Why I Coined “Shared Near-Death Experience (SNDE)”
When I first met David nearly 20 years ago, he was in a coma, dying from multisystem organ failure. I was there as a healer, but what unfolded was beyond anything I could have imagined. During one of our sessions, I found myself out of my body, in a realm of overwhelming love and peace. There, I encountered David’s spirit—hovering outside his body, radiant and fully aware. We recognized each other, communicated soul-to-soul, and shared a love that felt eternal.
Years later, I struggled to find the words to describe what we had experienced. I was familiar with the term Near-Death Experience (NDE), first popularized by psychiatrist Dr. Raymond Moody in his groundbreaking 1975 book Life After Life. Later, I learned about the term Shared Death Experience (SDE), also coined by Dr. Moody and introduced in his 2010 book Glimpses of Eternity. This term emerged after decades of collecting accounts from people who reported accompanying a loved one or patient partway into the afterlife at the time of death. Dr. Moody’s work established the SDE as a distinct phenomenon, separate from the classic NDE, where healthy bystanders report witnessing or participating in elements of the dying process.
Researchers such as William J. Peters have expanded the study of SDEs through the Shared Crossing Project, which has enhanced our clinical and experiential understanding of SDEs, building on Dr. Moody’s original framework.
However, what makes our story different is that David didn’t die. This wasn’t a classic Near-Death Experience (NDE), nor did it fit the Shared Death Experience (SDE) described by Dr. Moody because David lived.
When David miraculously survived, he didn’t consciously remember our meeting on the Other Side, even though it was clear in my mind. Yet, on a soul level, when he awoke, he instantly knew everything about me—my story, my heart, and the love we shared. He felt an unshakable bond and knew, without a doubt, that he loved me and that we would be married. And that’s exactly what happened, despite great odds.
Our experience didn’t fit neatly into any existing category, and a term was needed to foster a better understanding of these phenomena. That’s why I coined the term Shared Near-Death Experience (SNDE).
I have heard similar stories from others—encounters that transcend the boundaries of life and death, consciousness and coma, memory and knowing—from people who have had an SNDE where the dying person survived, and they have both been changed by the encounter.
If you’ve had an SNDE, your experience matters. I invite you to reach out and share your story. Together, we can expand our understanding of these extraordinary connections and bring light to the mysteries that unite us all.
Blessings to you on your journey!
Scarlett L. Heinbuch, PhD
Scarlett L. Heinbuch, PhD, MPH 