In early 1988, the British neuropsychiatrist Peter Fenwick discovered himself drowning in letters from individuals who believed they’d survived an encounter with demise.
“I slowly floated down a tunnel, not afraid in any approach however trying ahead to one thing,” one man wrote to him. “When it got here I used to be completely at peace and going in direction of probably the most great gentle. Consider me, it was nice. No worries, issues or something, simply great.”
In one other letter, a lady described strolling down a rustic lane and coming upon golden gates.
“Inside was probably the most lovely backyard, no garden, path or anything, however flowers of each form,” she wrote. “People who attracted me most had been Madonna lilies, delphiniums and roses, however there have been many, many extra.”
The letters had been amongst greater than 2,000 that Dr. Fenwick acquired shortly after he appeared in a BBC documentary, “Glimpses of Loss of life,” during which he commented on the near-death visions of people that had apparently briefly died, or practically died, after which come again to life.
“These letters had been written by individuals who had by no means, ever earlier than advised anybody about their experiences,” Dr. Fenwick stated in a 2012 lecture at TEDxBerlin. “Why? As a result of they’re too frightened. They advised it to their wives or their husbands; they stated they weren’t . They advised it to their pals; they stated, ‘You’re mad.’”
However Dr. Fenwick, an professional on consciousness, was keenly . Possessing a extra scientifically open thoughts than a lot of his friends, he had begun finding out near-death experiences — a contentious topic in neuroscience — within the mid-Seventies. He believed that consciousness existed past bodily demise, and he thought the letters would assist strengthen his place.
Dr. Fenwick despatched the letter writers a prolonged questionnaire to categorize their experiences. He introduced his findings, alongside excerpts from the letters, in “The Fact within the Mild: An Investigation of Over 300 Close to-Loss of life Experiences” (1995), which he wrote together with his spouse, Elizabeth Fenwick. The ebook established him as a number one authority in near-death research.
Dr. Fenwick died on Nov. 22 at his residence in London, his daughter Annabelle Fenwick stated. He was 89.
“The Fact within the Mild” revealed startling similarities among the many letter writers. Greater than 50 p.c of them reported touring in a tunnel. Seventy-two p.c noticed a brilliant gentle. Practically 40 p.c met somebody they knew, together with deceased family. Strikingly, 72 p.c reported that they’d made the choice to return.
A girl who had been in a horrific automotive accident recalled being “inspired by a robust feeling to enter the sunshine” by way of a tunnel.
“I used to be peaceable, completely content material, and I understood I used to be born on earth and knew the reply to each thriller — I used to be not advised, I simply knew, the sunshine held all of the solutions,” she wrote. “Then there was sudden confusion. I had to return to the tunnel shortly; one thing was fallacious.”
All of the sudden, she continued, “I regained my physique and all feelings. I panicked and felt ache, large ache, throughout my physique. I consider I died for a short while.”
Have you ever had a near-death expertise? Share your reminiscences.
Neuroscientists have for many years dismissed near-death experiences, or N.D.E.s, as signs of anoxia — an absence of oxygen flowing to the mind. Dr. Fenwick rebutted that evaluation in “The Fact within the Mild,” pointing to the instruction of pilots.
“Pilots in coaching repeatedly bear acute anoxia in simulators to ensure they’ll get their oxygen masks on in time,” Dr. Fenwick wrote. “Those that fail to take action shouldn’t have N.D.E.s; they both go unconscious or develop into so confused that they attempt to land their planes on clouds.”
He additionally dismissed one other frequent critique of near-death experiences: that they’re run-of-the-mill hallucinations, like these skilled by individuals with excessive fevers.
“However describing it as a hallucination does nothing to clarify the underlying mechanism and leaves most of the usual questions unanswered,” Dr. Fenwick wrote. “Why ought to everybody have roughly the identical hallucination in the identical circumstances? And why ought to it appear so actual?”
Peter Brooke Cadogan Fenwick was born on Might 25, 1935, in Nairobi, Kenya, the place his father, Anthony Fenwick, had been despatched by his household in northern England to farm espresso. His mom, Betty (Darling) Fenwick, was an Australian-born doctor and director of surgical procedure at Nairobi Hospital.
Peter was a curious and mischievous boy. He preferred to construct issues, together with the occasional small bomb. One night, whereas his dad and mom had been getting ready to host dinner company, Peter quietly laid a path of gunpowder across the desk in hopes of lighting it for leisure. His father disrupted the plot.
“I believe he was clearly one in all these youngsters who’s extremely brilliant however perhaps not all the time so sensible at studying the room,” his daughter Annabelle stated in an interview. She added, “He did issues as a result of he may.”
After graduating from Stowe Faculty, a prestigious boarding establishment within the English countryside, Dr. Fenwick studied pure sciences on the College of Cambridge. He graduated in 1957 after which continued his research there, receiving his medical diploma in 1960.
Dr. Fenwick aspired to develop into a mind surgeon, however he modified his thoughts after observing a mind surgical procedure.
“I all of a sudden realized that for those who had been a mind surgeon you appeared down a deep, darkish gap into the mind, and I may see there was no enjoyable in that,” he advised the British newspaper The Telegraph final 12 months. “I noticed I didn’t wish to be a neurosurgeon, I wished to be a neuropsychiatrist so I may discuss to individuals and never have them unconscious whereas I appeared into that deep, darkish gap.”
He joined Maudsley Hospital in London, the biggest psychiatric educating hospital in Britain, the place he at first specialised in epilepsy. He additionally studied sleepwalking, desires and meditation. (Certainly one of his first analysis topics in meditation was George Harrison of the Beatles.)
In 1975, the American thinker and psychiatrist Raymond A. Moody Jr., revealed “Life After Life,” one of many first books by a doctor about near-death experiences. It was a global finest vendor, however Dr. Fenwick, like many different readers, was skeptical in regards to the deathbed visions recounted within the ebook.
Then, the subsequent 12 months, a affected person of his advised him that he had seen a brilliant gentle by way of a tunnel whereas experiencing near-fatal problems throughout coronary heart surgical procedure.
“I used to be in a position to take a look at him, talk about it with him and see in reality that this was no psychobabble — it was an actual expertise,” Dr. Fenwick advised The Telegraph. “This was enormously essential.”
Dr. Fenwick was a founding father of the Worldwide Affiliation for Close to-Loss of life Research UK. He was additionally president of the Scientific and Medical Community, a corporation that helps analysis into the connections between science, philosophy and spirituality.
Along with his daughter Annabelle, Dr. Fenwick is survived by his spouse, Elizabeth (Roberts) Fenwick, with whom he wrote 4 books along with “The Fact within the Mild,” together with “The Artwork of Dying” (2008), in regards to the means of demise; one other daughter, Natasha Lowe; a son, Tristam; and 9 grandchildren.
In “The Fact within the Mild,” Dr. Fenwick revealed that 82 p.c of the individuals he surveyed had been much less afraid of dying on account of their near-death experiences, and that 42 p.c reported being extra religious. Forty-eight p.c, he wrote, had been “satisfied” there was “survival after demise.”
“When you’ve had this expertise you might be modified, whether or not you prefer it or not,” he advised The Telegraph.
His perception that there was demise of the physique, however not the person particular person, erased any worry he had about dying.
“Really,” he stated, “I’m trying ahead to it.”
