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4693
qualitative
book
Titus Rivas et al., The Self Does Not Die: Verified Paranormal Phenomena from Near-Death Experiences, 2nd edition, ed. Janice Holden (International Association for Near-Death Studies, 2023). Case 3.40
Explore Journal 2021 Bettina Peyton
1988
1988-03-24
2021
32
F
Bettina Peyton, a 32-year-old physician and strident materialist, suffered a cardiac arrest on March 24, 1988, while working at Tufts-New England Medical Center. She was pregnant with her third child and diagnosed with placenta previa, requiring high-risk surgery to deliver her baby prematurely. During the operation, she bled profusely and experienced cardiac arrest, leading to her transfer to the ICU and subsequent hysterectomy.
Under general anesthesia with eyes taped shut, Peyton experienced a classic NDE. She was able to hear and see clearly what was happening in the room. She heard the anesthesiologist ask about blood loss and the surgeon reply "The child is gone." She heard the anesthesiologist shout "Shit! Now she has no blood pressure at all!" and observed him trying to find a pulse, hearing alarm signals, and watching resuscitation attempts. She saw blood transfusions, the anesthesiologist hitting the emergency button, and CPR being performed. She then entered emptiness but realized she was still there, encountering a living light that recognized her. She experienced herself as "free and alive! Bodiless, eternal, pure being!" and received a message to return to her body. Peyton observed specific details including the anesthesiologist's efforts to catheterize her wrist artery, telling him internally to "go for the brachial artery" and hearing him say he heard "Just go for it!" which compelled him to switch approaches. She saw a white-haired senior surgeon enter and clamp her aorta with his hand, experiencing an explosion of white-hot light through his touch that revitalized her entire being. After regaining consciousness, she accurately described all procedures to her obstetrician and anesthesiologist before being informed, including the hysterectomy, IV line insertion, and arterial line attempts. Both Peyton and her baby made full recoveries. The experience profoundly transformed her worldview. Her husband Matthew Levine M.D. confirmed she wrote "uterus out" while still on a ventilator before being told about the emergency hysterectomy performed during cardiac arrest.
1
Hospital
35
30
90
Exceptional Evidence
25
Documented cardiac arrest during surgery with full medical monitoring, general anesthesia, eyes taped shut
Multiple specific veridical observations including conversations, procedures, and medical interventions all independently verified
Confirmed by obstetrician, anesthesiologist, and husband Dr. Matthew Levine
Alternative explanations ruled out - eyes taped, under general anesthesia during cardiac arrest
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Dr. Marjorie Woollacott
2021-01-01
7/27/2025
5
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