Near-Death Experiences and Life Itself with P.M.H. Atwater

Sep 16, 2025

P.M.H. Atwater, a journalist and leading researcher on near-death experiences, shares her transformative journey and her three near-death encounters from 1977. She discusses unexpected synchronicities and the insights gained from nearly 5,000 research participants. Delving into the intersections of alien phenomena and consciousness, Atwater also previews her upcoming book on aliens and the afterlife. With a spirit of resilience at 88, she reflects on the powerful guidance that shaped her work and the life's mystery she continues to explore.

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ANECDOTE

A Fall With A Funny Detail

Atwater describes a recent fall on ice where she woke saying "hospital" while clutching a carton of eggs; only three broke.
The fall required surgery and rehab but she recovered and resumed writing.

ANECDOTE

Three Deaths That Changed Her Life

P. M. H. Atwater recounts dying three times in 1977 and hearing a commanding voice that assigned her research task.
She quit her job, traveled across the U.S., and began a new life pursuing the mission the voice gave her.

INSIGHT

A Single Directive Became A Lifework

The voice told Atwater: "test revelation you are to do the research" and assigned one book per death.
That directive reframed her personal trauma into a decades-long research vocation on near-death experiences.

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Near-Death Experiences and Life Itself with P.M.H. Atwater

P. M. H. Atwater, a journalist and leading researcher on exceptional human experiences, has authored numerous books, including The Big Book of Near-Death Experiences and Future Memory. She also previews her forthcoming book, Aliens and the Near-Death Experience, which explores the intersections of nonhuman intelligence and the afterlife. Throughout her career, Atwater has shared personal stories of synchronicity, extraordinary encounters, and a lifelong commitment to guiding experiencers through the challenges that follow profound events.

In this wide-ranging conversation, Atwater reflects on decades of near-death research, recounting her three near-death experiences in 1977 and the powerful guiding voice that shaped her work. She discusses the unexpected synchronicities that influenced her career, the origins of Future Memory, and research involving nearly 5,000 adults and children. This candid dialogue illuminates not only the enduring mystery of near-death states but also the wisdom and resilience gained from a life devoted to understanding consciousness and the extraordinary.

New Thinking Allowed host, Jeffrey Mishlove, PhD, is author of The Roots of Consciousness, Psi Development Systems, and The PK Man. Between 1986 and 2002 he hosted and co-produced the original Thinking Allowed public television series. He is the recipient of the only doctoral diploma in “parapsychology” ever awarded by an accredited university (University of California, Berkeley, 1980). He is also the Grand Prize winner of the 2021 Bigelow Institute essay competition regarding the best evidence for survival of human consciousness after permanent bodily death. He currently serves as Co-Director of Parapsychology Education at the California Institute for Human Science.

(Recorded on **** 00, 20**)

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