Movie "Funny People" features near-death experience: In recent news, research and events of NDEs

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Adam Sandler in "Funny People" has a contrary reaction to his near-death experience: he resists  life-sweeping changes that this event brings people, as reported by film critic Roger Ebert.  Read more below in today's news of near-death experiences.

Here read highlights of the news from the last few days on close calls with death and news, events and discussions about near-death experiences. To further understand this format, see the original posting, and please click here.

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Out-of-body Near Death Experiences (NDEs) in the news

 Blogger reports near-death experience of student: “I think her name might be Susan. She talks of having been a printmaker and having a near death experience and hearing a voice instructing her to sing. So now she sings, and I hear she sings beautifully. She also coordinates burlesque shows and maybe rock operas.” Posted by Emily at blogspot.com, 29 July 2009.

Psychologist Robert Puff describes Betty, who actually, died during surgery and the near death experience that she had when her heart stopped. “Betty describes it as a blissful, intense and mystical feeling. She was ‘at one with the Universe and enjoyed the ultimate sense of peace.’ She was revived, but never fully recovered. The result has been years of poor health and living in intermittent episodes of pain. Her life looked very bleak, and she had pretty much given up on everything. While undergoing physical therapy, Betty met a little girl who was also having treatments. The child had such a positive outlook on life, she inspired Betty to accept her own situation, to love life, and to live in the moment. That was 35 years ago. Today Betty uses a walker, wears braces on her legs, and lives alone. Still, she is one of the most peaceful, loving people I have ever met. She is totally comfortable with her physical problems, and has learned to love life. While meditating, Betty often has mystical experiences, harkening back to her near death experience.” Written by Dr Robert Puff at submityourarticle.com, 29 July 2009.

Commentary and research on out of body near-death experiences in the news 

 UK student is calling for near-death experiencers to assist with her research and “guarantees anonymity.” University of Bristol student Eve Vertannes is earning her Masters in Social Anthropology. Her research thus far shows that “Near-death experiences were unlike hallucinations people experienced when taking drugs like morphine or ketamine. ‘It’s different as you are coming out of your body rather than seeing things outside it,’ she said.” Written by Ben Perrin of Wiltshire.co.uk, 28 July 2009.

Is life itself a near-death experience? According to one blogger, there are philosophical references that treat life this way. And in response, blogger Thinklit replies that near-death experiences chronicle the self-serving opinions of those telling about them: the religious claim that the near-death experiencer is somehow “right” because they came back from death, and the atheists. “come back with that, the experience was all in their minds and should be discounted. They saw either what they wanted to see or what they feared they would see and that was the memory they came back with.” Posted at Covenant Media online, 28 July 2009.

Film critic Roger Ebert reports that Judd Apatow’s film starring Adam Sandler called “Funny People” is about a near-death experiencer who resists lessons the experience brings. “’I thought an interesting story would be about someone who goes the other way and learns almost nothing from their near-death experience,’ Apatow informed me [Ebert]… ‘Sadly,’ Apatow said, ‘I have known quite a few people who have been seriously ill in the last few years. I've watched them struggle with the ups and down of their situations. There are many important lessons that people learn when they are fighting an illness. Aspects of it can be very positive, and their connections with their friends and family often become much closer and richer. George Simmons' ego is so out of control that he interprets all the wrong lessons from his situation, and that's where the comedy comes from. In movies on this subject the lead character usually changes dramatically and becomes a perfect person. I thought it would be more fun and more truthful to show someone resist the change.’” Read the review at Roger Ebert at the Sun Times online, 25 July 2009.  You can also read the Cathy Doheny's review (she's our Blood Cancer Examiner), at "Funny People tells story of leukemia survivor," or Dennis Willis's review (he's the SF Film Industry Examiner)  here.

Near-death experience events

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Close calls with death touted as "near-death experiences"

 Gary King says his career path resulted from a mid-1980s near-death experience. He claims, “I had a massive shift in consciousness and paid very close attention to everything I thought and did, especially in regard to every word that came out of my mouth.” Original article by Gary King posted by Ariane de Bonvoisin at The Huffington Post Online, 28 July 2009.

7-month old child endures medically-induced coma and recovers. Bolivar, West Virginia community members host bake sale to help mother Kristin Pritt, welcoming child Kaycee home. Written by Angela Cummings at the Journal, 29 July 2009.