Another great read. Thank you. A brief question: have you come across any cases of people who may have been suffering from major depression or another debilitating mental illness and who took their own lives in a violent way - perhaps one that caused great harm to their body? If so, do they feel freed from those afflictions following their deaths? Or does the manner of their death cause them continued pain and suffering? As I have mentioned in a previous comment, as a Buddhist I struggle with the belief that those afflictions will follow the deceased (particularly, if they suicide) right into the spirit realm and their torment may even worsen substantially.
Hi Bruce, this is in addition to my reply to you on the article about suicide and the afterlife. What I've written in these two articles holds true for people who have taken their own life, regardless of how they did it. Nothing changes in either article based on how one takes their life.
A violent killing of oneself says more about the human being taking his life than it says about the spirit's experience. Typically, such acts are an attempt to punish an aspect of the self. Nonetheless, the result is always the same; the person transitions to the spiritual realm just like everyone else.
But as I wrote in my suicide article, those choices and the experience that accompanies them become an eternal memory of that spirit, partially because they also have an effect on the surviving loved ones, which the spirit comes to know intimately. The issues, as noted in my other article, are more related to the latter than the former. For the spirit, the pain and suffering of the violent death is over, but the suffering of the loved ones left behind often continues until their life is over (and their suffering might be made worse by the violent act).
Once again, I don't know that I've answered the question in the way you anticipated, but I hope this helps. Many blessings, Bob
Thanks Bob, appreciate your feedback on the subject. I really enjoy reading your articles it gives me hope that our deceased loved ones might be trying to reach out to us. I looked forward to reading more interesting articles you are writing. Thanks, Lisa Castello
Thanks for another great article Bob. I had known all of this from listening to you on afterlife TV, & other mediums talk, but it’s always comforting & reaffirming to know that death isn’t scary like I once thought ( & most people think) when they don’t believe there is anything more after we transition. I find it all fascinating & hearing & reading about the afterlife has become a sort of secret passion of mine.
Hi Shari, I can certainly say that before I began investigating the afterlife 26 years ago, I had no idea that learning about the afterlife would teach me to not fear death and to learn so much about life itself. Even more importantly, learning about the afterlife offers so much comfort around grief and issues related to dealing with loss that I wish everyone could know what I have learned, which is why I love writing about it. Thank you. I share in your secret passion.
What about cancer patients who, even though they have faith in God, experience extreme agitation the last few days of their lives? Confusion, personality changes and finally become nearly comatose? My husband took his last
breath within my embrace, but I'm worried he had absolutely no idea what was happening or why, even though he trusted in his God and had been ill for 1 1/2 years. So sad. So scary. So seemingly pointless... Please advise.
Hi Linda, I'm sorry to hear about your husband's passing as well as his suffering. I'm not entirely sure what your question is, but if you're asking about your husband's religious beliefs, perhaps my article on religion and the afterlife will help answer some of your questions: https://bobolsonconnect.com/p/what-the-afterlife-teaches-us-about
If you're wondering if your husband was aware of what was happening following his death, the answer is that he was fully alert and aware of everything once he left his body. All his suffering, pain, and confusion would have disappeared the moment he died and his spirit left his body. It is at this moment (after death) that he would become aware of the reason he had that experience with cancer and the lessons his soul could learn from it. To the soul, no human experience is pointless even if it seemed that way while physically alive. There's a lot to be learned regarding souls, spirits, and the afterlife, but I hope this is helpful to you.
Thank you. You answered my question...I was concerned because if all the agitation he experienced before drawing his last breath and worried it would keep him from successful transition.
Hi Bob, thanks for this beautiful article I really enjoyed reading it. This makes me think of when my husband passed away I hope he found peace and was not afraid of dying I hope he found happiness in the Spiritual World, I am sure he did he probably saw family and friends he knew on earth and I hope he learning a lot of things there too. I was wondering do you learn new things in the Spirit World? I just wanted to let you know that you know a lot about the Spirit World, so I was wondering is my deceased loved ones in another dimension? I am very curious to learn more about the Spirit World, me and my family have quite of few family and some friends there. Thank you, Lisa Castello
Hi Lisa, I'm glad you enjoyed it. We do learn new things in the spirit world. In the post I did last week of Melissa's LBL regression (Glimpse of the Spirit World), she talks a lot about what her soul does in the spirit world, and much of that is learning about new experiences she's never had (on the physical plane) and learning from other souls about their experiences (human lifetimes). In my own LBL, I learned that I teach about fear in the spirit world, so obviously other souls are learning about fear there, something that doesn't exist in the spirit world.
I have a lot of articles about the spirit world on this Substack account, Bob Olson Connect, so I'm glad you're here. Some of my articles can get pretty deep, but I'm trying to offset those with some simpler articles as well. Thanks Lisa!
Hi Bob. I had an OBE while hospitalized for a severe asthma attack due to pneumonia. I was not in physical danger, so I don't think it was an NDE. I remember floating above my body and hearing a strong command to go back to my body since it was not my time to leave. I did not want to return because I felt as if a heavy weight had been lifted off of me. I was giddy with delight and wanted to stay afloat for a bit. When I heard the commanding voice, I plummeted back into my body so hard that it made me jerk up in bed and startled the nurse who had just entered my room to check on me. Somehow, I knew she was about to enter the room and that I had better get back to my body. I told a close friend about this and she said it was probably all in my mind and due to the oxygen I was on. She was a doctor, so, of course, she had no other reference points and this was in the early 80s before OBE and NDEs were embraced. I had been reading Raymond Moody's books so knew about NDEs but was not as familiar about OBEs. I am so grateful to have had this experience because I am confident that there is nothing to fear when I do transition. This has helped me to support loved ones during their final days.
Hi Karen, this is an incredible experience. It does sound like an OBE except for the commanding voice telling you it was not your time. Typically, people having an out-of-body experience don't get that type of communication. It might have been the beginning of an NDE. I interviewed someone once who heard voices saying, "What is she doing here?" She quickly found herself back in her body. I'm so happy for you that you felt the weightlessness of being out of your physical body, including the giddy feeling of delight. Thank as always for sharing this extraordinary experience.
Dear Bob,
Another great read. Thank you. A brief question: have you come across any cases of people who may have been suffering from major depression or another debilitating mental illness and who took their own lives in a violent way - perhaps one that caused great harm to their body? If so, do they feel freed from those afflictions following their deaths? Or does the manner of their death cause them continued pain and suffering? As I have mentioned in a previous comment, as a Buddhist I struggle with the belief that those afflictions will follow the deceased (particularly, if they suicide) right into the spirit realm and their torment may even worsen substantially.
Thank you for all the incredible sharing you do,
Bruce
Hi Bruce, this is in addition to my reply to you on the article about suicide and the afterlife. What I've written in these two articles holds true for people who have taken their own life, regardless of how they did it. Nothing changes in either article based on how one takes their life.
A violent killing of oneself says more about the human being taking his life than it says about the spirit's experience. Typically, such acts are an attempt to punish an aspect of the self. Nonetheless, the result is always the same; the person transitions to the spiritual realm just like everyone else.
But as I wrote in my suicide article, those choices and the experience that accompanies them become an eternal memory of that spirit, partially because they also have an effect on the surviving loved ones, which the spirit comes to know intimately. The issues, as noted in my other article, are more related to the latter than the former. For the spirit, the pain and suffering of the violent death is over, but the suffering of the loved ones left behind often continues until their life is over (and their suffering might be made worse by the violent act).
Once again, I don't know that I've answered the question in the way you anticipated, but I hope this helps. Many blessings, Bob
Thanks Bob, appreciate your feedback on the subject. I really enjoy reading your articles it gives me hope that our deceased loved ones might be trying to reach out to us. I looked forward to reading more interesting articles you are writing. Thanks, Lisa Castello
Thanks for another great article Bob. I had known all of this from listening to you on afterlife TV, & other mediums talk, but it’s always comforting & reaffirming to know that death isn’t scary like I once thought ( & most people think) when they don’t believe there is anything more after we transition. I find it all fascinating & hearing & reading about the afterlife has become a sort of secret passion of mine.
Hi Shari, I can certainly say that before I began investigating the afterlife 26 years ago, I had no idea that learning about the afterlife would teach me to not fear death and to learn so much about life itself. Even more importantly, learning about the afterlife offers so much comfort around grief and issues related to dealing with loss that I wish everyone could know what I have learned, which is why I love writing about it. Thank you. I share in your secret passion.
What about cancer patients who, even though they have faith in God, experience extreme agitation the last few days of their lives? Confusion, personality changes and finally become nearly comatose? My husband took his last
breath within my embrace, but I'm worried he had absolutely no idea what was happening or why, even though he trusted in his God and had been ill for 1 1/2 years. So sad. So scary. So seemingly pointless... Please advise.
Hi Linda, I'm sorry to hear about your husband's passing as well as his suffering. I'm not entirely sure what your question is, but if you're asking about your husband's religious beliefs, perhaps my article on religion and the afterlife will help answer some of your questions: https://bobolsonconnect.com/p/what-the-afterlife-teaches-us-about
If you're wondering if your husband was aware of what was happening following his death, the answer is that he was fully alert and aware of everything once he left his body. All his suffering, pain, and confusion would have disappeared the moment he died and his spirit left his body. It is at this moment (after death) that he would become aware of the reason he had that experience with cancer and the lessons his soul could learn from it. To the soul, no human experience is pointless even if it seemed that way while physically alive. There's a lot to be learned regarding souls, spirits, and the afterlife, but I hope this is helpful to you.
Thank you. You answered my question...I was concerned because if all the agitation he experienced before drawing his last breath and worried it would keep him from successful transition.
Hi Bob, thanks for this beautiful article I really enjoyed reading it. This makes me think of when my husband passed away I hope he found peace and was not afraid of dying I hope he found happiness in the Spiritual World, I am sure he did he probably saw family and friends he knew on earth and I hope he learning a lot of things there too. I was wondering do you learn new things in the Spirit World? I just wanted to let you know that you know a lot about the Spirit World, so I was wondering is my deceased loved ones in another dimension? I am very curious to learn more about the Spirit World, me and my family have quite of few family and some friends there. Thank you, Lisa Castello
Hi Lisa, I'm glad you enjoyed it. We do learn new things in the spirit world. In the post I did last week of Melissa's LBL regression (Glimpse of the Spirit World), she talks a lot about what her soul does in the spirit world, and much of that is learning about new experiences she's never had (on the physical plane) and learning from other souls about their experiences (human lifetimes). In my own LBL, I learned that I teach about fear in the spirit world, so obviously other souls are learning about fear there, something that doesn't exist in the spirit world.
I have a lot of articles about the spirit world on this Substack account, Bob Olson Connect, so I'm glad you're here. Some of my articles can get pretty deep, but I'm trying to offset those with some simpler articles as well. Thanks Lisa!
Hi Bob. I had an OBE while hospitalized for a severe asthma attack due to pneumonia. I was not in physical danger, so I don't think it was an NDE. I remember floating above my body and hearing a strong command to go back to my body since it was not my time to leave. I did not want to return because I felt as if a heavy weight had been lifted off of me. I was giddy with delight and wanted to stay afloat for a bit. When I heard the commanding voice, I plummeted back into my body so hard that it made me jerk up in bed and startled the nurse who had just entered my room to check on me. Somehow, I knew she was about to enter the room and that I had better get back to my body. I told a close friend about this and she said it was probably all in my mind and due to the oxygen I was on. She was a doctor, so, of course, she had no other reference points and this was in the early 80s before OBE and NDEs were embraced. I had been reading Raymond Moody's books so knew about NDEs but was not as familiar about OBEs. I am so grateful to have had this experience because I am confident that there is nothing to fear when I do transition. This has helped me to support loved ones during their final days.
Hi Karen, this is an incredible experience. It does sound like an OBE except for the commanding voice telling you it was not your time. Typically, people having an out-of-body experience don't get that type of communication. It might have been the beginning of an NDE. I interviewed someone once who heard voices saying, "What is she doing here?" She quickly found herself back in her body. I'm so happy for you that you felt the weightlessness of being out of your physical body, including the giddy feeling of delight. Thank as always for sharing this extraordinary experience.