained inside a cave think the shadows on the walls
are real until one of them discovers the real world filled with
brilliant sunshine outside the cave.9

Absolute Consciousness and Timelessness: There are

numerous NDE reports that the Light they encountered was
“pure consciousness.” Any questions they had were
answered instantaneously after the thought arose in their
minds. The answers simply popped into their minds at once
and they felt linked to a universal consciousness.10 NDErs
also said that the passage of time in the Light was not felt.
The whole experience could have taken thousands of years
or could have happened in an instant—it made no
difference. Time was not relevant.11

Louis-Marie Vincent, professor of biology and physical

chemistry, called this “aevum time,” using a medieval phrase
to express eternity. He explained that “this time is different
from earthly time and it is located in the space-time of
consciousness.” Vincent drew on the theory of relativity to
explain the link between consciousness and time in the spirit
world. He explained that because space and time are tied to
mass or matter, and because the spirit dimension has
consciousness and information but no associated matter, it is
an “atemporal” dimension, or one in which time does not
flow. He further clarified that communication in the spirit
realm is instantaneous precisely because time is irrelevant.12
 4

In concurrence with Vincent about the nature of time

and consciousness in the spirit dimension, Dutheil described
death as a return to our origin, “a reunion with the
fundamental universe, where time no longer flows, and
where past, present, and future no longer exist....a place
where consciousness is absolute and where all events exist
simultaneously.”13
Multidimensional and Unsure Location: NDErs explain
that whereas our world is three-dimensional, the spirit
world is multidimensional and it is hard to describe this to
someone in our world. Few offer an explanation of what the
multidimensionality means or where exactly the spirit
dimension is located, even though many realize it is very
close and accessible.
British theologian Edwin Abbott hinted at this
multidimensionality in his novella, called Flatland. The book
was not taken seriously when published in 1884, but later it
was hailed by scientists. Journalist Mally Cox-Chapman
draws on Flatland to explain why it is difficult for us to
imagine a multidimensional world. Just as a flat bug living in
only two dimensions on a sheet of paper cannot visualize
three-dimensional space, we cannot comprehend the
multidimensional universe of the spirit world. And if a space
bug that lives in a three-dimensional space appeared on one
side of the flat bug and then hopped over it to the other side,
the flat bug would conclude that the space bug was on one
side of it, then disappeared, and then reappeared on the
other side. It would certainly seem magical to the flat bug.14
 5

Cox-Chapman also tries to address the location of the

spirit dimension. She writes that just as Einstein’s proving
the fourth dimension of space-time allowed physicists to
explain why light curves, assuming a fifth dimension allows
for an understanding of the unification of gravitational and
electromagnetic forces. This fifth dimension, if expressed in
mathematical terms, could be “above us, around us, in an
infinite number of spaces” and could point to where
“heaven” is located.15

Another person who addresses the location of heaven is

NDEr Mellen-Thomas Benedict. Benedict says his NDE
revealed to him that “Absolute Consciousness” or God and
the spirit dimension are in “The Void” which “is inside and
outside everything.” It is the space “between atoms and their
components” and when scientists “try to measure it, their
instruments go off the scale, or to infinity.” Benedict explains
that although mystics call this space the “void” and scientists
call it “zero-point,” this space is actually “full of energy, a
different kind of energy that has created everything that we
are.” He says if scientists ever manage to break atoms down
further than quarks, they would come upon this tremendous
energy and “they are going to have to call that ....God.”16

But trying to visualize this multidimensional universe

with our three-dimensional perspective presents an
imperfect visual because it seems confined to little spaces
inside atoms. Instead, we know from NDE accounts that
these individuals saw and felt an infinite vista in the spirit
dimension. So just like the flat bug, we cannot truly visualize
 6

the multidimensionality or the location of heaven, but it is

interesting to note how scientific theories and NDE accounts
converge to point out that heaven is not a distant place.

At the same time, the spirit world is literally experienced

by NDErs as being higher than our physical world. Many
NDErs mention floating above the scene of their trauma,
then rising rapidly and getting a view of the town below.
Some even recall going through roofs and over trees; others
go so far as to view the earth as a whole.17 So, no matter
where heaven really is, it makes perfect sense to visualize it
as being above us. Besides, it is natural and appropriate that
we look skyward to refer to heaven because doing so
symbolically denotes that it is a higher dimension than
where we are, in a spiritual sense.

Different Spiritual Levels in Heaven

Despite these wondrous facets of the spirit dimension,

mystics have experienced different levels of consciousness
in heaven. They note that each of us goes to the level where
we are most comfortable.18

NDErs too have described varying degrees of vibrations in

the spirit dimension that are associated with souls at
different levels of spiritual advancement.19 NDEr Dannion
Brinkley recalled that when he watched souls who seemed
lost, his own vibrations slowed down and he became
uncomfortable. On the other hand, if he watched souls with
much higher vibrations than his, he felt as if he was buzzing
 7

and was uncomfortable as well. In contrast, he was

comfortable when he stayed in the level where he had
arrived. He sensed that he could move comfortably to higher
levels only when he advanced spiritually.20 Similarly, Arthur
Ford, who had an NDE while in a coma, experienced a level
where colors were bright and everything was clear. But then,
he got a brief glimpse into a lower level which was hazy, and
where he felt out of sync.21

Cox-Chapman corroborates the existence of several levels

in the spirit world that mystics and NDErs have discovered.
She points out that people quoting Jesus as saying that God’s
“house has many mansions” are mistranslating because the
original word was not “mansions” but “monai” which means
way station or stopping place on a journey.22 The correct
translation of the original sentence would indicate therefore
that heaven has different levels spirits can be in before
moving higher.

The Life Review

But how do souls go to the correct level for themselves?

NDE reports show that each soul automatically goes to the
level representing their level of spiritual advancement or
their lack of spiritual progress. Here they experience a life
review and when they have learned sufficiently and deeply
from this, they may be able to move upward to a higher level.

So, what exactly is a life review? It is not the brief images

that flash before someone’s eyes in a life-threatening
 8

situation. Instead it is a 3-D, panoramic, intense review of

the person’s entire life, used as a teaching tool for souls to
learn deep lessons. For some NDErs it has ranged from early
childhood until their current age on earth, although not
every moment was experienced. Typically, only the critical
incidents were shown to give the NDEr a taste of the process
and its implications. It is obvious that an extended version of
this review is something we will all experience when we die,
and so it is important we learn what this review entails.

The life review process that NDErs describe teaches us

what we need to do in our earth lives. In this review we see
how we have affected others for better or worse, and fully
experience the outcomes of all our actions from the
perspectives of the recipients of our actions. We palpably feel
all the pain we have caused as well as the happiness we have
spread. NDErs explain that the primary reason for coming to
earth is to spread love and joy. The objective of the life
review is to help us understand (through actual experience)
what we did or did not do well so we can internalize this
learning for our spiritual growth. Although beings of light
are present during the review, they do not judge the soul
whose life is being reviewed. The soul judges itself. But if
someone is defensive about an action that hurt others, the
life review does not move forward. It stays on that incident
until that person acknowledges and truly knows that they
were wrong. In that sense, the judging process is monitored
by the beings of light present.23
 9

NDErs recount that even those events which they had

forgotten, or what they considered unimportant, had been
recorded. People forcefully felt the wrong they had done
even as children, in what many would consider to be
insignificant events—such as a toddler flinging away good
food (and upsetting his mother) or a five-year old stealing
her playmate’s crayon (and causing confusion and sadness
for her friend). Those who were deliberately mean or bullies
(whether as children or adults) fully experienced everything
they did from the perspectives of the people they hurt.24

When one thinks of all the things people do that may

harm someone, one gets an idea of the fairness of the life
review and its purview. Those who wonder how a just and
good God allows evil on earth can now understand that no
one gets away with bad deeds. Every action has to be
experienced by the doer to its complete extent from the
recipient’s perspective.

And it is not just people who are the recipients of

someone’s actions. One NDEr saw the effect she had on
plants and animals and realized the interconnectedness of
everything. Another noted that you cannot hurt anyone or
anything without hurting yourself and that we need to be
stewards of our natural environment.25 This means people
need to be caring toward animals and protect nature.

Although not meant as punishment, every soul has to fully

experience everything they did to others in order to learn
and progress spiritually. Those who lived wicked lives on
 10

earth will have to stay at a lower level in the spirit world

until they have fully reviewed their lives from the
perspective of those they harmed. They will feel all the pain
and misery they caused and will have to internalize the
profound life lessons revealed from the review. It is obvious
that the life review is a remarkable way to deal with the evil
and the injustices in the world. It is God’s perfect plan.

In teaching classes on spiritually transformative

experiences, some students told me that knowing about the
life review that NDErs went through (and that all of us have
to go through on dying) changed their lives. For example,
any time they started an argument with their spouse or
partner, they stopped themselves, thinking, “This is not
something I want to see in heaven.” They admitted that this
type of brake on their unkind behavior was turning them
into better people and making their relationships happier.

Some students admitted that, with the life review in

mind, they tried not to drive aggressively or to text while
driving, realizing that they would have to experience the
trauma they could cause in others if they hit another vehicle.
Actually, if someone drives recklessly and injures, paralyzes,
or kills innocent people, they could ruin not only the lives of
the occupants of the vehicle they hit, but also shatter their
loved ones’ lives. They would experience in their life review
all the shock, pain, misery, and grief they caused to everyone
affected by their thoughtless actions. Even if they managed
to avoid hitting another vehicle, they would have to undergo
 11

all the undue stress they created in other drivers and

passengers by driving irresponsibly.

To truly help people understand the possible results of

careless behavior, a full life review (after death) is very likely
to depict alternate scenarios in which someone else could
have been hurt or killed by the person’s actions. That is the
only way the soul could experience the pain and misery they
could have caused by their reckless conduct and can thus
fully comprehend important ideas about caring for others.

Those who deliberately commit crimes and serious

misdeeds will have even more extended life reviews, which
could be “hellish” depending on the extent of harm they
caused. They will experience all the terrible things they did
to others as well as to everyone else who suffered as a result
of a particular deed.

But in general, hell is not permanent as most religions

tend to assert. NDErs attest that even low-level souls can
advance once they have fully experienced how they hurt
others and gained wisdom from this.26

Those who kill someone will experience (in their life

reviews) not only the victims’ agony, but also the grief of
their loved ones for as long as they grieve. Even those who
unintentionally enable murders will have to experience all
this, as an NDEer found out. As a Vietnam vet, he had sold
guns without conducting background checks, and in his life
review, he experienced the trauma of death of all the victims
 12

killed by those guns and the grief of all their survivors.27 This
is indeed a type of hell, and well deserved to all involved.

As for the mass killings that occur so frequently in the US

that it is sickening for decent people, it is not only the
criminals who will experience (in their life reviews) all the
gory results and the accompanying grief associated with
their crimes, for as long as the grief lasts. It is also the people
who refused to ban assault weapons and who were against
gun control (whether as legislators or voters) who will
experience all the horror and anguish as well. This too is
well deserved for the criminals as well as their abettors.

And it is not just the US that is associated with such

deplorable acts. People all over the world hurt others and
even animals. It is clear that anyone who hurts another will
experience (in their life reviews) the harm done to that
person. But even those who injure animals will go through
the results of their actions. Fishermen who club baby seals to
death, those who massacre whales and dolphins as “ritual”
or for any other reason, people who torture animals to make
them perform for audiences, and so on—they all will have to
experience every bit of the trauma they caused animals.

Those who wage wars, perpetrate genocide or torture,

commit sedition or treason, and engage in or incite violence,
will experience (in their life reviews) the pain and suffering
of every person harmed by their actions and even by their
words which caused others to commit violent acts. They will
experience how millions of people were hurt by their
 13

dishonesty, cruelty, and immorality. Whether or not they

met with justice on earth, once they die, these criminals
would have to stay in a hellish situation for as long as it takes
for them fully experience everything from all their
recipients’ and victims’ perspectives. In that sense, one
might say they would almost be in a permanent hell.

But that is not all. Everyone who supported, defended, or

voted for such people will have to experience (in their life
reviews) all the harm that was done by these people. After
all, they too share the blame for the crimes they empowered
and cannot escape culpability. So, they too will be in hellish
situations through life reviews that make them fully
experience the outcomes of their misguided backing of evil
persons. Only then can they grow from this understanding.

Someone may question the point of having justice

systems on earth if criminals still have to undergo life
reviews in the spirit dimension for their actions on earth.
But the answer to that is simple. Justice on earth is necessary
to stop criminals from committing further crimes. It is to
keep societies and democracies safe from them. It is not for
their redemption as some hope. The few that are redeemed,
and who are truly repentant, may lessen the intensity of
their life reviews, but they will still need to experience what
all the victims suffered in order to be truly enlightened.

It bears repeating that the life review is not meant as

punishment but as the perfect learning tool. It is clear from
NDE literature that the ultimate lesson of the life review is
 14

that we have to treat others with love and thoughtfulness.

After all, whatever we do to everyone and everything, we are
essentially (and eventually) doing to ourselves. It is the
Golden Rule (“Do unto others as you would have them do
unto you”) in action.28 It is interesting that a paraphrasing of
this injunction is in every religion.

Spirituality vs. Religion

Nevertheless, most NDErs realize that, contrary to what

some of them believed prior to their experience, religion per
se is unimportant. As many of them express it, the only
religion that God cares about is love.29

Some NDErs did see Jesus, Buddha, or other religious

figures based on their beliefs. But God is the same no matter
what visions are created to comfort those who are religious.
NDE scholar Phillip Berman quotes the rabbis of the
Midrash: “God is like a mirror. The mirror never changes but
everyone who looks at it sees a different face.” Berman also
quotes Tibetan philosopher Sogyal Rinpoche: “In whatever
form the deities appear, it is important to recognize that
there is no difference in their fundamental nature.”30

Religions do serve a purpose when they help people to be

loving toward all. And some individuals may need basic
guidance to do good. When religious organizations
encourage people to do community service, for example,
arranging free meals for the poor or visiting shut-ins, that is
a wonderful function such organizations serve.
 15

But religions do not always represent the complete

truth—that love is all that matters, and that no particular
religion is superior to others.31 When a priest told an NDEr
“that Jesus was the only way to get to heaven,” she had “a big
argument with that. I clearly believe that everybody goes
there.”32 British NDErs (Anglican Catholic or Church of
England) interviewed by Margot Grey for her dissertation
voiced similar opinions. One said, “I do not believe in God as
taught by religion anymore.” Another indicated, “I now feel
all religion is basically the same and I think there should be a
world religion which would put an end to the religious
divisions and the problems this causes.” A third stated, “I do
not belong to any particular church any more. I am equally at
home in any church. Any religion is basically saying the same
thing.”33 As an NDEr put it succinctly to Berman, “God
couldn’t care less about religion.”34

Berman writes that at their core, religious traditions do

reveal that we all have direct connections to God. For
instance, the Bible says, “I have put truth in your innermost
mind, and I have written it in your heart” and the Buddha
preached, “Be a lamp unto yourself.”35 So no one needs to tell
someone else what God wants of us. This knowledge is deep
inside all of us, but we need to listen to that internal wisdom.
Sadly, religious institutions do not always respect this.

As one NDEr reported, “I could never make any sense of

the things I was taught in church about the bible sayings and
the things I was expected to believe about heaven and hell.
 16

But since my experience I find I am able to go within for the

answers and suddenly everything makes sense.”36 In another
case, an enlightened minister told a woman who had an NDE,
“You don’t have to come to church anymore; you have the
church within you.”37

Alan Watts, a philosopher on religion and an Episcopalian

priest, said he “often had a hard time finding God in church”
but he “could always find God in nature.”38 In fact, several
NDErs have learned to find God in nature; surrounded by
natural beauty, they feel uplifted and begin to see what truly
matters.39

Many NDErs find themselves moving away from

traditional religions and becoming more spiritual or shifting
from formal religious practice to an internal connection with
God; they “know” that there is only one truth, no matter by
what name people think of God.40 As professor Kenneth Ring
summarizes in talking about different religions, “...at the
core, there is only the light, there is only God, there is only a
universal intelligence.”41 Similarly, psychiatrist Brian Weiss
explains, there is “only one God, and only one religion, which
is love. If people choose to follow a particular religion, that is
fine; all paths [of love] lead to God.”42

It is interesting that those NDErs who did not need

religion to guide their lives before their experience but were
spiritual (i.e., they believed in God and led good lives) simply
saw the brilliant Light and felt its immense love. Some were
even told that this was the reality of God.43
 17

In particular, Mellen-Thomas Benedict, after experiencing

the typical aspects of a normal NDE, wanted answers to
questions burning within him. He asked the Light to show
him what it represented and was shown images and signs
from many different religions, possibly signifying that the
Light was God or that all religions are equal. He then asked
the Light to truly reveal itself to him. Immediately, he saw a
matrix of “oversouls” (everyone’s higher selves) that were
all connected to the Light. He was given to understand that
these connections represented the spirit dimension and the
truest form of the Light, and that religion was not part of the
essence of God. Next, the Light changed to an incredibly
beautiful mandala of human souls on earth linked together.
The matrix of higher selves and the mandala, both made of
light, revealed telepathically to Benedict that each of us is a
part of God, and that our souls combine at the highest level
to “become God.” He was informed that when the universe
was created, “Godhead” split into myriad souls; each soul is
supposed to grow and learn, so that God explores itself
though each of us in an “ongoing, infinite exploration.”44

Two aspects of Benedict’s complex explanation (that we

are truly part of God and that we become God) are similar to
what many NDErs have said in separate interviews. For
example: “I was one with pure light and love. I was one with
God and at the same time one with everything,” “I was in the
light and one with it,” “I was the light...I became everything,”
and “when you see the light, ...it absorbs you, ...you become
one with it...God was happy to become me.”45
 18

Finally, Benedict’s statement that God explores itself

through each of us in an “ongoing, infinite exploration”
suggests that each of us has to look for ways to make a
unique, positive expression to the world. These distinct and
constructive contributions that people make to the universe
are the ways that God expands and grows.

Many years earlier, Dr. Sarvapelli Radhakrishnan, Indian

scholar and philosopher, had expressed similar thoughts. He
wrote that the universe has unity and yet it has diversity; the
unity arises because we are all part of Brahman [God] and
the diversity arises because we are all unique. Similarly, Sri
Aurobindo Ghose, Indian philosopher and mystic, had stated
that the Absolute [God] is simultaneously unchanging in
being and yet ever-changing in becoming.46 This statement
suggests that in supreme love, truth, goodness (and all
divine attributes) God is unchanging. But as people grow in
positive ways in terms of learning and creativity, this adds to
God’s ever-changing aspects because we are all part of God.

The revelation that God cares only about love toward all,
and not about any particular religion, shows what a travesty
it has been for people throughout the ages to inflict wars,
torture, and cruelty in the name of religion. Imagine the life
reviews of the misguided people who perpetrated this kind
of horror so needlessly on others. Even trying to convert
others to the beliefs of a particular religion is wasted zeal
and not what God wants. All we need to do is to love
everyone. We are all part of God.
 19

Related to this revelation, all kinds of bigotry and racial

or ethnic prejudice are against God’s plan. The slave-traders
and slave-owners of the past, the people who started a war
to perpetuate and expand slavery, the racists throughout
time, and those still around, will all fully experience their
hatred and evil deeds from their victims’ perspectives. The
point is, because we all come from God, we are all one at a
deep level, as NDErs and mystics have realized. This is why
we have to experience everything we did to others from
their perspectives, because in essence we did it to ourselves.

Reincarnation through an NDE lens

Most NDErs (78 percent, according to professor Kenneth

Ring) believe in reincarnation after their experience and see
how it fits with God’s eternal plan. But they view it as an
option one can choose for soul advancement rather than it
being imposed on souls as eastern religions advocate.47

Viewed this way, reincarnation is not a question of

reward or punishment. It is simply an option to grow
spiritually. Some may come back as part of an ethnic group
they had been unkind to, not as a punishment, but to deeply
experience how such unkindness feels from the other
perspective. Others may choose a life of deprivation to grasp
important lessons about fortitude and forbearance. Some
may choose a normal life but focus on overcoming some
deficit in their character. Others may come back to teach
even while absorbing some individual lessons for growth.
 20

Researcher Amber Wells found that 70 percent of NDErs

in her study believed in reincarnation after their experience.
At least one reported a past-lives review along with her
current life review, three had a sense during their
experience that they had lived on earth before, and several
mentioned that the purpose of reincarnation was to learn
lessons for growth. Wells also mentions an archival study by
professor Kenneth Ring and a case study by pediatrician
Melvin Morse, where NDErs interacted with mature souls in
the spirit dimension, who were waiting to be reincarnated.48

NDErs (and people regressed to their past lives) explain

that between earth lives, souls stay in the spirit dimension
and carefully plan their next earth life. They choose their
missions and experiences for their earth lives so they can
progress spiritually. Along with other soul mates (i.e., a
group of souls bound to one other in eternal love49), they
design interconnected roles to accomplish their plans on
earth. They decide who will be the parents, how they will
meet, and who will come later as the children. The planning
process may take many years in earth time. All the plans
may not materialize but they create a blueprint.50

The explanation that soul mates are together in

subsequent earth lives fits well with professor Ian
Stevenson’s rigorous reincarnation research in which he
came across cases of family members being together in their
past life, although they may have had different
relationships.51
 21

The life review that NDErs go through (and that we all

will experience after dying) plays an integral role in all this
planning for the future. If a person has not lived a good life
on earth, they can decide to go back to try and do better in
their next earth life as part of their spiritual advancement. It
is possible that for souls who have led truly bad lives, there
is no choice but to go back to earth. Once a soul has reached
a certain level of growth, it becomes a matter of choice.

Conclusion

The universal lesson learned during NDEs is that love is

all that matters. A focus on materialism, money, competition,
or ego is misguided and keeps the soul at a low level.52 Each
time a person harms someone else, they will fully experience
in their life review (on dying) what they did to that person
or persons. The same will be true if a person harms any
animal or nature. This is God’s perfect plan to deal with
people’s imperfections and evil actions. Understanding the
implications of the life review process for the soul’s journey
can help people live wisely, with love toward others.

Notes

1 Brinkley, Saved by the Light, 81, 154; Ring, Heading Toward

Omega, 54, 62, 227-228; Valarino, On The Other Side of Life,
2-3.
2 Dabholkar, “Departed Loved Ones Are Guardian Angels,”
16, 18.
 22

3 Berman, The Journey Home, 47, 135, 147; David Lorimer,

“The Near-Death Experience and Perennial Wisdom,” 362,
and Raymond Moody, “The Light Beyond,” 33, in Bailey and
Yates, The Near-Death Experience; Ring, Lessons from the
Light, 14, 21, 34, 46, 120, 189, 275.
4 Berman, The Journey Home, 47, 55-56, 135, 147; Grey,
Return From Death, 50; Morse, Closer to the Light, 49, 66;
Ring, Lessons from the Light, 17.
5 Regis Dutheil interview in Valarino, On the Other Side of
Life, 195, 198, 202, 214, 216, 222-223.
6 Kenneth Ring interview in Valarino, On The Other Side of
Life, 109, 152.
7 Grey, Return From Death, 50.
8 Regis Dutheil interview in Valarino, On the Other Side of
Life, 195, 198, 202, 214, 216, 222-223.
9 Plato’s Republic, Book VII, 515, circa 360 BC, cited in Bailey
and Yates, The Near-Death Experience, 80.
10 Grey, Return From Death, 53, 118-119; Ring, Heading
Toward Omega, 54, 58; Ring, Lessons from the Light, 16, 45,
224.
11 Berman, The Journey Home, 39, 103, 110; Ring, Heading
Toward Omega, 91; Raymond Moody, “The Light Beyond,” in
Bailey and Yates, The Near-Death Experience, 35.
12 Louis-Marie Vincent interview in Valarino, On the Other
Side of Life, 172, 186, 188.
13 Regis Dutheil interview in Valarino, On the Other Side of
Life, 204.
14 Cox-Chapman, The Case for Heaven, 99-100, 102.
15 Cox-Chapman, The Case for Heaven, 101.
 23

16 Mellen-Thomas Benedict, “Through the Light and

Beyond,” in Bailey and Yates, The Near-Death Experience, 45.
17 Cox-Chapman, The Case for Heaven, 18, 56; Carl Jung,
“Visions/Life After Death,” in Bailey and Yates, The Near-
Death Experience, 101; Ring, Lessons from the Light, 67.
18 Weiss, Messages from the Masters, 186.
19 Valarino, On The Other Side of Life, 67.
20 Brinkley, Saved by the Light, 9-10, 152.
21 Ford, The Life Beyond Death, 181.
22 Cox-Chapman, The Case for Heaven, 23.
23 Berman, The Journey Home, 117-120, 130-131, 148; Cox-
Chapman, The Case for Heaven, 10, 48, 162; Weiss, Messages
from the Masters, 186; Wambach, Life Before Life, 82-90;
David Lorimer, “The Near-Death Experience and Perennial
Wisdom,” 362, and Raymond Moody, “The Light Beyond,” 33,
in Bailey and Yates, The Near-Death Experience.
24 Ring, Lessons from the Light, chapter 1.
25 Berman, The Journey Home, 117, 135.
26 Mellen-Thomas Benedict, “Through the Light and
Beyond,” in Bailey and Yates, The Near-Death Experience, 49;
Berman, The Journey Home, 95-97, 114-116; Cox-Chapman,
The Case for Heaven, 59-61, 64-66; Grey, Return From Death,
191-193; Kenneth Ring interview in Valarino, On The Other
Side of Life, 137-139; Ford, The Life Beyond Death,181.
27 Brinkley, Saved by the Light, passim.
28 Kenneth Ring interview in Valarino, On The Other Side of
Life, 137-139.
29 Berman, The Journey Home, 102-104, 131-134, 175;
Weiss, Messages from the Masters, 237; David Lorimer, “The
Near-Death Experience and Perennial Wisdom,” 367, and
 24

Mellen-Thomas Benedict, “Through the Light and Beyond,”

42, in Bailey and Yates, The Near-Death Experience.
30 Berman, The Journey Home, 104-105.
31 David Lorimer, “The Near-Death Experience and
Perennial Wisdom,” in Bailey and Yates, The Near-Death
Experience, 367.
32 Cox-Chapman, The Case for Heaven, 180.
33 Grey, Return From Death, 106, 108, 109.
34 Berman, The Journey Home, 132.
35 Berman, The Journey Home, 179.
36 Grey, Return From Death, 109.
37 Kenneth Ring interview in Valarino, On The Other Side of
Life, 139.
38 Kenneth Ring interview in Valarino, On The Other Side of
Life, 139-140.
39 Jean-Paul Girard interview in Valarino, On The Other Side
of Life, 62; David Lorimer, “The Near-Death Experience and
Perennial Wisdom,” in Bailey and Yates, The Near-Death
Experience, 365.
40 Berman, The Journey Home, 36, 47, 131-134; Cox-
Chapman, The Case for Heaven, 4-5, 17-18; David Lorimer,
“The Near-Death Experience and Perennial Wisdom,” in
Bailey and Yates, The Near-Death Experience, 365; Ring,
Heading Toward Omega, 149, 157; Ring, Lessons from the
Light, 40, 136, 140; Valarino, On The Other Side of Life, 12.
41 Kenneth Ring interview in Valarino, On The Other Side of
Life, 159.
42 Weiss, Messages from the Masters, 237.
 25

43 Berman, The Journey Home, 102-104; Kübler-Ross, On Life

After Death, 16; Kenneth Ring interview in Valarino, On The
Other Side of Life, 124.
44 Mellen-Thomas Benedict, “Through the Light and
Beyond,” in Bailey and Yates, The Near-Death Experience, 42-
43, 49.)
45 Berman, The Journey Home, 109-110; Grey, Return From
Death, 33, 46.
46 Minor, several journal articles, see Bibliography.
47 Ring, Heading Toward Omega, 150, 158-162; Kenneth
Ring interview in Valarino, On The Other Side of Life, 112.
48 Wells, “Reincarnation Beliefs Among Near Death
Experiencers,” passim.
49 Dabholkar, “Departed Loved Ones Are Guardian Angels,”
13-15.
50 Cox-Chapman, The Case for Heaven, 42-45; Weiss, Many
Lives, Many Masters, 28, 30, 43-44, 98, 118, 12; Wambach,
Life Before Life, 28-42, 51, 56, 62-63, 97.
51 Stevenson, Children Who Remember Previous Lives, 286.
52 Berman, The Journey Home, 123-124; Valarino, On The
Other Side of Life, 15.

An Annotated Bibliography

Bailey, Lee W. and Jenny Yates, editors. The Near-Death

Experience: A Reader. New York: Routledge, 1996.
This book contains many essays from people who had
NDEs and others who try to understand the phenomenon.
 26

Berman, Phillip L. The Journey Home: What Near-Death

Experiences and Mysticism Teach Us About the Gift of Life.
New York: Pocket Books, 1996.
Berman had an NDE at age 16 when he nearly drowned.
Later, after his infant daughter’s death, Berman, as a scholar,
studied other people’s NDEs. His book details actual NDEs
and mystic experiences from a large number of people and
draws insights about the lessons we can learn from these.

Brinkley, Dannion, with Paul Perry, Saved by the Light. New

York: Villard Books, 1994.
Brinkley recounts his two NDEs, relates encounters with
beings of light, and shares insights about the life review, the
spirit dimension, and our soul purpose.

Cox-Chapman, Mally. The Case for Heaven: Near-Death

Experiences as Evidence of the Afterlife. New York: G. P.
Putnam’s Sons, 1995.
Journalist Cox-Chapman heard a disembodied voice
telling her to relax when she was in an auto accident. She
later interviewed people who had NDEs to understand and
describe what heaven is all about.

Dabholkar, Pratibha A., Departed Loved Ones Are Guardian

Angels, available on Obooko, 2023.
Professor Dabholkar has drawn new implications by
combining two streams of literature —after-death
communications (ADCs) and the near-death experience
(NDE)—to explain who guardian angels really are.
 27

Ford, Arthur. The Life Beyond Death. (As told to Jerome

Ellison) New York: Berkley Medallion Books, 1971.
Ford shares knowledge about the spirit dimension
obtained through other people’s spiritually transformative
experiences as well as through his own NDE.

Grey, Margot. Return From Death: An Exploration of the Near-

Death Experience. Boston, MA: Arkana, 1985.
Grey had an NDE when she was gravely ill. She later
explored NDEs from British and American individuals for
her dissertation. She concluded that the experience was
essentially the same regardless of background and that it
changed the individuals’ lives for the better.

Kübler-Ross, Elisabeth. On Life After Death. Berkeley, CA:

Celestial Arts, 1991.
Dr. Kübler-Ross, a pioneering researcher on the subjects
of death and dying, has written four essays in this book to
capture her thinking about dying, what happens afterwards,
and what we should do while here on earth.

Minor, Robert N. Several articles in journals such as Religious

Studies and the Journal of the American Academy of Religion.
Minor, a comparative religions scholar has published
extensively in journals. His descriptions of Radhakrishnan’s
and Aurobindo’s views of God and the spirit dimension are
found in many of his articles.
 28

Morse, Melvin, with Paul Perry. Closer to the Light: Learning

from Children's Near-Death Experiences. New York: Villard
Books, 1990.
Pediatrician Morse discusses several NDEs related to him
by his young patients and explains how they opened his
mind to spirit experiences.

Ring, Kenneth. Heading toward Omega: In Search of the

Meaning of the Near-Death Experience, New York: W.
Morrow, 1984.
Professor Ring taught a university-level course on NDEs
and also interviewed a large number of experiencers. His
book shares his findings and insights.

Ring, Kenneth. Lessons From the Light: What We Can Learn

from the Near-Death Experience. New York: Plenum Press
Insight Books, 1998.
Professor Ring discusses how NDEs change lives and
perspectives. He points out that readers who apply these
insights and lessons to their own lives will embark on a
better path, more attuned to the Light beyond.

Stevenson, Ian. Children Who Remember Previous Lives: A

Question of Reincarnation. Charlottesville, VA: University
Press of Virginia, 1987.
Professor Stevenson supports reincarnation based on
children’s testimonies about past lives, which he tested for
accuracy with a comprehensive list of facts the narrators
could not have known from their present lives.
 29

Valarino, Evelyn Elsaesser. On The Other Side of Life:

Exploring the Phenomenon of Near-Death Experience. New
York: Insight Books, 1997.
Valarino, a researcher and author, conducted thoughtful
interviews on NDEs with an impressive list of scholars,
philosophers, scientists, and doctors. These interviews add
greatly to our understanding of the spirit dimension.

Wambach, Helen. Life Before Life. New York: Bantam Books,

1979.
Wambach, a psychologist and researcher, regressed 750
people to before their births. She reported on what the
subjects said about the spirit dimension, soul mate groups,
and reincarnation.

Weiss, Brian. Many Lives, Many Masters. New York: A

Fireside Book, Simon & Schuster, 1988.
Psychiatrist Weiss shares information about the spirit
world based on past-life regressions of his patients.

Weiss, Brian. Messages from the Masters. London: Warner

Books, 2000.
Psychiatrist and philosopher Weiss shares teaching
passed on to him by his “spirit guides.” (Although he does
not acknowledge them as such, the guides are either his
departed loved ones, or part of his eternal soul mate group,
who stayed behind and who watch over him.)
 30

Wells, Amber D. “Reincarnation Beliefs Among Near

Death Experiencers.” Journal of Near-Death Studies, 12(1),
1993. 17-34.
Researcher Wells conducted a careful study to evaluate
the reincarnation beliefs of NDErs. Her findings corroborate
professor Ring’s work on this topic and add to it.

About the Author

Dr. Pratibha A. Dabholkar (Ph.D., Georgia State University),

emerita professor, University of Tennessee, has made a deep
study of spiritually transformative experiences (such as
after-death communications, near-death experiences, and
death-bed visions). She writes and teaches about these
subjects to inform and enlighten readers. She also writes
fiction books to help readers understand these important
phenomena through engaging stories. In addition, Dr.
Dabholkar uses her learning in these areas as a lens to
evaluate selected classic and modern films on angels,
heaven, and related subjects. Her books on all these topics
are or will be available on Obooko.