NDEs and After-Death Communication
A first-hand account of a transformative event
This week’s guest author, Tricia Barker, experienced a life-changing near-death experience during college, which inspired her to teach both internationally and at various academic levels. She is the author of Angels in the OR, a professor, medium, and Theta Healer, and she interviews near-death experiencers, mediums, and spiritual teachers on her YouTube channel. You can learn more about Tricia on her website and her Instagram page. You can also find her Coming Home film here.
In this essay, Tricia explores:
The details of her NDE during spinal surgery, and her out-of-body observations and encounters with spiritual beings.
The continuity of consciousness after death, including angelic encounters and after-death communication.
Her experience of her father’s passing and her subsequent spiritual connection with him.
The essay concludes that NDEs reveal a broader reality of interconnection and expanded consciousness that continues beyond physical life.
What Are Near-Death Experiences?
The question of what happens after death has long fascinated humanity. Near-death experiences (NDEs), encounters with angels, and after-death communication offer profound insights into the nature of existence beyond our physical lives. Having personally experienced an NDE, I know that these experiences can instantly transform our perspectives on life, death, and the interconnectedness of all beings.
NDEs are deeply transformative and typically involve several key features that vary in intensity from one individual to another. Common elements include:
A sensation of leaving the physical body
Observing one’s body and surroundings from an external perspective
An overwhelming sense of peace, comfort, and unconditional love
Rapid or instantaneous travel to other locations
Encounters with deceased loved ones or spiritual figures
A “life review,” wherein individuals recall significant events from their lives, often experiencing the impact of their actions on others
While most NDEs are characterized by powerful feelings of love, peace, and joy that cannot be described in earthly terms, a minority of NDEs can involve distressing emotions. Yet even those who have distressing experiences often report transformative effects. An estimated 10-20% of individuals who survive a close brush with death report having had an NDE, and these experiences transcend demographics, appearing in people of all ages, genders, and belief systems.
My Near-Death Experience
My NDE happened during emergency spinal surgery after a car wreck.
In what seemed like just moments after being placed under anesthesia, I found myself floating above the operating table, observing my physical body lying face down, with a long incision along my spine. I watched the surgeons with curiosity. The experience of existing outside of my body felt electrifying.
My agnostic beliefs vanished instantly, and I remember thinking with great joy, “We do go on after death!”
Outside of my body, I felt like a child again—full of wonder and awe. My spirit form perceived the room in a new way. My vision was not limited to my physical eyes but expanded in 360 degrees. I could clearly see the brutality and bloodiness of the surgery, but I felt only a distant concern for my physical body.
The body seemed a mere vehicle for the spirit.
I knew instantly that the two incredibly tall, intelligent, radiant beings standing behind the surgeons were angels. Instinctively, I knew they were there to help and guide me through the experience of leaving my body. They communicated with me telepathically, transmitting waves of light into my spirit body.
The light carried thoughts, feelings, and knowledge—all transferred instantaneously. Although I couldn’t fully process everything at that moment, I understood that these messages would change me and guide me throughout my life. I knew that I would never feel as lost and alone as I had before my NDE. Most of all, I knew that the angels wanted me to share this experience to comfort those who feared dying.
I wanted to return and live with greater depth and compassion.
As the surgery continued, the angels interacted not only with me but also through the surgeons. They sent healing light through the doctors’ bodies, down their arms, and into my physical form. I watched as the angels ensured that I would walk again and even run within a year. I wondered if the doctors knew that they were conduits for this divine power. I also wondered how often angels worked through other people across the world. At one point, the angels directed me to watch closely as they slowed down their communication and sent healing energy into my body.
My physical form shimmered with light as I understood that I was being healed in ways beyond the doctors’ healing capacities.
When I heard the monitor beep, signifying that my heart had stopped, I felt no fear. The angels communicated that it was okay not to stay and watch what would happen next, so my spirit soared out of the operating room. As I flew through the hospital, I briefly paused to see my stepfather at a vending machine, buying a Snickers bar. It was a simple moment, but it provided verification of my experience outside my body.
As my spirit form soared about the city of Austin, I felt a sense of liberation that I had never known—death was not an end, but a beginning. It was like an exciting journey to a new country, filled with freedom and joy.
The next stage of my journey took me through a tunnel, where I was guided not by the angels but by a thread of light connecting me to the loving, intelligent presence of God. I experienced a rapid life review, where I saw the highlights of my life flash before me. Interestingly, the review did not include moments of pain or harm. The light seemed uninterested in revisiting those parts of my life.
Instead, the focus was on love—moments of kindness, compassion, and connection that I had given to others. The message was clear: love is all that matters.
In that space, all feelings of self-harm, insecurity, and fear dissolved as if they never existed. The love I had given—whether in small gestures, like smiling at a child or speaking kindly to a stranger—held immense significance. As I continued through the review, I investigated the hearts of people I had known, including coworkers and acquaintances I had dismissed during my life. I realized that I had judged others unfairly, often failing to recognize their kindness and compassion.
I wanted to return and live with greater depth and compassion.
The life review then took me back to my childhood, where I remembered the simplicity and purity of being connected to nature. I saw myself as a child, coaxing wild rabbits near me as I played outside. The light of God emphasized the importance of reconnecting with this childlike sense of wonder and joy, reminding me to be like a little child—to love with openness, find delight in the world, and experience life fully.
After the life review, I found myself in a beautiful, expansive landscape, where I saw my grandfather, Clyde. He looked much younger than I had ever known him, but the love in his light-filled eyes was unmistakable. As we journeyed through the most vibrant, light-filled grass I had ever seen, I felt a deep sense of peace and joy, ready to go further into the light. My grandfather seemed to know that my physical form was still compromised in surgery, and he asked if I wanted to meet God.
Every single person is loved in this powerful way, even if they are not aware of it.
With great joy, my soul took off in the direction of the light.
However, before I could fully merge with the divine, I felt the prayers of my family—my mother, father, and other loved ones. Their prayers acted as a gentle pull, slowing my journey. I could even feel the loving prayer of a great aunt who had lost her daughter years earlier. This prayer touched me deeply, reminding me of these connections that transcend time and space.
As I got closer to the source of an enormous, overwhelming energy of divine love, all the self-doubt and self-consciousness within me vanished. I knew that I was loved exactly as I am. I knew that I was a part of God, a part of divine love.
Every single person is loved in this powerful way, even if they are not aware of it. I felt so incredibly good near Creator that I never wanted to return to my body. As soon as I had this thought, I was met with an energetic barrier and told to look down at a river. I saw many souls that were either cloaked in fear or full of light and connected to God.
I understood that darkness is simply fear and love connects us to our Creator.
I looked down at my spirit body, and I saw how much I had changed. I had become filled with the light. My deep depression and cynical nature had vanished instantly. God told me that I had to return to my body to become a teacher. Teaching was not my ideal career choice because of the low pay. I had grown up poor and hoped for a more lucrative career. When I protested, God sent my soul flying through space and time. The journey back to my body was abrupt and jarring.
Re-entering my physical form felt heavy, painful, and limiting.
I missed the love and light of the other side and struggled to adjust to the confines of my body. Outside of it, I had experienced an expansive awareness, felt connected to divine love, and witnessed powerful healing. Returning to my individual perspective felt like a narrowing of reality. Yet, I knew I had a purpose to fulfill—a mission to teach and share the love I had experienced outside of my body.
The Role of Angels
In various spiritual traditions, angels are seen as intermediaries between the divine and the mortal world. They are believed to protect, guide, and offer messages of support during times of crisis. My encounter with angels during my NDE was profound. They communicated with me telepathically, conveying feelings rather than words—a pure expression of love and compassion.
These celestial beings serve as a bridge between our earthly existence and the afterlife. They provide comfort during moments of fear and uncertainty, reminding us that we are never alone. They can amplify healing in our lives—physical, emotional, and spiritual healing. In my NDE, the presence of angels offered a sense of reassurance, allowing me to surrender to the experience fully.
I have stayed connected to my angels since my NDE, and this connection offers me great comfort. I have felt carried through difficult and traumatizing situations. I want others to know that this energy is available to them and that it is possible to connect with angels in mediation and energetically.
After-Death Communication
Many years after my NDE, I faced the challenge of my father’s sudden and terminal glioblastoma diagnosis. Knowing that his death would happen for him in one to six months, we spent our time together in laughter and meaningful conversation. I shared with him my insights from my NDE, emphasizing the love and light that awaited him beyond this life. He didn’t share a single moment of fear with me.
Even in his final days, my father exuded peace.
When the chaplain arrived to perform last rites, he humorously conducted an imaginary orchestra, lightening the mood and reminding me that death is not an end but a transition. The last time I looked into his eyes, he telepathically sent the message, “See you soon kiddo.” I replied, “Not that soon, old man.” Even though neither one of us laughed audibly, we knew that humor connected us beyond the veil.
The night my father passed away, I experienced a vivid dream in which my grandparents appeared, assuring me that they had been with him during his final moments. This dream provided profound comfort, particularly when I received the call from hospice confirming his death. Although I was not physically present, the dream reinforced my belief that he was not alone during his transition.
After-death communication often manifests in various forms, including dreams, visions, or subtle signs. My father’s presence continued to guide me long after his passing, often through intuitive insights and feelings of knowing.
A significant aspect of many NDEs is the life review, during which individuals reflect on their lives and the impact of their actions. After his death, my father shared with me in another dream that he, too, was undergoing a life review. He described it as “Universe School,” a humorous term for the spiritual learning that occurs after death.
This concept aligns with many spiritual teachings, which suggest that the soul continues to learn and evolve even after leaving the physical body.
Reincarnation and the Continuity of the Soul
While my NDE did not explicitly involve the concept of reincarnation, my father’s desire to “give life another shot” prompted me to consider the possibility that our souls experience multiple lifetimes. Reincarnation—the belief that the soul is reborn into new bodies across lifetimes—is a tenet of many spiritual traditions.
This perspective challenges the notion of death as an absolute end and offers a more expansive view of the soul’s journey.
Interestingly, I had vivid dreams as a child that hinted at past-life memories. In these dreams, I lived in Boston and supported struggling artists, a life marked by the regret of not pursuing my artistic endeavors. When I moved to Boston as an adult, the city felt oddly familiar, as if I had walked its streets before. This familiarity opened my mind to the possibility of a soul’s journey spanning multiple lifetimes.
Over time, I’ve experienced after-death communication beyond dreams and learned how to connect with others’ loved ones through mediumship. My father continues to offer guidance in my daily life through intuitive warnings or insights. Some people may dismiss these experiences as wishful thinking, yet the specificity and accuracy of my father’s suggestions instill trust in these communications.
The line between life and death appears more fluid than we assume, suggesting that love and connection persist beyond the physical realm.
Darkness is simply fear and love connects us to our Creator.
Through my NDE, encounters with angels, and ongoing communication with my deceased father, I know death not as an end but as a continuation of the soul’s journey. The study of NDEs is changing how we think about consciousness.
Consciousness is not contained in the brain; rather, the brain is a filter of consciousness. Our soul has a knowing that transcends the capacity of our current thinking, and we are energetically and interconnected to all living beings, the universe, and to God. We are all capable of greater empathy, connection, telepathy, and intuition. As more individuals share their NDEs and after-death communications, these ideas are becoming more mainstream.
Empathy and emotional intelligence are being taught in many business schools. Reiki is now offered to many patients undergoing chemotherapy. Many schools and prison systems are teaching people to meditate or practice mindfulness. Most of all, a critical mass of people are awakening to a spiritual power that connects them to greater love and healing. This is good news for the planet.
Though we have a lot to cleanup to accomplish in this world, there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic about the future of humanity.
I miss Home. These NDE stories are always comforting reminders.