NDE: Dead in a body bag for over 45 min and then resuscitated

I recently read the book, The Light After Death by Vincent Todd Tolman about his near death experience (NDE) and I was shocked by his story. I was shocked because he was dead in a body bag for so long. Let me summarize his story and what he learned in the spirit realm:

Tolman explains that he was a construction worker on his day off and he was going to his friend's house to grab food, work out at the gym, and then go to an auto expo. His friend ordered a supplement but he had to get it from Thailand because it was sold out in the US. They took their normal dosage and right away they didn't feel good. They decided to get food thinking that would help. Tolman's friend was driving the car and falling asleep at the wheel as they were getting more sick. They pulled over into a Dairy Queen. Tolman ran into the bathroom, locked the door behind him, fell flat on his back, and threw up, sucking it all into his lungs and blocking his airway. His friend went in and became sick all over the Dairy Queen and the manager called 911. The ambulance picked up Tolman's friend but Tolman was still in the locked bathroom.

Tolman explains that he left his body right when he fell on his back and hit the ground. Below is what he says:

"As soon as my head hit the ground, I felt my being completely immersed in a sense of wonderful coolness—like water. I felt weightless, like I was floating in the air. I had the sensation that I was sitting up, and looked around me, trying to see something—anything—but it was as if everything was hidden in a fog. When the fog gradually cleared, I was looking down at a drama unfolding below me in the dining area of the Dairy Queen. It was like I was watching a movie from a comfortable chair, and the director had decided to shoot every scene from above. But I was also certain that what I was watching was happening in real life. My attention was so focused on what was happening below me that the strangeness of my situation never crossed my mind, much as when you are in a dream and accept everything that occurs, no matter how surreal."

Eventually a customer needs to use the bathroom so the manager unlocks the bathroom door and finds Tolman dead in the bathroom. The manager calls 911 and the ambulance comes back to get Tolman. The medics declare Tolman dead and bag his body. They take their time collecting witness reports so that gives you an idea of how long this has been. Tolman thought that he may have been dead for perhaps 90 minutes. Tolman is still out of his body watching this whole scene feeling detached.

The three medics drive Tolman's body to the county morgue. Tolman explains that there are two senior medics sitting in the front of the ambulance and a rookie medic in the back of the ambulance with his body. Tolman says that he sees a bright light, like a shooting star hit the rookie in his heart and a powerful and commanding voice from the light declares, "This one is not dead." The rookie looks around for the source of the voice and doesn't act. Then Tolman said the voice hit him louder and more powerfully and said, "This man is not dead!" The rookie unbuckles the straps and unzips the body bag and uses a defibrillator to revive the body. The medics in the front of the ambulance are horrified, yelling at the rookie that he will be fired. The rookie ignores them and continues triggering the defibrillator. After the third shock there's a heartbeat. The ambulance was only minutes away from the emergency center where they took Tolman.

At the hospital, Tolman, still observing and feeling detached, finally realizes that it is him on the gurney and he starts to panic. As his panic grows, he feels a warmth and brightness behind him that feels like pure love and his fears are washed away. Below is what he says:

"As I turned toward the source of the light, I saw a man. Standing before me was a man who appeared both middle-aged and timeless. His full head of white hair was shoulder length and stood out around his head, majestic like a lion’s mane. His beard, also bright white, ended at the bottom of his chest. He wore what appeared to be a pure white robe that extended to his ankles with loose-fitting sleeves down to his wrists. The robe was open in the front, revealing a white shirt and trousers, and a sash around his waist. A simple golden-cream stole was draped around his neck and over his shoulders, flowing down to the bottom of his robe. His skin appeared pink, yet glistened, like sand on a sunny beach. What captured my attention, though, were his brilliant blue eyes. They seemed to pierce through me, and I sensed that he somehow knew me. He looked at me with a loving smile, and I felt an overwhelming sense of tenderness and love radiate from him. I could feel his kindness literally flood my being, and my heart basked in its radiant warmth. My first thought was, 'Are you God?' The man laughed a little. 'No, son. I’m not God.' 'Are you Jesus Christ?' He laughed again. 'No, son. I’m not Jesus Christ.' 'Then who are you?' 'You can call me Drake. I am your guide, and I will escort you in whichever direction you want to go.' He gestured back behind me. 'You can go back to your body if you wish. Or, if you want to come with me, I will show you how to continue on to the next step in your eternal existence.'"

Tolman decides to go with Drake. Drake explains that Tolman needs to learn some key truths before they can go into the spirit realm. He says that they are surrounded by a bubble of white light. Below are the key truths that Drake shares with Tolman:

1. Be Authentic: Drake says, “Being authentic is bringing the physical and spiritual aspects of yourself together, accepting them as they are, and not being ashamed for the world to know the real you. Don’t worry about putting on one face for one side of your life and a different face for a different side of your life.”

   
   

2. The purpose of life: Drake says, “Your mortal existence is not a test. It’s more of a classroom, where souls are able to learn, grow, and be sorted. With a test, you can pass or fail. But God loves every single spirit and creation–every single one. He did not create a system of passing and failing. He created a system where everyone succeeds, but only at the speed that they are able to grow.”

   
   

3. Love Everyone: Drake says, “It is both simpler, and more profound, than you have imagined. Love is the foundation of the universe. The world, the cosmos, the galaxy—all of the universes were created out of true, unequivocal, unconditional, pure love. God loves every single one of his creations. And he has creations all over the cosmos.”

   
   

4. Listen to your inner voice: Drake says, "You see, all truth exists everywhere in the universe. When you tune your mind, your body, and your spirit to the right frequencies, you can tap into divine truths by connecting with your higher self—that part of you that is still directly connected with God. When your whole being is attuned to the right frequency, you can simply ask God and then instantly know the answer.”

   
   

5. Use technology responsibly: Drake says, “It’s possible to allow yourself to be buried so deep in technology, or what technology provides access to, that you can turn off that connection to spiritual things altogether. It can be as powerful as a drug that overrides your ability to reason and choose. When you reach that point, you no longer have a connection to your higher frequency, or to God. You will be left in a lonely, dark void where there are only lower and lower frequencies.”

   
   

6. Release Prejudice: Drake says, "When you see someone as God sees them, all of the labels that you put on them just fade away. That’s really all prejudice is: labels. And labels are a mortal weakness.” He also says the following, “Anywhere you find prejudice in a religion, it is not from God. That is where the work of mortals has crept in. That does not mean that there is no truth to be found in that religion, just that an untrue teaching has taken root, like a weed in the garden. It’s easy to confuse culture and truth; it happens all the time. I saw it during my own life on Earth. It could also be from the minds of people who are using their own image to create what they think an ideal world would be.”

   
   

7. The power of creation: Drake says, “Making things in the physical world takes physical material and physical labor, but before any of that, it begins with a thought—a vision—and a desire to create something. Your thoughts are the first step in creation.”

   
   

8. Avoid Negative Influences: Drake explains that certain institutions and the media use fear for their own greed and power. Specifically he says that the media is not a good representation of humanity. He says it's ok to be aware of what's happening in the world but not to consume too much news, that the news cycle can be addicting and just show the darkness of humanity. However, there is so much light and joy not reported on. He says the following, “Learn to ignore the noise—the distractions that keep you angry and fearful and isolated from your brothers and sisters, because that’s their ultimate goal.”

   
   

9. The purpose of evil: Drake says, Inside every dark experience is the potential for light, learning, and growth. You can take every bad thing that ever happens to you and use it to make the light within you stronger.”

   
   

10. We are all one: “Not all truths will resonate with all people; they need a different description to even begin to comprehend the beauty of it all. It is far better for them to draw closer to God in a way that works for them."

After Drake explained these truths to Tolman, they approached a sphere full of light and pure love, peace, and joy. Below is how Tolman describes the spirit realm:

"The realm was brighter than Earth’s sun, and, for a time, the light was so bright that I couldn’t see anything. I wondered how amazing our own sun would feel if we didn’t have a physical body and could just wade into it. As we entered the realm’s upper atmosphere, my vision cleared. I could see that the place was a planet, like Earth, yet, the light that shone from it was actually made up of an infinite spectrum of colors that rippled and flowed, more than my mind could comprehend. I can’t even begin to describe how amazing it was to see so many colors. I thought, just seeing these colors alone would be life changing. Even more astounding was that I could not just see a color—I could feel it. Every color has a particular frequency in love, and I could feel that frequency as I experienced the color."

Tolman then says the following, "I was so caught up in all I was experiencing that I didn’t notice that we were about to touch down. It wasn’t until I felt the warm, soft grass under my feet that I was aware that we had arrived, and a new kind of sensory experience rippled through me. I could feel the sweet smell and taste of the grass through my toes. I looked down and was overwhelmed by the beautiful, luminous green that radiated from within each blade of grass."

Tolman examines flowers and water in the spirit realm. He also sees a building in the distance, he describes it, "On the crest of the hill stood a magnificent white building, five stories tall with a flat roof. The top floor extended outward from the structure, forming a covered porch that was supported by broad fluted columns adorned with intricate scrollwork. Archways on the outer wall reached from the ground halfway up the structure. The building stretched for what seemed like miles, but I couldn’t see how far. I just knew that I was seeing just one end of this great building perched on top of the hill. As I started to focus on the building, the environment’s symphony faded into the background of my awareness. I sensed that this building was a place of learning. I noticed a halo of light around the building, and movement around the base. 'Are those people?' I wondered, and instantly my awareness zoomed in and was at the building, amongst the people I had seen from a distance. The people were walking around, laughing, and hugging each other. Some held hands, but all of them were holding either clipboards, papers, books, or scrolls. They were all excited about whatever it was they were studying. I watched as two people approached the building. I felt their frequency match the frequency of the building, and the building wall rippled and shifted, forming a portal for the two people to enter. As soon as they passed through, the wall flowed closed again. Moments later, I saw others exit the building: the wall simply parted to make a way for them to pass through, and then sealed again. It would glisten and change colors in a reflection of the love and passion of the people entering. It was truly magical."

Tolman says the following, "Drake then drew my awareness back to where we had first touched down. This was the real world. Even the most beautiful parts of Earth seemed no more than a pencil sketch compared to the brilliance of this realm." After this quick glimpse of the spirit realm, Drake says the following, "Vinney, I know this is going to hurt, but it will be worth it. I promise." Tolman then wakes up in the hospital room.

The rest of the book is Tolman trying to integrate this experience into his life. Interestingly, Tolman later sees a picture of his great-grandpa that went by the name Drake and he looks the same as his spirit guide minus the ethereal glow. This confirms to Tolman that his experience was real. He actually has a picture on his website of this great-grandpa and it's exactly how I pictured the spirit guide based on his description in the book (https://thelightafterdeath.com/photos/).

This book reminded me of Dr. Eben Alexander's experience where he had a near death experience and was led around the spirit realm by a beautiful girl. He later found out the beautiful girl was his real sister whom he never met since he was adopted (see his book called Proof of Heaven). Tolman's experience was also similar to the NDE of Anke Evertz which I detail in blog post, Shocking Near Death Experience - 9 Days in the Spirit Realm.

Below is Tolman's interview on a podcast, his website, and book. I provided a very quick summary of the book. There are a lot of great details I didn't include in this post so I definitely recommend reading the book if you like to read about near death experiences.

Interview with Next Level Soul podcast: https://youtu.be/CmrWT6D8oNk?si=k-70UJmAiRi8t-Bh

Tolman's website: https://livinggodslight.org/