From Dr Dewi Rees
Sir, - It was good to see Ted Harrison's article on
near-death experiences (NDEs) (Comment, 26 October). Although
he says that the accounts are essentially anecdotal, the use of
statistical tests makes the available evidence more scientifically
exact. This does not make the reality of an afterlife more certain,
though it strengthens the likelihood that this assumption is
true.
NDEs vary greatly in content, but
usually they involve a feeling of peace and painlessness, and
sometimes an out-of-the-body experience (OBE). Other experiences
reported include visions of Jesus and/or the saints, though the
nature of these latter experiences varies between cultures. NDEs
are probably more common than OBEs. About one tenth of the
population have at least one OBE sometimes during their life.
In her written works, e.g. The
Interior Castle, St Teresa of Avila (1515-82) recorded her
experiences of being outside the body, but did so only at the
behest of her confessor, and was careful to indicate that they had
no devilish association. She was canonised in 1622, and declared a
Doctor of the Church in 1970, the first woman to be so honoured by
the Roman Catholic Church.
Parallel to the studies in NDEs and
OBEs, there has been an increased interest in bereaved people's
experiences of their dead loved ones. An initial study was
published in 1971 by me and Sylvia Lutkins, a statistician. We
found that almost half widowed people experienced, in clear
consciousness, the presence of their dead spouse at various times,
often for many years afterwards. Some saw the deceased, and a
minority felt their touch. We concluded that these experiences are
normal and helpful, and occur irrespective of gender or social
status.
The study has been replicated in other
centres, and my diocesan bishop (G. O. Williams), later Archbishop
of Wales, asked me to speak to his clergy on the subject shortly
after publication. This I did, and they seemed to find it
interesting and helpful. Although the results were immediately
accepted by psychiatrists, and sociologists consider it a benchmark
study for their own research, no other ordained person expressed an
interest in this work until 1999, when Fr Gerald O'Collins SJ was
co-chairing a conference in New York on the resurrection, and he
was asked if he knew of Rees's work. He hadn't heard of me, but
obtained copies of my relevant publications, and discussed my 1971
paper in his book Easter Faith (DLT, 2003).
Later, after I had published
Pointers to Eternity (Y Lolfa, 2010), he wrote of it
again, in The Irish Theological Quarterly (2011), 76 (3)
224-237, in his paper "The Resurrection and Bereavement
Experiences". I am grateful for his interest, and suggest that
these bereavement studies, and those mentioned by Ted Harrison, are
relevant to us as Christians when we consider the significance of
the resurrection, and the reality of the afterlife.
DEWI REES
Plott Cottage
Stretton on Dunsmore
Warks CV23 9HL