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

Podcast: New Thinking Allowed Audio Podcast
Host: Jeffrey Mishlove
Guest: P.M.H. Atwater
Date: September 16, 2025

Overview

In this episode, host Jeffrey Mishlove delves into near-death experiences (NDEs) and broader questions of life and consciousness with renowned researcher and prolific author P.M.H. Atwater. Atwater shares her personal history with NDEs, her approach to research, reflections on consciousness, and her soon-to-be-released book connecting NDEs and alien encounters. This wide-ranging and intimate discussion covers Atwater’s life, pioneering research, and lingering mysteries of human experience.

Major Discussion Points & Insights

1. P.M.H. Atwater’s Early Life and Career Path

• Early Life:
  • Born in Twin Falls, Idaho, later moved to Boise.
  • Initial career as a secretary before discovering her talent for writing.
    • “A guy... sent out this flyer: ‘Send me a page of your writing, and I’ll tell all about you.’ So I did... and in that transcript he said, ‘You’re in the wrong job. You should be a writer.’” (06:34, Atwater)
• Interest in the Paranormal:
  • Inspired by Edgar Cayce’s work, she joined a local Edgar Cayce group and began exploring psychic and healing abilities.
• Personal Crisis and Transformation:
  • Experienced significant trauma and, in 1977, three separate clinical deaths that catalyzed her life’s work (14:30).

2. The Near-Death Experiences and Their Aftereffects

• The Three Deaths (1977):
  • Experienced deaths on January 2, January 4, and March 29, 1977.
  • During her experiences, Atwater encountered a “voice like none other,” inspiring her to dedicate her life to research.
    • “[It was] a voice like the whole universe speaking to me. And it said, and I quote, ‘Test revelation. You are to do the research. One book for each death.’” (14:56, Atwater)
• Aftermath:
  • Life’s direction changed dramatically—quit her job, sold her home, and followed a deeper calling across the U.S., settling eventually in Virginia, where her research truly began.

3. Launching into Research

• Building a Research Base:
  • Atwater began systematically collecting NDE stories from countless people, leading to a research base of nearly 5,000 cases.
    • “No matter where I went... a woman comes up to me and whispers... ‘I’ve got to tell someone about the time I died.’ And it went like that for thousands and thousands of times.” (01:00, 19:24, Atwater)
• Advisory from Leading Researchers:
  • Recognized by Kenneth Ring and other pioneers, joining the early International Association for Near Death Studies (IANDS) community.
    • “You know more about the near death experience than anybody else. You got to come up to Storrs, Connecticut and meet your compadres.” (21:51, quoting Ring)

4. Personal Encounters and Uncanny Coincidences

• Serendipity in Research:
  • Atwater notes how people from diverse backgrounds spontaneously shared NDE stories with her, even in mundane settings like taxis and city streets.
• Unique Ability:
  • Atwater describes a deep empathy and connection enabling informants to open up—possibly linked to her own NDEs.

5. Books and Contributions

• Literary Output:
  • Author of 27 books (including works for children), most notably Future Memory and The Big Book of Near Death Experiences.
  • Gifted The Big Book of Near Death Experiences to IANDS to ensure its accessibility and resourcefulness for the field.
    • “That book is a very, very important book, and it needs to be out there.” (38:00, Atwater)
• Forthcoming Book: Aliens and the Near Death Experience
  • Exploring alien encounters linked to NDEs; based on personal and collected accounts.
  • Contemplative and controversial, arising from another rare directive from “the voice” encountered during her NDE.
    • “That voice... spoke to me again last year... it made it very clear that I was to do that.” (36:52, Atwater)

6. The Mysterious "Voice Like None Other"

• Voice As Guidance:
  • The voice gave direct and game-changing commands only twice (1977 and recently).
    • “That voice has only spoken to me twice... The first time in 1977, last year. And that's it.” (41:12, Atwater)
• Nature of the Voice:
  • Not angelic or familiar, its source and purpose remain mysterious even to Atwater.

7. Alien Life, Past Lives, and Creation Experiences

• Alien Encounters:
  • Atwater recounts encountering a being “from another solar system”—perhaps a past life self—during hypnosis and creative meditative states.
    • “That being is from Sirius... from a water star that went nova in the Sirius system and came to this planet... in the Eocene period.” (32:46, Atwater)
  • She describes an alternate procreation process without sex, forming the core of her next book.
• Creation During NDEs:
  • Vivid accounts of astral creativity—making houses, trees, and even cities—during her NDEs.
    • “Everything I would think would form thoughts all over the room, all over everywhere were these thoughts. And they were... beautiful.” (45:24, Atwater)

8. Future Writing Plans

• Shifting Focus:
  • With Aliens and the Near Death Experience as her last research book, Atwater plans to write "fun books" (e.g., about visualized thought forms).
    • “It's going to be a book of all kinds of thought forms. My first one.” (43:35, Atwater)

9. Reflections on Near-Death Research and Meaning

• Coping and Insights for Others:
  • Her personal suffering and transformation post-NDE enabled her to authentically relate to and guide thousands of others.
    • “I knew what they went through, and I knew how they could get out of it...” (54:15, Atwater)
• Aftereffects:
  • Returning from NDEs led to profound disorientation, pain, but also awe—inspiring empathy and further search for understanding.

Notable Quotes and Moments

• On Being Approached for NDE Stories:
  “No matter where I went... a woman comes up to me and whispers... ‘I’ve got to tell someone about the time I died.’” (01:00, 19:24, Atwater)

• On Spiritual Mandate:
  “I call it the voice like none other, because I never heard a voice like this... ‘Test revelation. You are to do the research...’” (14:56, Atwater)

• On Research Community and Validation:
  “You know more about the near death experience than anybody else. You got to come up to Storrs, Connecticut and meet your compadres.” (21:51, Atwater quoting Ring)

• On Book Writing as Life Path:
  “I just finished a book and it's coming out next year and I've started another one.” (04:12, Atwater)

• On Her Last Research Book:
  “Once... Aliens and the Near Death Experience comes out next May. That's my last, last research book. No more. No more. Period. End of story.” (42:48, Atwater)

• On the Voice’s Nature:
  “It’s not an angel… I don’t know where it came from. I don’t know what it is. I just know that it speaks. And I listen and I do. I don’t argue with that voice.” (41:35, Atwater)

Key Timestamps

• 00:00–01:40: Atwater describes being frequently approached by strangers compelled to share their NDEs; introduction of her research base.
• 06:13–16:00: Early life, discovery of writing, spiritual awakening, and the three near-death experiences.
• 19:00–29:00: Research journey, serendipitous encounters, and integration into NDE research community (IANDS).
• 29:11–36:15: Alien encounters, friendship with Whitley and Ann Strieber, and the mysterious being from Sirius.
• 38:00–43:00: The importance and legacy of The Big Book of Near Death Experiences, decision to stop research writing.
• 43:28–46:30: Plans for upcoming creative, non-research books; description of thought forms and creative powers during NDEs.
• 51:00–55:00: Reflections on personal challenges post-NDE, ability to help others, and gratitude for a lifetime of research.

Conclusion

P.M.H. Atwater’s journey from a life-altering series of NDEs to a leading voice in the field illuminates the complexities of human consciousness, transformation, and the enigmatic intersections of life, death, and possible extraterrestrial realities. Her candor and deep empathy shine through in this conversation—her work both encyclopedic and personal, providing a foundation for future exploration of these profound topics. Her story is one of unyielding curiosity, service, and mystery.