He was a neuropsychiatrist researching consciousness when a patient described his experience, leading him to recognize the reality of the phenomenon. In early 1988, British neuropsychiatrist Peter Fenwick was inundated with letters from individuals who felt they had experienced death and come back. One man wrote to him, “I gradually floated down a tunnel, feeling no fear but eagerly anticipating what’s ahead.” When it arrived, I felt completely calm and was moving towards a beautiful light. Believe me, it was great. “Everything is great, with no issues or concerns.” In a different letter, a woman recounted her experience of strolling along a rural path and discovering golden gates. She wrote, “Within was the most stunning garden, with no lawn, paths, or anything similar, just flowers of every variety.” The flowers that captivated me the most were Madonna lilies, delphiniums, and roses, but there were countless others as well. The letters were part of over 2,000 that Dr. Fenwick got soon after he featured in a BBC documentary titled “Glimpses of Death,” where he discussed the near-death experiences of individuals who had seemingly died or been close to death and then revived. “These letters were penned by individuals who had never shared their experiences with anyone before,” Dr. Fenwick mentioned during a TEDxBerlin talk in 2012. “Why?” Because they are too scared.
