Premonitions of death? I’m sure that’s a loaded question for many of you. For me, when something like this happens, it is most often accompanied by a feeling of panic, a sense of losing control, and even fear. What is it that causes such a change in my thinking? What exactly is it that causes the changes in my body?
I believe that there are two primary factors involved. The first factor is trauma. In my patients expressing premonitions of death (POD) I find that physical trauma, and/or emotional trauma, is the overwhelming cause of the symptom(s) being expressed. Physical trauma can be caused by accidents, car accidents, falls, or any form of physical injury.
Emotional trauma, on the other hand, can be caused by major disappointments in one’s life, such as a divorce or a death of a loved one. If someone has had to go through an abusive situation, they may have a premonition of death in their head. This is not uncommon, and these types of “death premonitions” can be handled quite effectively with cognitive therapy. However, for those with no hope for recovery from their trauma, there are some powerful steps one can take to help alleviate the premonition of death that they may be experiencing.
There is an interesting book out in the UK called “The Eaters of Death: How to Avoid the Things That Kill You” that examines the issue of premonitions of death in an entirely different light. Authors Nancy Cussler and Joanna Martine Woolfolk conduct an interesting survey of various people who have died, all of which had specific premonitions of dying. They then examine the ways in which people dealt with, or attempted to deal with these premonitions in order to eliminate them from their lives. What they found was surprising and it sheds new light on the process of dealing with a life-threatening situation.
The two researchers discovered that, when given a specific piece of information by a loved one, almost half of all people who died said that the information had provided them with a sense of peace, relief or comfort. While this was true, they still experienced a strange feeling someone was looking out for them before they died. This same sense of peace, relief or comfort was also reported by people who were not given any information at all about their death. The findings suggest that premonitions could actually be a form of symbolic death.
While there is no evidence that the phenomena of premonitions of death is directly linked to advanced levels of spiritual practice, the fact remains that some individuals do believe that they happen to them before they die. Many people who suffer from cancer, leukemia or a myriad of other diseases, have said that their deaths are caused by premonitions of death. In fact, some of these individuals may not even have contacted their own physician until the very moment that they were diagnosed. It is these individuals who usually have the most difficult time accepting that they are sick and that death is imminent. With this in mind, it is understandable why many individuals have turned to mediums in order to gain some sense of peace and clarity prior to the onset of their own personal death.
Another group of individuals who often experience a premonition of death is those who are terminally ill. Cancer patients, for example, often undergo a premonition of death prior to their cancer treatment. In these cases, the individual’s awareness of their imminent death is so powerful that they can sometimes force themselves to accept their inevitable fate. Some cancer patients even go as far as to fake their own death, saying their disease has made them physically sick, preventing them from living any longer and causing them to feel the pain and frustration that will only make their death more significant. While this is one of the more extreme ways to cope with the end of a life, it is also very real to others. These individuals know that death is coming, but they choose to ignore it in the hopes of having a chance to say good-bye to a loved one.
Finally, it should be noted that the group of people referred to as “trauma victims” do not necessarily suffer from a heart attack, stroke or any other serious physical trauma that would cause them to develop a premonition of death (for example, cancer or cardiac arrest). Rather, trauma victims are those whose death is the direct result of an accident, abuse or disaster. The majority of individuals who are involved in accidental trauma incidents will never experience a premonition of death (unless they are skilled psychics). For these individuals, the loss of their ability to perceive time and space (as well as their consciousness) is typically the impetus for what is called a post mortem. They typically will be subjected to an extensive medical examination and investigation, before a death certificate is issued and they officially pass away.