What is a Shared Death Experience?
You may have heard about Near Death Experiences (NDEs), when someone’s body is clinically dead for a period of time. The person’s consciousness leaves the body and travels to mystical realms before returning to life in the body. A Shared Death Experience (SDE) is when a person who is not dying shares the experience of someone who is dying.
William Peters, author of At Heaven’s Door, talks with @GailRubin on The Doyenne of Death® Podcast about these topics:
- The differences between Near Death Experiences and Shared Death Experiences.
- What drew the author to this field of study.
- How are people who experience SDEs affected afterwards?
- Why don’t people want to talk about SDEs with others?
- The most prevalent features of a SDE.
- Study results of SDEs conducted by the Shared Crossing Research Initiative.
In spite of the loss of loved ones, those who experience a Shared Death Experience are comforted. They are relieved to know their loved ones are happy on the other side. They heal from loss faster, and realize they have less to fear about death themselves. During this long pandemic, this is a redemptive and healing message to receive.
William Peters has experienced both NDEs and a SDE, and founded the Shared Crossings Project to scientifically research and document the Shared Death Experience phenomenon. Recognized as a global leader in the field of shared-death studies, he has spent decades studying end-of-life experiences. A practicing psychotherapist, his work on the end of life is informed by his therapeutic work with individuals facing grief and bereavement, personal experiences with death and dying across cultures, and his family’s own end-of-life journeys. Peters wrote At Heaven’s Door with Michael Kinsella, Ph.D., chief researcher at the Shared Crossing Research Initiative. Learn more at www.SharedCrossing.com.
Listen to the podcast, or enjoy through this YouTube video:
About The Doyenne of Death
New episodes of The Doyenne of Death® podcast are released every Thursday. Episodes are available on the podcast playlist on YouTube as well as wherever you get your podcasts. Gail Rubin is a Certified Thanatologist, a Certified Funeral Celebrant, an award-winning author and speaker, creator of Newly-Dead® The Game and five-time coordinator of the Before I Die New Mexico Festival. Learn more about Gail Rubin, the podcast, and her work in death education.
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