Many near-death experiences are unintentionally induced because of a complication during surgery. Such an event happened to a woman, named Janet, who had a near-death experience during a hysterectomy. She was interviewed by Dr. Cherie Sutherland, an experiencer whose experience led her to conduct an in depth three year study of the phenomenon and to the subsequent publication of Reborn in the Light and Within the Light. She is a visiting research fellow in sociology at the University of New South Wales. Following her research and publication, Dr. Sutherland has lectured and become involved with a variety of NDE projects.

The following is an excerpt from her book, Within the Light, describing Janet's near-death experience.

I was to have a total hysterectomy, and it was during surgery that I had a cardiac arrest. The surgeon indicated that it was due to the anesthetic - he already knew that I'd had problems with anesthetics in previous operations. Anyway, at that time I became conscious of seeing my body lying there on the operating table, and I could hear the communication that was going on between the surgeon and the staff. I could see it all, but in a very detached sort of way. In an almost offhand way I realized that that was my body, and I realized that I'd died (in the physical sense). While I was in that out-of-body state I was aware of my husband and children so clearly, and yet there was no grief or sadness at the thought that I had died and was separate from them. I felt total peace, total rapture. There was no fear at all. And time didn't exist - it seemed like it was just a matter of a spit in time and I would be reunited with them anyway, so it wasn't an issue for me.

I then felt myself moving off very fast, exceedingly fast, into what seemed like outer space. I always felt that it was the fact of going so fast that gave me the sense of being in a tunnel. And I was going toward a very bright light. As I was traveling along I could see different-colored lights, and then I got stopped, just stopped before I got to the light. And I felt this extreme presence of love, just absolute love. It shocked me somewhat, but there was no problem with accepting that in essence I was being confronted with my creator.

I was also very conscious of communicating with other presences around me at that time, but I didn't see any. I was just conscious of so much love coming from those presences as well. Then there was a review of my whole life. I can remember looking at it and assessing it and really judging it myself. I felt no one else judged me - I judged myself. I think the greatest shame I felt about my life was that I had totally rejected the concept of God. I'd totally given no acknowledgment to God, I really didn't believe in God. And I felt such sadness, I was incredulous that I could ever have doubted that God existed, because he was so real and tangible - the whole essence of love. I say he, but that's just my conditioning. God was just this essence, this total essence of love.

At the time I felt the presence of that extreme love I could also hear beautiful music. I'm not sure if it was instrumental music, but somehow I think it was more massed voices giving that sound. But there were no words - it was more just a resonance of sound. And my consciousness seemed to increase dramatically, to the point where I felt all-knowing. I felt I was in touch with all knowledge - I just knew and understood so much more.

And the light communicated with words. 

He said, "You'll now believe in me." 

He also said, "I made you a woman, I created you. I know everything about you and I'm now going to send you back, because it's not your time to come over. You still have your life's work to do." 

I felt very humble, very much in awe of such love. I could hardly believe that someone could love me so much.

At that time I remember asking what my life's work was, and I was told:

"You'll not know at this time but you will be shown." 

And I think I was still asking questions like "When?" (laughs) 

I was always saying, "When?" 

I was also told to come back and tell my husband and children what had happened. I was to share it with them. I think it was about then that I regained consciousness. I don't recall coming back. Strangely enough, I only recall waking up a day and a half later, and by that time I was back in the ward.

"Today is a good day to die." - Kiefer Sutherland's character in the movie Flatliners

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