Interview With NDE Experiencer: John Davis

John Davis’s Near-Death Experience

John Davis recounts a near-death experience that began when he was 21. After crashing a moped and injuring his hand, he went in for surgery. An allergic reaction to the anesthesia stopped his heart. He says he was clinically dead for seven minutes, though the journey felt much longer.

Rather than seeing the familiar tunnel and bright light, John says he seemed to begin on the far side of it, inside an enormous white-marble “orientation center.” His guide, Allan, showed him an elderly man arriving after a heart attack. An orientation counselor welcomed the man, and John watched him regain the appearance of someone in his thirties before being greeted by loved ones in beautiful gardens.

Allan explained that people arrive confused because they have forgotten their home on the other side—and that Earth is a particularly challenging place to live.

The Tour

John says the tour continued through grand buildings and remarkable displays:

• A life-review room: Screens showed different stages of John’s life. He says he experienced how his actions affected others. He remembered helping a classmate who used crutches after falling; what seemed like a small kindness had made a deep impression. Intentional harm was shown as well, but John says the purpose was learning, not punishment. Allan did not mention karma.
• A past-life theater: John saw himself in three other lives: as a monk teaching children in Southeast Asia, a shoe repairer in Eastern Europe, and a fisherman helping feed a village. He says the experience convinced him that souls are eternal and can choose lifetimes in which to learn and grow.
• A life-planning hall: Allan showed him a scroll that John understood to represent a planned life, including major circumstances such as family, country, and possible career. John also saw a vast wall of scrolls representing people living on Earth at the time.
• A library of soulmates: One book bore the name Nina, whom Allan identified as John’s soulmate. John says everyone has a perfect mate, though he wasn’t told whether soulmates always share an earthly lifetime.
• A planetarium: A demonstration began with Earth’s familiar solar system, then expanded to millions of planets. John took this as evidence that Earth is not the only world with life—or the only place where souls can have lifetimes.
• A history library and castle: John saw a woman watching what looked like a recording of a battle between Native Americans and cavalry. Allan told him it was literal history, leading John to believe that everything is recorded. In a castle-like exhibit, a historian offered to help him. John replied, “No thanks. I’m just looking.” He later joked that he could have asked her anything.

John says he also saw two cats from his childhood, which led him to believe that pets have souls too.

His Message About the Afterlife

John describes the afterlife as filled with love, activity, learning, and opportunities to pursue the things people enjoy—not as a place centered on organized religion. He says the love of God felt overwhelmingly peaceful and safe, especially in contrast to Earth, which he likened to being in a foxhole, cut off from God.

At the end of the journey, Allan left John in a meadow, where he encountered a radiant figure he recognized as Jesus. The figure told him, “You must tell them there is no death.” John says he immediately woke in the operating room.

He believes he would have chosen to stay if given the option, but says he returned with a mission to share his experience. His central message is not to fear death: he believes life on Earth is temporary and that returning “home” is something to look forward to.

Personalities Featured

• John Davis — Guest and NDE experiencer
• Sasha — Host of The Afterlife Discussion