My memoir, Angels in the OR: What Dying Taught Me About Healing, Survival, and Transformation, is available for pre-order.  It is a #1 new release in several categories.  I would love your support of a pre-order.  My aim is to help make near-death experiences more mainstream.

Response to Dying to Wake Up by Dr. Parti

“I have learned my true religion.  It is very simple.  My religion is kindness and love.  It welcomes all religions by looking for the sameness in them, not the differences.”  Dr. Rajiv Parti in Dying to Wake Up

The book Dying to Wake Up is a fascinating book not only for Dr. Parti’s exceptional NDE but also for his journey through life after his NDE.  Dr. Parti must first convince his wife that his experience will be a guiding force in their lives.  Next, he is called to scale down his materialism and change his profession.  Overall, Parti’s life changes dramatically and switches from one focused on materialism and personal achievements to one of deeper interpersonal relationships and work that focuses on helping others heal from what he calls diseases of the soul.

Dr. Parti’s NDE:  I connected with several aspects of Dr. Rajiv Parti’s near-death experience.  For one, we both woke up outside of our bodies during surgery and remembered our surgeries, but when we tried to talk about our experience with medical professionals these medical professionals hurried away from us.  Dr. Parti’s experience is particularly interesting because he was the type of doctor who treated patients the same way before his near death experience.  After his NDE, Dr. Parti realizes how he could have treated patients with more respect and listened to their experiences.

During his NDE, Dr. Parti initially found himself on the brink of hell.  An unlikely savior came for him—his father.  In life, his father had been harsh and abusive at times, but in the afterlife Parti’s father demonstrates great love and helps Parti better understand how generations of pain are passed from person to person without intentional malice.  Forgiveness is a theme Dr. Parti links to healing and discusses in greater detail in his book.  Although I didn’t experience a hellish landscape in my NDE, I have realized how forgiveness is an essential part of the healing process in our lives.

Angelic Healing:  Shortly after meeting with his father in the afterlife, Dr. Parti encounters angels and receives beautiful transmissions of love and knowledge.  The writing in this section of the book is lovely, and I completely relate to this part of his experience. I know that angels can use us and work through us in the ways that we are already gifted.  It makes perfect sense that Dr. Parti would return to medicine but use his knowledge in a radically different way with a focus on true healing.  After his NDE, Parti works on healing his own wounds with divine assistance, and then he looks for ways to be a source of light for others.  He sums up his new mission with the statement,

“I have discovered my true calling:  to endow others with a knowledge that encourages the body, mind, and spirit’s natural ability to heal addiction and depression without following a pill-based approach.”

Dr. Parti hopes to cure diseases of the soul which can manifest as addiction.  He also writes about the importance of service and states,

“I have learned that materialism is an addiction that takes our focus away from selfless service to others, seva, the most rewarding thing we can do for ourselves.  Seva is not just any kind of service, but service performed with a sense of gratitude.  In India, it is called ‘work offered to God.’  This type of work will change the world and can even be a way of connecting deeply with others while in relationship or in the bedroom.”

Connection to others and caring about their experiences in life is certainly a beautiful trait in all areas of life. To do this well, we must be fully present for each life experience.

During Parti’s recovery after surgery, he does not abuse pain pills though this was a struggle for him before his NDE.  I can relate to this as well as I chose not to take any pain medicine after the nine days in the hospital and the several months I stayed in a body cast.  I didn’t want to risk becoming addicted to pain pills and inherently knew to stay away from them.  The first few nights without pain medicine were excruciating, but I practiced meditation and mind control to disconnect from the pain.  I wanted to keep my mind clear to be in direct connection with the other side I had experienced.

Dr. Parti clearly understands the spiritual component to healing addiction.  Though he doesn’t mention twelve step programs, which I believe are essential for many people who need a group of people for support, he shows how a spiritual change is one of the most parts of a healing journey.

After Death Communications and SDEs:  In Dying to Wake Up, Dr. Parti describes a shared death experience with his close friend who passes away.  This is an important part of the book as many NDErs can communicate with those who have passed on or they simply have a heightened awareness of the dying process.  Parti is in touch with angels, the spirit of Jesus, and holds some traditional Hindu beliefs about reincarnation.  I can relate to his mix of ideologies and beliefs.

In talking with my father in the afterlife, I know that my father wishes to return to form again, so I have opened my mind more to the possibility of reincarnation.  As a child, I had distinct memories and recurring dreams about the end of my last life on earth, so I cannot say that I was closed to the idea of reincarnation. My NDE didn’t focus on past lives, but it did guide me to many of the same conclusions as Dr. Parti.

I especially liked Dr. Parti’s Manifesto and typed this out.  Here is his list of seven basic principles he learned.

Manifesto

1. Consciousness can exist outside the body.
2. There is life after death.
3. We have past lives, and our experiences therein can shape our current realities.
4. We are all connected to each other because we are all made of the one and same energy that manifests as differentiated matter.
5. Divine beings exist to help and guide us.
6. There are different levels of consciousness.
7. There is one, all-pervading supreme love an intelligence that is the source of the entire universe, and that love is the supreme source of creation.

In one lovely section of the book, Dr. Parti talks about loving deeply, forgiving easily, and healing quickly.  This idea of love, forgiveness, and healing is a beautiful part of this book and certainly inspired me.  I hope this section of the book might inspire other readers to bring more forgiveness, love and healing into their lives.

Though forgiveness can be difficult at times, it is important to work on becoming more of an observer of your life and allowing for the heavens, the divine beings, and God to help you begin the healing process even when you feel you personally cannot forgive.  Disconnection from all stories, roles, and misunderstandings is a wonderful place to begin.  NDErs know that as soon as we step out of form, forgiveness is easy.   May we all feel more of that ability to move beyond our pain and into healing.

This is a wonderful book, and I hope you enjoy reading about Dr. Parti’s journey as much as I enjoyed it.