by Mark Pitstick MA, DC
To read this article in French, click here
Note: If you already know the following information scroll down to the article title in maroon below the seven asterisks. However, I strongly recommend reading this introduction until you really ‘own’ it. In addition, post The Great News where you’ll see it every day.
Over the last 15 years, and especially during 2019 – 2024, data from a series of experiments at the University of Arizona have definitively demonstrated scientifically that life continues after physical death. This research was conducted by Gary E. Schwartz PhD, former professor at Harvard and Yale, and pioneer in the fields of behavioral medicine and energy healing.
Dr. Schwartz is assisted in this work by a team of electrical engineers, software developers, research assistants, evidential mediums, and postmaterial luminaries at the Laboratory for Advances in Consciousness and Health. (To learn more about the SoulPhone Project and lab, visit LACH.Arizona.edu. To learn about postmaterial luminaries, see article #31 at SoulProof.com)
The Demo SoulSwitch is a binary (Yes / No) SoulSwitch device that postmaterial persons (the so-called ‘deceased’) can use to answer questions, verify their identity, and begin providing information to help many people and our planet. This device should be ready for beta testing by the summer of 2024. After sessions with project volunteers and larger donors, we will share data that scientifically demonstrates life continues after bodily death. However, this ‘reveal’ will initially occur as an ‘incremental trickle’ versus a ‘sudden splash’. Over time and under optimal conditions, we will gradually amplify how widely this news is shared.
Likewise, demonstrations of this technology will occur in a stepwise fashion. We anticipate, but cannot guarantee, that full announcements and demonstrations will occur by spring 2025. These decisions were made in April 2024 after many strategic planning discussions with core project team members. The many factors involved are much more complex than you might imagine.
See articles #1, 60, and 115 for an overview of the scientific, clinical, and experiential evidence that indicates – with 99.9% certainty – that consciousness survives bodily death. This collective evidence also shows – with very high degrees of certainty – The Great News that you and everyone else:
- continue to live after your earthly body dies.
- can interact with ‘departed’ loved ones now and after you pass on.
- are integral, infinite, eternal, and beloved parts of Source Energy now and always.
- receive guidance and support from angels, guides, master teachers, etc.
- are sacredly interconnected with all people, animals, and nature.
- have special purposes for having this earthly experience now.
- may manifest in other simultaneous time / space realities now and after bodily death.
- have everything you need to enjoy an optimal earthly experience – no matter what your past or current circumstances.
- can find meaning, as well as opportunities for growth and service, amidst your toughest changes and challenges.
- co-create how heavenly your life feels – whether living on earth or elsewhere – by your predominant thoughts, words and actions.
- can likely use SoulPhone technology in the future to communicate with postmaterial loved ones and access wisdom from luminaries who can help us heal our world.
Statements #1, 2, and 11 are based on definitive scientific research. The other statements are based on: (a) clinical research: near-death experiences, past life memories and regressions, perinatal experiences, life between lives sessions, shared crossings, terminal lucidity cases, and deathbed visions; and (b) evidencefrom firsthand experiences: after-death communications, out-of-body experiences, spiritually transformative experiences, electronic voice projection / instrumental transcommunication, and other ways of knowing.
This is, obviously, a new and exciting era for humanity. When understood and internalized – even just a bit – The Great News can help you make the shift:
- FROM thinking, believing, and acting as if your time on earth is unfair, meaningless, cruel, and ends with cessation of consciousness or the possibility of endless suffering.
- TO thinking, believing, and acting as if this earthly experience is a totally meaningful, safe, and magnificent adventure amidst forever.
Conscious language can help you adopt a greater reality perspective and live based on the second bulleted worldview. And that, in turn, can help you create the greatest life YOU have envisioned, fulfill your purposes for being on earth, serve others, and enjoy a magnificent journey. In the pursuit of using more conscious / accurate terms, l:
- Will use the term ‘YOU’ to describe the totality of your energy / being. Your real self may manifest in different spacetime ways simultaneously since only approximately 50% of your consciousness is needed to have an earthly experience. The term ‘YOU’ recognizes both of these possibilities.
- Won’t use the terms ‘die, departed, deceased, or dead’ without single quotation marks since those have strongly entrenched and erroneous meanings indicating an end of life.
- Will use the terms ‘bodily death’ and ‘death of the earthly form’ to remind you that only the earth-suit dies. The rest – all the intelligence, love, personality, memories, preferences, sense of humor, and much more – continues living in other parts of the field of all possibilities.
- Will use the terms changed worlds, passed on, transitioned and others that aptly describe a continuation of consciousness after bodily death.
- Will primarily refer to those who have passed on as postmaterial persons. That term recognizes the points in #3. I also will use soul, consciousness, essence, and awareness.
- Will primarily refer to ‘physical humans living on earth’ as material persons. Why? Because those terms within single quotation marks may apply to postmaterial persons. That is, they can have physicality, visit earth, and are still human in meaningful ways.
- Will use the terms lower versus higher energies, emotions, and ways of being. These descriptors are not critical, judgmental, or subjective; rather, they are based on objective measures by, for example, David Hawkins PhD, MD author of Power Versus Force. He and other researchers found that higher-energy emotions of peace, joy, and love calibrate at 600, 540, and 500 respectively. Conversely, lower-energy emotions of anger, fear, and guilt calibrate at 150, 100, and 30. To be clear, energy / consciousness is who and what you really are, not just how you are feeling. Your predominant energies create the quality of your life and the nature of your earthly or other time-space experience.
- Will use single quotations marks with words such as ‘lose and fail’. The Great News and collective afterlife evidence can expand your worldview about what seem to be losses and failures. We can’t accurately judge the big picture of life – what is lost or how we failed – with our limited human senses.
Note: To recognize and respect different genders and sexual identifications, I will alternate using ‘he’ or ‘she’ and related pronouns. Depending on a person’s orientation, one, both, or neither of those may apply.
The free articles and radio shows mentioned are available at SoulProof.com. To learn more about the collective afterlife evidence and The Great News, read Soul Proof, The Afterlife Evidence, Greater Reality Living (co-authored with Dr. Schwartz) and The Big Picture of Life (for ages 10 – 16 written with Schwartz and Katta Mapes MA, MEd). To experience expanded states of consciousness to optimally heal and transform your life, use audio sessions under Shop at SoulProof.com.
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Experiential Evidence for Life After Death
Introduction
Firsthand experience evidence is defined as afterlife-related perceptions reported by the person having them. Synonyms for this category include empirical evidence and experiential evidence. Combined with scientific research and clinical data, this category of evidence clearly shows that life continues after the earthly form perishes.
Firsthand experiences are the least objective, but often the most personally meaningful indicators of life after death. Direct perceptions can pass the seeing is believing or, more accurately, sensing is believing test. Glimpses of postmaterial persons – the so-called ‘deceased’ – often occur when those living on earth are very relaxed, dreaming, near death, or in an altered state of consciousness.
Part of the brain’s function is to filter out nonessential input. That was adaptive for survival, for example, while accurately distinguishing between edible and poisonous berries. However, that survival-focused level of perception may be maladaptive in the 21st century. Humans can only sense a very small fraction of reality. Unless informed otherwise, they may erroneously assume that only what can be perceived by the five senses is real.
It’s a scientific fact that the human brain and senses are very limited in perceiving reality. For example, humans usually can’t hear a dog whistle, or differentiate between eight shades of white like hummingbirds can. What appears to earthly eyes as white light is really, as revealed by a simple prism, a rainbow of colors. The electromagnetic spectrum contains many wavelengths – gamma rays and x-rays, for example – that human senses cannot detect.
In her book The Field, science journalist Lynne McTaggart described the views of top quantum physicists about how little of reality people usually perceive. She summarized their input with this analogy: If all the light and energy in our world were the size of Mt. Everest, the average person could only sense a golf-ball sized portion of that.
This alone explains why more humans don’t perceive postmaterial loved ones. Most people have been fooled by their senses. The old saying ‘There is more to life than meets the eye’ is quite accurate and extremely important to remember.
Relaxing your brain’s judgments about ‘what is real’ and ‘what is imaginary’ is one key to expanding your awareness of the big picture of life. And that, in turn, can enable more frequent and meaningful relationships with your dear ones who have changed worlds.
Methods for enhancing firsthand experiences of postmaterial persons are now widely available. A common thread among these approaches is expanding your awareness. I especially recommend meditation, prayer, setting intentions, yoga, breathwork, techniques using deep relaxation, shamanic journeying, and mind-expanding audio technology.
Subcategories of firsthand experiences include: after-death contacts, out-of-body experiences, ghost sightings, electronic voice projection / instrumental transcommunication, and other ways of knowing. I’ve discussed some of these in other articles at SoulProof.com. However, I wanted to create this article that lists and discusses all the subcategories of firsthand experience evidence.
After-Death Contacts are discussed in article #28.
Out-of-Body Experiences in article #114.
Ghost Sightings in article #104.
Electronic Device Phenomena / Instrumental Transcommunication in article #106. These terms – with the acronyms EVP and ITC – refer to reports of alterations in electronic device functioningpurportedly caused by postmaterial persons. Variations of this fairly common phenomenon include: lights flickering, garage door opening, TV or radio turning on / off, and altered audio-video recordings.
After my patient Ted transitioned from earth, his widow Marilyn shared the following event. On the one-year anniversary of his passing, several family members visited Ted’s grave site. Their son videotaped the monument, fresh flowers, and surrounding trees. He also filmed a sparrow that hopped around on the monument for most of the visit. One of them remarked that perhaps Ted was providing a sign through the bird. Later, they excitedly showed the recording to other family members. There was the monument, flowers, and trees – but no sparrow. That made more sense when they learned that ‘spirits’ can be difficult to capture on conventional film.
Multiple electronic aberrations occurred during the filming of my Soul Proof documentary film:
- Equipment malfunctions occurred as people we interviewed talked about their ADCs. The film crew could find no reason for these and we couldn’t continue for over an hour.
- The equipment resumed working immediately after a spiritualist minister told ‘spirits’ that their presence was noted, and asked them to please not interfere with filming.
- Videographers said batteries needed replaced much more often than ever before.
The fields of Electronic Voice Projection (EVP) and Instrumental Transcommunication (ITC) describe, respectively, capturing audio and video images of postmaterial persons. Common electronic devices – tape recorders, video cameras, and computers – have allegedly captured sounds and images from postmaterial persons. Pioneers in these fields include:
- Konstantin Raudive, PhD, a student of Carl Jung, MD and author of Breakthrough: An Amazing Experiment in Electronic Communication with the Dead
- Ernst Senkowski, professor of physics and electrical engineering, who wrote Instrumentelle Transkommunikation
- Mark Macy, a journalist who authored Miracles in the Storm
- Tom and Lisa Butler, authors of There is No Death and There Are No Dead
- Dan Drasin, producer and director of the “Calling Earth” documentary
- Alexander McRae, engineer and ITC researcher
Attorney Sidney L. Freeman, author of Life After Death: A Survey of the Cumulative Evidence, conducted a thorough search of the existing information as would a trial lawyer. Of EVP research, he stated: “The most successful results were obtained with Dr. Konstantin Raudive, a Latvian psychologist. In the presence of guests, Dr. Raudive would record questions he asked aloud. After the questions, he paused and waited to hear answers. No answers were heard – either by him or the guests. But, miraculously, when the tapes were played back, answers were recorded on the tapes. Answers from whom? From his relatives and friends who had graduated from the earthly plane. To avoid any charge of trickery, fresh, sealed, blank tapes were used and inserted by many different observers. A total of 60,000 such voices were recorded during the period of experimentations. The publisher, Taplinger Publishing Company of New York City, verified the facts by many different scientists before releasing Raudives’ book for publication.”
Frankly, I have the least exposure to and knowledge about this topic than any others I present. My impression, based on this limited data, is that the methods and purported results range from (1) clearly fraudulent to (2) possibly valid, but needing more scientific research.
The audio recordings I’ve heard are largely unintelligible and could easily be attributed to auditory pareidolia(interpreting random sounds as voices) or apophenia (perceiving patterns in random information). In addition, highly sensitive electronic equipment captures a lot of background noise that affects the quality of audio and video recordings. The video images I’ve seen were sometimes obtained beforehand and could have been altered.
A growing body of university-based research indicates that ultra-sensitive technology might someday be used to accurately and reliably detect the presence of postmaterial persons. Results of replicated and controlled experiments published by Gary E. Schwartz, PhD illustrates the promise for future ‘spirit’ communication. R & D on the SoulPhone Project has occurred at the Laboratory for Advances in Consciousness and Health at the University of Arizona. (LACH.Arizona.edu) His work, and that of other scientists, is discussed further in article #1.
For additional information about EVP and ITC, visit the Afterlife Research and Education Institute at AfterLifeInstitute.org. To learn about the differences of this approach from the SoulPhone Project, see article #106.
Other Types of Firsthand Experiences
Extrasensory perceptions, although temporary and not verifiable, can be very impactful. Just one otherworldly glimpse can open one’s mind to the reality of life after bodily death.
I have received many heartwarming emails and letters from people around the world who report personal perceptions of their postmaterial loved ones. Those firsthand experiences filled them with comfort, hope, and enthusiasm. They send photos, audio-video recordings, and other evidence of what they consider to be signs from ‘deceased’ loved ones.
However, as a serious investigator of afterlife evidence, I cannot verify the accuracy of their reports. I may personally believe them, but there is no objective data for these often nebulous images. I will share three extrasensory perceptions that I personally experienced and thus know are legitimate.
At a holistic health retreat in 1996, I walked toward the ocean and clearly saw two people swimming and then standing in the water. As I waded in, I saw a tall male with dark hair and a shorter female bobbing and diving under the water. As I approached more closely, the female waved and I recognized her as my good friend Elaine.
I wondered who the man was since her husband was shorter and had white hair. I couldn’t see him and figured he was holding his breath under the water. When I reached Elaine, I looked around and asked, “Where’s that guy?” She looked at me like I was crazy and said, “What guy? I’ve been out here by myself for twenty minutes.” I described the fellow I had seen as clearly as I had seen her. She replied, “Maybe you saw one of my angels or guides?” Maybe.
As mentioned, I assisted with many ‘Code 4’ resuscitations while working in hospitals in the 1970s. In those days, dying patients seldom received attention to their emotional and spiritual needs. I was in theology school and reading books by Drs. Elisabeth Kubler Ross, Herman Feifel, and other pioneers in the emerging field of thanatology. As such, I was aware of this need and wasn’t afraid of appearing kooky. While working with dying patients, I spoke directly into their ears, reassured them that everything possible was being done, and encouraged them to not be afraid. On several occasions, I saw a faint white light emanate from the patient’s chest just before the time of death was called.
I experienced what I considered to be the grace and beauty of an angel’s visit in 1993 while completing my first book Radiant Wellness. While writing early one morning, I looked for a quote from the Bible but couldn’t find it despite searching my Concordance. Then I suddenly felt ecstatic for no apparent reason and heard a slight rustling sound. Through my peripheral vision, I saw a white gauzy form – like the fine lacework of a wedding dress. As I turned to see it more clearly, that image was gone or, more likely, I just couldn’t see it any longer.
I felt energized and interpreted this as a sign that my writing was in alignment with my soul’s missions. Immediately afterwards, I opened the Bible to the exact page I needed and my eyes went directly to the verses I sought: “What is humankind, that thou art mindful of them? . . . Thou made them a little lower than the angels; you crowned them with glory and honor.” (Hebrews 2: 6 – 7)
Consciousness-altering plants or entheogens have facilitated perceptions of nonordinary states of reality – including life after death – for many people. Sharing the same root word with enthusiasm, entheogen refers tobringing God within. Different states of awareness while under the influence of, for example, peyote, mushrooms, and ayahuasca may engender perceptions similar to those during ADCs, OBEs, and NDEs. Religious and mystical practices in various cultures have gainfully used sacred botanical preparations to heighten awareness.
I don’t recommend this path because of the potential pitfalls. Rather, I encourage meditation, prayer, yoga, centering practices, optimal nutrition, and other safe and time-tested methods that provide impressive results. But entheogens have worked well for some people who use them under appropriate and well-supervised conditions.
Common sense knowing is another indication that life continues after bodily death. This was beautifully stated in Go Toward the Light by Chris Oyler. She described the moments after her nine-year-old son Ben passed on after contracting AIDS from a blood transfusion: “The room was full of Ben. He was all around us everywhere. Warm and loving. He was lingering for a moment to say good-bye. To tell us not to worry, that there wasn’t anything to be afraid of, and never was . . . And you know that all that energy and love cannot just vanish without a trace.”
The ‘Swiss watch analogy’ is a common sense argument for the existence of a wise Higher Power and, thus, a good and just outcome that includes life after death. Following the logic of this intelligent design argument, imagine that you found an expensive Swiss watch on the ground. Would you conclude that the watch formed randomly and just fell out of the sky? Or might you deduce that an organized intelligence – a master watchmaker – created the timepiece that someone lost?
Similarly, consider the awesome complexity, evident on both micro and macro scales, in the human body and nature. An equally magnificent Creative Force of life is implied. Might this Infinite Intelligence include the continuation of consciousness after the earthly form dies?
As Benjamin Franklin put it: “When I see nothing annihilated and not a drop of water wasted, I cannot suspect the annihilation of souls, or believe that God will suffer the daily waste of millions of minds readymade that now exist, and put Himself to the continual trouble of making new ones. Thus, finding myself to exist in the world, I believe I shall, in some shape or other, always exist; and, with all the inconveniences human life is liable to, I shall not object to a new edition of mine, hoping, however, that the mistakes of the last may be corrected.”
Experiencing unity consciousness is another indication of your continuing oneness with all life. While driving over a long bridge years ago, I enjoyed a cherished moment of this. Glancing up, I saw a flock of geese flying in front of a fading sunset. Then I looked over to see the river and its snowy banks. The entire scene seemed so familiar, as if I had somehow helped design it. I immediately felt a deep sense of peace and unity with all of life.
Perhaps you’ve had at least one such moment. As one grows in unity consciousness, even fleeting and ordinary experiences can remind the observer that there is more to life than this brief earthly journey.
Ken Wilber, author of No Boundary, put it this way: “In unity consciousness, in no boundary awareness, the sense of self expands to totally include everything once thought to be not self.”
Centering practices to quiet the brain and perceive more of life include prayer, meditation, yoga, service to others, optimal self-care, time with loved ones, gardening, chanting, breathing exercises, and drumming. For some, the mind is most relaxed by playing with pets, spending time with elders, spiritual studies, sewing, exercising, bodywork, and energy movements like tai chi and qi gong. Other ways to – as Fritz Perls, PhD said – ‘lose your mind and come to your senses’ include experiential seminars, hot baths, lovemaking, deep relaxation, shamanic trance work, and sacred dance.
The brain is an amazing organ but, as discussed, senses only a tiny fraction of reality. Centering practices allow you to be still and consider that life may be more enduring and safer than we can fathom.
In summary, firsthand experience evidence can be very impressive. However, sometimes sensing is not believing. Some people doubt their perceptions as time goes by and memories fade. Over time, what appeared to be very real experiences may seem more like daydreams or the imagination. To better remember and value your firsthand experiences that point to survival of life after death, I recommend:
- Write a detailed description of your experience as soon as possible.
- Discuss it with trusted family and friends.
- Learn evidence that supports the possible validity of your perceptions.
- Consider how you can help others with your newfound hope and vitality. Doing this further internalizes your glimpse of the field of all possibilities.
Learning the collective afterlife evidence isn’t a dry academic exercise; it’s essential for living fully during your earthly experience. Here’s how sixteen-year-old Tom put it: “Your book Soul Proof changed my life spiritually. I now feel happier about myself. You helped me put what my subconscious was feeling into conscious thinking. I really am an eternal soul. Thanks to you, I now realize this. This may sound like a small thing but, to me, it is just the beginning.”
Knowing this information can literally be the difference between continuing to live on earth versus choosing death of the human form. As Dave put it: “I’ve been suicidal for about a year, bad, every day. Your articles on SoulProof.com are amazing. They really helped me a lot. I’m very grateful for you. What a great service you provide for humanity. My spiritual awakening has been brutal and I didn’t know if I could stay on this planet much longer. Words cannot express. You are saving so many like me, I am positive of that. Thank you again so much.”
I hope that learning more about firsthand experience evidence, especially in combination with the scientific proof and clinical research, helps you know without a doubt that no one really dies.
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Your life, and that of others around you, will be more enriched when you:
- read this article again within a few days so you really own it.
- discuss it with trusted family members and friends.
- take recommended action steps that seem right for you.
- share it with others who can use it.
Let it shine,
Mark
Mark Pitstick MA, DC is an author, master’s level clinical psychologist, holistic chiropractic physician, frequent media guest, and webinar / workshop facilitator. He has also helped others in pastoral counseling and suicide prevention / education settings. Mark directs The Soul Phone Foundation, founded Greater Reality Living Groups, and assists research on the SoulPhone Project. To learn more about how Dr. Pitstick might help you, visit SoulProof.com/About.
Dr. Pitstick’s goal is to help you know and show– no matter what is happening to or around you – that this earthly experience is a totally safe, meaningful, and magnificent adventure amidst eternity. Visit SoulProof.com for free articles, newsletters, and radio interviews with top consciousness experts. Other resources include his very reasonably priced books, audio-products, and documentary film.
Note: Because of his many outreaches, Dr. Pitstick can no longer answer complex and/or multiple questions. However, he has created many resources to answer your biggest questions and provide holistic solutions for your toughest challenges . . .
FREE ARTICLES, RADIO SHOW, AND E-NEWSLETTERS
– Articles for Transformation and Healing (top tab Articles at SoulProof.com) address the most common questions, concerns, and challenges about life, death, and afterlife.
– Radio Shows (top tab Radio Shows at SoulProof.com) share his and top experts’ answers to life’s biggest questions: “Who am I? Why am I here? What happens after I die? Is there a God? Why is there so much suffering? Why do children die?” and others.
– E-Newsletters (sign up on any page at SoulProof.com)
AUDIO-PRODUCTS, BOOKS, AND DOCUMENTARY FILM
– Transformational Audio Products (see Shop at SoulProof.com) provide quality sessions at home for a fraction of the cost of an office visit. These CDs and digital audios use deep relaxation, visualization, breathwork, and/or other techniques to: access your inner wisdom, visit with “departed” loved ones, release old wounds and lower energy emotions, evaluate your pre-birth planning, have past life regressions, and other goals.
– Books and Documentary (Shop at SoulProof.com) provide information and strategies to help you more deeply realize and demonstrate:
- you are a forever being of energy / consciousness
- the many wonderful benefits of realizing this
- how to reflect this great news in every aspect of your life — even when confronted with big challenges and changes
Webinars and Workshops: to learn about these, subscribe to newsletters at SoulProof.com and SoulPhone.org (Classes & Interviews at SoulProof.com)
Greater Reality Living Groups: these local and online groups share information from Dr. Pitstick, Dr. Gary Schwartz, and other experts on consciousness and holistic wellness topics. (Visit Greater Reality Living at SoulProof.com)
Coaching / Counseling Session: meet with Dr. Pitstick by Zoom to gain answers to your toughest questions and holistic solutions to your biggest challenges. (Shop at SoulProof.com)
Disclaimer: This information is not designed to replace medical or psychological care. Dr. Pitstick’s remarks are based on his personal and professional training and experience during forty-eight years of helping many thousands of people. Collective clinical, scientific, and experiential evidence supports some, but not all, of what he shares. Mark’s views may change over time, and he does not claim to have all the answers or the only answers.
Dr. Pitstick encourages you to consider this information and decide for yourself what makes the most sense. Note: the articles and other resources at his SoulProof.com site are NOT purely based on scientific research as is the SoulPhone Project.
