Di spiritual mystery of near-death experience

"I be builder wey no sucessful at all bifor, no money and dem bin get quit notice to pack comot from my flat," David Ditchfield bin dey 46 and im na heavy drinker bifor.

Na 2006 and life for London bin no dey go as im plan am.

For dis low point, David go stay wit im sister for Cambridgeshire, outside London.

One of im friends come visit David, as im escort am go train station to see am off, di train door jam im coat as e close, come trap am.

Na so di train drag am follow body, pull am down from platform enta track, come leave am dia as im lie for ground wit major wounds, including one hand wey cut off.

Dem rush David go one hospital for corner do am operation. But bifor dem carry am go hospital im bin get one ogbonge and unexpected spiritual experience.

"I leave my body. I leave di drama of di hospital. I leave all di pain wey dey rush through my body and I bin dey for calm space," im tok.

"Wen I look up, e get three straigh lines of white light wey bin slowly come close to me. E bin dey so bright and strong but e pure no be small so tey I fit inside and feel di light as e dey slowly go throughout my whole body and dey healing."

David also experience di presence of angelic beings: "I feel say dem dey heal all my wounds for my body and dey peel all di layers of pain for my life comot, till dem reach di centre of my soul. I come feel complete for di first time and come realise say I bin dey act my way through life."

But na di final part of David experience na im be di most powerful.

Im describe one feeling like say im dey among stars and galaxies, dey look into sometin endless and di vision of one white tunnel of light.

"I fit feel evri part of my body dey vibrate wit dis energy of love from dis big tunnel of white light. I know say I bin dey look at di source of all creation. Dis na God in di form of dis big tunnel of white light. I bin just dey so full of joy."

Di waking of David spirit bin get both immediate and lasting effects.

Im say im kontinu to dey experience deep contentment, purpose and di feeling say im dey gel wit di energies of di universe.

Im fit use im hand again and im no dey fear death again.

Witout any experience bifor, David just develop ability to compose classical songs plus paint clear foto of di tins wey occur for im experience wen im bin dey recover.

Dem don do local performance of di music wey im compose and one of di painting wey im do dey on display for di Meseum of di Bible for Washington, USA.

However, David no consider im journey as religious experience and prefer to describe imsef as spiritual.

Spiritual waking

Dr Steve Taylor na spiritual or transpersonal psychologist wey dey study di link between serious suffering and spiritual experiences wey no get explanation.

Im say experience like David own dey suprisingly common and don make more and more pipo to define demsef as spiritual.

"Wen you get near-death experience e dey extremely, powerfully real, so much more powerful dan ordinary awareness wey be say di way wey you dey take see reality go change forever.

"E dey mostly happun to pipo wey bin dey see life from worldly point of view and even aftawards dem no go neccesarily become religious in di usual way," Dr Taylor, senior lecturer for Leeds Beckett University, tok.

Im say some dey describe dis kain experience in religious terms but emphasis say dem no dey attach am to any ideas or belief, instead dem go adopt new ones.

Popular scientific theories suggest say near death experiences dey occur sake of lack of oxygen for brain wen pesin dey close to death.

But Dr Taylor say research for dis area neva get any conclusion and e no get any logical scientific explanation for dem.

Im also torchlight di kain taboo wey dey follow di discussion of dis kain mata becos dem against wetin science consider as reality.

"Dis experience dem dey suggest say consciousness no necessarily be di product of di brain and e fit survive if di body die," Dr Taylor tok.

Di lack of support wey no dey available to discuss dis kain experience become challenge for Gigi Strehler.

She na actor from North London wey set up di group 'Near-Death Experience UK' for 2014 afta she nearly die for hospital.

"I experience emptiness instead of wetin pipo dey mostly refer to tunnel of light. So I bin dey inside nothingness and nowia. E bin dey completely full wit peace and sense of love. I bin no be Gigi, yet I still exist, I still get dey conscious and aware.

"Dat place bin dey more clear and true dan dis world wey feel more like dream wen you return to am," Gigi say.

Afterward, she experience very strong personal changes like understanding quantum physics.

E make her begin find ansa from major religious traditions over many years, and also from dia more mystical branches.

But none of dem satisfy her, and Gigi now get mixed feeling towards formal religion.

"My experience teach me say our awareness and existence big pass all explanations wey human being get to give. But I believe say all of us dey extremely interconnected."

David Ditchfield get similar view. Im dey deeply spiritual and respectful towards religious traditions but imsef no dey religious.

Dr Steve Taylor dey fascinated by di self-reported 'spiritual' experience of David and Gigi but agree say dem dey too mysterious for many to truly accept.

"We like to pride ourselves as human beings say we fit explain reality and explain all our experience, but we no fit. E get some tins wey just dey too strange to make sense."