In this episode, Dani Foffa interviews Peter Panagore, a former pastor and near-death experiencer whose 1980 NDE while ice climbing in the Canadian Rockies transformed his understanding of life, death, and God. Peter describes his union with the Divine, a profound life review, the vast cosmic Void, and his choice to return to life.

His experience erased belief and replaced it with direct knowing. Together, we explore how to integrate an NDE, faith vs. belief, mysticism, spiritual awakening, the Bible through a mystical lens, and even how love and ethics can guide artificial intelligence.

After his NDE, Peter dedicated his life to sharing messages of Love, Light, and the Soul’s eternal nature. A longtime practitioner of Centering Prayer, meditation, and Kriya Yoga, he spent fifteen years as an NBC-TV storyteller and now hosts Not Church: Mysticism No Doctrine No Dogma on YouTube, where he offers deep insights on the afterlife and spiritual consciousness.

What is an NDE? A near-death experience (NDE) is typically a profound, life changing, intensely emotional experience that usually occurs during a clinical crisis and has common characteristics and aftereffects. It is not a dream, hallucination, or mental illness (Greyson, 1983). There are no predictive variables to identify who will have an NDE. They happen to people of all ages, religions, socio-economic groups, cultures, educational backgrounds, and belief systems. They occur under a variety of circumstances such as accidents, near-drownings, illnesses, combat, surgical procedures, and childbirth. Following an NDE, experiencers (NDErs) often display some common aftereffects. Research has established a set of common NDE characteristics and long-term aftereffects. Theories used to explain near-death experiences in purely physical terms have been proven inadequate by NDE researchers and others.